Page 118 of After the Siren
Anything Theo said in response to that was going to be either a lie or deeply incriminating. ‘Doyoulike him?’ he asked instead.
Priya took a sip of her tea. ‘Yeah, more than I thought I might, to be honest. I like the two of you together. He makes you smile, and he won’t let you take yourself too seriously. I wasn’t sureI’d be able to get beyond the socks-and-Crocs aesthetic, but I’m making an effort, just for you.’
‘That’s very generous of you.’
‘I know.’ Priya stretched. ‘I can’t wait for the massages – my lower back hates me.’
‘Whereas I’m all about the mud wrap, as you know.’ He put his cup down. ‘Thanks for coming to visit. Having you around makes everything feel more manageable. You know it means a lot.’
‘Let’s not get emotional,’ she said. ‘I don’t want my face mask to run.’
‘That face mask looks like concrete, I think it could survive anything.’
‘I don’t want Kiara to think we’re fighting.’
That made Theo laugh. ‘Still, thanks.’
‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,’ she told him. ‘More tea?’
‘Yes please.’
It was Priya, in the end, who accidentally ate one of the cucumber slices. Kiara walked in just as she threw the other one at Theo’s head.
Jake had thought he’d known what it was like to be the centre of attention. It turned out that there was attention and then there waswe are the first two out queer men’s footy players and we’re dating one another. Jake was getting so many messages on social media that he was letting Keeley manage them. Theo and Jake been photographed getting out of Jake’s car together in the club car park like Jake was a fucking Kardashian.
Some of the coverage had been ... not great. Jake had expected that, of course. Tried to keep away from it. But it was hard to be online at all and not catch glimpses of it. There had, in fact, been aFull Forwardskit. He hadn’t watched it. Paddyhadwatched it, making a sound the whole time like a kettle on the boil.
A small, scared part of him had wondered if Theo would end up regretting it, even though after the game he’d said he didn’t. But Theo seemed like a weight had come off his shoulders, too. He laughed more easily, and he’d started to touch Jake casually in public; linking their fingers together or slipping a hand into Jake’s back pocket.
Jake was never wearing pants without back pockets again.
One downside was they’d had to attend a lot of meetings. Apparently the idea that two players mightdatewas a real shock to management. And to Greg.
Greg had been very supportive, in a confused kind of way, and was working on a media release from the club. Jake had heard on the grapevine that the club was hiring a consultant to help manage the social media. That seemed wise. Greg couldn’t even keep track of what all the letters in LGBTQIA+ stood for.
Theo’s parents had tickets to the prelim final. Jake had met them during the week, briefly, for dinner, and had done his best to make a good impression. He’d worn a shirt with buttons and everything. Jake thought it had gone pretty well, all things considered. Coming out was one thing. Snogging your boyfriend on national TV was another.
Theo had obviously been nervous, but he’d given Jake an unimpressed look when Jake had joked that he wasn’t model-boyfriend material for serious, academic parents.All they should care about is that you make me happy,he’d said. And then they’d nearly been late for dinner.
They’d all had drinks together in the courtyard of Eva’s terrace. Eva had pulled Jake into the kitchen to help with the salad to give Theo some time alone with his parents. By the time they’d come back, Theo was laughing at something his mum was saying. His dad had asked Jake some questions about football,and Jake thought he’d done a pretty good job overall. It had been a bit awkward, but Jake didn’t know if meeting someone’s parents was ever not a bit awkward. They’d been nicer than Kyle’s parents had ever been.
(Jake hadn’t been allowed toactuallyhelp with the salad. Not after Eva had seen him chop the first tomato.)
Jake sighed and shifted on the foam roller. They had an hour or so before they needed to be warmed up. It was going to be a rough game. You never knew your luck in the big city, but they’d lost Yelks, Tommy and Raze, and they were playing the Crocodiles, who were on a hot streak and almost untouched by injury. Still, it was footy. Anything could happen, and if Jake had his way they’d be going to the granny.
‘Hey,’ Theo said, settling down beside him. ‘All good?’
‘All good.’
They’d driven in together, but Theo had gone off to lie on the grass and do whatever mindfulness stuff he did before games.
It had been fine in the locker room during the week. The main problem seemed to be everyone trying to work out how much shit they could dish out before it became homophobic. Paddy was leading the charge to find out.
Jake was assisting Theo with a hamstring stretch when Tenders walked in.
‘Jesus, at least save it until after the game,’ he said. But it was good natured. He came over to stretch with them. Tenders hadn’tsaidanything about any of it, but he’d taken to putting himself in their proximity, as though he could signal support with his physical presence.
The energy was high before the game, even if they were the underdogs by a country mile. Nobody had thought they’d go deep into the finals this year, so it all felt like a bonus. Yelks gave them a good gee-up before warm-ups, and then Jake put his headphones on and jogged an easy lap of the MCG, Theorunning beside him. The crowd was already filtering in and Jake stopped a couple of times to sign things. He had a bet with Gabby about the reappearance of the snowflake signs, but there was no evidence of them yet.
