Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
“Yo, Trev!” Mike's voice cuts through the locker room chatter as I enter, drawing my attention to where he’s sitting with Jason and Greg. He looks eager to see me, and Jason and Greg look relieved. This oughta be good.
“Tell Jace I chose the ties we’re wearing for the wedding,” Mike says seriously, not even waiting until I’ve crossed the room.
Jason rolls his eyes and gives me an exasperated look.
I just chuckle, setting my hockey bag on the floor as I take a seat on the bench beside him.
“Well…” I shrug, playing along. “You chose between the two Andrea picked out, so… Yeah. You technically chose the ones we’re wearing …”
Mike shakes his head in disbelief as a dramatic huff escapes him. “And to think… I made you my best man.”
I chuckle as I unzip my hockey bag. “Your mistake.” Then I turn to Greg on the other side of me and arch a brow at him. “So, decided to grace us with your presence again, eh? I know it’s a drop-in rec league, but you’ve really let us down the past few months.”
He lets out a dry laugh as he pulls his shoulder pads from his bag. “Well, it’s your last game of the season and you keep losing. So, yeah. I had to come help you out.”
Jason scoffs as he pulls his sock up over his shin guard. “Is it bad that now I kind of hope we lose tonight?”
Mike immediately smacks Jason’s arm and his eyes flash with rage. “You shut your mouth.” Then his attention shifts to me, and his expression softens. “So, Arthur is nice.”
Jason nods in agreement with a smile. “Yeah, he seems great.”
I give them a tight smile, knowing last night wasn’t ideal for them either. “Yeah, he is. And, uh…” I hesitate as I glance around at them. Arthur told me I could explain why he found it hard to meet everyone at the pub. I didn’t share this with them yet, because I didn’t know if it was my place to do so, but now that I have the ok, I think it might help them understand. “Arthur’s autistic,” I say carefully. “So, being in a loud and busy pub, while meeting my closest friends… He struggled with it.”
“Ah,” Jason says thoughtfully, with a slow nod.
Greg stops tying his skates and glances at me. “That would be hard.”
“Yeah,” I nod, the weight of my regret once again pressing down on me. “I probably should have arranged for a quieter meeting.”
“I mean, considering it was a struggle for him, he did a pretty damn good job.” Mike leans back against the wall with a thoughtful expression. “I don’t know much about autism, so I don’t know what it’s like. But there are days even I find a crowded pub to be too much. So, I think he handled it like a champ. ”
Jason smiles. “I agree. And he stayed for you, even though it was hard. So… that says a lot.”
Greg and Mike both nod, and even though I don’t need their approval, I can’t deny that it feels good to receive it anyway.
“You know, I actually don’t know anyone who’s autistic.” Mike picks up his tape, his brow furrowing as he seems to think about this. “Does he talk to you about what it’s like for him?”
I slide my sock on, then pause. I actually don’t know how to answer that. We talk about routines, his love and knowledge of birds, and his photography. I know he can get overwhelmed by certain things, and requires a direct approach to communication… But that’s all what makes him him . To me… it’s just who he is.
But at the same time, I see how hard he works to navigate a world that wasn’t designed for him, and I know it’s not easy.
“Well…” I say slowly, also leaning back against the wall. “I mean… he’s Arthur.” I shrug and look at Mike, who gives me a soft smile. “But yeah, there are a lot of things that would be considered easy to others, that are challenging for him. I’m still learning, and working on understanding.” I pause for a moment as my mind wanders to everything Arthur and I have been through so far, and to all the little things I’ve come to appreciate about him. A smile tugs at my lips as I picture his wild red hair. “Being with Arthur just feels so much more real and honest than any other relationship I’ve been in.”
A laugh sounds from the other side of Greg, and we all turn to look at Tyson, one of our teammates, as he leans forward with a smirk plastered on his face.
“I’m sorry, did I hear that right…” he says, looking right at me. “You’re dating a guy with autism ?”
My hackles rise as I stare right back at him. “And?”
He shakes his head in disbelief. “Dude. Do you have, like, a caregiving fetish or something?” Then he chuckles, like he’s telling some kind of joke I’m supposed to find funny.
“The fuck?” Mike drops his tape, his spine stiffening as he sits up straighter.
“What?” Tyson glances around at all of us like we’re the ones who don’t get it. “I mean, seriously, you’re dating someone with a disability . It’s weird, right? How do you even talk to him, let alone… you know,” he gestures at me, “everything else?”
I stare at him as my fists ball up at my sides, and my body tenses. My blood feels like it’s boiling as anger and disbelief roll through me in waves.
“He talks to him like he talks to anyone else,” Greg says in a cool tone. “With words.”
