Chapter Sixteen
Kyle’s story had clinched it.
Any romantic thoughts Eric may have had about Kyle needed to be locked in a very secure box and kicked into the Hudson. If he thought he’d felt like a dirty old man before...
Kyle didn’t seem to realize how horrific the older man’s actions had been, but Eric saw it clear as day.
That man—Ian—had been preying on his young employee.
What if he’d just been waiting for Kyle to turn eighteen, and then as soon as that had happened he’d offered him a job?
Eric would bet his contract that’s what had happened.
Maybe the man had moved to a different town and had done the same thing again.
Eric hated this guy. He wanted to hunt him down.
“I need you to relax, Benny.”
“Sorry.” Eric took a breath and let his right arm fall limp in the hands of Sully, the team’s massage therapist.
“That’s better,” Sully said cheerfully.
It was less than two hours before game time, and Eric needed to stop thinking about Kyle. His obsession had caused him to perform abysmally in practice the day before. He couldn’t repeat that tonight.
Sully finished Eric’s massage, and Eric went to the gym to do some deep stretching.
Eric was always the first player at the arena before games.
He had a long pre-game routine that was important to his preparation, both physically and mentally.
He got a massage, he stretched, he got on an exercise bike for a bit, he stretched some more, he drank water and ate a healthy plant-based meal, and then he started to put his gear on.
When Eric had just finished his first round of stretching, Coach Murdock entered the room. His jaw was set, but Eric detected an apology in his eyes.
Dammit.
“I’m on the bench tonight, aren’t I?” Eric asked.
Coach nodded. “We’re giving Tommy the start. Your head isn’t where it needs to be. Quinn agrees.”
Eric flinched, but he didn’t argue. He couldn’t argue. Just let me finish this season as a starting goalie, he silently begged no one in particular.
“I’ll fix it,” he promised.
Coach clapped his shoulder. “We all know you will, Benny.”
Eric still finished his routine. By the time he was done, the locker room had filled up with his teammates. Tommy gave Eric a nod when he walked by, and Eric nodded back. He was happy for the kid, really. He’d be starting every night next season, and the coaches probably knew it.
Kid. Tommy was the same age as Kyle. The thought made Eric’s stomach clench. What the fuck had he been thinking?
Kyle was too young for him. It didn’t matter that he was one of the brightest and most charming people Eric had ever met. It didn’t matter that Eric’s heart raced at the thought of kissing him. It didn’t matter that, in the bedroom, when Kyle was the one in charge, Eric didn’t feel older at all.
In fact, the age gap only seemed to exist when Eric was away from Kyle. That was when he had time to think about it, and feel uncomfortable about it. When he was with Kyle, he was barely aware of it.
But it did exist, and so did Eric’s feelings for Kyle. And that was a dangerous combination.
“Hey, that thing is tomorrow night,” Scott said, breaking Eric out of his vortex of confusing thoughts. “The drag show I told you about.”
“Oh.” Eric blinked, and focused on his friend. “Right. The charity one.”
“Yeah. You still want to go?”
He wondered if Kyle would be there. He wondered if he wanted him to be.
Fuck, of course he wanted him to be there. And that was why he couldn’t go.
“I don’t think I can.”
Scott frowned at him, and Eric knew he wanted to argue that he probably wasn’t busy at all. But instead Scott just sighed and said, “No problem.” It was the long-suffering sigh of a man who was friends with a wet blanket.
Eric felt bad, but he knew it was the right decision. He couldn’t think clearly around Kyle, so it was best to stay away.
It had been days since Kyle had heard from Eric. They had gone longer without communicating before, but this stretch felt endless. And significant.
Kyle had handed in his term paper, and found himself with a lot of free time on his hands. He’d thrown himself into practicing Greek, and was now sitting on his couch, casually looking into study abroad programs in Greece. Manhattan was starting to feel suffocating.
The thought of traveling alone didn’t appeal to him as much as it usually did. He kept getting unwanted visions of exploring ruins with Eric. He imagined long days of hiking together along the coast, and swimming in the Mediterranean. Eric probably looked spectacular in a bathing suit.
What were these thoughts? Kyle had hooked up with roughly a billion men, and none of them had him daydreaming about European getaways together.
He regretted telling Eric about Ian, but he also knew that Eric deserved to know. Eric had been nice about it, but Kyle wasn’t going to kid himself about getting any more invites to his beautiful house.
