Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

TORIN

I cheer with the crowd when Atty makes a goal in the shootout to win the game against San Jose. I’m excited enough that I almost scream with everyone around me. No one would hear it. But my cheering is silent as I jump with my hands in the air to celebrate.

Almost as soon as the game ends, I’m surrounded by people. Kids mostly. Everyone wants a picture with Surry the Seal. It’s a mixture of funny poses, hugs with the littles, and just standing awkwardly with adults who need their pictures taken with the mascot.

The minutes drag on as the line of people wanting pictures seems to grow instead of shrink. When it finally finds its end, I turn with the intent to head to my office and forego lobby time. I’m anxious to get to Hugo. Just because I can, and I miss him.

I feel foolish missing him. We were together all day yesterday and today right up until we had to report for the game. Missing him seems silly.

However, when I turn, I come face to face with a guy with one of those foam fishing nets. I don’t know who came up with the design. Instead of a foam finger that’s boasting #1, someone decided to make it sea-themed, like our team name and the mascot, and create a fishing net. Honestly, it’s comical. We don’t sell them here, so they must be getting them online.

He’s grinning, holding the net as if he’s ready to wave. Because he startled me and I jumped a little, I play it up and grab the net from him. Spinning, I run. Not quickly. My vision is precarious at best in this thing.

I hear him behind me, laughing. Calling me. Just before I meet a traffic jam of people, I spin around and bop him on the head with the net. He laughs. Not giving him time to react, I toss it at him like it’s hot and take off past him, this time in the direction of the employee doors.

He’s behind me again, chasing me with the net. People are laughing. I see flashes of cameras. I grin as one of the security guards sees me coming and opens the door for me. As soon as I’m safely behind the half wall that leads to the chute, I turn and wave at the guy with the net.

“Cheater,” he yells, still laughing. “I’ll catch you yet.”

I shrug, do a little dance for him, and then turn down the hall. There’s a door just inside the chute that will lead me to the hall where my office is. As soon as I’m inside and completely out of view, I work on loosening my seal head. I appreciate the way it’s secured into place. It allows me freedom of movement without the threat of my head falling off.

However, it takes me right up until I reach my office to get it undone, and I enjoy a breath of fresh air when I’m out of it. Literally. I set it up on the shelf with the others and quickly strip out of my costume to hang on the bar. This one needs to be cleaned before I wear it again. I’m pretty sure someone spilled something on me.

A knock on my door has me turning in time to see Hugo poke his head in. I love the way he smiles when he sees me. I’m so relieved he’s back. There’s a stretch of six away games over eleven or twelve days that I’m not looking forward to in the future, but thankfully after that, the road trips are for shorter periods of time. And then they’re here for almost the entire month of March.

But right now, Hugo is walking in my door with wet hair dripping down his face and looking sexy as hell in his suit that doesn’t quite fit him right. The door shuts behind him as he crosses the room and takes me into his arms.

He got home yesterday and we barely let go of each other. It wasn’t even sexual, though we were both hard almost the entire time. I swear, I’m in a constant state of arousal when pressed against him, even when it’s just sweet moments we’re sharing. I can’t help it. He’s just… everything. The way he makes my heart race!

Hugo’s arms are tight around me. I love the way he hugs me. It’s so tight and secure, as if he’s trying to convey his emotions through his embrace.

“You played a good game,” I say.

He shrugs. “Eh. We did okay.”

“You made the winning goal in a shootout, and you blocked like a dozen shots. You had a really good game!”

I feel his smile pressed against my neck. “Thanks.”

He shifts so his mouth can reach mine, then Hugo kisses me deeply. The kind of kiss I can feel in my toes. It’s so deep, so thorough, that I hook my foot around his leg and maybe rock my hips against his.

That is, until there’s a knock at the door and we’re both startled apart. I don’t think it’s a conscious move on either of our parts. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.

The door opens and Noah peeks in. “Hey,” he says, smiling. He’s got such a pretty face. His smile makes him look like a model. “Why do you look so guilty?”