“No, I mean, like,” Tyson sits forward in his seat, getting more into this conversation that none of us want to be a part of, “how do you communicate ? How can you date someone with autism and have a normal relationship? Trevor, come on, man. You’ve gotta see how weird this is.”
“Oh, I get it,” Mike says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You mean what gestures and things they use to talk?”
“Yeah, exactly.” Tyson nods. “How can you have a normal relationship like that?”
Mike leans forward. “Well, I, personally, don’t know many. But I have one that I think you could understand.” He then dramatically raises his middle finger, extending his arm towards Tyson.
“Fuck off, Mike,” Tyson grumbles, rolling his eyes at him. Then he shifts his attention back to me. “Look, all I’m saying is, isn’t it bad enough out there being gay? Why would you want to add all that on top of it? You think you’re going to fix him or something? It just feels… I don’t know. Kinda gross, right?”
What… the… fuck …
My fists tighten, and my pulse thunders in my ears as rage quickly takes over.
But before I can do or say anything, Jason chuckles lightly.
“Remind me, Tyson,” he says. “What is it you do for work?”
Tyson glares at him. “Oh, so because I’m between jobs right now you’re going to say I’m a loser or some shit?”
“No, not at all,” Jason says casually. “Just that Trevor’s boyfriend is far more accomplished than you are, since he owns a highly sought after photography business, with National Geographic as his top client. But, please, continue. Tell us how Trevor obviously needs to fix him, while you live in your mom’s basement,” he holds up his fingers in air quotes, “‘between jobs’.” Jason then shakes his head seriously. “You’re definitely not a loser.”
Tyson’s face flushes red, and he shoots to his feet with fists clenched, ready to come at Jason. But Greg is up just as fast and grabs the front of Tyson’s shirt, holding him back with ease.
“I highly suggest you think this through,” Greg warns, his voice calm but cold. He’s got a few inches on Tyson, and the way he looks down at him makes it clear that Tyson’s out of his league here.
Tyson’s eyes shift between all of us, then around the now quiet locker room. But no one speaks up for him.
Mike grins, casually leaning back against the wall. “Something else Arthur has over you is friends.” He looks around the room, gesturing at Tyson. “Anyone here want to fix this asshole?”
Chuckles sound around the room, and I hear one guy mutter, “I’d like to take him the fuck out, if that’s an option.”
Greg releases Tyson with a little shove, then sits back down and reaches for his shoulder pads. “Team’s spoken, Tyson.”
Tyson’s jaw tightens as he glares at me.
I meet his stare and lift my eyebrows. “You looking for a gesture?” I point at the door, and a ripple of laughter flows through the room.
Tyson huffs out an angry breath. “Fuck you,” he spits as he grabs his gear.
I just smile back at him. “Good luck out there.”
He slams the door behind him as he storms out of the room, and the tension in here dissolves almost instantly. The room buzzes with chatter again, and some guys throw smiles and salutes my way as I turn back to Mike, Jason, and Greg.
“Thanks, guys,” I say.
“You know everything he said isn’t true,” Jason says. “We really like Arthur.”
“Fuck yeah,” Mike adds. “We understand the pub wasn’t ideal. But…” he shrugs with a smile, “the way you guys look at each other, even when he’s struggling… makes my heart all melty.”
Relief washes over me, and I smile. My friends are important to me, and while I knew they would be supportive no matter what, I can’t deny that I’d been a bit anxious they might not fully understand Arthur. But now, I know without a doubt they do.
“Maybe we can arrange another time to hang out,” I suggest. “Something quieter, like at my house?”
Greg nods and claps me on the back, and Jason and Mike both nod with smiles.
“Sounds awesome,” Jason says.
But then Mike leans forward, his expression suddenly serious. “So… because I really care about you, and I have to look out for your best interests… I do need to ask a question.”
An uneasy feeling once again settles in my stomach and I just slowly nod. “Ok…”
He assesses me with a long, thoughtful look, my nerves rising as he drags this out.
“Please tell me,” he says slowly, in a low voice, “you finally got some.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I grab a towel and throw it in his face, and Jason laughs.
“Dude.” Mike catches the towel and stares at me with wide eyes. “I know how long it’s been for you, and I’ve been so worried. It’s been months. No one should have to go that long. I’m just making sure you’re happy and healthy.”
“My god,” I mutter, reaching down to tie my skates. “You’re fucked.”
But Mike just continues to stare at me.
I sigh, reluctantly glancing up at him. “You can stop worrying .”
A smile breaks out across his face. “Fuck yeah. Go Artie.” Then he holds up his hands and shakes his head with wide eyes. “Arthur,” he says quickly. “Go Arthur .”
As we all chuckle and fall back into the familiar rhythm of getting our gear on, my smile remains.
These guys have always had my back, no matter what. They’re the best friends I could ever ask for, and I know just how rare it is to find this kind of support.
And now Arthur has it too.