Page 10 of Cross My Heart

“You mean now? Then I should—”

“Indeed.” Carver rose. “Let me know if anything comes up.”

Josh was confident that plenty would come up, but he was barely listening. As he left the office, his mind raced with possibilities… and doubts.

Would Tyler even remember him? Did Josh want to be remembered as the nerdy kid two years below him who’d mooned around the bleachers? First thing: he needed to get a grip. He’d been dreaming about Tyler for all this time, but if he wasn’t careful, Tyler would see him as another pushy stalker who wanted something.

As much as he tried to quell it, the nagging impatience refused to dissipate. He’d been waiting a long time, expecting never. But if Tyler wanted to use the gym facilities while he recuperated, it would create plenty of opportunities for them to cross paths.

Only time would tell, but Josh headed back to the athletic department, hopeful about this unexpected second chance.

The afternoon hallways seemed quiet. He swung by the cafeteria to wolf down a wrap and then picked up a package at the front desk.

After, Josh navigated the halls back to his office more slowly than strictly necessary, heart galloping but prudence holding the reins. He could picture Tyler there, all grown up and more handsome than he remembered—his powerful shoulders, that wicked smile—maybe needing a rubdown or some expert advice on his recuperation from a friendly coach willing to put in the hours.

Cool it.

When Josh reached the athletics office, however, it looked exactly as he’d left it: empty, except for the usual papers and abandoned gear the kids left behind them. The realization that Tyler had come and gone without crossing paths with him hit harder than it should’ve. Josh’s shoulders fell.

Back at his desk, he sank into the worn chair and took a steadying breath. He regarded the framed photo of his college swim team. He’d come a long way since his time at Hamilton. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Eyes, prize, he told himself firmly. So what if he missed Tyler on his first visit?

Afternoon sun sliced through the blinds, casting slats of buttery light across the memos and mail he needed to sort.

“Get it together, Ayres,” he muttered to himself, trying to smooth his springy hair down. The familiar knot of doubt tightened in his chest, an old terror that still crept up on him when the going got messy.

His own pathetic crush aside, Tyler being here offered more than just selfish wish fulfillment. A real-life NFL superstar around the school. A hometown hero? Living proof that kids should work hard and commit to excellence if they wanted to do jack with their lives.

Who knows? he mused, still daydreaming. Maybe this time around, things will turn out different.

A yelp of adolescent laughter from the hall yanked Josh out of his reverie. He still had a job to do and students waiting on him. With a final glance around his office, he stood and went to the door.

“Here’s hoping,” he whispered, stepping back into the teenaged tangle between fifth and sixth periods, squaring his shoulders to face the afternoon with a tickle of anticipation. Already he could see the usual suspects clowning around by the double doors.

“Hey, Coach Ayres!” a voice called out from behind him, jolting him back to the here and now. A group of young players clustered outside the gym entrance, their faces flushed with excitement, probably wanting to use the weights during a free period. “You won’t believe it! We saw Tyler Fantana!”

“Really?” Josh feigned surprise. His heart might have been off-kilter, but that was no one’s business, least of all his students’. He laughed. “Did you attack him with TikTok?”

“Actually, we took your advice, Coach,” Debbie replied, grinning and tucking her hair behind her ear.

He nodded. “Good choice.”

“And he’s, like, way hotter and nicer than Gronk is, or Drake even. Which is basically impossible.”

“Eww, Deb. Gross,” said Mark, one of the wrestlers. “We didn’t harass him, Coach. Honest.”

Debbie rolled her eyes. “We played it chill, and like, instead of a million lame pics, we got to talk to him. Like, actual real talk. And he asked questions, and get this: he’ll be hanging around while he’s in town. Like, here!” She pointed at the polished floor.

Josh pretended Tyler’s gym plan was news, but his smile was genuine. Tyler probably had no clue what he’d done for the school—for Josh—simply by asking for a favor. “See? Giving people space is a good call.”

The freckled boy next to her bobbed his head at that. “So cool.”

“Well, let’s make him feel welcome.” Josh squinted at the random bags and papers littered around the echoing room. “How about you kids try and pick up after yourselves a bit more? Even show up to practice on time. Volunteer to show a frosh around? You never know—if you get lucky, maybe Fantana will throw some pigskin your way.”

“Deal!” Debbie said. The rest of the gangly athletes bounced and muttered happily, eyes shining.

As they dispersed, Josh allowed himself a cautious smile. This might not have been the reunion he’d hoped for—might not ever be—but the possibility of seeing Tyler again at a time when Josh felt comfortable in his own skin made him happy in his bones.