Page 106 of Perfect Storm
Hey dude, what’s up?
Then, twenty minutes later, probably when he’d been in the middle of creaming Levi atMario Kart,I really meant to give you the space you wanted, swear to God.
Another seven minutes after that:But things are moving quick here. I thought I’d get a say, and I don’t. But I still can’t say I’m pissed this is happening.
Then the last, probably when he’d been rolling around with Levi on the bed, not even five minutes ago:Gonna be sweet to play with you again.
There it was.
Mo was coming back to Toronto.
Aidan’s phone slipped from his suddenly nerveless fingers.
He didn’t know what to say. Only that he should say something, at least when Levi looked at him in confusion.
“What is it?” Levi asked.
He had to say it. He only had to get the words out. Just the actual thing that had just happened. He didn’t have to say how he felt about it yet—because he didn’t fucking know. Or how this would change anything with him and Levi—theoretically nothing, because it wasn’t like Mo had suddenly changed his mind on the wholeinterested in guysthinggenerally or the wholeinterested in Aidan specificallything.
“Mo just got traded back to the Thunder.”
Eight words. Aidan counted them back in his head as he watched Levi struggle to get his expression under control.
There was a part of him that wondered if it was just sex, if they were just doing what they’d promised in July, why Levi would look like he was being marched to death row, but he shut that question down. Aidan only had the bandwidth to deal with thefact Mo was back. After he’d acclimated to that idea, he would try to figure out what the fuck this meant for him and Levi.
Was there even a him and Levi? Aidan couldn’t be the one to decide that.Fuck.
“Wow. Okay. Wow.” At least Levi didn’t seem to know what to say either.
“Yeah.”
Aidan opened Landry’s texts next. They were all variations ofare you okay?He didn’t know what he was, so he moved on to his convo with Riley. Riley had only sent one message, but it was a fucking solid paragraph of text. God, Riley was the worst texter. Aidan could basically sum the whole thing up in two sentences:That’s crazy, but great. I hope you’re holding up okay.
He looked up at Levi and realized a second too late that Levi was still staring at him.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Levi asked.
If he did, Aidan wasn’t even sure what he’d say. There were the things he was expected to say, first as the starting quarterback of the Toronto Thunder, along the lines of, “We’re excited for the opportunities this opens up in the passing game.” And then as the long-time friend of Mo, something like, “I’m thrilled he’s back.”
But then there was the secret Aidan—the Aidan he’d buried back deep down, in July, and that was quieter, that hurt less, but still existed, somewhat.
The Aidan that had hoped and maybe even dreamed a little that something like this could happen. After all, it was the NFL, anything could—and did—happen.
TherealAidan.
The Aidan that had stood in front of Mo just last June and had told him the truth. Had accepted even through Mo’s surprise and sympathy that nothing was ever going to happen.
The Aidan that had sulked through that weekend in early July, and the Aidan that had told Levi the truth to first. The Aidan that was here with Levi now. That wanted him so badly he shook with it.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Aidan said, finally. He couldn’t be the first Aidan. The QB Aidan or even the public-friend-to-Mo Aidan. Levi had already long since slunk his way under those walls. He could only be who he really was—the Aidan who’d only shown himself to a handful of people he trusted.
There was no question Levi was one of them.
Maybe the one he trusted the most.
Less than ten minutes ago, he’d been wild for Levi to fuck him. If that wasn’t trust, Aidan didn’t knowwhatthat feeling was, pressing hard and fast up against his breastbone.
“Talk to me,” Levi persuaded in a soft voice. He relaxed on the bed and actually managed to coax Aidan down. He settled half on Levi’s chest, Levi’s arm stroking up and down his back in a comforting, reassuring way that he didn’t think he’d ever experienced before.
