Page 83 of Taking Care of You
The next day, Frank tells us he made some calls and Ethan has a mass interview set up for Thursday with several newspapers and a few local news stations. He set it up before the home meet so it’ll be something off Ethan’s plate, and hewon’t have reporters hounding him while he needs to focus on his times.
Ethan is nervous, not really liking the spotlight on him like this. “An interview after a game or a meet is one thing. Having all these people asking me questions and having to come up with appropriate answers is a lot of pressure, creep,” he tells me when he comes back from track practice, finding me in his room with my books and papers everywhere. I move my things to make room for him, but he kneels on the floor beside the bed.
I grab his hand and squeeze it. “Don’t be nervous, babe. You’re not there to impress them. You’ve already impressed the scouts at USC. You don’t have to do more than that. And you’re charming.” He gives me a crooked smile and I kiss his nose, making him laugh. “You’ll do fine. I know it.”
“You’ll be there, right?” I start to shake my head, but Ethan grabs my hands in a tight grip. “Please, Koby. I know I’ll be fine if you’re there with me.”
Of course he looks at me with those cute puppy dog eyes. The ones I can never say no to.
Shoulders slumped, I sigh, then nod. “Okay, I’ll be there. In the back, though. Where no one can see me.”
He lets out a sharp laugh, then kisses me lightly. “I’m off to shower. Be naked when I get out.” My gaze shoots to his and I catch the playful look in his eyes. “I’m kidding, creep. Chill.”
I don’t mind waiting naked for him, but I’m sure his parents could walk down the hall at any moment. Ethan has a habit of leaving his door open. It drives me nuts and I get up all the time to close it behind him.
During the next few days, there’s a buzz around the school about the interview and some people approach him, asking what’s going on. I don’t like it. It’s making Ethan more nervous than he already is. This isn’t a small city, so I’m not sure howpeople heard about the interview in the first place, but he’s feeling on edge.
When Kenneth walks up to him, his face the picture of curiosity, I find my voice and the need to protect Ethan for once. “Leave him alone. If you want to know what the interview is about, watch the news or read the papers.” There’s a bit of an edge to my voice because I’m tired of people thinking they can walk up to him and ask him questions, seeing how wound up he is.
I grab Ethan’s hand and drag him behind me, but not before catching the open-mouthed look on Kenneth’s face.
Ethan digs his heels in and jerks me back. I look up at him, feeling a little sorry that I snapped like that. I drop my head and my cheeks heat.
Putting a hand under my chin, he lifts it up and I meet his eyes. “What was that?”
“I’m sorry. I know you can take care of yourself. I won’t do it again.”
“No, do it again. I liked it. Thank you.” He pulls me close to him and kisses my forehead. “My little chihuahua.” I swat him on the chest and he laughs, letting me go so we can walk to my class.
Later in the day, I get pulled from class and told to go to the library. I can barely get inside, there is so much equipment and so many people. Not to take anything away from Ethan, but he garners this much attention? How many people did Frank call?
I hug the wall, sliding behind people and cameras to try to get between the bookshelves, close enough to where I can see Ethan and he can see me. He’s sitting with his parents and Grace is fussing over his clothes, as usual, but Ethan looks stressed.
Pulling out my phone, I send him a quick text.
Me: You have sweat on your nose.
He pullsout his phone and smiles down at it. After a few seconds, he looks around and we lock eyes when he finally finds me. He smiles at me, causing a few people to turn around to see what or who he’s looking at. I lower my head, face heating, and take a step back so the stacks hide me. My phone vibrates in my hand, and I know it’s Ethan.
Ethan: Come here, please.
Me: I’m fine here.
Ethan: Please? I need you.
Yep,Ethan will always get what he wants from me, even though I’m scared to death to be in front of all those people. Dragging my feet, I make my way to the space that was created for Ethan and his family. Grace and Frank smile when they see me and they both stand to give me a quick hug. Then, Frank draws up another chair and Grace sits beside Ethan, and Frank sits beside Grace. Which leaves the chair beside Ethan empty.
I shoot him a look and he shrugs but looks a lot less stressed than before I sat down. He grabs my hand in a tight, sweaty grip and doesn’t let go. I give his hand a squeeze and he looks at me with a grateful smile.
Shortly after, Frank stands up and addresses everyone. “Okay, we can start with the questions. We’ll only be here forthirty minutes and we’re limiting the questions to only two or three questions per interviewer. Understand?”
Frank has a very commanding presence. I find myself nodding along with everyone else, then stop when Ethan gives me a smirk.
The first reporter doesn’t even wait. After Frank calls on him, he immediately asks, “Is this your boyfriend? Are you gay? Will you be an openly gay athlete?”
Before Ethan can answer, Frank steps in. In a booming voice, he says, “There will be no questions about my son’s personal life. If you would like to know what college he will run for and his plans after his collegiate years, you can ask those. If we get another question about anything that doesn’t apply specifically to track and field, this press conference will immediately be concluded.”
The interviewer sits back with a curt nod and Frank moves on to another reporter. “We’ve gotten word that you have scholarship offers from USC, Morgan State, Yale, and NCU, just to name a few. Have you decided which school you’ll commit to?”
