Chapter 21
RILEY SMILED AS HE swayed in Josh’s arms, their bodies growing closer and closer.
A shudder ran through him when he remembered the night he and Josh learned to dance together. They had both wanted to impress their dates at the dance that weekend, and Josh suggested they practice together.
It had been awkward at first as they tried to figure out the beat and how to move with another person.
When a song came on with the right beat, they started moving together seamlessly. Their thighs tangled as they rolled their hips against each other, Josh’s hands trailing down Riley's back when he pulled him tightly against him.
When they realized they were both hard, feeling their dicks against each other’s hips, they sprang apart and agreed that they had figured it out.
Josh had made an excuse to go home so he could run to get his date’s corsage, and the minute Riley heard the front door close he jerked off in his room.
At the time, he figured it was the friction, the movement of their bodies.
Now, he could admit that was bullshit. Even then, he was turned on by Josh’s hands on him.
Back in the present, his body moving against Josh’s, he was beginning to have the same problem he'd had that night, a slight dizziness taking over as the blood rushed to his cock.
This time, when Josh felt that hardness against his hip, he smiled at Riley and pulled him tighter against him, one hand sliding up his shirt while the other slid into the back pocket of Riley’s jeans.
Riley had never felt so… cherished. Had anyone ever held him like this? Had any of the girls he’d ever dated looked at him like he was the center of their world? Nope, not even close.
Josh, on the other hand, looked at him like he could do no wrong. Riley had spent his life trying to emulate the person Josh believed him to be.
If Josh thought he was this all-powerful hero, ready to swoop in and save the day—to save Josh—he’d make sure he did his best to be that man. For him.
The song changed to an even slower tune, and Josh cupped Riley’s cheek, caressing the skin with the calloused pad of his thumb.
Riley’s breath stuttered as he looked into Josh’s eyes. He adored this man, and he had to have him.
He inched closer until their lips were a breath away, giving Josh a chance to pull away if he wanted, but all he did was bring their foreheads together.
Riley knew at that moment that Josh was his person. He’d always been his person when it came to being the first person he called to share news, good or bad, the first person he cried with, raged with, celebrated with.
Now, he knew that Josh was his person in every sense of the word.
He was his everything.
At that moment, nothing could pull Riley away from Josh. He angled his head until he could brush his lips against Josh's. He’d meant for it to be a quick kiss, a reminder that he was in this, but Josh had different plans.
Josh’s hands slid up Riley’s back until they were cradling his neck, then his head. Then he kissed Riley with purpose as they continued to sway and grind on the dance floor.
Riley couldn’t even hear the music anymore, Josh invading all of his senses.
The spicy smell of his cologne, the taste of a pale ale on his tongue, the sound of his breaths mixed with his own, the feel of his hands holding him close, and the sultry look in his eyes when he retreated, those eyes practically black in the dark club.
Josh was everywhere, and Riley would do everything to keep it that way.
Later that night, when they’d returned home and crashed into Riley’s bed, continuing their dance horizontally until they both came, Riley made a vow to himself.
He would fight for this. With everything he had.
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The next day was a day off from the gym—thank goodness because they had not gone to bed early the night before—and Riley had made plans to get lunch with Sophie.
Usually, Josh would join them, but Sophie specifically asked for a private lunch with her brother.
Josh had looked slightly hurt about it, because he’d always been like a brother to Sophie too, but Riley was also trying to move away from that fact because now Riley and Josh felt like the farthest thing from brothers.
He didn’t tell Josh, but he also wanted some quality sister time so he could talk about Josh. He couldn’t exactly do that with him sitting there.
It was weird being at Hero’s Pub in the middle of the day.
Usually he hit up the bar at night after an indoor soccer game with the Cherry Stems, and it was such a different atmosphere in the daytime.
The servers looked light and refreshed, although slightly bored, and there were far fewer people so it was easier to see the Cherrywood memorabilia and photos displayed tastefully on the walls alongside the flatscreen TVs playing sports highlights and the news.
The bar sat in the middle of the pub, with tables and stools circling it.
Sophie poked fun at him for ordering the crab bisque, but he was adamant that it was the best he’d tasted in his life. He wasn’t sure what the ingredients were, but it was addictive.
