14. Fourteen
Fourteen
Tyler
Maddy slams the car door when I pull to a stop in the driveway. “Whoa, lighten up. What did the car do to you?” I joke.
She rolls her eyes at me and shoves her phone in her pocket. “Like you want to be here any more than I do.”
She’s not wrong. I do my best to stay on Father’s good side, but we’re constantly butting heads. Normally I’d be in a worse mood about being here, but I’ve been riding a bit of a high since practice. I’m not sure if it was how hot Seth looked in the shower, or the fact that it so closely mirrored my dream from before, but that was honestly the hottest sex I’ve ever had. Part of me wonders if it’s because I’ve never been with a guy or if it’s because it’s Seth.
I shake off the thought as we get to the door, and Maddy leads the way. “Dad, we’re here,” she calls out as we walk down the hall. Father has lived in the same house since we were little. There are still pictures of us on the walls. It’s like walking down memory lane as I look at the various pictures of kid me in a jersey. I didn’t always like soccer. It was something Father pushed me into, wanting me to have something that kept me active.
“There you are,” Father says, walking in from the kitchen. “You’re just in time. Taylor is finishing up dinner.”
We follow him to the dining room, and Maddy takes the seat across from me. An awkward silence sets in as we wait for our stepmom, but Maddy nudges me with her foot under the table. “I hear your team is doing well so far this season,” she says.
“Yeah,” I agree. “We’ve had a few wins, but it’s still early.”
“How are classes going?” Father changes the subject.
“Fine,” Maddy answers immediately.
Thanks to Seth helping me, I can answer honestly. “It’s good. My lowest grade is a B.” It’s a low B, I just got up from a C, but a B all the same. Besides, Father doesn’t need to know all that.
“That’s good,” he replies.
“Hope everyone’s hungry,” Taylor says as she walks into the room holding a pot. She places it in the middle of the table, then takes her spot opposite Father. “It’s great to see you two. I hope you’re having some fun at school, too. It’ll be over before you know it.”
I bite my lip, thinking of the fun I was getting up to with Seth earlier.
“I’m seeing someone,” Maddy announces. The rest of us look at her. This is the first I’m hearing about it, but it’s not like Maddy tells me about her personal life. She tells Father and Taylor about him, though I notice she deliberately skips over the guy’s name. Probably a smart decision when our father works at the same school.
“How about you, Tyler?” Taylor asks. “Are you dating anyone?”
“Nope,” I answer too fast. I’m not dating Seth. We agreed that this thing is purely physical, and I’m not about to tell my family about my new fuckbuddy situation. Besides, I don’t know how my family would react to the idea of me dating a guy. Father has never really made his opinion known either way, and it’s something I never had to think about before. There might come a point where I need to come out to my family, but that day isn’t today.
A few more hours and awkward questions later, and we’re climbing back in the car to drive to campus. “So, what was that?” Maddy asks. “You answered that question before Taylor could finish saying it. Are you seeing someone?”
“I’m not seeing someone.” I fight the urge to grind my teeth as I start the car.
“Is she someone Dad wouldn’t like?” she guesses.
It’s off base, but she’s trying.
“No, it’s just none of their business or yours. We’re not dating. It isn’t serious. If that changes, I’ll tell everyone.”
“So, there is someone,” she says triumphantly.
“What about you?” I ask. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?”
“Few days ago.” She shrugs. “It’s whatever. I’m not gonna tell you, if you’re not gonna share about your friend. ” She raises her hand to make air quotes and I roll my eyes. Luckily, it’s a short drive back to campus, and I don’t have to deal with Maddy for long. “Thanks for the ride,” she says as she closes the door. “See ya.”
Maddy’s words echo in my head as I walk back to the frat house. Is she someone Father wouldn’t like? What would my father say if he knew what was going on with me and Miller? Not that we’re dating, but would he approve of a guy? Maybe. My father has never seemed particularly homophobic, but he wouldn’t approve of Seth. A chuckle escapes my lips as I think about him.
