16. Lennox
Chapter 16
Lennox
Two days before training camp, I headed to San Diego International Airport to pick up Evan. He was flying home after three weeks in Sacramento. I’d missed spending time with him.
I was still smiling from my conversation with Dane. And I felt different. Lighter maybe.
After he walked out on me, I assumed it would be me chasing him, but our text thread and chat on the phone were nothing but delightful. I didn’t know how to do any of this with him, but Evan did. And when the time was right, I’d ask for his help.
When my tight end walked out from baggage claim, he looked different. Evan always had a smile on his face, even when we lost. He was Mr. Sunshine and always saw the silver lining in every situation.
He pulled open the back door of my Hummer and placed his bag on the seat before climbing in the front. Looking over at me, he gave me a twenty-watt smile instead of his usual hundred-watt. I thought he’d be happier than this.
“Hey, man. Thanks for picking me up.”
“No problem, man. Glad you’re back.”
He huffed out a laugh and looked around as if he were lost. “Yeah, thanks. It’s good to be back.”
That wasn’t convincing, so I glanced over at him, a little concerned. This wasn’t like him.
“What’s up, Ellis? I thought you’d be giddy about your new man. Nice interview, by the way. Didn’t take you long to work your magic on him.”
He smiled. “I am giddy. Just not loving the separation.”
I snorted. At least it wasn’t twelve years. But I didn’t say that. “You’ve been gone, what, four hours?”
“Something like that.”
This was not like my friend at all. I glanced back and forth between the road and Evan until it dawned on me this fucker had gone and fallen in love.
“What?”
I laughed because I was right. “I knew you liked him, but didn’t think you’d fall in love. I expected you to come back and be all that shit isn’t for me . Damn, Clark. He’s the fucking governor. And straight.”
Evan smirked at me. “Not anymore.”
“Wait. You really boned the governor?”
Evan’s laugh sounded more like him.
“Where have you been? Under a rock? And I’m not telling you anything.”
Something like that.
“The fuck you aren’t. You can’t just lay that shit down there and expect me to let it go. I’ve seen you when you’re in hookup mode, brother. And you never skim on the details whether I wanted them or not.”
Just because they did an interview didn’t mean they were fucking. They could just be exploring or getting off together.
“Why do you want to know? You can watch porn. And you hook up all the time. Are you afraid you’re missing something, Sanders? Because I’m here to tell you, you are. There’s nothing like having…”
My face heated at the memory of me and Dane, slamming me into the wall and rubbing off on each other. And the kissing.
God, the kissing.
Evan shifted in the seat. “What have you done? I leave you for three weeks and come back to this.”
He pointed at me like I was the king of mess. And maybe I was. “Nothing. What do you mean?”
“Something’s off. Are you curious about how two men have sex, Lennox?”
God, yes. But I couldn’t say that yet. I had no idea where Dane and I stood, but I’d been reliving the Fourth of July fireworks from his apartment daily. Not the beach.
“Sex is sex, right? Regardless of how you get off, all that matters is you blow your load. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman.”
Evan looked at me like what I’d said was an anomaly. Maybe it was, but I wasn’t ready to share yet.
“No, it’s not. Sex with someone you care about is completely different. You should try it sometime.”
I shivered as the memory of our dicks rubbing together flashed in my mind. But I just made Evan laugh again.
“I’m allergic to feelings, Clark. Football is my better half.”
While that had been true, I was quickly figuring out I had some seriously repressed feelings for Dane. How had I missed them for so long?
“Have you heard any comments about me and Hudson from the guys?”
I rubbed my jaw and thought about the couple of text threads with Mason and Carsen. “Nothing bad. Most everyone is chill, you know that.”
He seemed to accept that, but that reminded me of something else.
“But Carson told me he heard we’re getting a new defensive end. He’s some rugby star from Australia. Coach talked him into trying American football. Have you ever watched it? It’s brutal.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah, but I don’t understand it. Running and tackling with no pads while wearing shorts doesn’t make sense to me. Looks painful.”
“Looks hot.”
What the fuck was I saying?
My face heated again like a damn teenager, and I shut the fuck up real quick.
“Want to get something to eat? I’m kinda hungry.”
“You’re always hungry. But I could eat.”
I smiled. “Good. Let’s go to my house. You need to see my new kitchen.”
“Sounds good.”
When I pulled into my garage, we got out and headed into my Spanish-style home.
“What have you been doing since I’ve been gone?”
“This,” I said, waving my arm like Vanna White on the Wheel of Fortune. “Finishing my kitchen and hanging out at the Youth Center.”
“The Youth Center? What prompted that?”
I smiled, thinking about Roger. “Roger Calloway. After we had dinner, it made me want to pay it forward.”
Evan went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water, then handed one to me.
“That’s really cool. How’s it going?”
I cracked the seal and took a swig before answering. “It’s fun. The kids are great. Wish I’d done it earlier.”
We stared at each other a moment before he saw through me. “What’s going on Lennox? Something’s on your mind. Is it the team?”
“No. The team’s good. We should be ready to roll tomorrow.”
Evan leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “Then what is it?”
I debated on how much to tell him. I’d always been the one to dole out advice, even though I had no experience in anything. But for once, I needed some.
“Mediterranean Chicken okay?”
“Sounds good. Now talk. If you take whatever’s on your mind into training camp, it’s going to be a disaster. So come on,” he said, wiggling his fingers toward himself, “Lay it on me.”
I went to the refrigerator and pulled out the six chicken breasts I’d been marinating in double ziplock bags, then reached for my meat mallet.
“There’s a kid at the Youth Center who has a shit ton of potential to be a wide receiver. Maybe even a tight end. You should come with me and see him. I think you could help him.”
Evan smiled. “Yeah, of course. I can do that.” He paused and raised his brows. “What else?”
I picked up the mallet and began to tenderize the chicken. I got lost in the memory of Dane’s lips on mine.
“Fuck, Lennox,” he laughed, stopping me. “What the hell is going on?”
The macerated chicken lay helplessly in the bag. “I might have to pan grill these.”
Evan put his hand on my arm. “Tell me what the hell has you so distracted?”
Sighing, I tossed the mallet in the basket in the sink.
“I ran into Dane. ”
His eyes bugged out. “ The Dane?”
“Yep, the very one,” I smiled. I couldn’t help it.
“What happened? You didn’t beat the shit out of each other, did you? Or get arrested? If you need to hide, you better call Coach.”
I chuckled.“No, it’s nothing like that. But maybe worse, depending on how you look at it.”
Evan tilted his head to the side in confusion. “What’s worse than that?”
I bit my bottom lip, then looked up into his eyes. “Finding out why he ended our friendship. And realizing there might be some unrequited feelings.”
His eyes bugged out. “Dude. That’s heavy shit.”
I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. “You have no idea. A lot has happened over the last three weeks. But it might be okay.”
He frowned. “You should have called me if you needed to talk.”
“Are you serious?” I chuckled. “You were off courting the governor. I wasn’t about to interrupt that.”
“You could have. You know that, don’t you?”
I smiled at my friend. “Yeah, I know. But you’ve got big feelings for him. And you said it yourself, the distance is a bitch.”
“I didn’t quite say it that way, but yes, it is. But we’re not talking about me and Hud. We’re talking about you. So spill it while you cook that poor, innocent chicken.”
Laughing, I nodded. “Yeah, okay. Pull up a stool. It’s a hell of a ride. Literally.”