Page 94 of Poolside

“Kissing ass isn’t going to make me go easy on you,” Tommy said, and then the ball was in play.

The game was fast and loose, with lots of teasing and exaggerated fouls. Jordan dropped a dunk at one point, which sent all of the older guys into a frenzy of shouting and whooping. Even though it had been years since Tommy had spent seemingly endless hours on the court with David and Darius, he still remembered little quirks about their style of play. He knew David was going to hit the shoulder shimmy move that looked ridiculous but always seemed to work at the top of the key, just like he knew Darius was going to pull a hard fake to the middle before leveraging his big body to make a clean drop step.

Tommy fell easily into his role as the pain in the ass on defense, making sure the ball got into the hands of his teammates, who were much better at scoring. Even when David shouted at him to, “Shoot the damn ball, T,” Tommy dished it to Darius, who managed to get position on Jordan and shoot an easy baby hook.

They played first team to twenty-one, and the old guys had to accept defeat when Jordan hit a few threes back to back. The second game was close, but Monty hit a layup to secure the win. They were all so tired and hot that the third game was a sloppy, silly blow-out, with the younger legs prevailing as they ran circles around the older three.

Tommy collapsed on a metal bench, grateful for the shade of the large trees in the park. The early August heat was brutal, made worse by the humidity as heavy clouds hung low in the sky. It was probably going to rain later; Tommy made a mental note to text Chuck to make sure he tossed the cover on the grill.

“When do you start the new job?” Darius asked, mopping his sweaty forehead with his discarded t-shirt.

“Tomorrow,” Tommy said, retrieving his water bottle and draining it.

After receiving a number of job offers from different local companies, Tommy had decided to take a job as an area manager for Magnolia Roasters. The coffee shop they frequented was one of three brick-and-mortar stores in addition to their larger production facility, and they sold their bulk coffee to a number of local and regional establishments. Tommy liked the owners, a young couple who were looking for managerial support as they juggled life with their three children.

When he’d shown up at their headquarters, which was upstairs in the warehouse where they roasted the coffee, he’d been relieved to see a rainbow flag decal on the front door. After what he’d experienced with Rick, he wanted to make sure his next workplace was more openly accepting of him as a queer man.

While it was a bit of a pay cut, Tommy was excited about the job. He liked that it was a small, family-owned business, and from speaking to a few employees, it seemed like the majority of them liked working there.

David sat down beside him. “I’m really happy for you, T.”

“Thanks, Hughes.”

“Same time next week?” Monty called out from the other side of the court.

“We’ll be ready for you next time,” David called back.

“In your dreams, old man,” Sage said from where she was still shooting.

Tommy braced his hands on his knees, which cracked as he stood up. “I’m heading home,” he said, fist bumping David and Darius. Sage ran over and gave him a sweaty hug.

“Say hi to Chuck for us,” David said, smiling lazily up at him.

“Will do.”

Tommy shuffled over to his car, already stiff from playing. He was in great shape from all the swimming he was doing with Chuck, but he could already tell that he was going to be sore.Maybe he could convince Chuck to take a shower with him when he got home…

With that thought, Tommy headed home.Well, to Chuck’s house, he corrected himself.

The truth was, wherever Chuck was felt like home.

* * *

“Thomas! Perfect timing, darling. Everyone is here for lunch.” His mom raised her voice. “Say hi to Thomas, everyone!”

There was a loud chorus of greetings from his family. He smiled down at the screen, at his mom with her round, pretty features and her short pixie cut, and his dad craning his neck from behind her with his glasses slipping down his nose. He could barely make out the faces of his siblings behind them, although the constant movement of the kids in the background made it hard to focus on any one thing.

“I’m putting the volume all the way up,” his mom went on. “So what’s new down in Charleston? You look tan, dear. You said you had some news for us.”

Tommy sighed, staring up at the heavy clouds in the sky. He’d decided to go out to Chuck’s backyard for this video call, but it looked like it might rain at any moment.

He also hadn’t planned on hisentire fucking familybeing present for this conversation. It wasn’t like he had anything to hide, but he’d hoped to share the news with his parents first.Oh well.

“So, I got a new job.”

That was met with a round ofcongratulationsandit’s about damn time. “Oh honey, that’s wonderful,” his mom said, her voice louder than the rest as she beamed at him. “What is it?”

He told them all about his new position, and how excited he was for the shorter hours and the chance to work with a smaller, local business.

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