And he was probably right: If I couldn’t get my act together, we would go off the rails.
What was a hockey stud to do?
35
ERIK
“You want me to be your tutor, don’t you?” Austin Gunn asked me when I stopped him after class.
I paused because I honestly hadn’t expected that reaction. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on, I wasn’t born yesterday. You’re the gorgeous hockey player who’s never approached me before no matter how many subtle little glances I’ve sent your way.”
“You did?”
“Of course I did. How could I not? You’re one hot tamale!”
I turned away. I must’ve blushed. Compliments were always nice, but I’d never been called a hot tamale before and knew no other way to react.
“And suddenly you want to talk to me,” he said. “It’s because your grades are in the toilet, and you need the uber dorky kid to help you catch up. You want to use me, but not for the reasons I would prefer.”
Oh my God…
“No, that’s not it,” I said. “And I’m gorgeous?”
“Yeah, you are. All you hockey guys are, but you’re way hotter than most of them, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“I don’t mind at all, trust me.”
In fact, you can say it all you want, and I’ll gladly eat it up,I thought.
“Oh wait,” he said, face beaming. “There's a reason you came to see me. Like, you really did notice those subtle glances?”
“Sorry, can’t say that I did, but I’ve got something to ask you. Can I buy you a coffee?”
“For sure!”
Only then did I realize why my classmate had gotten the wrong impression. In fact, he might hold on to that idea no matter how many times I corrected him. I wasn’t looking for a date, but I did want to pick his brain.
We stopped by the campus cafe, and I bought him the coffee I’d promised. Austin Gunn was a biology nerd who’d only made a hundred comments in class implying that he was gay and had gone through his share of boyfriends. His remarks about subtle glances more than confirmed it, right?
He was an average-sized guy, but judging by his firm look, he kept himself in decent shape. Not a hockey player, but not bad. His ginger hair and beard suited him perfectly. When I looked across the table, I realized for the first time that he was a really good-looking guy. Sexy, even. I hadn’t gotten into the habit of rating guys other than Kayden, but you could say Austin Gunn looked damn good in a hot nerd sort of way.
When we sat down, I said, “This is going to sound weird.”
“Try me.”
“I need to ask you what it’s like being gay. Asking for a friend.”
I winced, knowing that was one of the more cringeworthy comments I would ever make. And I’d made it in front of someone I didn’t know particularly well. How would he react?
“So, you’re asking me what a day in the life is like?” he asked. “Well, I wake up in the morning, take a shower with the most fruity-smelling body wash I can find, and dry off with my Pride flag towel. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I also sing show tunes in the shower. And as the hot water sprays my delicious body, I stroke my member while thinking about a young Brad Pitt.”
“No, no, no, that’s not the type of thing I wanted to ask you.”
A laugh sputtered out of my mouth when I’d said it. I covered my face.
“Then what did you want to ask?”
