Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
In some ways, his father had been right. No way was the professional sports world ready for a public display of a homosexual relationship. Back then, Colt had been touted as a star in the making; his potential was the best of the best. He would have ruined everything if he’d come out. Lots of money and notoriety had followed being number one. Lots of money in which his agent pocketed a hefty commission and his dad pocketed an even larger salary. Hell, Colt had made his agent and his father millions of dollars over the last ten years. If he had come out, they would have had to kiss it all goodbye!
From where he stood today, Colt couldn’t say he’d made the correct decision. Actually, Colt knew for certain he hadn’t made the right choice. Nothing could be worth hurting Jace and continuing on in this shell of a life he lived. Without question, Jace would never believe he had truly fallen in love with him or that he still loved him today. He loathed himself for what he’d done… or rather didn’t do. It was in Johnny’s office after his beating that he discovered Jack Daniels helped numb the pain, but it was the night his friends hurt Jace that Colt firmly resolved to drink with serious intent.
Jace never again tried to contact Colt. It only took once. Colt tried hard to make himself believe that if Jace truly loved him, he would be back. Once wouldn’t have stopped him, but he knew Jace better than anyone. Jace would never put himself where he wasn’t wanted. He just wasn’t that guy.
Picking up the remote control from the coffee table, Colt brought the recording guide up and selected the ESPN cheerleading special. Seven years ago, Colt accidentally stumbled across Jace’s face during a cheerleading competition. Since then, Colt followed the competitions and Jace’s company as best as he could. Colt even went so far as to talk his professional football team’s cheerleading coach into bringing Jace’s gym out to perform at last year’s season opener. He footed the entire bill, but Jace didn’t accompany his team. Colt didn’t even rate high enough in Jace’s past to warrant an overnight trip to New York.
The remote control’s fast forward allowed him to skip the competition, just pick the breakout sessions. Colt selected the interview in the Cheer Dynasty gym and brought Jace up, pausing the screen to stare at his handsome face. Colt’s flaccid cock began to swell just looking into those green eyes.
After a couple of minutes, he pushed play, watching the entire interview. Pride consumed his heart at seeing everything Jace had created. Colt followed along while they talked and then toured the gym. He watched all the national championship banners and trophies pass by. Then they landed on the enlarged photo of Jace cheering in college. Colt remembered that day, their last game together. In the interview, Jace stood by the photo, looking down with the reporter close by. Jace’s body had been leaner back in school, his hair shorter. Colt pressed pause on the remote, thinking over which way he liked Jace’s hair better. The longer hair accented Jace’s strong jaw, but the short hair looked more like the beautiful man he had fallen in love with all those years ago.
Unable to decide which looked better, Colt clicked play and the reporter continued the interview. Hearing his name, Colt slowed the picture down, watching Jace closely as they spoke. Jace never gave anything up, but Colt laughed out loud when Jace said he didn’t think Colt would remember him. Looking down at his rock hard erection, he laughed again and spoke directly to the screen. “Yeah, babe, I have no problem remembering everything about you. My problem is I can’t forget you.” Looking back up at the screen, still chuckling, Colt saw the moment—the very brief, almost-not-there look Jace held in his eyes when he stared back at the picture on the wall.
Colt paused the interview on the screen and then pushed rewind. He watched the look again and again, before going to the television and bending down in front of the screen, watching Jace for the third time. Sadness filled Jace’s eyes. He didn’t see hate, instead there was sadness, maybe even longing? Could Jace be longing for him? Surely not… After ten years, surely this must be one-sided; Colt had hurt Jace too badly.
Moving back to his sofa, Colt rewound the whole interview and watched from the beginning. He listened to every part, word for word. Colt looked for any sign in Jace of what Colt felt in his own heart. This time around, he focused on Jace’s announcement that he’d bought a place in Hawaii. He’d missed that key bit of information before. Jace had purchased their vacation spot of ten years ago. Fast forwarding the interview, Colt replayed over and over the expression on Jace’s face as he looked at his photo. His heart pounded in his chest; Colt wanted that look he swore flashed in Jace’s eyes to be real. Could he just be seeing the lights casting shadows and playing a cruel joke?
After a while, Colt scanned through the entire competition, watching for signs of Jace. Pride hit him again at how well all of Jace’s teams did during the competition. Eighteen out of the twenty-four teams took first place. Jace’s interviews played repeatedly during the breakout session. The other cheerleading gyms highlighted had nothing on Jace’s gym. The place looked spectacular. Clearly Jace made money in the sport, but he put it back into his kids, giving them a badass facility to practice in.
Hours passed as Colt watched, never getting tired of what he saw. Jace appeared again on the screen and each time he saw the handsome male, he pushed the button and paused it. At the end, there was a shot that focused on Jace with his team surrounding him. They’d just won their fifth national championship. Colt stopped the recording and zoomed in on Jace’s beautiful face, enlarging his image, taking in one last look before bed. Jace would star in his dreams tonight ensuring a good night’s sleep.