20. Lucas
Lucas
The dinner was going well. I thought it would be awkward, being the only one without parents, but it wasn’t.
Ty’s family was to my right, at one end of the table.
Cam and his mom were across from me. The twins and their family were to my left, and the coaches were at the end of the table, next to the Sheas.
We were at a huge Italian place; it looked like they converted a warehouse into a restaurant.
There were so many appetizers on the table, and so many conversations happening. It was easy to be a wallflower.
Despite how much Ty complained about his big brothers giving him a hard time, it was easy to see why he was such a good person.
Travis and Pierce, the youngest of the four, were as laid back as Ty, and had the same charming smiles, wavy blonde hair and California tans.
Travis co-owned a small vineyard. Pierce was a semi-pro surfer, and the more muscular of the two.
He reminded me a lot of an older Cam. Their parents, Victoria and William, still lived in the giant house the boys all grew up in.
They didn’t talk about themselves much, preferring to focus on Ty and their grandkids who were home with the two eldest brothers.
It looked like Cam was having a hard time warding off the twins’ sister’s flirtations. Grace was sixteen and apparently had a crush on Cam. Cam seemed overwhelmed, but there wasn’t much I could do without outing him. Her phone went off, and she quieted down.
“You’re welcome,” Graham whispered to my left.
“For what?” I asked.
“I texted my sister to stop shamelessly flirting with Cam. Told her she was embarrassing me.”
“Thanks, Graham. I was half-enjoying it, half-terrified for him.”
I wanted Cam to enjoy his time with his mom. He didn’t need a teenager fawning all over him, and neither did I. Maybe Erika had some ideas on how to keep Austin at bay. We’d have to brainstorm later.
It made sense that the twins and their parents sat next to the coaching staff.
They had known Coach Woodward the longest. Heather had just met him, and living on the coast, the Hales didn’t travel as much as the Sheas did.
Despite only hearing bits and pieces, it sounded like they were discussing the upcoming all-around.
I hoped our relaxation-minded week wouldn’t be nullified by the Sheas’ overzealousness.
Grant and Graham had said they could be pretty involved.
Heather pulled me out of my fly-on-the-wall niche. “So, what will your major be, Luke?”
“I’m not sure. Something with biology. I’m trying to decide if I want to focus on plants or animals.”
“Wow. That’s something. Do you plan on seeing anything special while you’re here in Australia? Like a koala or something?”
I saw Cam smile next to her.
“Yeah, actually. I was hoping to visit the zoo pretty soon. And I’d like to see a platypus if possible. I’ve heard they’re pretty rare.”
“Oh, that’s so cute! Cam had a platypus Beanie Baby when he was a kid.”
“Her name was Patty,” Cam said matter-of-factly.
Of course he did.
Our meals showed up soon enough, and while everyone dug in, I stood up to head to the bathroom.
“Has anyone seen Graham? Where did he go?” his mom asked.
“Not sure, Gail,” Coach answered.
“I’ll check the bathroom. I was heading there anyway.”
“Thanks, Lucas. I don’t want his food to get cold.” She smiled.
I weaved around the tables in the cavernous room, through a few smaller rooms, and finally found the bathrooms, towards the back.
Despite the restaurant having a rustic, Italian feel, the bathroom was sleek, black and modern.
I didn’t see anyone in there with me, but called out anyway, “Graham? Are you in here?”
No response, so I pissed at the urinal, washed my hands and opened the door to leave. I forgot to check my hair in the mirror, so I went back to the sink. Need to look handsome for Cam. The door finished closing
“He’s gone. Let’s go.”
“Do we have to?”
“Yeah, Jake. This was too risky.”
Fuck. I froze as the large stall door opened and Jake Anderson walked out, and my jaw probably hit the floor because Graham was right behind him. My eyes went wide, and I could see the panic hit Graham’s face. I went into autopilot mode.
“I saw nothing. It’s not my business. Our food’s here. I went to look for you.” I went to leave, but Jake grabbed my hand.
“Lucas, wait.”
I turned to face them.
“I need to know you won’t say anything. I don’t want him to get hurt because I was needy and horny.”
“Jake, I’ll say it again. Whatever this is.” I pointed at them. “Not my business. I won’t say anything. Graham’s my friend. I would never hurt him.”
“Can you give us a minute, Jake?” Graham asked.
Jake answered, “Yeah, sure. I should actually get back. I’ll call you later, mate.
” Then he looked back at me and shrugged.
Jake grabbed Graham’s shoulder with one hand and the back of his head with the other and claimed him with a kiss.
