Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

FINN

Monster groans at his friend's remark as we enter their apartment, and I can’t help but snicker a little. Which is completely out of the norm for me at this hour, especially since I haven’t had any coffee yet.

“That idiot is my roommate, Bronny. He’s a wrestler,” Monster tells me, and I wave at his friend. “Where’s Foxly?” he asks, mentioning their other roommate.

“He had to meet someone this morning. You just missed him.”

Monster nods. “I guess you’ll have to wait to meet him another time,” he tells me, and I shrug, not at all bothered by that. “Bronny, this is Finn, my…” he trails off, and a bright shade of pink starts to creep up his neck and face.

“Boyfriend,” I fill in because even though we’ve only had one official date, the label feels right, at least to me.

A sudden rush of insecurity courses through my body, and I wonder if I jumped the gun at throwing that out so quickly. Maybe Monster paused because he doesn’t want that label yet. Fuck. Did I mess this up already?

Monster squeezes my hand, pulling me from my anxiety, and when I look at his gorgeous face, my worries suddenly fade from his warm, caring smile.

“Yeah, boyfriend,” he says while beaming at me.

Thank God he feels the same because this morning could have become hella awkward hella fast if he wasn’t.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Bronny says with a big grin.

“Same,” I respond before Monster kisses my cheek and tells me he’ll be right back, leaving me alone with his roommate.

“So, you’re a wrestler?” I inquire, trying to make idle chit chat.

He nods while throwing items in a blender, presumably to make a smoothie. “Yup. I started wrestling when I was eight and have been doing it ever since.”

“Nice. Is that what you want to do forever?” I ask, not knowing much about wrestling or what kind of career you could get out of that.

He shakes his head. “Next year will be my last year wrestling at GSU, but I’ll still be attending after that to finish my degree. I’m going to become a physical therapist.”

“That sounds like a great career. Are you wanting to work with athletes?” I ask him, and he nods.

“Yeah. That’s the goal. What about you? What are you studying here?”

“Social work,” I tell him with a bright grin. “I want to help children of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.”

I was lucky that I had my grandpa when my family decided to disown me, but not every child is as fortunate. There are a lot of children who end up living on the streets or in shitty situations when they come out. Which is all kinds of fucked up, but I want to help them.

“That’s awesome,” Bronny replies with a warm smile. “There is unfortunately a lot of need for that kind of work in this world.”

I sigh. “So much so. I wish we lived in a more accepting world. I know we are moving toward a place of more love, but I don’t think we’ll ever get rid of assholes. There are also going to be bigoted people in the world, but hopefully one day, there will just be a lot less of them.”

“Your heart is a beautiful place,” Monster says as he walks over to me and pulls me into his arms.

My cheeks heat, and I burrow my face into his chest.

“Ugh, you two are too cute,” Bronny groans with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“Jealous?” Monster asks, and I turn my head to look at Bronny who shrugs.

“Why would I be jealous?” he questions. “I’ve got an amazing boyfriend,” he states, but he doesn’t sound too convincing.

I wonder if his relationship is going through some tough times.

“That’s good,” Monster replies, letting me out of his arms and grabbing my hand. “As fun as this conversation is… I need to get some coffee into my boyfriend.”

I chuckle, and Monster pulls me toward the door.

“It was nice meeting you,” I say to Bronny as we leave.

He waves at me before Monster shuts the door, and we make our way to the elevator.

“Ready for some caffeinated deliciousness?” Monster asks as we make our way to the ground floor, and I nod enthusiastically.

“I can’t fucking wait. I’m surprised I’ve been able to function for this long without it.”

Monster chuckles and then leans down to kiss my forehead.

“One extra-large coffee coming up.”

I know it’s far too early to say for sure, but I think Monster might be the perfect boyfriend.

After Monster buys me a coffee, we make our way to campus, and I have to admit that I’m sad to say goodbye. I’ve never felt this way with any guy I’ve ever dated before, so the feeling is weird to me.

I’m used to being independent and liking my space. Don’t get me wrong. I liked spending time with my exes, but only in small doses. So how come I want to spend as much time with Monster as possible? How come I start missing him the second we said goodbye even though we spent all night together?

The thoughts kind of make my head hurt so I’ve tried my hardest to push them aside to deal with at another time.

The entire day thankfully flew by rather quickly, and before I know it, I’m getting ready for my second baseball game at GSU. I should really check to see if I’ve been abducted by aliens. That would make all of what’s going on make so much more sense. There has to be some sort of other-worldly being inside of me taking over, making me like things I’ve always hated.