His phone lit up with a message from Kip. Drag show tonight. Don’t forget!
Kyle had forgotten. He didn’t feel like going out, but he would do this because he was a good friend.
Kyle: Right. I’ll be there.
It would have been an ideal thing for Eric to go to, he thought miserably. God, that would have been fun.
Another message, which he expected was a thumbs-up from Kip. Kyle made a weird squeak of excitement when he saw that it was from Eric.
Eric: Are you going to the drag show thing tonight?
Kyle wasn’t sure what to say. Did Eric want him to say no, so it would be safe for Eric to go? Did he want Kyle to say yes for the same reason?
Kyle: I was planning to.
Eric: Scott wants me to go.
Okay. What was Kyle supposed to say to that?
Kyle: Do you want to go?
Eric: Maybe.
Lord god. What the hell was this?
Kyle: I think it could be a good intro to the gay club scene for you.
Eric’s reply seemed to take forever, but Kyle’s screen finally lit up with, You know there’s a really good chance I’m never going to be into the gay club scene, right?
Kyle laughed into his empty living room.
Kyle: But it’s FUN!
Eric: I’m too old.
Kyle: Nope.
Eric: I can’t dance.
Kyle: As if.
Eric: I can prove it.
Kyle grinned, and wrote, So you’re coming tonight?
He wondered if Eric would make a dirty joke. Most of Kyle’s friends wouldn’t be able to resist that setup. He doubted Eric even noticed the double meaning.
Eric: Wow. You skipped a few steps there.
Kyle fell back against the couch, laughing. He knew he shouldn’t flirt with him, but he couldn’t help it.
Kyle: Obviously you’ve never danced with ME.
For a long time, Eric didn’t reply. There weren’t even dots indicating that Eric was writing anything. Kyle cursed himself for being so stupid.
Eric: Can I call you?
Oh god. That sounded...well, Kyle wasn’t sure, actually. Ominous? Exciting?
Kyle: Sure.
A moment later, his phone rang. He bit his lip, staring at the screen, then answered. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Even that one simple word sent a spark racing through Kyle’s body. He’d missed Eric. It had been days and Kyle had missed him.
“What’s up?”
“I just... I wanted to talk about...” Eric exhaled into the phone. “If I go tonight, to the club, I don’t think we should—”
“Got it,” Kyle interrupted. He couldn’t stand to hear Eric finish that sentence. “Hands off.”
“Yeah. I just...think it’s best.”
“Whatever you want,” Kyle managed to keep his tone light, even though his overdramatic heart ached in his chest. “It’s not like there won’t be plenty of men to choose from when you’re there.”
Eric huffed. “I’m not going to be staying late.”
“Do you have a game tomorrow?”
“No. I just...”
“Don’t worry,” Kyle teased. “You can watch the show, dance for a song or two, and still be home in plenty of time to do your pre-bed Tai Chi.”
“I don’t do that every night.”
“You’ll have fun. I promise. And if there happens to be a hot guy there over the age of thirty...”
“I’m not hooking up with some random person I meet at a club.”
“I wasn’t talking about you.”
That made Eric laugh, which Kyle always loved hearing.
He laughed too, but his eyes began to sting.
The truth was that he only wanted to dance with Eric.
To feel Eric’s body against his as they worked each other up until they couldn’t stand it anymore.
Until they had to hurry off to Eric’s house—or maybe Kyle’s apartment—to tear each other’s clothes off.
He could do that with any one of hundreds of men who would be at the club tonight, but Kyle was only interested in doing it with Eric.
Well, he’d have to get over himself. Eric didn’t want him, so Kyle needed to find someone who did. Kyle was not inexperienced when it came to heartache. The best thing to do was to move on as quickly as possible.
“I’ll see you tonight, then,” Eric said.
“If you’re lucky.”
He heard Eric sigh. It sounded wistful, not annoyed. Or maybe tired.
“I’m—” Eric cut himself off. “I want to be friends, Kyle. I like you.”
“We are friends,” Kyle assured him. “We can be the kind of friends who don’t have sex. I’ve heard some friendships work that way. Seems weird, but I’m willing to try.”
Eric chuckled. “See you later.”
“Later.”
They ended the call, and Kyle pledged to himself that he could find a cute boy tonight who would make him forget all about Eric Bennett.