I had to admit, it was quite a sight. If I wasn’t completely feeling the terror resonating from Graham, a kiss like that could’ve easily turned me on.
“Try to relax, hun,” Jake stroked Graham’s cheek. “If anyone understands, it’s Lucas.” He gave me a wink and left us alone in the bathroom.
“So…”
“Fuck, this is awkward,” Graham said, moving to the sink to wash his hands, splashing some water on his face.
“Tell me whatever you want to tell me. The whole story, nothing. I won’t out you, that’s for damn sure.”
“I figured that much.” He sighed. “I’m kind of like the Cam in this situation.”
“True.” I exhaled.
“And I’d love to explain the entire story, but I have a feeling if we take too much longer, they’ll send someone else to find us.” He scratched his forehead and tugged at his ear, avoiding eye contact with me. “We’re still figuring things out.”
“That’s fine, and yeah, we should head back, but you know if you want to talk, I’m always here for you.”
“I know. Thanks, Luke,” he said, a smile finally making an appearance on his face.
“It’s really not a big deal.”
“Well, it is to me.”
When we got back to the table, I heard Mrs. Shea ask Graham where he’d been, but a bigger surprise than Graham’s playtime in the bathroom with Jake was waiting for me.
“Lucas! There you are.”
It was my mother.
“We know we’re late, but better late than never, right?”
And my father.
I was pretty sure ‘never’ would be better than ‘late’, but I didn’t say that. Hugs and smiles were expected, especially in front of everyone else.
I made quick eye contact with Cam. He looked half-sympathetic, half-worried. The restaurant added seats next to me, or everyone had shifted down, because my parents flanked me. Cam and his mom were still across from us.
“I didn’t realize you’d be here today,” I said, trying to keep my voice down.
“Well, it was all up in the air until the last minute,” my mom replied.
“And you didn’t have time on a twenty-hour flight to give me a heads up?”
“We were still working on the flight, mijo,” my dad added.
“Plus, we thought we’d surprise you. Congratulations on your silver medal.”
“We got the bronze medal, Mom. Did you even watch us?”
I could see in my peripheral vision Cam was listening, even though he was trying to pretend he wasn’t. Heather fidgeted in her seat.
“Yes, Lucas, we did. We had the live feed on the laptop screen. I guess it was hard to make out what the medal color was.”
I restrained myself from further argument and dropped it. After all, their interest was just an act for everyone’s benefit. When we were alone, they’d drop the facade.
Dinner was winding down, and Coach tapped a knife on his glass and stood up.
“Well, I’d like to thank everyone for coming, especially our surprise additions.
We’ve been our own version of a family for well over a month.
It was a crazy process to figure out the team, but after today’s performance - well, even before that - I know I made the right decision with you five,” he said, looking down the table at all of us.
“You made me, the rest of your coaches, your country, and your families proud today. You’re Olympic medalists!
Congratulations!” There was a smattering of applause and everyone lifted their glasses into the air.
“And for you, gentlemen, the work’s not done yet. See you in the gym tomorrow.”
“Extra early.” My dad’s pathetic attempt at a joke.
Most of the table laughed. I just rolled my eyes.
As the dinner ended and everyone shuffled to leave the restaurant, Ty leaned towards me and Graham and asked, “So, did we decide what we’re doing tonight?”
“I’m honestly wiped, Ty,” Graham responded. “Something low-key?”
“I could do a movie,” Cam piped up.
“Sounds good to me,” I said.
“So, do I even need to ask? Rom-com or action-adventure?” Ty asked.
“No, you don’t. Rom-coms are light-hearted and fun,” I answered. “Where’s your sentimental side?”
“Well, I have no one to snuggle with,” Ty pouted.
“Well, you can snuggle with me,” I offered.
Cam raised his eyebrows, but of course, couldn't say anything.
“We, like, seeing one in a theater, or seeing if a lounge is available?” Grant asked.
“Let’s do the lounge. I don’t want to people tonight,” Graham said.
“We can still get recognized in the village,” Cam said.
“Well, I’ll take my chances.”
“Alright, we got a plan!” Ty proclaimed.
I accompanied my parents back to their suite. They were staying in some fancy boutique hotel. The car service pulled up to what looked like a castle. I did not want to go up to their room and get caught further in their games, so I feigned exhaustion and said I needed to get some rest.
“Understandable, mijo. Your father and I are happy we could make it sooner than we thought.”
“Try harder and do better than a bronze later this week,” my dad offered his version of encouragement. “I didn’t have time to talk to Shane tonight, but I will as soon as I can. Maybe it’s time for a change?”
“What do you mean?”