His eyes are on Hugo and I instinctively move between them, blocking Hugo from view. Not that I know why he looks guilty. Noah’s eyes move to me and he smiles.

“We’re going to celebrate our win with food. Want to join us?”

My stomach flips at the prospect of having to be in a crowded restaurant with too many voices all crammed close together. I’ll go if Hugo wants me to, but I would really rather not.

“We’re heading to Atty’s for food,” Noah clarifies.

My shoulders relax. I glance back at Hugo and offer him a smile. His hands land on my hips and he smiles in return.

“Yeah,” I say. “Okay. Thanks.”

Noah nods, smiling. “Cool. Hugo knows where Atty lives. You riding together or do you need me to text you the address?”

“We’re riding together,” Hugo says. “We’ll be right behind you.”

“Kay. See you there. Winny’s on the grill, so we’ll be out back.”

Hugo grins. “Awesome. It’s been forever since he grilled. ”

“It really has,” Noah agrees on his way out. “I think we’re all looking forward to it.”

As soon as the door’s shut, Hugo kisses the side of my face and then takes a step back. I turn as he leans against the table to wait for me. “What do you need to do? Want some help?”

I shake my head. “No. I just need to be back here at some point over the next few days to take care of some things and prep for our next game. It can wait.”

“We’re in no hurry. They won’t eat all the food.”

Smiling, I shake my head. “I’m good. Just need to hang up my suit.” I’d let it pool at the ground when I stepped out of it since Hugo came in. Picking it up, I adjust it so it stays on the hanger and add it to the bar with the rest. There are more bodies, or ‘outfits’ than there are heads. I’ve already put my Surry the Seal head on the shelf with the other two. Two are identical. One is different since it was used for a special event.

Slipping back into my sneakers, I grab my bag and turn to him. Hugo smiles and offers me his hand. He’s always so quick to smile. It’s breathtaking. I’ve never known a more attractive man; even better, it’s not just his physical appearance, but everything about him.

Placing my hand in his, I grab my bag on the way out the door. We’re going to his house tonight, so I’ve started to bring overnight bags with a couple changes of clothes. There’s more in my car, which is staying here at the arena tonight. I’ve already spoken to security and they’re fine with me keeping it here.

Hugo opens his trunk and tosses in his gear bag. I add my bag, too. Then he opens the passenger door for me. It’s such a little gesture, but it makes my heart race every time.

He climbs behind the wheel and drives out of the parking lot. “Atty lives closer to the water. Coach Ajo is his neighbor. He’ll probably be over for dinner, too. He’s not our coach at home. Just a neighbor.”

I grin. “That’s cool.”

He nods. “I don’t know if I told you, but I told Atty and Toby about us.” I look at him with surprise. “Actually, Atty asked about you. I guess I look at you in some way. ”

I’m not sure why, but my heart jumps into my throat with anxiety. “Really?”

Hugo glances at me with a smile. “Yep. So I said, yes, you’re my boyfriend. And proceeded to talk about you for the next hour.”

“Oh, my god.” I cover my face with my hands.

“It’s all good things. Nothing private. Promise.”

I nod.

“They already knew. All of them. I’m apparently not good at hiding how I feel. But we can pretend to just be friends if you want to. I’m sorry I?—”

“No,” I cut him off, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. “No. I don’t want to hide. I’m just… nervous.”

Hugo, this sweet man, brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it. “It’s okay if you want to. I can be embarrassing sometimes.”

My heart squeezes in my chest. “I’m not at all embarrassed by you. You’re amazing, Hugo. I hate that anyone has made you feel otherwise.”

He shakes his head. “No, no. It’s just… I know sometimes I say things wrong when I get excited.”

Sighing, I adjust in my seat and lean my head against his shoulder. “You’re not embarrassing,” I repeat. “I’m so damn proud to be your boyfriend, and I want to show you to the world. I’m nervous for every other reason—people looking at me. Talking to me. Asking me questions.”

“We don’t have to go.”

“I want to go. Your friends are important.”

