Chapter Twenty
Hunter
Aiden
Are you two around? My brother is annoying the fuck out of me and I need space
Hunter
Yeah, sure. We’re at home. Everything okay?
Aiden
Fine, will explain when I get there
“That sounds ominous,” I said as I read Aiden’s message. “Think Jonny knows?”
“Yeah, probably,” Bailey said. He was stretched out across one section of the sofa, his feet tucked under my thighs. He’d tried to have them in my lap but his toes were getting in the way while I attempted to crochet and it was pissing annoying.
“How badly do you think we’re gonna get yelled at tomorrow?”
“Dunno. If Devon’s there, hopefully not much. Plus I don’t think Jonny’ll want to air out his brother’s sex life to the whole team. It’s more likely he’ll corner us afterwards.”
“Better leave on time then.” I put my phone down and picked up my yarn and crochet hook so I could finish the square I was working on.
It was a bit crooked, but it had character.
I still wasn’t sure how I was going to turn them all into a blanket because my sewing skills were non-existent, but I’d figure it out. Or I’d ask my mum.
Bailey hummed, then after a few minutes said, “Let’s go out this evening.
Do something fun. Then we can take Aiden’s mind off his brother.
Plus if we’re doing something—something that’s not sex—he might open up a bit.
It’s always easier to talk about shit that’s bothering you if you don’t have to stare the other person in the face. ”
“Okay… yeah, that makes sense. Where do you wanna go?” I wasn’t opposed to the idea. It was a good one. But I didn’t really know what there was to do that wasn’t clubs, bars, or sport related. There was the cinema, but that was it. “We could see what’s on at the Odeon?”
“Maybe. But it’s hard to talk during a movie.”
“Hmm, yeah.”
“And those seats are really small for you.”
They were and it was bloody annoying. Being tall and athletic was a nightmare when it came to public spaces.
It always felt like my knees were up around my ears whenever I sat down, and sometimes my feet even went numb from being crammed into seats with no leg room.
I always had to make sure we had seats in the back row too.
Otherwise nobody could see over my head.
Flying was another hellscape altogether, and these days I always forked out for business or first class simply because they were the only seats I’d fit in. But it did mean I got to avoid the nightmare of flying Ryanair.
“What about mini-golf?” Bailey asked, turning his phone around to show me a website he’d pulled up. “There’s one near the uni. And they have spots free for this evening. They have a bar too.”
I grinned. “Think they’ll have a putter I can use?”
He laughed. “If not, we’ll get you a full-sized golf club.”
“Where the fuck from?”
“I don’t know! I haven’t got that far yet.” He nudged me pointedly with his foot. “Or I can find something else? Maybe bowling?”
“Nah, mini-golf sounds fun. And now I have an excuse to accuse you two of cheating.” I put my crochet down and leant over him to beg for a kiss.
“Is this a bribe? Are you trying to pay me off so I won’t notice if you cheat?” Bailey asked as he pushed himself into a seated position and brushed his lips over mine. I loved that this was something we did now. I couldn’t get enough of it.
“No, I don’t need to cheat to beat you.”
“Really?”
“Really. Because I’m amazing.”
“Want to bet on it?” Bailey smirked. “I’m sure we can find fun things to swap.”
“Absolutely.” I was totally down to bet on stupid shit like mini-golf. Especially if it involved what Bailey and Aiden got to do to me later.
“We should get Aiden involved too. Then he and I can figure out what we’re going to do to you when we get home,” Bailey added, proving the two of us basically shared the same brain.
“What about if I win?”
“You get the same things, but you get to feel smug about it.”
“I’m going to feel smug about it either way,” I said with a teasing grin, kissing him again and swiping my tongue over his lower lip. Bailey let out a low, hungry moan. His fingers latched onto my T-shirt, tugging me down on top of him.
We made out slowly, Bailey’s hands exploring as much of me as he could reach.
He rolled his hips, casually rubbing his dick against mine and drawing a groan from my throat.
There wasn’t any real urgency to it. Neither of us was trying to get off—it was more casual exploration and enjoyment. Making out because we wanted to.
And because we could.
The only reason we broke apart was because the buzzer from downstairs rang.
“Shit,” Bailey said, putting his hands on my chest and gently pushing me away. “Aiden’s here.”
“I’ll go let him in,” I said, stealing another kiss before I hauled myself to my feet.
Bailey looked so gorgeous spread out on the sofa, his blond hair mussed, lips swollen, and eyes slightly glazed.
The front of his joggers was tented, and for a moment I was tempted to sink to my knees beside him and suck him until he filled my mouth with cum.
But I also wanted Aiden here to watch me do it.
Maybe we should stay in tonight instead…
I buzzed Aiden up, then went to the door to let him in.
My chest instantly warmed as he appeared at the top of the stairs, my face lighting up like I hadn’t seen him in months, not hours.
“Hey,” I said, leaning down to give him a kiss.
He didn’t look as tired today, but there was a scowl on his face and annoyance radiated out of him.
It was like there was a little thundercloud hovering above his head shooting out crackles of lightning.
“Hey,” he said, slowly resting his head between my pecs and letting out a long breath.
“Rough day?”
“Something like that.”
Tentatively, I put my hand on the back of his head and slowly sank my fingers into his hair, gently rubbing his scalp.
Aiden sighed again, relaxing further into me, and if I hadn’t known better, I’d have said he was purring.
“Bailey wondered if you’d like to go out tonight, do something fun.
Take your mind off whatever’s going on.”
“Can do,” Aiden muttered, his voice muffled by my chest. “What were you thinking?”
“Mini-golf? If you’re up for it?”
He tipped his head up slightly, resting his chin on my sternum. “I can’t remember the last time I played mini-golf.”