“Can you keep a secret?” Sophie asked, an uncharacteristically serious look on her face.
“Yeah, of course,” he said, slightly annoyed. “When have I ever shared any of your secrets?”
“I mean,” Sophie said, pausing to take a deep breath, “could you keep a secret from everyone. Including Josh.”
Riley froze as he considered her question.
It’s not that he couldn’t keep a secret from Josh, but he’d always been uncomfortable about it, unless it was to protect him.
Garrett was looking into the police report Riley found in the police database.
When they had a video call to discuss it, he asked how Riley got his hands on it, cocking an eyebrow at him, but they both agreed it was better if Garrett didn’t know.
And until he knew for sure what was happening, he was going to keep that from Josh.
The thing was, Josh had this unavoidable urge to try to understand things. He asked questions, sometimes inappropriate ones, not because he was being rude but because he honestly wanted to understand something.
At times, it led to awkward conversations, but when Riley couldn’t explain something, it tended to torment Josh until they could figure it out together. Riley couldn’t figure this one out, so until he had answers from Garrett he’d keep him safe by holding that information close.
And that meant one thing.
“I can keep a secret from Josh, but it depends what it is. I suck at lying to him unless I know it’s for his benefit.”
Sophie stared at him. He could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out if she could trust him with whatever secret she was holding onto.
“It’s about Tobias, and it doesn’t affect Josh’s life at all,” she said diplomatically, like she was choosing her words carefully.
“He has a secret, and he’s desperate to keep it a secret, but I don’t think he can.
I’m trying to figure out a way to keep the press from finding out about it, but I’m also trying to convince him how it would be easier to be open about it.
How being open about it might even help his situation. ”
His Tasmanian Devil sister had never spoken so seriously in her life, and it was scaring him.
Holy shit. This was his sister in PR mode. He’d never seen it in person before.
“Okaaaay,” he started, treading carefully. “Is he in danger?”
“No, it has nothing to do with his safety, but it could affect the safety of his… Fuck, I’m still working on how to word this shit.”
“I know Tobias is private, and even though I consider him a friend, I know so little about him. Does this have to do with why he stopped playing hockey?”
Sophie’s nostrils flared as she considered the question.
“Yes, it does.”
“Shit, I don’t know if I could keep this from Josh,” Riley said, squirming in his seat. “But I don’t get why you need to keep it from him. I feel like he could handle Tobias’ emotions more than anyone. He’s the one who got him to say yes to the alumni game in the first place.”
Sophie played with the old bay fries in front of her as she considered it. The area around her plate was covered in balled-up napkins and a few errant fries. She was incapable of being neat.
“I guess you’re right about that. I guess I figured the fewer people who know the better. While you can keep things from Josh to protect him, Josh is incapable of keeping a secret.”
“That is not true,” Riley said. “If he knows it’s a secret and he knows it would hurt the person if he shared it, then he can keep any secret. You just need to make sure he knows that before you tell him. With a couple reminders too.”
Riley sometimes forgot about that, which was why Josh had quickly blabbed to Cole and Elena about their night together in the Poconos, and why he’d texted the entire gym group chat that they’d made out.
But he’d never told Hailey or Abby about Cole’s bisexuality because he knew Cole wanted to keep it a secret.
“Okay, I’m gonna talk to Tobias. I think his life would be easier if he was upfront about it. Maybe he could even do some good, but he loves that he’s fallen out of the public eye. I know how hard it was for him to agree to the alumni game.”
She shook that weight off her shoulders and gave him a mischievous smile. “Now, dear brother, is it time for us to talk about the hickey on your neck?”
His hand flew to his neck, but it wasn’t like he could feel a hickey. He took out his phone and put it on selfie mode, allowing him to see the red mark right above his collar bone.
Why did I have to wear a V-neck shirt today of all days?
“Shit, I didn’t know that was there,” he said while trying to adjust his shirt with no luck.
“Soooo, who is she? Tell me!”
Riley paled as he realized there was no she. Was he ready to come out to his sister?
She’d teased him in the past about his friendship with Josh and how they were closer than most friends, and she was supportive of different sexualities. But it was different when it was your own family, wasn’t it?
