16. Lucas #2
I didn’t even remember his name. Adam? Aaron?
Who the hell knew? But what was that smile for?
I tried to stop looking, but the kid made eye contact with me multiple times.
Being protective of Cam, I got out my phone and called him.
Like I planned, he used the call as an excuse to get away.
He pretended to talk as he walked up the stairs, then hung up and started texting.
Cam: What’s up?
Luke: Erika’s kid brother was smiling at me when he hugged you. WTF?
Cam: Austin?
Austin! That’s what the little fucker’s name was.
Luke: It was weird. And he kept making eye contact with me. Several times.
Cam: Coincidence?
Luke: I swear it seemed like he was fucking with me.
Cam: Maybe he was flirting?
Luke: With me, or you? Is he even gay?
Cam: Idk, I’ll ask Erika later.
Cam: And why? Thinking of going for a younger model.
Luke: Definitely not. But he might be looking at an older one.
“You boys better put those phones away when the girls start. Your coaches don’t want a photo getting out there of two of their athletes ignoring their teammates.”
“Yes, ma’am,” we both said in unison, and complied.
I still couldn’t shake Austin smiling at me. Maybe I was being paranoid. Erika didn’t need any distractions. I should probably tell Cam to drop it. “I’m gonna run and get something to drink. Does anyone want anything?” I asked.
Cam and Heather politely declined. The twins asked for Twizzlers and water. And Ty volunteered to come with me.
“Hey bro, how does it feel being officially taken?” he asked as we entered the tunnel under the stands.
“Shhh, someone will hear you, and then we’ll really have an interesting press conference.”
“Okay, Mr. Touchy.”
“And for the record, it feels amazing.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
“Damn, I’m jealous,” he admitted, smirking.
We got in line and I was about to ask Ty about his night at the club when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Expecting to see a fan asking for a selfie, I was shocked to find Austin.
“Hi, Luke. Hi, Ty! I’m Austin, Erika’s brother.”
“Hey, nice to meet you.” I tried to not sound irritated.
“Wow, your muscles are so much bigger up close.”
Jesus. He’s flirting.
“You must have like twelve abs.”
Badly.
And I watched in slow motion as he reached out to touch my bicep. Ty moved to block him. “I’d ask before doing that. Luke could throw you across the room if he tried.”
I swear I heard him mumble something about not minding that. And Cam thought I was a horndog. He would never believe this. Thankfully, I had a witness.
“I thought Erika trained a lot, but you guys must be in the gym twenty-four seven if you look like this.”
Could this line be any slower? I didn’t know how to shut him up. He just kept asking questions even though we weren’t answering the previous ones. I started looking at Ty as if he could help. I didn’t want to engage.
“So do you play any sports, Austin?” Ty asked.
His tactic worked.
Austin was a wrestler. He already had won a state title. He would be a junior in high school, and currently had a three-point-nine-eight GPA. He wasn’t sure where he was going to college, but was thinking of following in his sister’s footsteps.
Mierda. He did not have an ‘off’ button.
Still, I had to admit; he stopped fawning all over me and instead was telling us stuff. I nodded now and then, and Ty asked for follow-ups when necessity required.
I guess he had to come up for air because there was a pause. With the silence, my apprehension grew. I turned and saw he was fidgeting. He looked almost scared. I buckled.
“You okay, Austin?” I asked.
“I’ve been so foolish. I literally just met you.
I have ADHD and I was excited to meet you, because you’re gay, and in person, you’re really fucking hot, and I admire you for being out, and I shouldn’t have tried to touch you.
I just don’t have a lot of friends, and no one knows about me, and I got really excited. ”
“Hey, Ty, can you get the twins’ stuff? I’ll take a Gatorade.”
“Sure thing,” he responded.
“Did you want something, Austin?”
“M&Ms and a Coke, please.”
“You got that, Ty?” I handed him my credit card.
“You sure?”
“Yup,” I said. He grabbed it and moved towards the counter.
I pulled Austin aside where fewer people would hear us. “Hey, it’s okay. No harm, no foul.” I was taking a risk, but I went for it, anyway. “I’m guessing by what you said earlier, you might be gay?”
He hesitated, but nodded. “And I’m guessing not many people know?”
Without making eye contact, he nodded again. I couldn’t be mad at the kid. I was literally out for this very reason. For kids like Austin to have a role model. I had forgotten what it was like to be scared.
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Wow. Well, good for you for having the courage to tell me.”
He seemed to let out a breath he had been holding.
“I won’t tell you what to do next, but Erika and I are pretty good friends. She’d make a firm ally and since I don’t know your parents that well, maybe that’s something you can talk about with her?”
“I’ve thought about telling her once I’m at college. With her. I thought that’d be easier.”
Well, it probably would be, but I still couldn’t get the image of him hugging Cam out of my head. My Cam.
“You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
“Of course not, Austin. That’s not my business to tell.”
“Okay, cool. Thanks, and sorry again for earlier.”
“Not a problem.”
“You ready, guys?” Ty asked, arms full of munchies and drinks. “Gonna need some help here.”
What am I going to tell Cam?
The girls were doing great. First, by a lot, in their division and only one event left. Austin had calmed down and seemed focused on his sister. The staring had stopped. Cam and his mother kept a steady flow of conversation. It was nice to see how close they were.
That’s how family was supposed to work. I always felt like a project with my parents, rather than a person.
They only cared about my image and how it affected them, not the actual me.
It had been that way for a long time. As soon as I found gymnastics, it was like they had a permanent babysitter.
Those years created the distance between us, and I wasn’t sure there was ever going to be a way to bridge that.
Cam leaned forward to watch something, and I felt a little touch on my thigh. I could feel my heartbeat quicken, so I deflected my impending erection by asking, “So, Heather...how’s the flower shop?”
I saw Cam smirk as he pulled his hand away and leaned back.
“It’s going well, Luke. Thank you for asking. I’m excited to have the Olympics over because this one’s helping me over the summer.”
Well, there go my plans for us this summer.
“When I have the time, Mom,” Cam added.
The girls finished up, still at the top of the leaderboard in almost every event.
They’d have to wait like us to see the other divisions.
Everyone was all smiles and cheers. A few of the families, including the Foxes, were saying their congratulations and goodbyes to each other.
Woodward stood up and reminded us we had a team meeting and brief training session at four o’clock and then he was gone, too.
“Well, I don’t want to keep you boys. Big day tomorrow,” Heather said.
We were walking towards the exit. Ty and the twins had already disappeared.
“Do you want to have lunch with us, Mom?” Cam asked, glancing at me. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s great,” I said, surprised.
“Well, I can do that, but I promised the Foxes I’d have lunch with them. I’m not sure if Erika is going to be there or with the team, but Austin will be there. You want to join us?”
And before I could even try to text Cam an excuse, he answered for us. “That’s totally fine.”
Yeah, totally.