“Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you.” His lips twitched into a soft grin. “Just another reason I chose ASU for my senior year.”
“Yeah? You wanted to be close to me?” I gave him my most charming smile as my heart warmed. We had quite a bromance and weren’t afraid to show it.
“Of course. You’re my soulmate, Thompson. You know that. I can’t live without you.” With a snicker, he made a kissy face into the phone. “Love you, bro. Text me the info and I’ll see you soon.”
“Info is on the way.” I breathed in deeply. In only a few weeks, he’d be here, in my house. “Love you too, bro.” I ended the call, my reflection staring back at me in my phone, my deep brown eyes surrounded by dark, wavy hair. Grey and I had such different backgrounds. While I was part Navajo and from Santa Fe, New Mexico, he was an all-American New York City boy. How the hell had we clicked so well in camp the first year? We’d been sophomores in high school. The odds of our even meeting were a million to one. But we did, and somehow, I knew nothing could keep us apart for long.
ONE
MALIK
SIX WEEKS LATER
“He’s here!” As my gaze caught a moving truck stopping in front of the house, I jogged from the kitchen to the front door, my pulse pattering in my ears. We’d spoken a few more times since the initial FaceTime call, but it was officially moving day. He’d take the primary bedroom that Casey and Ryker had moved out of when they’d left for Vegas in June.
Tex lumbered up behind me, peering out the window into our sunny front yard, full of landscaping rocks and a lone mesquite tree. “Dude, is that his Audi S8? That’s like a hundred-twenty-thousand-dollar car.” His brows snapped up. “You said he was wealthy, but damn.”
“Yeah, that’s his. It was a high school graduation present from his dad.” I flung the door open and rushed across the pathway to the driveway, where he parked. The sun warmed my head, and the mid-July heat prickled my skin. What would we do first? Get him settled, yes, but then?
He stepped out of his black sports car, the interior a tan leather, and stood tall, his grey polo pulled tight across hisshoulders while his black linen shorts hung low on his hips. His thigh muscles bulged under the fabric, and plaid sneakers adorned his feet.
Where the hell did he find plaid sneakers? Oh, hell… “Grey.” I held my arms open, and he fell into them, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Malik, it’s so good to see you.” He buried his face in my neck and breathed me in. “It was a long-ass drive, but I’m so pumped to be here.” He squeezed me and let me go, a broad grin sweeping his face. Shaking his head, he said, “Fuck, man.” His eyes twinkled.
“Yeah, fuck.” I glanced at the men in the moving truck, sliding the back door open. I was pretty sure they’d do all the work while we relaxed.
“Hey.” Tex strolled across the drive with his hand stretched out, his blond hair falling around his face in messy waves, his blue eyes warm. “Nice to meet you, man. I’m Tex.”
“Oh, this is the offensive lineman I’ve heard so much about.” With a charming grin, Grey gave Tex a bro shake and a side hug. “Thanks for letting me move in.” He wagged his brows at me. “And take the primary bedroom.”
“Not a problem. It’s not like I wanted to move my shit into that room, anyway.” Tex beamed at him. “Can we help you with anything?”
Planting a hand on his hip, Grey twisted at the waist, glancing toward the men with the truck, loading boxes onto a hand truck. “Nope, I think the movers have it covered.”
“Let me show you to your room.” I grabbed his arm at the elbow and hauled him into the house. “Here’s our living room.” I swung my arm in an arc, showing off our blue sectional with the matching recliner and our black coffee tables from IKEA. “We have the finest of hand-me-downs, compliments of…” I flickedmy gaze to Tex, standing next to us. “Whose parents donated the couch and shit?”
Scratching his temple, Tex said, “I think it was JJ’s, but hell, I can’t remember now. It wasn’t my parents.”
“JJ Matthews was our wide receiver a few years back. The Cardinals drafted him, so you might see him around.” I winked at Grey. “I’ll make sure you meet him. We’ll have him and his boyfriend over to play some Madden.” Hell, did Grey even play video games? I’d never seen him play them, but whatever, he’d learn.
“He’s, uh, queer too?” Grey quirked a brow.
“He is.” Tex pressed his lips together. “Five of us were out and queer on the team originally.”
“Oh.” With a stuttered chuckle, Grey brushed his hand down the back of his perfectly coiffed hair. “Sure, I think I remember Malik saying something about that.” He focused on Tex. “You’re, um, you’re gay, right?”
Shifting a quick glance toward me, Tex said, “I am.” He eyed Grey.
“Cool. It’s cool. Just getting the lay of the land.” He flashed a smile at Tex, who relaxed his shoulders. “When we hang out at the bar, I’d prefer avoiding something stupid and setting you up with a girl.”
Tex smirked. “It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’d still be happy you considered me.” He patted Grey on the shoulder.
Clapping my hands in front of my chest, I said, “Okay, then the kitchen, as you can see, is over there.” I pointed to our kitchen with white cabinets and black appliances and dark granite-tile counters. “I think they remodeled a bit before we moved in, but the house was built in the nineteen eighties.”
“Yeah, I thought as much from the fact they painted the brick walls outside white.” Grey chuckled. “No worries, man. Theplace has charm, and I care more about the company than what it looks like.”
Two men entered through the front door with moving boxes on hand trucks. One said, “Where are we putting these?”