“Me neither. But don’t worry about doing well.
I already know I’m going to win.” I grinned teasingly, my fingers still rubbing the back of his head.
Aiden’s familiar cocky smirk slid onto his lips, making my stomach clench and a bubble of relief pop weirdly inside me.
I didn’t like seeing him stressed or upset.
“Oh really? What makes you so sure?”
“Because I’m awesome.”
“You are, but I don’t think that automatically means you’re going to win. I’m hot as fuck, so maybe I’ll win.”
“Being hot doesn’t impact your ability to win!”
“Neither does being awesome.”
“Rude,” I said, putting my arms around his waist and scooping him up so I could kiss him without having to bend down.
“Is there a reason you’re still loitering by the front door?” Bailey asked from behind us. I turned, Aiden still in my arms, and smiled innocently at him.
“Just pre-warning Aiden that I’m going to beat you both at mini-golf so you don’t have to worry about losing.”
“You’re fucking full of it,” Aiden said with a laugh. “Just for that, I’m not going easy on you.”
“I thought you hadn’t played in ages?” I asked.
“So? Now I’m definitely not going easy on you.”
“You know I’m a professional athlete, right?”
“And? What the fuck does playing rugby have to do with mini-golf?” he asked indignantly. “It means fuck all.”
“I’m a professional athlete too,” Bailey said as I finally lowered Aiden down and shut the front door. Not that anyone was out there, but in case we got distracted and didn’t want to go out.
“Yeah, but you’re a fullback. You do fuck all,” I said with a smirk.
“Fuck you, wanker!”
“If you ask nicely,” I said. “Or I win.”
“Wait, are we betting on this shit?” Aiden asked, looking between us with an expression that had turned dangerous. Like we might be unleashing a monster we hadn’t realised existed.
“We were thinking about it,” Bailey admitted as he walked over to us, bending down to steal his own kiss from Aiden. “Winner gets to decide what happens later.”
“Deal,” Aiden said, sealing the bargain with a kiss.
I grinned. Somehow I didn’t think this was a bet any of us would end up losing.
It took us a while to get moving and out the door because we kept getting sidetracked. Bailey and I needed to get changed since we were both in old T-shirts and joggers, but it took forever because Aiden kept distracting us.
Not that I minded. We weren’t in a rush.
The way Aiden complimented and praised my body made something warm and fuzzy hum in my chest. I still struggled with my body image, often comparing myself to other people on the Knights or guys we played against, but the way Aiden talked about me, like I was beautiful and somehow precious, made it easier to ignore the lingering whispers in my brain.
I felt a little bad because Bailey had been telling me I was gorgeous for years, but there’d always been an element of trying to keep it cool.
Friendly but not sexual or romantic. Complimenting me like you would do a mate at the gym.
And even now we’d started to open up to each other, it was still easier to focus on Aiden’s words.
Maybe because he’d been a hookup from the start and not someone I’d actively tried to suppress my attraction to.
“This is random, but I guess something I need to ask,” Aiden said as we waited outside our flat for an Uber. “But how much do you two get recognised around here? Are you famous? Or do most people leave you alone?”
“We get a few people who recognise us, but it depends,” Bailey said.
“Lincoln’s a pretty big student city, so if they like rugby, then yeah, they might know who we are.
And some of the general public do. But we don’t get the sort of crowds the football does, even if we’re better than them—at least if you compare division placements.
We’re in the top tier of English rugby, and the football team are in League One.
” He shrugged in an annoyed but what can you do about it sort of way.
The lack of overall support for club rugby, ticket costs, and the seeming disinterest in getting new, younger fans into the sport from rugby’s governing body were all major sources of irritation for most of us, and something we’d all complained about multiple times.
If rugby wanted to grow and thrive as a sport, it had to engage more people, but it seemed like some people behind the scenes were afraid of changing the status quo and instead kept doubling down on keeping things the same as they’d always been.
But that wasn’t going to work long term.
And it shouldn’t be left to clubs to figure it out by themselves.
Fuck, some clubs in the Championship would never be able to be promoted into the Premiership because they didn’t meet the minimum numbers for stadium seating.
Half of them basically played on glorified playing fields, doing the best they could with twenty quid, feral enthusiasm, and a dream.
And for what was supposed to be the second division of the sport, it was bollocks.
Especially compared to the fact most football teams had proper stadiums, no matter what league they played in.
I knew it was a bigger sport, but it still sucked.
“We might get stopped sometimes,” I added, stopping myself from going off on a rant about the shortcomings of English rugby. “But everyone’s always nice about it. Usually, they only want a picture or to say hi.”
“Good to know. Then I’ll keep my hands to myself. We’re simply three friends going to play a highly competitive game of mini-golf for no discernible stakes.” He grinned, not seeming fussed by what he was saying.
“Oh yeah, that makes sense,” Bailey said with a nod and I hummed in agreement.
Bailey and I had been pretending around each other for so long, I barely even realised we were doing it anymore.
But having to do the same with Aiden felt… strange. Not bad. Just strange.
I’d never want to force him into anything if he wasn’t comfortable, so if we did get together, I’d never say we had to go public, especially with how weird people could be about polyamory and all the shit I’d been reading about the rise in transphobia.
Aiden’s safety and privacy would always be important to us.
And I would never want to put him at risk of harm—whether that was physical or being pulled apart in the media and online.
But it was still strange to think about all the pretending we’d have to keep doing.
Maybe it was something the other guys at the club would understand. Maybe one day I’d actually pluck up the courage to ask them about it.
We should probably talk to Aiden first, though, about a lot of things.
Like how Bailey and I needed him in our life, not only for a night here or there, but permanently.
Because without him, everything else would fall apart.