We ordered rolls and sashimi to share, and the server left.
“I am, but I find tutoring helps keep me focused and…well, out of the bars.” I chuckled. He’d been there when all hell broke loose in my life.
“Dude, you’re in college. You should enjoy it a little more and quit living like a hermit.” He scoffed a laugh and stuffed a soybean pod into his mouth, scraping the beans out.
Should I tell him? Why not? “I…have a date.” Sucking in a breath, I winced.
“Yeah? With whom?” He ate more soybeans as his gaze cut to mine.
“A girl I’m tutoring. Her name is Sara.” I shrugged. “We agreed to stop the tutoring sessions before our first date.” I still wasn’t sure how I’d agreed to it. I ate some edamame.
“That a boy.” He patted my shoulder. “It’s about time you dated someone.” He nodded at me. “Tell me about her.”
I sighed and twisted my beer glass on the table. “She’s from the west side, Glendale, and she’s studying business. She’s a junior so?—”
“Oh, so she’s young. How young? Does she meet the legal age requirement for a bar?” With a smirk, he drank his beer.
“Yes, she turned twenty-one over the summer. So, she’s only four years younger than me.” Actually, that was a lot. But she hadn’t seemed immature for her age. How old was Travis? He’d likely be twenty-two or twenty-three if he were a senior. I’d have to find out tomorrow. Why though? It didn’t matter. “I’m, uh, tutoring a football player.” I took a gulp of my drink. I shouldn’t start talking about him. Thinking about him as much as I had over the last day was enough. But here I was…
“Yeah? Who is it?” He tilted his head, eyeing me.
I fought off a full-on grin as my stomach fluttered. “Travis Rowlings? I guess he’s an offensive lineman. He knows the ASUhockey alumni who play in the NHL. Weren’t they all queer?” As the server set our food on the table, I unrolled my napkin and ripped my chopstick wrapper open.
“Who does he know?” He pulled his chopsticks apart and poured soy sauce into a small bowl.
“He mentioned Lucas’s brother, Mason, and then Archer Carlson and Ace McAdams.”
“Oh, shit. All the queer guys on the Yotes?” He hooked a brow. “Is this football player queer?” He added wasabi to his soy sauce and mixed it up.
“Yeah, he’s, uh, gay.” As his stunning face and amazing body filled my head for the hundredth time today, heat rushed up my neck and pooled in my cheeks. I had to stop thinking about him. But he’d been such an amicable guy under all those muscles and amazing looks.
As a smirk crept across Evan’s mouth, he said, “You’re blushing. Damn, dude, do you like him?” He dunked some salmon sashimi into his sauce and ate it.
“No, I don’t like him.” I scoffed and mixed my sauce. “I’m going on a date with Sara.” Like that made a difference. It should, though, right?
“Yeah, but you didn’t blush for her.” With a snicker, he pinched my cheek.
I batted his hand away. “Stop it.” My face heated further, and I focused on our food. “He was a nice guy, that’s all.” Plus, I was tutoring him. I had to follow school policy.
“Nice?” He picked his phone up from the table and tapped the screen. “Let’s see what this guy looks like. I’m sure he’s got an IG account, right?”
I stuffed a roll into my mouth and forced myself to chew. He wouldn’t stop. I knew him better than that. It was the hockey player in him—always teasing and making jokes. But it’s what saw me through the worst year of my life, after Mom…
“Damn, dude, he’s hot for a guy.” He pushed his phone’sscreen in my face, an image of Travis at a bar with lights behind him.
Where had he been? There was a gay bar on Mill Avenue called The Club or something. Did he go there? If he did, he likely had plenty of men to hook up with. My stomach churned as I swallowed my sushi down.
“Don’t you think he’s hot? The guy has muscles for days. What position did you say he played?” He swiped and presented a new photo of Travis, shirtless at a gym. “He’d make a great goalie.”
My gaze stuck on the photo, and my cock woke. God damn, Travis did it for me. But no. “He’s a student I’m tutoring, and I’m going on a date with Sara.” I drank my beer.
“You might have to stop tutoring this football player and quit worrying about what your damn father thinks so you can tap that.” He set his phone down. “Shit, have you heard from your dad lately?” He leaned back in his chair, focusing on me.
My chest squeezed. “No, not lately.” I patted the corner of my mouth with my napkin. I was probably better off not hearing from him. And why the hell was Evan so fascinated with Travis, but not Sara? Why didn’t he look her up?
He set his forearms on the table and came in close. “Look, I know he’s all you have left, but trying to impress him by only dating women isn’t healthy for you. Your face lit up when you mentioned Travis. You fucking blushed when you spoke about him. I saw nothing when you told me about…what was her name?”
“Sara.” I pinched my lips. He was right. I felt nothing for her except friendship. But maybe I could change that on our date.