Seth is … reckless, and impulsive. The kind of guy that has threesomes at parties. The kind of guy that talks me into having threesomes. He makes me want to do things like fool around in the locker room shower. My cheeks hurt from the way I’m smiling as I think about what we did earlier. I pull out my phone and glance at the time. It really isn’t that late. I’m typing out a message before I can change my mind.
Me: Did you still want to hang out and watch a movie?
It only takes a few minutes for a response to pop up.
Miller: Your room or mine?
Me: Mine. I’ll meet you there.
Depending on where Seth is on campus, it might take him less time to get there. I still have to figure out what we’re doing, too. It’s one thing to say we’re meeting up to watch a movie, but this feels very much like a Netflix-and-Chill situation. I don’t know how much attention either of us will be paying to the screen.
I get to the frat house first, but waiting for Seth means it makes more sense to hang out in the main room until he gets here. There are a few guys hanging out on the couch and watching TV. I try not to overthink it as I stand by the door. It’s not the first time I’ve stood here waiting for a hookup to show up after finding a girl on an app or something similar. This feels different somehow. When I open the door and Seth stands there, none of the guys even look. There’s not a lewd whistle from any of my brothers. No one seems to care.
“Hey,” Seth says. “What’s with the change of plans? Thought you were too busy tonight.”
I shrug as I lead him to my room. I didn’t want to be alone, but it doesn’t feel like the right thing to tell Seth. “Plans finished. Met up with my family for dinner.”
He takes a seat on my bed, kicking off his shoes casually before scooting up to sit with his back to the headboard. He looks totally at ease sitting on my bed. “So, what did you have in mind? I don’t see a TV in here,” he comments.
I grab my laptop, setting it at the foot of the bed so we’ll be able to see the screen. I have a few different streaming options, but I didn’t really think this out. My fingers stall as I pull up the app and scroll through the options. Seth leans closer, placing his hand next to mine by the track pad. “You need help picking something?” he asks.
“Yeah …” I force out a laugh. I don’t know what it is about being around him, but I feel like my brain goes haywire and I freeze up. Seth clicks on a show I’ve been rewatching. It’s an apocalyptic action style show set after a nuclear war destroyed the Earth. Honestly, it’s not something I’d usually pick for a date, but I enjoy watching by myself.
Seth’s arm goes around my back, and he shifts on the bed again, encouraging me to move with him. We’re sitting side by side and his arm is still around me while his hand lazily traces patterns on my bare skin. His fingers are under my shirt, just above my pants, but it doesn’t feel sexual. The touch is soothing. “So uh, how was dinner?” he asks. “Did you want to talk about it and why you’ve changed your mind about inviting me here?” His tone is teasing, and when I turn to face him, the corner of Seth’s lips pull up into a familiar smirk.
I lean in, giving into my impulse and press my lips to his. Seth’s arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer as his tongue slides into my mouth. We kiss, completely ignoring the show for a few moments before he pulls back. “Guess you’re not upset about earlier,” he says with a laugh.
“Why would I be upset?” I ask.
“It was just a bit of a risk. I wasn’t sure you’d want to … there.”
Thoughts of earlier, and the water running down Seth’s naked body pop into my mind again. Seeing it in real life was even better than the fantasy, and the thoughts already have my dick getting excited again. “Yeah, maybe not the smartest choice of location. But I’m not upset. It was hot.”
Seth kisses me this time. It’s deeper as he slows down the kiss, taking the time to draw out the moment. His hand rubs the skin of my lower back as it moves further up, pressing my chest into his. My shirt scratches into his and I pull back again. My hands go to the hem of my shirt, pulling it off in a hurry. “I didn’t originally ask you to watch a movie for this,” Seth says with a laugh.
“You didn’t?” I bite my lip.
“Hey, I’m not complaining either.” He reaches over and grabs my laptop, moving it to the nightstand. “Whatever you want to do is good with me. If you want to just watch a movie, that’s fine; but if you want to do something more, I’m on board with that too.” Seth grabs his shirt, pulling it smoothly off over his head to match my state of undress.
My eyes trace over the muscles of his pecs, but my brain has shut off again. I don’t know where to go from here. All of this feels so different.