Page 32 of Learn Your Limits
He’s leaning against my bedroom door with his arms folded over his chest, looking as relaxed as ever in jeans and an Oakhart University football shirt with his hat flipped backwards. “Not exactly eager to get home, ya know? All my dad’s gonna wanna talk about is football, and I get enough of that while I’m here.” His dark eyes dart over to my duffle, nodding his chin toward it. “You taking off?”
Why does such a simple question suddenly feel impossible to answer? I don’t want to lie to him, but it’s not like I can tell himthat I’m going to be spending the break at a cabin in the woods with my Cognitive Psychology professor.
A smile pulls at my lips, and I have to swallow down the laugh threatening to break free. Just the thought sounds absolutely insane.
If Milo hadn’t already planned out the trip, right down to what time we need to get on the road, I’d offer to hang back with Wes for a bit until he leaves. Having similar home situations is part of what brought us so close together. His dad expects him to play college football and aim for the NFL, while mine expects me to take my place within the family business after graduation.
Neither one of us wants to follow the path that’s been laid out for us.
“Yeah.” I pause to clear my throat, trying to force my voice to remain calm. “I need a vacation after all the bullshit stress of midterms.”
He sighs and leans his head back against my door. “You could say that again. If I hadn't promised my mom that I'd be home for the weekend, I'd just stay here and fuckin’ rot on the couch the whole time,” he chuckles.
I nod my head in response as I grab my phone charger from where it's plugged in beside the bed, tossing it into my backpack along with my sketchbook and a set of pens designed for drawing. “Honestly, dude, that's what I'd been planning on doing too,” I say with a shrug, aiming for nonchalant.
“Gotta keep the parents happy if we want them to keep paying for shit, right?” He shakes his head and laughs, but it's lacking any trace of humor. Tension eases from my shoulders at his comment.
He thinks I'm just going home for the break. He doesn't suspect anything. And really, why would he?
As soon as he leaves and disappears into his own room, I pull out my phone and shoot a message off to Milo through the app.I hadn’t planned on Wes or Matt still being home by the time we took off. They’re not nosy fuckers who are gonna be pressing their faces against the window to see who I leave with, but I can't risk them seeing him.
CallMeCal:My roommates are still here. It might not be a good idea for you to pick me up. Any other ideas?
I hate that we have to sneak around, but they're not the only ones who can't find out about our relationship. Milo and I agreed to keep things between us a secret until the semester is over, and I haven't even thought about what comes afterward.
The idea of telling my parents is what scares me the most—my dad, specifically. He's the one who has always pushed the idea of what he considers to be traditional family values, as though anything that looks the slightest bit different from the image he's created in his head is wrong and unacceptable.
JustMilo:Of course. I can meet you a few streets down if you don’t mind the walk.
JustMilo:[attached pinned location]
As much as I hate the idea of having to meet him somewhere instead of him just being able to pick me up, I refuse to let the situation make things between us feel wrong.
The sneaking around is temporary.
CallMeCal:I’ll be there.
The location he sent shouldn’t take me more than ten minutes to walk to, giving me plenty of time to take a shower and get cleaned up. After the mess we made all over my skin thismorning, I’m itching with the need to stand under the heated spray of water.
Taking a hot shower always seems to do wonders for my mindset, and by the time I've brushed my teeth and am slipping on a clean pair of boxer briefs and jeans, the nerves that were swirling in my stomach have vanished. In their place is nothing but excitement.
Getting ready to go on this vacation with Milo feels a little bit like getting ready for a first date. Being alone for the week will be a surefire way to see whether what we have is real or not. Hell, he may decide by the end of the week that he’s sick of me and that being with someone so much younger than him isn’t worth the hassle of sneaking around until the semester ends.
Once I've sprayed on some cologne, run some gel through my hair, and there’s nothing left to do, I shoot a message off to Milo.
CallMeCal:Walking out the door now. See you soon *kissy face emoji*
The pinned location he sent me takes me to a small neighborhood park. I find Milo’s car already pulled up alongside the curb beneath a large shade tree.
The passenger window rolls down as I approach, butterflies taking flight in my stomach as I lean down to meet his gaze. “Fancy meeting you here, Professor.”
Chapter twenty-six
Emiliano
The hours spent driving on thankfully clear highways with Reid were strangely quiet. Not in a sense of awkwardness, but perhaps more along the lines of restlessness? The dark cloud that was forming in my mind as I waited for him to meet me in our clandestine location near his neighborhood quickly dissipated when I saw the bright smile he wore approaching my car.
I was beginning to resent how I couldn’t pick him up from his apartment without it causing an issue. It was risky, having him come directly to my home last night, but I was a desperate man, and I knew he needed me just as much. It would only be a few more months of this secrecy. We have already survived the previous months of the semester, but a small part of me believes things will be even harder now that I know how he looks freshly-fucked in my sheets.