“Um, so, what if I told you…” he started, fiddling with the napkin on his table, the one he’d barely even needed because he knew how to eat, unlike his messy sister. He cleared his throat so he was able to continue. “What if I told you it wasn’t a she?”
He finally raised his gaze from his napkin to see a smile growing on his sister’s face.
“Please, please, please, tell me it was Josh,” Sophie begged, her voice cracking in excitement.
Oh, God. Not that look. He wouldn’t be able to contain her outburst, but it was inevitable.
“It was Josh.”
The squeal that escaped her mouth drew the attention of the entire bar. Their focus stayed on them as she applauded.
“Yes! You finally figured it out! Holy shit, this is the best news ever,” Sophie shouted, then turned to look for the server, her eyes widening when she finally spotted her. “Alicia! Bring us two kamikaze shots and a slice of chocolate cake, because we’re celebrating, woo!”
“Kill me now,” Riley muttered to himself, burying his face in his hands as Alicia shouted that she was on it.
Sophie gripped his hands, pulling them away from his face.
“Don’t you dare hide from me now, Riley Bear. You gotta give me details. Was this a one-time thing? Are you in a relationship? Was it everything you’ve been searching for your whole life?”
The sigh that escaped him helped calm his nerves.
He noticed that everyone else in the bar had finally tuned back into their own conversations.
Sophie only called him Riley Bear when she was in a teasing mood.
Wasn’t he supposed to be the one always teasing her since he was the big brother? Not in this family, apparently.
“No, I’m not sure, and… yeah, I think it is,” he said, but reached over to slap a palm over her mouth to keep her from gaining the attention of the entire bar again. “Please chill. This is huge for me, and slightly terrifying.”
He saw her eyes soften in sympathy. Taz was finally reined in, for now.
She bit his hand and he yanked it away with a grunt, then she leaned in like they were sharing the secrets of the universe.
“Seriously though, Ri, I’m so happy for you. I’ve been waiting for you two to figure this out for years. You're so perfect for each other. I’ve never seen two people more compatible than you and Josh. And when you guys get married, he’ll really be my brother!”
Riley had a feeling this would be how most people would react to the news. He couldn’t even balk at the idea of marrying Josh because he was perfect for him, although it was a little bit too soon. There was still one problem he was worried about.
“Do you think Mom will feel the same way?”
He couldn’t help but think about her words at their last dinner.
Keep it in the home.
She thought people threw their queer relationships in people’s faces when all they were trying to do was exist in the world.
The hypocrisy of the way hetero relationships were thrown in their faces since birth didn’t faze people who made this argument, because that was natural, and this was considered unnatural. Ugh.
It was Sophie’s turn to sigh. She reached over to grab one of Riley’s hands on the table.
“I think she might be shocked at first, maybe confused, but Dad seemed to be an ally, and I think eventually she’ll accept it. It may be easier for her with you and Josh because you two have acted like a couple as long as I can remember. Only difference is, you’re kissing now.”
She gave his hand a squeeze and leaned closer to whisper, “Please give me some details. It feels different with him, doesn’t it?”
He couldn’t help but smile at his supportive but inappropriate sister. “It feels like everything. It feels right.”
“Yes! I knew it,” she said as she pumped her fist with the hand not holding his. “It had to be different with him. He’s your person. I can’t wait until I find mine.”
He couldn’t help a slight gasp at her words. Wasn’t he thinking the same thing last night?
Alicia interrupted the moment with two brightly colored shots and a slice of chocolate cake.
“Enjoy,” she said with a wink as she turned and walked toward the bar.
“Shots first?” Sophie asked.
“Of course, cake is the chaser.”
“Of course,” she said, lifting the shot and holding it out toward Riley. “To my brother and his new blossoming romance with the best friend who's been in front of him for years, a love they’ve both been completely blind to.”
He chuckled and tipped his glass against hers, then downed the shot, followed by both of them reaching for a fork to demolish the cake.
If there was one thing he could count on when it came to Sophie, it was her unconditional love and support. He hoped that would extend to the rest of his family. Until then, he’d enjoy figuring out what was next with Josh. But first, cake.