2
Cole
I stay exactly where Remy left me, half-flopped over the edge of my bed, chest pressed into the rumpled comforter, arms dangling limp on either side.
My knees ache a little against the rough dorm carpet, but I can’t find the energy to move yet.
The room feels too quiet after all the noise we just made.
My breathing is slowing, but my heart is still hammering like I sprinted suicides in practice.
My brain is absolute mush. Did I really just come from that?
A shaky laugh slips out of me, muffled into the sheets, because yeah…
I did. And the worst part? I’m ashamed that I kind of enjoyed it.
No, scrap that, I didn’t kind of enjoy it…
I enjoyed it, full stop. I figured it would hurt the whole time, that I’d just grit my teeth and let him get it over with, because he was desperate, and I’m an idiot who can’t say no to my best friend.
But after those first careful minutes, once he found that spot deep inside and kept hitting it, fuck.
It felt good, really good. Like sparks shooting up my spine, pressure building in a way I’ve never felt before, until I was pushing back against him without even meaning to.
I groan and press my forehead harder into the mattress. We are never doing that again. Ever. I don’t care how horny he gets; I don’t care how much he begs or bribes me with groceries and pizza. That was a one-time, insane, never-to-be-repeated favour.
So why the hell did I let him in the first place?
The answer sits heavy in my chest. Remy’s done more for me than anyone else ever has.
He sat with me in that hospital waiting room when I was fifteen and the world ended.
He dragged me to practice when I didn’t want to get out of bed.
He’s been my constant, through everything, and if he needed something this bad, something I could give without it costing me anything real…
I don’t know; it felt like the least I could do. Like balancing some invisible scale.
I just hope it doesn’t get awkward now. Although Remy didn’t seem awkward at all when he walked out…
laughing, kicking my leg like we’d just finished a video game session, and telling me to grab my kit for practice.
He sounded lighter and happier, like a weight had literally lifted off him.
And honestly? Hearing that in his voice made the whole thing feel a little less insane.
My phone starts buzzing on the bedside table, loud and insistent, and I sigh into the comforter.
Right now? Really? I push myself up on shaky legs, the muscles in my thighs trembling like I just finished a brutal leg day.
As I straighten, something warm and slick trickles down the back of my thigh.
I wince, lips twisting in disgust. That’s Remy’s come, isn’t it?
Fucking hell. The feeling makes my stomach flip, and I try to ignore it as I shuffle over to grab the phone before it goes to voicemail.
The screen says Aunt Val. I can’t not answer her… she’s my mom’s sister, the only real family I have left. We’ve gotten close since my parents died; she doesn’t have kids of her own, and she’s always checking in like she’s trying to fill the gap.
I swipe to answer, forcing a small smile into my voice even though she can’t see it. “Hey, Aunt Val.”
“Hey, kiddo,” she says, bright and light, sounding more like twenty than her actual thirty-seven. She’s always been the free-spirited one. “So… uh…” She trails off, and I can picture her fidgeting.
I walk to my drawers; phone pressed between my ear and shoulder. “What’s up?”
“Okay, you know I’m not very good with the whole being-serious thing, but… it’s your parents’ anniversary in a couple weeks. I mean, of course you know that, but…” She laughs awkwardly, bless her for trying.
I pull out a clean pair of boxers, stepping into them carefully. The fabric sticks a little to the mess on my skin, and I grimace again.
“I thought maybe we could hang out?” she continues. “I dunno… maybe it’s stupid. I just thought… we don’t have a big family and…”
I cut her off with a soft laugh, tugging the first pair of sweats I see up my legs. “I’d love to, Aunt Val.”
She sighs, relieved. “Cool… good.”
I move to my wardrobe, grabbing a plain t-shirt. “So, what do you wanna do?”
I set the phone down on loudspeaker so I can pull the shirt over my head without dropping the call.
“I thought maybe we could just grab a bite to eat,” she says. “Ooh, maybe we could go to Cinemark and watch 28 Years Later! You loved the first two movies.”
I laugh, the sound easier now. “Yeah, that sounds like a good time. We should do that.”
I grab my sports duffel out of the wardrobe, grab the phone again, and head out of my room. My heart kicks up a notch as I step into the main area, hoping like hell it won’t be awkward with Remy waiting out here. I set the phone on the kitchenette counter and reach for my sneakers.
“So,” Val says, “I’ll swing by the dorms at like four p.m. on the seventeenth… how’s that sound?”
