Chapter 14 #2
France came at them hard and fast after that, hardly any space to breathe.
Along with the rest of the England team, Lee threw himself into defending, also managed to break away with the ball a couple of times, move into those gaps that opened up in the French defensive line now that they were throwing everything they had at Oliver’s goal.
Two minutes to the end, he slid the ball past the goalie, watched as it went in, brain lagging behind reality.
He didn’t quite realize what had happened until Alex and Jeff caught up to him, happiness shining on their faces as they wrapped their arms around him.
3–1.
Semi-finals!
The short bus ride to the already familiar hotel in the city center was loud—jerseys waving in the air like flags, Lewis dancing in the middle of the aisle to a chorus of “Here we, here we, here we fucking go!” led by Jeff.
Alex, in the seat next to Lee, was radiant, his knee pressed against Lee’s as if by accident, and God, Lee wanted him so fucking much it was nearly blinding.
Since no one was looking, he dug his knuckles into the outside of Alex’s thigh, and Alex turned to him with bright eyes, face shining.
For a few seconds, they stared at each other, the happiness in Alex’s features slowly fading to make room for something heavier, much more serious.
Then Lewis bumped into Alex, and the moment broke as Alex turned away to give Lewis a playful shove coupled with an insult to his lineage.
“That’s rich, mate,” Lewis told him, cackling. “Coming from you, that is. I hear a title isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, eh?”
He didn’t mean anything by it, just Lewis being Lewis and saying whatever came to mind, smacking a kiss to Alex’s cheek before he danced away.
Since Lee was paying attention, he caught the brief flash of misery before Alex pasted another smile onto his face, a little less radiant now, not quite touching his eyes.
Lee still wished he could hide him away from the world—just for a little while, until things had settled down. He couldn’t, though, so he settled for bumping their shoulders together. Alex’s smile grew a little more real as he leaned slightly into Lee.
It was enough. For now, it was enough.
“Sweetheart, you were amazing.”
Lee turned at the declaration, and Alex did too. The woman heading for them was beaming, her smile just like Lee’s, her auburn hair cut short. Lee’s mum Lisa then, with Kira, the older of his two younger sisters, right behind. Both women hugged Lee while Alex stepped back to give them space.
“You did okay,” Kira told Lee, aiming for a flat tone even as she blinked a couple of tears out of her eyes. “For a total loser, I mean.”
Lee caught her in another hug and messed up her hair with both hands, ignoring her shrieks of protest. “Love you too, midget,” he said when he released her, voice thick with affection.
Alex was about to slip away and leave them to their family reunion when Kira glanced over and right at him, a sly expression settling on her face. “Hi. Alex, right?”
“Yes.” He offered his hand and wondered what Lee had told her. Likely quite a bit given that she was the first person he’d come out to. “Kira, is it? And”—he smiled at Lee’s mum—“Ms. Taylor. Thank you both for coming out to watch the game.”
“Lisa, please.” Lee’s mum squeezed his hand in a light grip. “What a pleasure to see you boys doing so well. Especially you.” The last part was directed at Lee, and he ducked his head with a sheepish look that couldn’t quite hide the happy twist to his mouth.
“Mum.”
“I’m your mother, Lee. It’s my job to be proud of you to an embarrassing degree.” Lisa’s attempt at humor didn’t fully land, a mildly awkward slant to her shoulders, and neither Lee nor Kira offered more than dutiful grins in response.
Time for Alex to make himself scarce. He needed to find Jeff anyway.
After dishing out some pleasantries, he left Lee, Lisa, and Kira by the side of the hotel terrace and grabbed Jeff, who was holding court next to the food buffet.
“I was telling a story to a captive audience,” Jeff protested even as he followed willingly.
“I was just getting to the bit where I rescued the squirrel from the conservatory.”
Alex had heard the story before, so he knew all about the unfortunate squirrel that must have mistaken Jeff’s conservatory for a safe haven or a food stash.
Perhaps it had snuck in after someone, only to realize there was no easy exit once the door swung shut.
Fortunately, Jeff had been home to discover the furry intruder in time.
He’d got jumped on by a confused squirrel that sensed danger was afoot and landed on his arm, dug its tiny claws in, and then made its great escape.
“I’ve got a story for you too,” Alex told him, unrepentant. “Meant for an audience of one.”
“Your father left a written confession before he fled the country?” Jeff trailed Alex into the park-like hotel gardens, well-tended cobblestone paths snaking between trees and hedges.
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“You’re joining a convent and have taken a vow of celibacy?”
“Certainly not.”
“Prince Joshua is getting a divorce to marry you instead?”
“What?”
“What?”
“What even is your brain?” Alex didn’t wait for a reply, just tugged Jeff over to a bench that faced a softly illuminated fountain, no one else around and the murmur of water a welcome backdrop to mask their voices.
“No. Although you accidentally got, like, five per cent right. In a roundabout way.”
At the faint taste of gossip, Jeff came alive like a hound smelling blood, sitting up eagerly. “Which part?”
Okay, no time like the present.
Alex took a deep breath. “The part where a gay marriage is a very, very vague possibility for me. At some point in the extremely distant future.” Well, that wasn’t quite how he’d meant to make his grand announcement.
He thought about amending the statement, then didn’t and simply waited for Jeff to work through what looked like exceedingly complex mental calculations.