“Yes, but?—”

“I don’t want you to always choose to make me comfortable.”

“I want to make you comfortable.”

“Yeah, and I love that. You have no idea how much I love that. But these are your friends.”

“Torin—”

I sigh. “Pull over.”

Hugo looks at me briefly before pulling off the road into a random parking lot. Once he puts the car in park, I unbuckle my belt. “Push your seat back.”

It’s electric, so it takes a moment for there to be enough room for me to climb onto his lap. Hugo smiles, a big, beaming smile. I kiss him—just the press of my lips to his until his arms wrap around me. This seat isn’t made for two grown ass men.

“I really, really love how conscious and considerate you are of my anxiety,” I promise, staring into his pretty smokey blue eyes. “It means everything to me. But I don’t want you to stop hanging out with your friends. And I also love that you want me to come with you when you hang out with your friends. It’s just going to take me some time to not feel quite so… visible.”

“You are visible,” he says, frowning.

“Being invisible is a double edged sword. On the one hand, I really appreciate when I’m invisible because then people aren’t staring at me and I don’t feel quite so on the spot. When people don’t see me, I can just live. But the ugly side is that I’m invisible and no one sees me.”

Hugo’s hand cups the back of my head and brings my forehead to his. “I wish I could take away your anxiety.”

I smile. “Me too. But for now, it’s here and I’ve learned to live with it. What I don’t want is for you to change your life to accommodate it.”

“I want to accommodate it.”

“I know. I love that and I need it sometimes. But right now isn’t one of those times. It helps that we’re going to someone’s home instead of out in public. It helps that I’ll know everyone there. The piece that’s making me feel a little more anxious is that you’ve changed their understanding our relationship and now they will be looking at me and having questions.”

“I’m sorry. I should have asked?—”

I cut his words off again with my mouth on his. Hugo’s fingers dig into my ass and I have half a mind to force him into the backseat.

“No, Hugo. I’m really…” It takes me a minute to find the word I’m looking for. I’m not sure I find the perfect ones but it’ll work, nonetheless. “I’m going to admit something really embarrassing.”

He tilts his head, his eyebrows knit with curiosity.

“I’ve had a crush on you for years. Not just a while, like weeks or maybe months, but years . Since I started with the Golden Tides. You’re always so nice, and thoughtful. You’re sweet and kind and just… you’re such a good person. Every single time you said hi to me it was like only you were seeing me when no one else did. You have no idea how much it meant to me. That I get to live in some dream where I actually get to be with my crush in real life is… well, it’s a dream. Better than a dream. I never thought you could be better than how I always saw you, but I was wrong. It means the world to me that you want people to know I’m your boyfriend. I don’t want to hide at all. I am not upset that you told your friends. Not at all.”

A moment of silence passes between us as he stares at me. “You had a crush on me for years ?”

I laugh. Of course, that’s what he gets stuck on. “Yes. A big crush. That’s why I accidentally texted you the first time. I was being really embarrassing and creepy and pretending we were friends and somehow managed to actually send that text through.” My cheeks have probably never been redder; I think I’m melting a couple layers of skin off my face at this point. Not just my face, my neck and ears feel hot. Even my chest feels hot.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Hugo, you had a different girl with you every night. I didn’t think you were even a little bit open to guys. Besides, if that weren’t enough, I’m cripplingly shy. You don’t think I could have actually said something to you, do you?”

His mouth opens but then he shakes his head. “No. I guess not. But I wish you did.”

“Why?”

“Because maybe I’d have had you sooner.”

My heart skips and I press my head against his again. “You’re amazing,” I whisper.

His arms tighten around me. “Maybe I wouldn’t have had you sooner,” he concedes, “but I have to think that I would have seen then what I do now. I didn’t think to look at you, Torin. Not because I wasn’t interested in you or into men, but because I didn’t know you were an option. The weeks before our date, I didn’t know it was an option, so I was struggling with how I felt.”

“Take me to your friends’ house. Then I want to go home and get naked,” I say.

He shivers. “Yeah, okay. Definitely, we’re doing that.”