But If I’m being honest with myself, it was never the sport I hated. It was the people I associated the sport with. Baseball itself is fine and actually entertaining but my family put such a sour taste in my mouth for it. My brother was so cruel to me that he made me hate all sports and athletes. So now I’m having to rewire the way I feel about both. Thankfully, a sexy and gentle giant is making that easier than I would have thought possible.

As I’m changing into my warm GSU hoodie, my phone starts to ring and a giant smile spreads across my face when my grandpa’s contact shows up.

“Hey, old man, long time no talk,” I answer, earning me a chuckle.

“You know the phone works both ways,” he reminds me, and I let out a small sigh feeling a little bit guilty.

“I know,” I murmur. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy.”

“I’m just bugging you,” he tells me, easing my guilt. “I know you’ve got lots going on with school and making new friends. I just wanted to check in and see how things are going.”

I nibble on my lower lip wondering how much I should tell him. Monster already told his family about me, and I honestly don’t think he’d care if I told anyone about us, but I’m a little reluctant for some reason. Maybe because once I tell Grandpa, it makes it real. Fuck, who am I kidding? It’s already real, and keeping this relationship a secret isn’t going to prevent my heart from getting broken.

“Things are going really well,” I start, then take a deep inhale and slowly blow it out. “I actually started seeing someone.”

“That’s great!” Grandpa cheers, making me smile even wider. “What’s his name? When can I meet him? Tell me more about him,” he says in a rushed way, making me chuckle, but that’s also when I realize I don’t know Monster’s real name.

“He goes by Monster,” I start hoping Grandpa doesn’t give me a hard time for not knowing my boyfriend's legal name. I also make a mental note to ask Aurora what Monster’s real name is. “I’m not sure when you are going to be able to meet. Maybe the next time you come down to visit? He’s a complete sweetheart, and he’s a baseball player. I’m actually going to watch him play tonight.”

The line goes quiet, making my heart race.

“Grandpa?” I question, hoping that he didn’t just drop dead on me. That would be highly unlikely since he’s the healthiest man I know, but sometimes crazy shit happens.

“I’m here,” he replies softly. “I’m just trying to make sure I heard you right. Did you say you were dating a baseball player?”

“I did…” I answer, dragging out the last word a little.

“That is something I never thought I’d hear you say. Did you hit your head recently and forget that you hate baseball?” he checks, and I laugh.

“No, Grandpa, I didn’t. And I’m just as shocked as you are. I didn’t want to fall for a baseball player. You know how I feel about athletes. But I’ve been trying to be more open to all different types of people, and Monster is the nicest guy I’ve ever met.”

“I’m really glad to hear that,” Grandpa replies after a small pause. “You deserve to be happy. I guess I’ll have to plan a trip out there soon. Or you could bring him to my birthday party next month,” he suggests, which makes my palms sweaty.

“Do you think that’s the best idea?” I question knowing the entire family will be there.

Grandpa gets a kick out of inviting the people who hate him to see how fake they can act. I’ll admit it’s been quite entertaining at times to see my parents and brother bite their tongues, but bringing Monster will only add fuel to the fire and could end in a shit show that I don’t want to be a part of.

“I do,” Grandpa says in a firm tone. “If your family has anything to say about it, I’ll just have them kicked out. Maybe I could even tell them that they are no longer getting any inheritance. I think I’m over playing mind games with them. And besides, it’s best if I tell them now so they don’t try to fight it when I pass.”

“Don’t talk like you’re going to die any day now,” I scold him. “You’re healthier than some people I go to college with.”

He lets out a bright laugh and it makes me miss him just a little bit more. Being away from him is hard, but I know I’ll get through it. I want this degree, and besides, I’ve been developing really great friendships, so I have other people I can rely on now, which is important.

“I know I’m healthy, which is why I need to make this announcement now. If I wait they could blame my decision on being senile,” he states.

“But you made the decision years ago,” I remind him, and he snickers.

“I know, which is going to make the announcement that much more fun.”

I laugh along with him because he isn’t wrong. Seeing the looks on my family’s faces is going to be priceless, but do I really want Monster to see how insane they can get?

“How about we discuss this more another time? I’ve got to get going soon,” I tell Grandpa before we say our goodbyes and end the call.

I finish getting dressed and then head out the door to meet Aurora and her parents.

Please God, let this not be awkward.