Chapter Twenty-One
Bailey
“Hang on a minute. I’m sure your ball was over there,” I said with a knowing smirk, waving my putter at Hunter and using it to point at the fake sand trap where the bright green ball he was using had been a few seconds before. “Put it back!”
“What? I didn’t do anything!” Hunter threw his arms out in mock outrage, the putter looking comically small in his hands as he grinned at me.
“Yeah, you did. You nudged it.”
“You have no proof.”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“That I can’t fucking see it anymore,” I said, casting my eye over the hole we were playing. We were about halfway around the eighteen-hole course, and what had started out as something vaguely serious and professional had rapidly devolved into childish antics and over-the-top attempts at cheating.
We hadn’t established any rules, but the general unspoken agreement seemed to be that cheating was okay but if you got caught you had to admit it and start that hole again.
There was some sort of penalty system in place too, but we hadn’t talked about what we owed each other.
Probably because we were all thinking of stuff that couldn’t be discussed in public.
And yeah, the three of us broke out giggling every time someone said hole.
“It’s here,” Hunter said, tapping a spot slightly further down the course, under the little drawbridge we were supposed to be going over.
The place had a medieval fantasy theme, with castles and dragons and all that shit, and each of the holes was apparently a miniaturised version of some of the most famous, and difficult, greens from across the world, with themed additions like drawbridges, tunnels, moving parts, and dead ends.
It was bloody ridiculous, and I was having the best fucking time.
“How the fuck did it get down there?” I asked as I took a step closer, tilting my head to try and get a better look.
“Aiden knocked it,” Hunter said with a pointed look at our third, who was stood at the other end with a smug smile, his neon blue ball sitting right by the hole.
“What? You were right in my way,” Aiden said. “Was I supposed to go around you?”
“You weren’t supposed to hit me! That is cheating.”
“No, it’s not. It’s totally fair.”
“Boo, bad sportsmanship!” Hunter said, cupping his hand to his mouth and booing playfully.
“Fine, move it back then. But you still have to go into the rough bit. Otherwise that’s cheating,” Aiden said. “Bailey, ruling?”
“Hunter can go back to the sand trap,” I said with a sombre nod, like I was casting a great judgement. “And Aiden… you owe us something for unsportsmanlike conduct.”
“What? That’s not fair,” he said, but he was laughing, so I didn’t think he disagreed that much.
“That’s my ruling.”
“Fine, add it to my tab.”
I chuckled and made a little mark on the scorecard I’d been given. There were four marks next to his name, three by mine, and four by Hunter’s. There was going to be a lot of penalty owing later.
“Can I move my ball now?” Hunter asked, stooping down to retrieve it from under the drawbridge.
Aiden and I both stared at his arse as he did, because it was impossible not to.
The jeans Hunter was wearing were like a second skin around his thighs, hugging his arse and making it look fucking edible.
“Perverts,” he muttered under his breath when he caught us looking, a little smirk on his lips. “Surely that counts as a penalty too?”
“Nope,” Aiden said, popping the p. “We’re simply admiring the view.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” I added.
Hunter hummed, clearly not believing us. “When you two do it there is.”
I bit back a smile as he put the ball down and lined up his shot. My eyes trailed down to Hunter’s hands, admiring the way his fingers were wrapped around the putter. I’d never really paid much attention to his hands before, but now all I could think about was them gripping my cock.
Or maybe touching my hole.
I’d not really considered bottoming before, but I was becoming more open to the idea of at least trying it once, just to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, if Hunter loved it, it had to feel good. Right?
I wasn’t sure I’d be down to take one of Aiden’s monster dicks, but we could start with something smaller.
“Oh, come on!” Hunter groaned as the ball bounced off the side of the green and back down towards the start.
“Better luck next time,” I said teasingly as I putted my luminous purple ball over the drawbridge, watching as it curled its way towards the hole and dropped inside it. “Get in! Fuck yeah!”
“What the fuck?” Aiden exclaimed. “How the hell did you do that?”
“I’m amazing,” I said, strolling over to collect my ball, knowing I looked smug as fuck.
The temptation to lean over and steal a kiss from Aiden was stronger than ever, and pushing it away made my stomach roll.
But there were other people around and CCTV, and it only took one wanker with a phone to ruin everything.
And there was no way I was shoving Aiden into the spotlight before we’d even talked about what we were to each other.
Hunter and I had been trying to watch more videos from trans creators on the secret, private Instagram account we shared, wanting to get more of an idea of what life in the UK was like for trans people.
I hated how ignorant I’d been, and still was, about things like proposals to ban trans people from public services and spaces, and it made my blood boil.
I didn’t know much about Aiden’s experience, and wasn’t even sure how to ask the question without making him feel uncomfortable, but both Hunter and I agreed his comfort and safety was our priority.
The Knights might be a safe space—mostly due to the work of West, Clive, and later Matty—but the rest of the world was a different kettle of fish.
And I was becoming painfully aware of that.
“I’m still winning,” Aiden said with a smirk and a casual shrug of his shoulders as he knocked his ball into the hole.
“By two,” I said, marking our scores on the card and doing some quick mental maths.
