Page 28 of Bro Code

“What do you think I mean? Up in the offices with the suits, how is it? Different from being on the ice, I bet.”

Clearing his throat, Louis said, “I, ah, haven’t told anyone.”

Riley’s head whipped around.

“It hasn’t come up,” said Louis.

“Are you serious?” Louis nodded. “I made a whole fucking…I did a press release! I talked to a journalist!”

“Uh huh, and that was your decision. I don’t owe anyone that.”

Riley stared at him, and Louis kept his eyes forward. He wasn’t going to feel bad about this. He wasn’t going to let someone else dictate how and when he did that.

Riley sighed. “Sometimes I just feel like I’m the only one sticking my fucking neck out, you know?”

Louis frowned. “You’re not, though. Rodriguez is out, Dustin Bennet just came out. You’re literally on a team with Nic and Liam.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Riley looked away. “Harris isn’t out.”

“Well, things with Liam are complicated.”

“Yah. So everyone keeps saying.”

Riley shifted, adjusting the life vest, then took up the tiller again and braced one foot on the mast with his elbow on his knee. Louis watched him. “Do you regret it? Coming out?”

Riley’s reply took long enough to come that Louis figured the silence was its own answer. Eventually, he said, “No… No. I don’t think so. It’s just not… I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess it’s fine.”

Louis continued to study him while he tucked away this information. It made sense that Riley would feel conflicted: coming out as publicly as he had would have been insanely stressful. And while it was true that he wasn’t the only one, it wasn’t like there was much of a gay community in hockey. In theory, he had Nic and Liam, but from what Louis had seen of the “team bonding” over the weekend, Riley didn’t seem to be connecting all that well with anyone here.

If he really felt like he was going it alone, it was no wonder his game was suffering.

But New York had evaluated his mental health – the data Louis had pulled on the night he traded showed that their psych had seen him multiple times, even reviewed his footage, and couldn’t point to anything obvious. It seemed obvious to Louis that making a huge public announcement about your sexuality and then having the media up your ass about it all summer and your half-naked self posted all over the internet in an underwear ad would fuck with someone’s head. But then, he didn’t know enough to make any kind of judgment call. That wasn’t his job. He just managed the data.

They made it back to the dock without causing any shipwrecks, thank God, and Louis gathered up his laptop, phone, bag, and shoes. The rest of the team traipsed past him toward the chalet for lunch, leaving Riley to help the activities director put things away. He’d taken the life jacket off but still had his t-shirt sleeves cuffed, and as Louis watched him standing barefoot on the dock, coiling a rope, his mind wandered back to the Calvin Klein ad.

Yes, definitely get him a little captain’s hat. Could they do tattoos? Like temporary ones? Where would they do the photoshoot? Outside? Yes, definitely. Outside was hot. Outside was very, very…

Louis chewed his lip as he swung the laptop bag onto his shoulder. As Riley left the boats and came toward him, he sidestepped quickly and put up one hand to stop him. He didn’t mean to plant it right in the middle of Riley’s chest, but it had the effect of stopping Riley immediately. His t-shirt was soft and warm under Louis’ palm.

“Hey…do you wanna maybe…” Louis squinted one eye closed and poked his tongue into his cheek.

Riley’s eyebrows jumped together. “Now?”

Louis looked around. The activities director had just finished coiling the last rope, and she smiled and waved at him as their eyes met. Louis quickly removed his hand from Riley’s chest and used it to wave back. When he looked at Riley again, Riley was grinning.

“The life jacket really did it for you, huh?”

“Fuck off,” Louis mumbled, blushing and adjusting his bag strap. “Do you wanna do it or not?”

“Thought there wasn’t gonna be a next time.”

“Yeah, well… I guess I changed my mind. It doesn’t need to be a whole thing. It’s the last day, anyway.”

Riley shrugged. “Sure, why not. Your room?”

“Actually, I was thinking…outside?”

Riley’s eyes went a bit wide, but a wily look went through them. He was thinking about it. The activity director went by, giving them another friendly wave, and they stood there, staring at each other as her footsteps faded. The air between them seemed to throb. So did Louis’ balls.