CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE #2
Thad had leaned in to whisper, “I can’t wait to get my tongue up your ass,” as he pushed the door open to leave the building when they came face-to-face with two very familiar people.
Fuck.
Graham tensed at the sight of Jesse and Connor standing at the building’s entrance.
“What are you two doing here?” he blurted out to his surprised-looking captain and goalie.
Connor scratched his beard and nodded at Jesse. “The fun committee needed to check this place out before he agreed to bring the team here.”
Thad grinned. “Mixing team stuff and date night together, huh?”
Connor shrugged. “It’s kinda rare we have a night without hockey or the kids. We thought we’d wrap up both in one shot.”
“What are you guys doing here?” Jesse asked.
“Uhh,” Graham’s brain went blank, trying to think of a word that wasn’t a date.
“Just wanted to get out and do something fun,” Thad said smoothly, then nudged Graham with his elbow. “And I dragged this guy out so he wouldn’t get up in his head about the loss.”
To be honest, Graham had totally forgotten they’d lost their last game. He glanced at Thad, wondering if that really had been part of his plan.
Or, maybe he was better at making up a story on the fly.
Connor grimaced. “Yeah, but Coach is right. We can’t get hung up on the losses this season. It’ll only drag us down, especially since we've been picking up points lately. “
“Yeah,” Jesse said. “You’ve gotta shake it off and focus on doing better next time.”
As the three of them talked about mindset, Graham glanced at Thad. Should it make him uneasy that his boyfriend was a good liar?
Until now, being good at lying hadn’t exactly been a selling point in anyone Graham was dating.
But if they were trying to keep anyone from figuring out they were dating, one of them needed to be good at lying.
Graham definitely was not.
And well, given Thad’s history, it made sense he would’ve had experience at lying.
Thad had been trying to protect them both now, that was all. The same way Graham had tried to do the same when he ran into Jesse at HCI.
Relieved by that thought, Graham tuned back into the conversation to see Connor glance at his phone.
“We should get going,” Connor said. “We have a meeting with someone about renting the place out for the team event. I don’t want to be late. Enjoy your evening, guys.”
“Sure.” Graham smiled at them both. “Enjoy your date.”
“You too!” Jesse said cheerfully. “I mean … not a date, right? Just hanging out.”
There was nothing accusatory in Jesse’s blue eyes, but Graham still had to hide a flinch.
Fucking goalie stares.
“Right,” Thad said. “In fact, we should probably get moving, Graham. I have some fun planned for this evening.”
He waved his phone, presumably hoping Jesse and Connor would assume he meant a hookup.
Jesse grinned. “Enjoy yourself.”
“Oh, you know I will.” Thad winked. “Same goes for you two.”
With a little laughter and a few more goodbyes, they went their separate ways.
They walked silently to where they’d parked, the cry of gulls calling out and the lap of water along the shoreline the only sound.
The sun was low in the sky, the warm, golden light washing over the harbor.
The breeze was cool, but the air still held the heat of the day, the perfect temperature for strolling along the water.
“Hey. Do you want to take a walk?” Graham said, feeling a little impulsive. So, maybe they couldn’t hold hands or anything, but it would be romantic.
Thad gave him a tight smile, shaking his head. “We probably shouldn’t.”
“Yeah, okay,” Graham said slowly. “Maybe another time then.”
Thad was still quiet on the drive back to Graham’s place. Any attempt Graham made to start a conversation fizzled out and eventually he gave up and spent the ride staring out the passenger window.
“Hey. Did I do something wrong?” Graham asked as Thad pulled into Graham’s designated spot and put the car in park.
Thad turned to look at him. “No. What would you have done wrong?”
Graham shrugged, feeling a little helpless. “I don’t know. Something feels … off now.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. It’s not you.”
“It’s not you it’s me?” Graham joked before he remembered he’d had the same fucking conversation with Maddy but in reverse.
He winced.
“Oh, it’s definitely me,” Thad said. “It’s …”
But he looked away and didn’t finish.
“C’mon, talk to me,” Graham coaxed. “If we’re really doing this, we need to talk about stuff, right?”
“Yeah.” Thad reached out and squeezed his thigh. “Definitely. And I’m not saying we won’t. I just … I need to … I think I should go home tonight.”
“What about our bet?” Graham said, but the attempt at humor fell a little flat.
Thad gave him a weak smile. “Another night, I promise.”
“You’re not breaking up with me, are you?”
“No.” Thad’s gaze darted around for a moment before he leaned in and brushed his lips over Graham’s. “I’m not. I just need a little—a little time to think. This is a lot, Graham.”
“Being with me?”
“Being with anyone.”
Graham nodded. After leading such a solitary life, Graham could understand why this relationship was a big shift for Thad.
He continued. “But mostly, it’s all the lying and having to hide … I know you liked the idea of sneaking around. Thought it would make it hotter, but for me … I don’t know. I don’t feel good about it.”
Graham reached out and took his hand. “Yeah, I get that,” he said quietly. And he did. While the hookup in the storage closet had been hot, he didn’t like the idea of being dishonest with his team either.
So after making sure the coast was clear, Graham kissed Thad again and let him get out of the car. After they went their separate ways, he headed up to his apartment, mulling over what Thad had said, getting tripped up on his exact wording every time.
All the lying? A few fibs about them hanging out hardly seemed like something that should be weighing heavily on him.
And Graham felt an odd shiver of worry go through him as he wondered if maybe there was more to Thad’s worries than he’d realized.
What if Thad was lying to him about something else?