Page 77 of Overtime Goal
I held out a hand. “Let’s do that, then.”
“Not so fast.” He sighed. “The only person I think youhaveto tell is your agent. If he will, he can help you a lot with this. But after the way he insisted on you going out with Natalie, I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Jesus.”
“Ade, if he’s an asshole, sign on with someone else. They’ll be lining up to represent you.”
“I guess,” I said. “But back to what I said. I don’t want to hide, and I sure as hell don’t want to send you back in the closet.”
“Nobody’s going in the closet, but coming out’s a big step. You need to be sure you’re ready. We play in a liberal city, and the Warriors organization is very accepting, but the whole world isn’t like that. You’ve seen some of the hate I get on socials.”
“I’m not ashamed of who I am. I won’t be.”
“It’s not about shame. It’s about being ready for everything that comes with being out.”
I’d known LGBTQ people all my life, and I’d heard the stories. Some queer people had a rough time, but it seemed like others didn’t. Most of the guys I knew said being out was totally worth it. “Holky and Dog aren’t getting a lot of hate.”
“No, which kind of surprises me considering Holky’s reputation.” He sighed. “Look, you’ve got a rep too. You’re a ladies’ man and the Warriors’ resident playboy, especially now that Holky’s taken. Are you ready for that image to change? For people to see you in a new light?”
I looked him in the eye. “As ready as I’ll ever be. There’s this incredible guy named Logan Grayson, and we love each other. Will it take some getting used to people seeing me differently? Sure. But isn’t that always part of coming out?”
“It is.”
“I’ve said it a couple of times: I don’t want to hide.”
He took a minute before saying, “You don’t have to. Trying to hide would be an awful situation long-term. I’m only talking about coming out on your timetable.”
“Good, because hiding anything sucks. I spent my childhood hiding because I never knew what would set my folks off. Shit that seemed innocent could turn into a beating in a hot second.I got used to disappearing, even when I was right there in the room.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Thanks, but it’s more than that. I’ve been hiding parts of myself ever since. I’m done, though. I don’t want to flinch every time I brush your hand in public, or pretend we’re just teammates when we go places. And I damn sure don’t want to lie to the boys. They’d figure it out real quick.”
Logan tilted his head. “Some of them probably already think we’re fucking.”
“Exactly. After Gabe and Brody, and Holky and Dog, it won’t take a genius to do the math.”
For a while, the only sounds were from kids playing outside somewhere nearby. When Logan looked at me again, his eyes were serious.
“I hear you,” he said, “and I’m glad you want to be open. May I offer a suggestion?”
“This is about us, not just me, so please do.”
He brought my hand to his lips for a kiss. “Let’s start simple. Be ourselves, touch when we want to, and answer questions honestly. We don’t have to make a big announcement or put up a dramatic Instagram post unless you want to. We won’t be hiding. We’ll simply be us, doing our thing.”
I thought about it, and he was right. “That’s a terrific idea,” I said. “It’ll be a great way to do it.”
“Glad you think so, but that said, we might already be trending. Remember the paparazzi who snapped us leaving the shirt shop?”
I groaned, but I was smiling too. “At least I looked hot.”
He nodded. “Scorching.”
“Look who’s talking.” I took a second to gather my thoughts. “I know it won’t all be smooth sailing, but as long as we’re in ittogether, I’ll be able to handle anything. If it ever gets hard, we’ll have each other to lean on.”
“Aidan Riley, you are the most amazing man.” He sat back and put an arm around my shoulders. “We’re good, then?”
“Yeah. Really fucking good.”