“So what you’re saying,” Jeff said slowly, several seconds later, “is that Lee’s magic dick turned you gay?”
There were about fifty things wrong with that statement—and yet it was perfectly Jeff and exactly what Alex had needed to hear.
“Bisexual,” he clarified, laughter tickling the back of his throat. “And it is a very nice dick. No magic tricks though, not as far as I’ve seen. No turning me anything either—just the first time I have a chance to act on it… It’s the first time I get to safely explore things with a guy.”
“Could have told me, you know.” Rather than make it a reproach, Jeff’s voice remained light. “I would have volunteered my brother. The virgin sacrifice is a time-honored tradition.”
Alex snorted. “Marco is hardly a virgin.”
“I meant you.”
“I lost my virginity when I was sixteen.”
“Not your gay virginity, apparently.”
“I’d ask you to define that but…” Alex shook his head. “The answer would probably be offensive.”
“Probably,” Jeff agreed, sounding rather happy about it.
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
Jeff shot him a bright grin before he sobered. “Is that why you didn’t tell me—because I might say something offensive?”
“No. I mean, I knew you’d say something offensive—I’d expect nothing less from you.
” Alex brought one knee up to his chest, a gentle breeze chasing the lingering heat of the day out of the city.
“No, I think what it comes down to is that I wasn’t one hundred per cent comfortable with the idea of being… a little outside the norm.”
“Until Lee and his magic dick came along,” Jeff supplied, and Alex laughed softly.
“I have no idea how you didn’t become a poet.”
“My soul couldn’t stand the thought of commercializing my art.” Jeff perched cross-legged on the bench so he could face Alex more comfortably. “Now, straight answers, please…”
“Is that a pun?” Alex asked, and Jeff gave him a gentle kick.
“Of course not. My puns are far better than that.”
“Disputable,” Alex said, “but do continue.”
“You and Lee—boyfriends? Fuck buddies? Friends with benefits?”
None of these options sounded quite right. Alex paused at the sound of voices not too far away and waited for whoever it was to move on. Only then did he reply with a quiet, “I guess we have yet to put a label on it.”
“Fair enough.” Jeff pursed his lips, nodding. “So how did it happen?”
“He came out to me after our match against the Netherlands. Remember that whole pretty-boy thing I told you about—how I thought he was making fun of me, back in the Under 21s? Well, turns out he was trying to flirt and thought I’d gone all homophobe on him.
So… Dot, dot, dot, cue years of mutual dislike. ”
“And the award for biggest idiots goes to…”
“I mean, yeah. Maybe.” Alex lifted one shoulder, briefly listening to the sound of running water before he continued.
“Not sure how I would have reacted even if I had realized it was flirting, though. I sure wasn’t ready to try anything with a guy back then.
Even now, after he came out, it took me a few more days to work up the balls to tell him about me.
” He huffed out a chuckle. “Except I couldn’t actually get out the words, so I just kissed him. ”
Jeff’s laugh was loud, ringing clear over the fountain and the distant city soundscape. When he spoke, though, it was quiet. “Listen, mate, if that’s your preferred method?” He leaned in, eyes glinting with amusement, and puckered his lips. “By all means.”
“Nah, I’m good.” Alex reached out to pinch his chin. “Thank you, though. For not making this weird.”
Jeff flashed him a grin. “Why would it be weird? You’re my best mate, and you’re still the same person. Just a little more honest with yourself and me.”
“So we’re okay?” Alex knew they were, but he somehow still needed to hear it out loud.
“Of course we’re okay.” To illustrate the point, Jeff launched a lightning-fast attempt to twist Alex’s nipple, Alex slapping his hand away.
“However,” Jeff said once foiled, voice dipping into much more serious territory.
“One day, you and I will have a talk about your exaggerated need to fit in. Life is so much better when it’s your own. ”
“Sounds like a calendar motto.”
“Maybe. Doesn’t make it untrue, though.”
“Run that by me again when I’m fully awake.”
Jeff’s reply was a hearty yawn. “Deal. Let’s head back to the party and see who’s left, but my bed is starting to seem pretty damn appealing.”
“Same.” Alex grinned. “My bed, not yours.”
It would indeed be Alex’s own bed since Lee had his mother and sister staying with him—he’d have precious little time with them as it was, so shipping them off to some other hotel would have made no sense.
Alex totally got it, even if it had been a while since he’d slept on his own. No big deal, of course.
Still not a big deal when Alex caught Lee’s eye for a quick smile before he headed upstairs to his room.
The silence felt deafening once he closed the door, the bed enormous for just one person.
He brushed his teeth while scrolling through congratulatory messages from friends, limiting his responses to those who’d been there with supportive words when the story about his father had broken.
The others, well, he wasn’t ignoring them—he was merely reshuffling his priorities.
Unsurprisingly, his social media accounts had exploded over the last few days, the uptick in his followers a likely combination of England’s successful run as well as front-page articles about his dad that mentioned him.
It gave some credence to the old saying that there was no such thing as bad publicity.
Alex posted a slightly subdued:
Semi-final against Belgium coming up! For now, nothing else matters.
Then he shut off his phone and the light, and closed his eyes. Sleep proved elusive, but he must have drifted off eventually because when he woke up, it was to sun peeking through a gap between the curtains.
Four days to the semi-final.