24. Twenty-Four
Twenty-Four
Tyler
Seth’s eyes meet mine as I walk in the library. He stands up to greet me, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me in for a quick kiss. The past week since the game has been like this. He doesn’t hold back from kissing me or wrapping his arm around my shoulders in public, and it’s nice. We haven’t officially told anyone we’re dating, but we’re not hiding it either.
“How was your day?” he asks when he pulls back.
“Good, I got my test score in my Bio class. Looks like some of the studying helped, my overall grade is now a high B. I might pass this class after all thanks to you.” I take a seat at the table next to Seth and pull out my things so we can study and go over my homework. It was his idea that we meet at the library to keep study hours separate and focused on school. For the most part, it’s working, but it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten my little fantasy of sneaking off to a dark corner and dropping to my knees.
“Think we’ll get paired up to room together at the playoffs?” Seth asks, changing the topic as I set up my papers and tablet.
“Maybe,” I answer with a shrug. There’s just as much of a chance that we won’t, but it’s not a huge deal. We can always meet up another time. “I’m just thrilled we made it to the finals. I can’t wait to kick UWY’s ass. We’re gonna get to finish our senior season as regional champions.”
“Yeah,” Seth shrugs.
“Yeah? Where’s your enthusiasm?” I tease.
“No, I mean, yeah I’m glad we’re in the final playoff, but it’s still kinda sad that it’ll be over. I’m gonna miss playing, you know.” Seth grabs a pencil along with my notes from class and looks at the table. “Anyway, let’s get to this.” He launches right into a deeper explanation of the topics where my notes are lacking. I do my best to keep up and make some sense of it. By the end of the hour, I have a headache and a slightly better understanding of Biology.
“You want to hit the cafeteria?” I ask as we pack up our things. “We could grab something to eat and head back to my room, watch a show or something?”
“Or something , huh?” Seth winks. “Sounds good.”
I shake my head at him then lean closer to press a quick kiss to his lips. “You’re such a brat,” I tell him. We turn around to head for the library exit, but before we can get to the door, I notice who is standing next to it watching us, and I freeze. Seth crashes into my back, not noticing that I’ve stopped until he’s looking at my father too.
“Tyler,” Father says my name with a slight nod. “Doing a bit of studying?”
“Yeah.” My brain skips over his question, wondering if he saw the kiss. “Sorry, uh, Father this is my … this is Seth, he’s on my soccer team.” I can’t bring myself to call him my boyfriend.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Avery.” Seth holds out his hand to shake.
“Yes, you too.” Father turns to look at me again. “Tyler, I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow?” I can hear the disapproval in his tone and my gut drops.
“Sure, I should get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” We leave without any further issues, but Seth waits until we’re almost at the cafeteria to say anything.
“Alright, so that was awkward. What was your dad doing in the library?”
“He’s a dean here,” I explain.
“Your dad works at the school? Shit, no wonder you were worried about your grades,” Seth says with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
“Do you think he saw us kiss?” I ask.
“I think he saw you trip over your words as you introduced your teammate .” Seth teases.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just not how I planned on him meeting you.” I place my hand on Seth’s shoulder.
He places his hand on top of mine, rubbing his thumb over my skin. “I get it, but maybe it’s time you tell him you’re bi.”
“I will. I’m not hiding anything. I just need to think of how to tell him. It’ll all work out. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
“You still want to hang out tonight?” Seth changes the subject. “We could do it another time.”
“A guy’s gotta eat. Let’s at least grab some dinner. We can call it a day after that.”
Maddy fidgets, drumming on her thigh before glancing at me again. “What?” I ask. I can’t stand another moment of silence as we drive home.
“Nothing,” she says with a shrug.
I let out a sigh and keep my eyes on the road. “I know you know about Seth.”
“Know what?”
“He told me you saw us kissing,” I tell her.
“People kiss all the time, doesn’t have to mean something.”
“We’re dating,” I admit, and it’s easier to say those words than I thought it would be. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh? That’s new for you, isn’t it?” Maddy smirks, her facial expression giving away more than her words as she attempts to play innocent.