I tie one lace tight. “Sounds perfect, Val. Can’t wait.”
She hums playfully, and then Remy’s voice cuts in from across the room. “Oh, hey, Val!”
“Remy?” she asks, delighted.
“The one and only.”
She laughs. “How are you doing, kid? Looking after my nephew, I hope!”
Oh, fucking hell. Heat floods my face, and I refuse to look up from my shoe. He’s probably got some mischievous grin plastered on right now after what we just did.
But when he answers, his voice is softer than I expect. “I always do, Val.”
“I know,” she says warmly. “You’re a good kid. Hey, you wanna join us? Meal and movie?”
I freeze mid-lace and finally glance up. Remy’s already looking at me, eyebrows raised like he’s waiting for my cue. He knows exactly what the seventeenth of July means, he was right there with me four years ago when the doctors told me my parents didn’t make it.
“I uh…” Remy rubs the back of his neck. “I mean… that sounds great, Val, but isn’t this like a family thing?”
He shrugs at me, the gesture saying what do you want me to say?
I know he’d come in a heartbeat if I asked. So, I stand up quickly and blurt, “He’d love to, Val, but his girlfriend will wanna see him.”
Remy blinks. “My…? Huh?”
I nudge his arm hard with my elbow to shut him up. “Anyway, we’ve gotta go to practice now. Love you, Val!”
She laughs. “Love you, weirdo!”
The call ends, and I grab my kit bag again, heading straight for the main door.
Remy follows. “Don’t tell me Hannah’s planning a surprise return or something, because I’m not into that shit.”
“No,” I mutter, pushing out into the hallway. “I just said that to give you an excuse so you wouldn’t get dragged along.”
“Fair,” he says quietly. “But you know I would’ve…”
“Yeah, I know.” I inhale sharply, cutting him off.
Honestly, I just want him to stop talking for a minute. My head’s spinning… between what we just did, the fact I actually liked it, and now the reminder that my parents’ death anniversary is creeping up again. Brilliant timing.
We hit the ground floor and step out into the midday sunlight.
It’s proper July heat… thick, humid Michigan summer air, that hits you like a wall the second the doors open.
The sun beats down hard on the concrete path, cicadas buzzing loud in the trees lining the dorm walkway, and everything shimmers a little in the haze.
I tilt my face up, closing my eyes for a second as the warmth sinks into my skin. “God, that feels nice.”
Remy laughs, and I can hear him open his mouth to say something.
I point at him without even looking. “No. Way too soon for casual sex jokes, man.”
He holds both hands up, still chuckling. “I didn’t say anything!”
---
We reach the sports building in just a couple of minutes, the short walk from the dorm cutting across the sun-baked quad.
It’s quiet between us the whole way… no chatter, no jokes, just our sneakers on the pavement and the distant hum of campus.
Normally that kind of comfortable silence is our default; we’ve spent years side by side without needing to fill every second with words.
To Remy it probably feels completely normal…
he seems fine, swinging his duffel, squinting into the bright July glare like nothing’s changed.
But for the first time since I’ve known him, the quiet feels heavy to me.
The second we push through the doors into the locker room, the noise hits like a wave… guys shouting and laughing, lockers slamming. The team spots us immediately.
“There they are!” Marcus calls out, grinning as he pulls his practice jersey over his head. “Thought you two passed out again or some shit.”
“Fuck off,” Remy shoots back, laughing, and the room starts the usual chorus of hoots and backslaps.
Someone ruffles my hair as I pass, and then Harry barrels over and slings an arm around my shoulders. “QB looking sharp today. You ready to make us all look good?”
I roll my eyes, shoving him off playfully. “Always, man.”
It’s easy and familiar, the rough affection we’ve all built over years of grinding together.
Remy and I get changed side by side like always: shirts off, pads on, cleats laced.
No hesitation, no weird glances. I keep my back half-turned while I tape my wrists, focusing on the routine, and it almost feels normal.
We file out into one of the big indoor sports halls, the air-con blasting cold the moment we step inside.
Coach is already here, arms crossed, whistling sharply. “Too damn hot outside today, boys,” he barks. “We’re staying in where the AC can save your sorry asses from heatstroke.”
Everyone spreads out along the benches that line the walls, dropping water bottles. Coach claps his hands twice, the signal he’s about to start the rundown, and the chatter dies down. I stay standing, leaning casually against the wall near the end of the row.
Harry looks up at me and laughs. “Dude, sit down.”
I clear my throat. “I’m good, Harry.”