Match

59: Well That Wasn't So Bad

It stings a little, knowing his boyfriend might not be tagging along.

Jonah<3:

But if you're going, don't not go if I can't. Go have fun with the teams! Again tho, I have to ask my boss if I can book a couple days off.

Of course I'm going, he thinks. At least a good friend of his is going to be there, otherwise he knows he'll be the guy straying further away from the social circle. Still, camping with your lover sounds relaxing, romantic. Other than the pesky bugs. Cole shudders at that fact. He'll need to pack a "shit-ton" of bug spray.

And speaking of his friend, he got a text to hang out with his friends after work. His mind has been teetering between hanging out with them and the final game. This is it. He's a little upset he hasn't scored a goal for his team yet. Brett carries the ball with ease. Even Kacey, before his injury, looks like a professional. What the hell are these experts doing at a simple soccer camp? Suddenly, he feels a tap on his shoulder. It's the newbie, Jenna.

"A bit quieter than normal, huh?" She says with a sheepish expression.

"Oh, uh, yeah."

The only customers present are a couple seated at the back corner. Cole makes himself look busy by recounting the till. Then the bell chimes as soon as someone enters the restaurant.

He sees it's a young man, who looks to be around his age, maybe older. He's wearing a formal navy blue suit. His eyes travel to the sunlight peeking through the windows. A bit hot out to be wearing that, dude. When the hostess leads him to a table for two, immediately the man takes off the suit to reveal a white shirt underneath. From behind, Cole can hear some of the waitresses mutter.

"Ooh he's good looking."

"And new, I've never seen this man here before."

"I got this!" Jenna says while she passes by them all.

Oh boy here we go. He hears the chatter grow from compliments to sheer jealousy.

"Hey now," one of the waiters barge into the conversation. "This is a restaurant, not a hookup club."

Relief washes over Cole's forehead. As he sees the waiter pass by with a plate for the couple, he hears him say something to himself.

"He is good looking, though, I gotta say."

A small smirk forms on his face. He tries to hide it by stacking the extra menus.

———————————

Rainfall hammers the ground outside. All plans fly out the window, so Cole, Ashton, Rubin and Daniel chill at Ashton's dorm. Daniel is seated upside down, with his legs dangling off of the chair. Ashton and Rubin are gaming on the console. And Cole is half watching, half scrolling through a feed on his phone. He gets startled by Rubin yelling out 'kill the guy there!'.

"Which guy? Where?" Ashton says.

"Dude! Quit pulling a Daniel! He's literally right behind the tree there!"

Daniel gives the side-eye. "Hey."

"Shit! I died!" Ashton plops the controller beside him. "Rubin you gotta carry."

"Okay, okay man I definitely got this. Watch the pro."

"Yo," Daniel interrupts the two. "Are you all hungry?"

Rubin mumbles a 'mhm' while Ashton shrugs. Cole raises a hand high in agreement.

"Should we order a pizza then?"

Rubin pouts. "I had pizza for lunch."

"Okay... sushi?"

"What if we go out for dinner?" Ashton rests his hands behind his head. "I'm craving a rack of ribs."

"Boston Pizza, then?"

Everyone but Rubin look amongst each other to see if anyone disagrees. Their grumbling stomachs and the gloomy sky tell them it's a good idea. Ashton taps the shoulder of the one glued to the game.

"Rubin?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just lemme finish up this round."

Daniel pulls himself up by his legs so he's sitting properly in the chair, then stretches out. He scratches at his arm while looking to Ashton.

"Hey, about that camp trip you and Cole are going to," he says with a smirk. "Isn't your girlfriend gonna miss ya?"

Ashton raises an eyebrow at him. "Penny's going on a trip of her own."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's some kinda, wine tour."

"Shit, that's high-class."

Cole squirms in his seat a little. Now's the time to let them know. He remembers how seamless it was with Jonah's parents. In an attempt to make it as nonchalant as possible, he clears his throat to get everybody's attention.

"What about me?"

The air grows quiet. All eyes turn to him, including Rubin. Raised brows. Looks of surprise. He feels like he's coming out all over again, even though his friends know he's bisexual.

"You going out with someone?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Who?"

Fuck, why does this seem scarier than when I did come out? He stops rubbing his arm, trying to keep his anxiety at bay.

"Yeah. His name's Jonah."

Another still pause. The other three look amongst each other. Then a metaphorical lightbulb goes off above Ashton's head.

"Oh yeah, Jonah. One of the forwards on Thunder, right? That's cool man."

Rubin gives the thumbs up. "Yo, good on ya."

Like a wave, catharsis washes over Cole. See? That wasn't so bad. All of the building tension has now dissipated from his body.

"GAME OVER!" Blares the video game, making him almost jump out of his skin.

"Well shit," Rubin drops the controller on his lap in defeat.

"So much for carrying," Ashton says with a mischievous nudge.

"It just wasn't my round!"

"Okay, dinner time," Ashton stands up. "I'll drive."

All four get up to retrieve their shoes by the front door to head out. From the corner of Cole's eye, he catches the rain starting to fall at a lighter pace. Ashton and Rubin continue their friendly banter, "shit-talking" each other's gameplay. Before Cole gets up he feels a tap on his shoulder.

"Yo," Daniel says.

Cole blinks.

He lowers his voice to a whisper. "You gotta teach me your ways."

It takes Cole a few seconds to realize he's asking for flirting tips. He takes a quick glance to the other two, still busy talking. Then he sighs.

"I can't guarantee a good answer."

"Dude no worries. I'm over that night at the club, but I wanna get advice from ya."

Cole sighs again. He knows that just with Daniel alone, this is going to be a long one-on-one discussion.