Page 9 of The Jock
“Taylor, he’s my younger brother.”
“I’m sure he’ll get over it, whatever it is he’s upset with you for.”
Colby shrugged and tucked his phone away. “He’s already forgiven me, but I want to make it up to him. Uh…anyway. Saturday at eight?”
“Yeah.”
Colby nodded. “Sounds good. But I have to run. It was nice to meet you, Milo. I hope to see you around here again soon.”
“I’m sure you will.” Milo’s comment came out sounding like he meant it. Maybe it wasnotbeing with Neville or maybe the change of scenery invigorated him. He felt like an archaeologist. Like he was gently brushing away layer of debris and unearthing himself bit by bit. It was a delicate process, but it was worth it, he thought, to put some effort into liking himself again. Into being someone he wanted to be, someone he could be proud of. And he could be proud of the Milo who’d climbed out of bed this morning. The one who almost didn’t come, but then forced himself into a shower and even put on some only slightly expired eye shadow and made himself show up.
He didn’t want to say that he’d made a friend, but he’d met people who were friendly, and that was enough to make him glow inside.
Instead of going home right after he left the gym, Milo stopped and grabbed a large chai latte then sat in his car and called Gino.Gino was only too happy to drop what he was doing (nothing) and meet Milo for a quick coffee. He tried to get Milo to go shopping with him, but Milo wasn’t in the mood for any of that. He knew Gino would want him to be the old Milo, and he wasn’t sure he had the energy to deal with that yet.
Milo could tell Gino was a little disappointed that he couldn’t lure him out shopping like the old days, but Milo wasn’t ready to be a social butterfly. He had other friends he wanted to reconnect with, friends he probably owed apologies to, but he wasn’t there yet. It wasn’t like he was brokenhearted over Neville, but the longer he was away from him, the more Milo realized how much of himself he’d lost in that relationship, and he found himself mourning his old self.
He didn’t necessarily want to revert to Past Milo, because clearly Past Milo had issues with selecting suitable men to give his time and attention to. But he wanted to find who he was now. He wanted to remember what was important to him, what made himself tick. And it started with a small shopping spree. He couldn’t, after all, make a dramatic return to the stage if he didn’t have makeup. And most of his had gone in the trash because it was expired and some of it didn’t suit him anymore. It was going to be expensive, but Milo had savings. And he didn’t need a whole lot. A few new staples and some new color palettes and he’d be ready for the next phase of his rediscovery.
He almost thought to thank Neville for cheating on him, but then he remembered that he wouldn’t have cut so many pieces of himself away if he hadn’t been trying to make himself fit into someone else’s mold. But hindsight was 20/20, and Milo was going to forgive himself for his mistakes. And he promised then and there not to make the same ones again.
CHAPTER 5
COLBY
Colby walked into the diner.Spotting his dad immediately, he nodded at him and slid onto a seat at the family table in the corner where Nash had already taken up residence. Colby sat across from him and eyed the pyramid Nash was constructing out of the plate of single serving coffee creamers.
“Do you need more from the back so you can build a city?” Colby teased and Nash flipped him off.
“I was bored.”
“It’s not my fault you drive like a maniac. You should probably invest in a bicycle before you get killed.”
Nash snorted as Colby’s dad came over to the table.“Can you believe this guy, Mister B? He thinks I’m a bad driver.”
Colby watched his dad give Nash an expression that said are you for real?“Bad, no. Reckless, yes. What’ll you have, lead foot? The usual?”
“If I didn’t love Taylor’s food so much, I’d disown you all and leave. Yes, the usual, please.”
“Colby?”
“I’ll have the same.” While Colby watched what he ate and did meal prep most of the time, he wasn’t one to restrict himself from the foods he liked. Besides, if you did it right, a hamburgercould be a balanced meal. Protein, vegetables, dairy, and grains all in one easy to consume, delicious package.
“You boys behave and I’ll be back soon with your food.”
“We always behave, Mister B,” Nash said to Ethan’s back as he walked away. When he was out of earshot, Nash met Colby’s gaze. “So, that new guy is pretty hot.”
“Milo?” Colby asked, though it was obvious there was only one person Nash could be talking about. “I didn’t know he was your type. Besides, aren’t you still seeing that guy I’m not supposed to know you’re seeing?”
“I am, and you’re not supposed to know so shut up. I might not be single, but I’m not dead and he was hot.”
“You can tell me about him, you know,” Colby offered. He hoped that Nash would want to share with him, but Nash shook his head.
“I’m good.”
“I’m not.” Colby laughed. “I’m dying to hear all the details, but I get it, man. He just better not hurt you.”
Nash simply rolled his eyes at Colby’s overprotectiveness. It wasn’t anything Nash wasn’t used to by now.
