Page 88 of Poolside

Eventually, Chuck’s blue eyes would flutter shut and his breathing would even out. But even in sleep, there was a furrow between his auburn brows.

* * *

“How is he?”

Tommy slid onto the barstool next to David, who already had a Corona in his hand. “You see him just as much as I do,” Tommy said, wiping his damp forehead with the back of his hand.

David sighed, his face pulled down in a frown. “I wish there was more we could do for him.”

“Me too.”

A quick glance behind the bar showed Sage working, her short blonde hair pulled back from her face with a colorful bandana. “Hey, bartender,” Tommy called out.

She glanced up with a raised brow. “You know I could spit in your drink, right?” she asked as she wandered over to them. David reached out like he was going to touch her face, and Tommy chuckled when she slapped his hand away. “You need to behave,” she told David with narrowed eyes. Turning back to Tommy, she grinned. “What’ll it be, Tommy?”

Two minutes later, Tommy had an empty glass of iced tea in front of him. Beside him, David was silent, fidgeting with the bar napkin and staring down at the wood. “What, Hughes?”

David tapped his fingers on the bar. “You and Chuck.”

“Yeah.”

“When…”

“Right before the Fourth.”

“How did it happen?”

Tommy felt a smile tug at his lips. “I dunno. Some combination ofSpartacusand Speedos, and then talking to Wade Johnson about being bi…something just clicked in me. I realized Chuck was my favorite person, and at some point that turned into attraction, too.”

“Are you…”

“Gay? No. I’m bisexual.”

A curious expression crossed David’s face. “Do you know what being demisexual is?”

Tommy shook his head.

“I did a bunch of research into the LGBTQ+ stuff after Chuck came out, and I guess being demisexual is when you only feel sexual attraction after there’s an established emotional connection.” David shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. “I could be off, but I remember that’s how it was with you and Courtney, too. Maybe you could check it out.”

Tommy blinked.Damn, that did sound like him. That was exactly how it had been with Courtney, and he thought of his failed attempts at casual hookups over the years. “Fuck me, Hughes. You might be onto something.”

David shot him a grin, but the expression faded. He stared intently at Tommy. “Do you love him?”

Tommy scoffed. “Of course I fucking love him.”

“Good. That’s good.”

“You know I’m going to take really good care of him, right? If he’ll have me, I’ll love him and stand beside him and be his person.”

David glanced at him, his expression stern and serious as he searched Tommy’s face. He must have found whatever he was looking for, because his features softened and he nodded. “I know. You know, you were always such a little shit on the court.”

Tommy let out a startled laugh. “What?”

“Oh, yeah. You were a goddamn pest with your elbow jabs and quick feet. But you were fierce too, and loyal. You were always there for the team, on and off the bench. Always there for the boys.”

Tommy didn’t know how to respond. After all these years, he hadn’t thought much about the kind of athlete or player he’d been in college. But still, to hear his friend so perfectly capture him—well, it meant more than David would ever know.

“You and Chuck could be really good for each other,” David went on. “Both of you are good at going all in for the people around you. Maybe you can go all in for each other, too.”

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