Page 48 of Poolside

Tommy took his offered hand, the brush of soft skin doingsomethingto his body. “Tommy. Nice to meet you.” He wet his upper lip. “Can I get you a drink?”

A dimple appeared in Noah’s cheek. “Please.”

Five minutes later, Tommy had learned that Noah was a tax accountant with a large firm, and seemed to genuinely love his job. He was a great conversationalist, asking Tommy about his work, his friends, his past as a college athlete, and how he liked to spend his spare time. Noah was an avid board game player, enjoyed eating out around downtown Charleston, and had an aging mother in a local assisted living home.

Noah was nice and sweet and Tommy could honestly say he liked his dimples and the blonde hair dusting his forearms. He could even imagine sharing a meal with him would be an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

Maybe the problem had been that he needed to get to know someone before the attraction followed. Maybethatwas what he needed.

* * *

“That looked like it went well.”

Tommy and Wade walked side by side down the sidewalk toward their parked cars. While he still couldn’t quite believe that he’d spent the evening with one of his favorite athletes of all time, Tommy was starting to get used to being in the presence of the towering man.

“It did,” Tommy responded. “We’re going to have dinner this week.”

“Nice!”

“Yeah. It is.”

Wade shot him a look. “You don’t sound convinced.”

“He’s lovely.” Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets. “Seems like a great guy, but it’s just not the same. Not as electric as…”

“As it is with Chuck.”

Tommy didn’t need to ask him how he knew, or how he guessed. He simply nodded.

“Want to talk about it?”

Tommy sighed.Yeah, he really wanted to talk about it—needed to talk about it. “We had a moment. I kissed him, and Chuck, well, I thought he was into it too. But when I tried to talk to him he made it clear he wasn’t interested.”

“Hm.”

Tommy looked up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean, Wade Johnson?”

Wade’s expression was serious as he responded. “It can be a scary thing for someone who is queer to open up to someone who might only be experimenting. What if you let them in, give them a real chance, and then they decide the experiment is over and they don’t actually want you?”

Tommy was already shaking his head. “It’s not like that for me. Chuck is—Fuck, Chuck is everything.”

“I believe you,” Wade said, his eyes sympathetic.

“So what am I supposed to do?” They’d reached Tommy’s car, coming to a stop beside the parking meter.

Wade shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Tommy let out a groan, throwing his hands in the air. “Great.”

“Nah, man.” Wade’s dark brows rose, creasing his forehead. “This is the kind of decision that’s all on you. This is between you and the man who is, from my understanding, your best friend. You’re the only one who can decide how you want to handle it.”

They exchanged a back-slapping hug with a promise to hang out again.

Tommy climbed into his car, slumping back in his seat as he ran his hands over his face.

Fuck.

* * *

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