Page 74 of Poolside

And as his body found the familiar rhythm of his stroke, his hands slicing through the water and stretching out before him as his legs kicked, he waited for the calm to find him.

* * *

The calm never came. Even when his muscles trembled with exhaustion as he climbed up the stairs to the house, he felt like there was a static humming in his body that he couldn’t quiet.

He found Tommy in their room, his hair freshly washed. He’d put on a cream-colored short sleeve button-up with a subtle, red floral pattern, and a pair of khaki pants that hugged his thighs.

Tommy smiled when Chuck walked in. “How was your swim?”

“Good,” Chuck said, and it was the truth. It had been a good swim, even if the strange buzzing that filled him hadn’t faded. “I’m going to shower and change and then we should head out, yeah?”

Tommy dropped the pair of pants he was folding and moved around the bed to join Chuck. Wrapping a hand around the back of Chuck’s neck, he pulled him down into a deep, lazy kiss. When he broke away, he grinned. “Sounds good,” he said, stepping back. His gaze dipped down Chuck’s body, lingering on his crotch. “Fuck, you look good in a Speedo,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Chuck laughed, grabbing a change of clothes and walking into the bathroom. When the door clicked shut behind him, he tossed the clothes onto the counter and stood there for a second, his breathing echoing inside his head.

Get it together, Chuck, he told himself as he turned the shower on and peeled his suit down his legs.You’re fine. Youneedto be fine.

An hour later Chuck was in the passenger seat of Tommy’s car, his hair still damp and curling onto his forehead. He’d put on his blue striped button-up along with a pair of light wash jeans. His knee bounced; he was full of a nervous energy he couldn’t explain.

There was a question eating at him, and he glanced over at Tommy, who looked perfectly suave in his aviator sunglasses with his tan forearms on display.

Chuck cleared his throat. “Do your coworkers know?”

“Know what?”

“That you’re bi.”

“No.” Tommy looked thoughtful for a moment. “Actually, I sort of told Deb, but I don’t think she took me seriously.”

“So your boss doesn’t know?”

Tommy shrugged. “It hasn’t come up yet.”

“Not to be the bearer of bad news,” Chuck began carefully, his mind already racing as he tried to think ahead, “but it’s probably going to come up if you show up with a man.”

“Alright,” Tommy said, shooting Chuck a quick look. “Is that okay with you?”

Chuck frowned. “Okay with me?”

“Yeah.” Tommy’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “If you’re uncomfortable with it all, I can, I don’t know?—”

“Areyouuncomfortable?” Chuck interrupted, watching him closely.

Tommy shook his head, looking at Chuck like he was missing something obvious. “No. I want you to be here with me.” A small smile tugged at his mouth. “If they have a problem then they can get over it.”

Chuck stared at him, not fully processing how a guy who had lived his entire life as a straight man could be so nonchalant about this. Fuck, it was a big deal for Chuck, and he’d spent over half of his life with the certainty that he was gay. But there was nothing but conviction on Tommy’s face as he watched the road ahead of them.

“Okay then,” Chuck said softly. “If you’re cool, then I’m cool.”

For a moment, the car was quiet. Tommy’s fingers drummed on the steering wheel, and Chuck turned to watch the blur of green rushing past.

“Can I call you my boyfriend?”

Chuck’s gaze snapped back to Tommy. He tried to ignore the way his heart pounded. “For the cameras?” he asked.

Tommy’s brow furrowed. “Huh?”

“Like, you call me your boyfriend for show.”

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