Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 82508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82508 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“Pretty much.”
I laugh as Beck turns his pout on me. “Nope. You’re on your own.”
“Fucking Jacobses.”
I start to massage his calf, which draws a smile from him.
“Hey, Chris,” Tony says to me. “We’ve all been dying to ask you, but Mom said to keep quiet …”
I tense, waiting for the gay questioning to begin.
“You haven’t mentioned anything about being captain this year when it’s all you talked about whenever I called you last semester. Did you get it?”
Beck must feel the sudden tension because he swings his legs off mine and sits up.
“No, actually.” I hook a thumb toward Beck. “Looks like it’ll be Beck leading us to the Frozen Four this year.”
Tony’s eyes are comically large as he looks at Beck, who’s shaking his head.
“Nothing’s decided yet. Coach is going to take it to the team to vote as soon as we’re back.”
“But you won the challenges—”
“They were stupid challenges—”
“Which you still won.” I turn to Tony. “All the guys who volunteered for summer camp will vote for Beck, and most of the ones who didn’t are close with him as well. So he’s a shoo-in.” I smile at him. “And he deserves it.”
Beck nods, not looking entirely convinced, but I’m sure all he needs is to get back on his skates and he’ll realize how naturally it comes. I’m disappointed I won’t get the C on my jersey, but I’m not disappointed he will. Because he does deserve it.
I watch him as an idea slowly starts to form in my brain. The almost two months we’ve been sleeping together has been sneaking around and next to no privacy. It’ll be the same this weekend and the same again when we move back to CU.
But if we left here tomorrow, maybe we could have the weekend. Just us. Being able to do whatever we wanted without having to set an alarm to sneak out or get to work.
“Hey, Mom …” I already feel guilty before I’ve even got the words out. “If Beck and I were to head back tomorrow, how short would that leave you this weekend?”
She looks uncomfortable, torn between letting me go to do my thing and needing the help. I instantly regret asking.
“Go,” Dad says.
“Are you sure? Because if it’ll be too hard—”
He laughs. “That isn’t anything you need to worry about. You work hard, you deserve the weekend off.” His eyes squint up as he turns to Beck. “Besides, your boyfriend gets in the way.”
“Hey!” Beck exclaims, pretending to be offended, but there’s more of that gooey happiness flooding my veins.
“You cool with going tomorrow?” I ask him.
He doesn’t look at me, which is probably a good thing because if he did, there’d be one massive word passing between us: SEX.
“Yeah, sounds good.” His words stay level even as he shifts in his seat.
The dorms at CU will be open seeing as it’s the weekend before school starts, but I don’t want to go back to campus yet. I’m hoping Beck won’t mind getting us a hotel room, and while normally asking for someone to spend money makes me feel uncomfortable, I think we need some time to ourselves.
Especially after our conversation with Grant. Beck made it clear I’m the only guy he’s ever been attracted to, so it’d be naïve of me to assume he wants everyone to know his business.
He didn’t hesitate in telling Grant and Zach about us which was a boost to my confidence, but I also know he was never that close with them.
What about his friends? And the rest of the team?
I’d like to think we’re both on the same page here. It doesn’t matter who we’ve been attracted to in the past, all that matters is the here and now and what he does to me. Both physically and mentally.
For the first time in my life, I’m with someone where everything comes natural—not like I’m trying to force something that doesn’t fit.
But I don’t want to assume he feels the same way.
And I don’t want to ask him while we’re on my turf, where he’d feel pressured to agree.
The emotion between us has always been big and loud and something neither of us has been able to rein in, and now that I know what it’s like, I won’t settle for a relationship with anything less.
I only want Beck.
And fuck, I hope I’m it for him too.
Beck books us two nights in a hotel that isn’t anything special but probably the best Burlington has. It sits on Lake Champlain, and he requests a late checkout on Sunday. Being in Burlington gives us a degree of separation from Colchester, but we’re still close enough that anyone heading back to school could be around.
And I don’t care.
We hold hands in the lobby and stand close while we wait. I brush a kiss against his head, and he leans into the contact. It’s so perfect, it cements my conviction that I want this way longer than just the summer, or the semester, or maybe even the year. I dunno. Slotting what we have into a time frame makes me feel sick.