“Yeah, I’m bi. It’s kind of a recent development. Why are you so interested anyhow? Don’t you have a boyfriend of your own?” I ask, trying to turn the tables.
“Something like that, but I never said I was dating a boy . Let’s just say you’re not the only bi kid in the family.” Maddy looks at me out of the corner of her eye, waiting for a reaction, but all I can do is laugh in response. I was afraid this wouldn’t go well, but of course with my luck this would happen.
“That’s great, sis. I hope to meet her soon.” I pull the car to a stop as we approach the house. The conversation with Maddy along the way helped, but now that we’re here, my nerves are spiking up again. I take a deep breath as I get out of the car and follow my sister inside.
We find Taylor first, she’s in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. “It’s great to see you two again. Your father will be here soon. He had a meeting at the school that must be running late.” She shrugs off his lateness.
“Cool,” Maddy says, heading for the living room instead. She takes out her phone, her fingers already tapping a steady beat on the on-screen keyboard when she sits on the couch.
I follow suit, taking out my phone and opening it to the text chat I have going with Seth. His last message was wishing me good luck with the dinner tonight.
Me: Thanks. I’ll talk to you soon.
The door opens soon after that, and Father walks in. “It’s like nothing’s changed. I come home to the two of you glued to your phones,” he shakes his head, laughing to his own joke.
“Is that you, honey?” Taylor asks as she walks in the room.
I shove my phone in my pocket, paying more attention as Father asks Taylor what’s for dinner. It’s awkward waiting for the other shoe to fall. All throughout the meal, things are almost too normal. Father talks about work, asks us about our classes. The topic of who we’re seeing doesn’t come up at all and I’m starting to think that maybe he didn’t see the kiss. Maybe I built this up in my mind for nothing.
“And how is this season of soccer going?” Taylor asks. “Your dad said that your team made it to the regional finals. That’s exciting.”
Maybe it’s because I’m waiting for Father to overreact that I notice how his jaw tightens when Taylor mentions the soccer team. “We have our final game next week,” I answer. “And it’s awesome that we made it to the championship two years in a row. Hopefully, we can win this year. It’d be a nice way to finish out.” I push my food around with my fork, too anxious to eat.
By the time dinner is almost over, my nerves have settled. Then dad ruins it. “Tyler, could I speak to you in my office before you leave?”
Maddy’s eyes meet mine across the table, and I sigh, “Yeah.” I follow Father into his office and he leans against his desk facing me.
“I was in the library the other day to check in with another professor. One of my colleagues told me they’ve seen you in the library frequently with your teammate .” Father’s jaw tightens with the word.
“He’s tutoring me in one of my classes.”
“I don’t know how to say this, Tyler. It’s for the best that you don’t take this too seriously. Some fooling around and experimenting is normal in college but keep focused on the goal.”
Any doubts I had about him not seeing the kiss are gone. “Is this about Seth being a guy? Are you saying you aren’t okay with me being bi?”
“No, of course not.” Father raises his hand to rub his temples. “I looked into his files. He has zero prospects, and you’re going somewhere. He comes from nothing, and I hardly think this thing is likely to last past the season—”
“Seth is my boyfriend. We’re not just ‘experimenting,’” I lift my hands to air-quote the word. “And I don’t really care if you approve. I’ll date whoever I want, and it’s none of your business.” I stand up from his chair, turning to leave.
“Everything okay?” Maddy asks as we meet up in the living room.
“No. You ready to head back to school?”
“Only if you tell me on the way what happened.” Maddy slings her purse over her shoulder, not waiting for Father to reappear before we’re out the door.
“Father wants me to call things off with Seth,” I tell her. “Not because he’s a guy, but because he’s not high enough status. He thinks Seth’s not good enough.”
“Fuck, that’s harsh.” Maddy shakes her head. “Screw him. It’s not up to him.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I stick my key in the ignition and fire up the engine. I can’t wait to get out of here.