Page 63 of Trick Play
“Umm, okay.” I mean, we all have boundaries. And this hasn’t really been an issue before now, so … okay.
“Okay?” She sounds almost relieved.
“Yeah. I mean,” I let out an awkward chuckle, “what’d you expect? Me to get mad and demand nudes or else?”
“Not … exactly. I just … I don’t know.”
“Baby.” I soften my voice, going for as reassuring as possible. “You’re fucking hot, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. But if you’re not comfortable sending topless pics, I’m not going to get mad or try to pressure you. I just miss you and thought it would be fun to have some long distance sexy time.”
“Okay,” she says, her voice equally soft. Almost inaudible. Then she sniffs. Is she crying?
“Are you okay? Is everything okay? Has going to my parents’ been awful? What did Ellie tell them about us?”
She lets out a soft laugh, like my concern is endearing and amusing. “Yes, I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Ellie didn’t tell them anything about us. She said I was a friend from the dorm who she just found out would be alone on Thanksgiving and your mom insisted she invite me.”
“That sounds like my mom,” I say with a smile.
“It’s actually been pretty great. Ellie’s really happy I’m along to help deflect your dad’s attention, though from what I can tell he’s mostly thrilled that she’s actually picked a major. I take it that was a serious point of contention?”
“Ha. You have no idea.” I tuck my dick back into my underwear and stand, grabbing a pair of shorts out of my duffle bag. Whatever this conversation is, I strongly suspect it won’t become phone sex. Not after that reaction. I don’t know if it’s whatever happened with her parents, the fact that she’s at my parents’ house with my sister, or something else entirely, but the uninhibited sexy woman I’m used to in person is very much absent on the phone. She’s reserved right now, almost shy.
“Right.” I can hear the smile in her voice, and that brings an answering smile to my face. “So how’d the game go? Your dad said he tried to find live coverage of it somewhere, but couldn’t. We watched a few highlights online, but it’s not at all the same as being there, or even getting to watch it on TV. You guys won, though?”
“Yeah. I finished out the game, actually. We ran an awesome blitz and scored the touchdown that cemented our win. It was close before that, with only a three point lead, but we got to breathe a little easier after that. Not that we let them score again, of course. But if they had, it would’ve been okay.”
“Gray didn’t play the whole game? Is he okay?”
Right. Of course she’s worried about her brother. I’m somewhat irrationally wounded that she isn’t at least able to be excited for me first. What do I expect, though? Sure, she comes to me when she’s upset about something, that’s great, but he’s still her brother. I’m just the guy she’s screwing.
“Yeah,” I say, unable to keep the flatness out of my voice. “He’s fine. His shoulder was bothering him on his last few plays, so Coach subbed me in just to make sure it’s nothing serious. We want him in peak playing condition for the postseason, after all.” A little sarcasm leaks in on the last sentence.
Piper sighs. “Sorry. It’s just weird for Gray not to finish the game unless he’s injured. I didn’t mean to rain on your parade. I’m glad you got an awesome play. Were there scouts there, do you know?”
Mollified by her apology, I try to let go of my hurt feelings. Maybe I was wrong about the shift in our relationship that I thought we both felt the other night. Maybe it was just me. “Rumor has it.”
We chat for a few more minutes, and by the time we’re done, I’m not sure how I feel. My adrenaline-fueled horniness hasn’t been sated, but it’s more of a subtle background noise now, and somehow getting myself off without Piper at least on the phone with me doesn’t hold much appeal.
So I text Simon, find out where he is, and head out. If I can’t celebrate the way I’d really like, I can at least bask in our victory with my teammates.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Piper
“Alright,” Ellie says as she exits the freeway, heading back toward campus. “Let’s stop by the dorm and take in our things, then we’ll head over to Simon and Cal’s place to see the guys and get your car.”
“Sounds good.” This weekend has been surprisingly relaxing. Ellie’s actually pretty low key when she’s just hanging out and not trying to get me to say that her brother is my boyfriend. Cal and I haven’t even had that conversation other than way back when we first started spending time together when we said we’d keep it casual. As far as I know, that’s still what Cal wants.
Except he called you after his game,a voice in my head reminds me.And you’ve been texting with him all weekend. And he was the first place you thought to go when you were upset.
Still. That all may be true. But without any definitive agreement between him and me, I’m not confirming or denying anything to Ellie. When I finally laid all that out to her, she stopped pushing, which was a relief. And then we just got to hang out, eat junk food, watch stupid old movies, and basically have an extended sleepover.
After the stress of the last nine months, it was just what I didn’t even know I needed. We also managed to get homework done, though I didn’t get quite as far ahead as I’d planned when I expected to be at my parents’ with only my brother for company for the week.
Speaking of, my phone vibrates in my hand with another call from Gray, but I send it to voicemail, just like I have every other time he’s tried calling yesterday and today. He didn’t try at all between me leaving Mom and Dad’s Wednesday night and his game on Friday, which I should be grateful for, but somehow only makes me more angry at him. He didn’t know where I ended up that night, and apparently doesn’t really care. So much for the whole protective older brother coming home to make sure I stay out of trouble schtick, huh?
Part of me wants to answer and say those words to him, but the rest of me knows better. For one, I don’t want to get into a shouting match with my brother on the phone while Ellie’s driving us back to campus. For another, it wouldn’t actually change anything.
Surprisingly, a voicemail notification lights up my phone a moment later. He hasn’t left a message the other times he’s called, though he has texted with a terse demand that I call him back, which I’ve ignored.
