Just Sex Mates (boyxboy)

Chapter 17: Connor.

"Fancy getting some air and sitting outside?" Connor suggested, nodding his head in the direction of the door to the outside seating area.

"Sure! Dodging the smokers out there is better than being stuck in here, isn't it?" I answered as I brushed away the tears that were forming. I signalled to Taylor as to where we were heading, and followed Connor outside. We sat at one of the few remaining empty picnic bench tables over on the far side, as far away from the smokers as we could. 

Connor toyed with his glass. "Sorry, that you've got upset. I thought it best that we come out here.... You know, what with others earwigging and that."

"Thanks. I 've not talked about those days. Ever. It was you mentioning Mike Rotchburns that did it for me."

Connor gave an awkward smile. "Sorry about that, but he was the main one mouthing off about who I was friends with. Said he was a bad apple and was surprised that I was friends with him."

"Hanging around with bad apples eh? That's nothing new for you, is it? You were often at Tudor's parties and you couldn't get a bad apple worse than that."

Connor shot me a look. "I was only attending those parties as a member of the soccer team. I had to go or I wouldn't have got picked. That was how it was, regardless of what I thought..., at least that's how I thought it was. I know different now. If I disagree with anything..., I now say so."

"Like with that guy Ivor?" I suggested.

"Yeah! Exactly." Connor gave me a cute smile. "I'm no crusader, but I don't let anyone spout off shit like that. I can't stand by and allow things that I know to be wrong go unchallenged."

"You know, you always seemed uncomfortable at Tudor's parties. You never looked like you were enjoying yourself. I'm not at all surprised you became a policeman."

A wry smile formed on his lips. "I wouldn't have thought you ever noticed me..... Given the position you were usually in. So yeah....! I suppose I was uncomfortable. I actually felt sorry for you. I didn't know what you saw in Tudor, but you didn't deserve to be treated like that. It was tantamount to rape. Even when you clearly didn't want to do it they just carried on and abused you. I was close to reporting them a couple of times, but I didn't want the spotlight turned on me. I had secrets that I didn't want to be exposed."

"Oooh! I love secrets.... Wouldn't have anything to do with this bad apple you were keeping company with, would it?"

"Yeah, but if they had known they wouldn't have approved...., and not just because he played for St George's, a rival team."

"Doesn't sound like your friend is popular in your football circles, does it?" I remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Are the guys in your team racist, homophobic or just plain, downright ignorant?"

"Probably all three." Connor answered. "It would seem that anyone who is too different is not always accepted, although, back then, you were." 

"I wouldn't say I was accepted. Okay...., Tudor claiming to be straight and letting me suck him off while others used me, may have seemed like it, but Tudor definitely enjoyed it. I was just the gay guy that he and the rest of the team could use and still hold onto their straight reputations."

"That's what annoyed me. It was okay for Tudor and his cronies to fuck you, but anyone admitting they were gay was not acceptable."

"So, the team you're playing for now. Does your friend play for them too?" I asked, wondering what their friendship was exactly.

"No...." The smile vanished from Connor's face and he dropped his gaze and stared at a spot on the table in front of him. "Last year he joined a new team called Estuary Pride that's made up of guys from various other teams and wanted me to join him, but again I wasn't brave enough."