“What’re you two talking about?” Hunter asked from the other end, putting his ball several times in quick succession and finally getting it over the drawbridge and into the hole.
“How awesome I am,” Aiden said.
“Shouldn’t it be how awesome I am?” Hunter asked as we moved around to the next hole, which seemed to have a variety of tunnels for us to go through.
“I don’t think so.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scoffed, shoving it back into his jeans with disdain.
“Everything okay?” I asked, frowning as I watched Aiden put his ball down next to Hunter’s and mine.
“Yeah, it’s just Jonny. I know he’s trying to be…
I don’t know, supportive, but it’s weird.
I’m not used to this from him.” He sighed and shook his head.
“I thought he was going to be all shitty and overprotective, but apparently he’s trying to, like, not do that anymore?
And I know I should be happy about it, but I don’t know how to deal with this version of him.
I thought I was going to be dealing with a wanker, but instead he’s offering me condoms and lube and telling me to be safe.
” He chuckled, looking down at the floor.
“That makes me sound like such a dick. But with everything else… I’m not used to all this. ”
I swallowed, trying really fucking hard not to look shocked. Hunter was doing the same.
And we were failing spectacularly.
But this was Jonny. He’d once given me a fucking death glare for picking Devon up during a friendly game of ‘it’. He’d gained a reputation for his temper, and while we knew he’d tried to get a handle on it, his behaviour had seared itself into our memories.
Aiden snorted. “Yeah, exactly. I’m pretty sure my face looked the same as yours.”
“That’s… not what I expected,” I said tactfully. “I thought…”
“Yeah, me too. Although who knows. You still have to train with him. He might corner you tomorrow.”
“Oh joy,” Hunter muttered.
“If he’s a dick, tell me and I’ll deal with it,” Aiden said. There was an edge to his voice, one that suggested he was looking for a fight. He was more like his brother than he’d want to admit.
“It’s okay to be surprised by it, though,” I said as we started to play.
I thought it might be easier for Aiden to talk if we were doing something.
“Especially if you’d built it up in your head.
And, as you said, you’ve had a lot of shit going on recently.
Jonny’s reaction was the one thing you thought you’d be able to predict. Now it’s all different.”
“Yeah, exactly. And it’s nice he’s okay with everything but… I was ready for a fight and there wasn’t one.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Hunter asked, putting the ball easily into the tunnel he’d been aiming for.
“I suppose, but I was kinda itching for one. It’d be good stress relief,” Aiden said, a tiny flash of darkness in his smile.
“I’m sure we can find other ways to help with that,” I said, lowering my voice to barely a whisper as I walked past him, tilting my head so nobody else would be able to hear us.
“I’m sure you could,” Aiden said. His voice was level, like we were talking about the weather, and I was impressed at how nonchalant he seemed. I bet he had a lethal poker face.
“Did a lot of shit happen today with the insurance and your kitchen?” Hunter asked.
Aiden shrugged, casually putting his ball and huffing in frustration when it went over the tunnels instead of through.
“Not really. I feel like I spent all day on the phone and sending emails and got nowhere. I know it’s not going to be a quick fix, but it feels like the building management are being deliberately vague so I can’t hold them to anything.
I still don’t know if I have to pay my full rent next month or not, but I’ve got no bloody income. ”
“That’s bollocks,” Hunter said, his forehead creasing with anger.
“Tell me about it! Jonny thinks I should find another kitchen to rent, but it’s not that simple. Plus there’s all the money and contracts and fees. I can’t just up and leave.”
“Well, if you need a hand moving anything, we’ll happily come and be your helpers for the day,” I said, knocking my ball into the tunnel to the left and grimacing when it bounced straight back out. Apparently, that one was a dead end.
“What will it cost me?” Aiden asked.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“When you ask?”
Hunter chuckled. “I think we’d have to negotiate the price in private. Can’t have everyone else knowing what we’re worth.”
“I’m open to discussion,” Aiden said, looking between us with a hungry, appraising look that made my cock throb and my legs threaten to buckle. “This is almost making me want to move. Almost.”
“Moving sucks, so I can see why you don’t want to,” I said.
“Yeah. But I can’t think about me. I need to work out what’s best for the business.
Otherwise I won’t have one for much longer.
” He sighed. “Being responsible is bollocks. I thought being an adult would be buying cool shit, eating whatever I wanted, and playing video games. Instead it’s all bills and responsibility. ”
“And sex,” Hunter said under his breath with a smirk as he walked past us to get to the other end of the green.
“True. Thank fuck,” Aiden said.
“If you want to talk it out at all, you can always talk to us,” I said, trying to get the conversation vaguely back on track.
Despite being the one who’d derailed it less than five minutes earlier.
But I wanted Aiden to know we were here for him, whatever form that took.
“We might not know anything about running a business but we’re good listeners. ”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Aiden said. And it looked like he meant it.
I smiled and lined up my next shot, aware of them watching me.
The ball rolled lazily towards the tunnel mouth, stopped short, and then sped back down the hill and off the course completely.
“Fuck me,” I muttered as the pair of them laughed.
Aiden was going to be such a smug fucking winner, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Because as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.