Page 46 of The Jock
The table went still and silent. It was like Colby was in a movie and everyone around him had been paused, then all at once the action started again. Taylor cackled and clapped Colby on the shoulder. Jonah blinked at him like a stunned owl and their dad smiled, soft and slow.
“Bisexual?” Jonah was the first to speak. “Well, that’s better than any of the conclusions I jumped to.” Jonah sank back in his seat looking deflated, but in a good way. Like all the worry he’d built up inside had whooshed out, leaving nothing but the absence of tension behind.
“You’re so dramatic.”
“Me?” Jonah balked. “You’re the one who sent the ominous ‘I need to talk to all of you, meet me at the diner as soon as possible’ text. And that’s not dramatic?” Jonah reached across the table and flicked the brim of Colby’s hat. Colby said nothing in response, just turned his hat around backward.
“Is there a special reason you’re telling us this now?” Taylor asked, sounding all too proud to be the only one who had any idea this was coming.
“Well, now that you mention it…”
Their dad looked at Taylor. “You knew?”
Taylor shrugged. “I had reasons to be suspicious, but nothing had been confirmed until now.”
“I thought I’d bring someone to fire night this weekend. If he wants to come.”
“You’re more than welcome to bring whoever you want, you know that,” his dad said.
Colby exhaled a deep breath. “I know, but I don’t know if he’s… What we’re calling this, you know? I—” Colby dragged a hand down his face and willed himself to force the words out. “I didn’t want anyone to be all weird if I introduced him as my boyfriend, or even if we’re not there, I didn’t want to have to hide things from you guys.”
“So you’re not dying?” Jonah asked, sounding more relaxed now and slightly teasing.
“No, Jonah, I’m not dying.”
“Just bisexual.” Taylor flung an arm around Colby’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Welcome to the club.”
Colby caught his dad’s gaze.
“I’m proud of you, kid. It takes a lot of courage to be yourself.”
His dad’s approval spread through him like a warm blanket. Colby didn’t know what was going to happen with Milo, if anything, but no matter what happened, he knew he’d be okay.
CHAPTER 20
MILO
“Are you sure I look okay?”Milo tugged at the fabric of his shirt as if by doing so he could change it into something different. He tamped down his annoyance at his self-consciousness. Logically, he knew he looked fine, but sometimes he remembered the way Neville would sneer and pick until Milo changed. And then he’d remember the way Neville would protest before telling him how good he looked and bombing him with affection.
Milo hated the person he’d let Neville turn him into, and sometimes Colby’s easy acceptance of everything about Milo had him holding his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But he was determined to reclaim these lost parts of himself.
“I think you look hot. And no one will look at you weird, or say something stupid to you. And if they did… Well, I’m not a violent man, but exceptions can be made.”
That shouldn’t be hot. At all. Violence wasn’t attractive. But for some reason, Colby going all caveman about protecting Milo did it for him.
Colby reached over and put an impossibly warm hand on Milo’s leg, His stomach fluttered when Colby’s thumb stroked a path back and forth on Milo’s thigh.
“Taylor is super happy you’re coming. I have a feeling he’s going to monopolize you.” Colby took Milo’s hand and tugged it across the space between them to brush a kiss across the back of it.
“He said he’s been getting braver about his wardrobe and makeup choices. I’m glad your family is accepting. It can be hard to be different.”
“Dad would cut off an arm before he let anyone hurt someone he cares about.”
“That must be where your protective streak comes from.”
Colby glanced at Milo and offered him a tentative smile. “I’ll always look out for the people I care about.”
Colby turned his attention back to the road and flipped on his turn signal.“You should know that it’s basically impossible to have a bad time at one of these things.”
