Chapter 9

The sound of a key turning in the lock broke the silence, and I exhaled, straightening my shoulders. It was time.

I'd spent far too long panicking about my date with Nic, and I'd finally given in and begged Ander to ask JJ for some tips. They both owed me, after all. My dating experience wasn't what you'd call comprehensive. In fact, the only dates I'd been on were during my school years—usually trips into town, the cinema, amusement arcades—typical British teenage locations, I guessed. So far, I'd had no dates during my time as a uni student, other than a few casual afternoon coffee shop meetups. It had been more about one-night stands, and I hadn't been concerned with anything beyond that—it hadn't been high on my priorities list. Until now.

JJ had insisted that Nic would like nothing more than a relaxed evening in, so I'd decided to trust him. I'd met Nic's housemate, Dexter, who'd let me into their shared house, before disappearing off with the promise that he wouldn't be back until the following day. JJ was keeping Nic busy while I got everything set up, and he was going to use an excuse to get Nic to stop by at home before our planned meeting time.

Now Niccolò was here, and I just had to hope that JJ had been right.

When Nic stepped into his lounge, subtly lit by a floor lamp in the corner of the room, I was ready, reclining on the sofa in a soft cotton LSU T-shirt in navy, and light grey sweatpants. Netflix was loaded up on the TV, and a bowl of popcorn was in grabbing distance on the coffee table. I'd also piled a selection of crisps, sweets, and chocolates next to the popcorn, and we had some beers and premixed cocktails. JJ had attempted to talk me out of the premixed drinks, telling me I should mix them myself, but I knew where my skills lay, and I was no mixologist.

His mouth dropped open in the cutest expression of shock I'd ever seen, his eyes widening as he took me in.

"Hi," I said, beckoning him towards me.

"Hi." It came out as a whisper, and he gave me that sweet, shy smile again. It gave me fucking butterflies to know that I had such an effect on this confident, gorgeous person. He was so cute, and I just wanted to wrap him in my arms and never let him go.

Okay…getting ahead of yourself there, Bennett. Calm down.

When he reached me, I grabbed his hand and tugged him down onto the sofa next to me, pulling a soft blanket over his legs. It was warm enough, but the blanket made it cosy. As he rested his head on my shoulder with a smile, I decided that this was an experience we'd definitely be repeating.

The evening was perfect. Simple, relaxed, and easy. We talked for hours, the TV a background hum to our quiet conversation. Niccolò told me about his family, and I told him about mine, about being the middle sibling in a family of five, with an older sister who was highly ambitious with hopes of becoming a politician, and a younger brother who wanted nothing more than to become a professional footballer and looked up to me as a role model. We'd already touched on our degrees and what we hoped to do afterwards when we'd been at the coffee shop, but we spoke more in depth. Nic told me about how he'd started his FanBoyzOnly account on a whim after he'd met Dexter, and how the income had relieved the pressure he was under, knowing his family's finances were stretched.

"I'm proud of you for doing it, you know," I told him, scrolling through a series of images on his phone. Each one was hotter than the last, and it was impossible to keep my dick under control when I was confronted with both the provocative images and Niccolò in person, right there next to me.

"You are? You don't have a problem with it?" His tone was cautious, and he wouldn't look at me.

"Why would I? You're earning your own money, and you look fucking good doing it. Bloody hell, Nic. I know you said your family disapproves of it, but you're self-sufficient, and you're putting a big chunk of your earnings aside for the future. I think most students could learn a lot from you. They should have you as a guest lecturer in business studies."

He laughed, relaxing into me. "Maybe I'll suggest that to JJ. Get him to run the idea by Dr. Wilder, see what he thinks of it." His smile fading away, he tilted his head to press a kiss to my jaw. "Has anyone ever told you how lovely you are? I think you're the loveliest footballer I know."

Niccolò. He was so fucking sweet. Looking at him now, I wondered how I'd even questioned my sexuality around him. I'd never been so attracted to anyone in my life. "Aww, thanks, baby. You're not too bad yourself, you know."

"I know. I'm great. Hey, are you glad I flirted with you that night in Revolve?"

"I am." My gaze lowered to the prominent bulge between his legs, and I swallowed hard. My hand slid up his thigh. When his breath hitched, I pulled him into my lap. "Let's re-enact that night, but let's pretend I went home with you. What happened when we got to your house?"

A smile curved over his lips as he wound his arms around my neck. "My lovely, sexy footballer. Carry me to my bedroom, and I'll show you exactly what happened. In detail."