Football and Ballet - Jason Collins Page 0,65
in one of the loudest and most expensive ways I’d ever seen.
“Are you out of your mind?” It was the first thing I said to Hunter once he’d set me down on my feet inside the dance studio. “What are you—why are you—”
“I want to be with you, Patrick,” Hunter gently cut me off. “More than anything. Do you want to be with me, too?”
“But what about your career?” I pressed. “What’s going to happen with all of your endorsement deals and sponsorships? Fuck, what’s going to happen with Dakota—”
“We already broke up,” Hunter answered. “Or closer to reality, we dissolved the contract.”
“So, what? Now, you’re just free to date whoever?” My tone was lined with disbelief. “How am I supposed to believe that you’re just going to be out of the closet now?”
“Didn’t you just see me kiss you in front of all my teammates?” Hunter quirked an eyebrow as he smiled over at me. “Well, you didn’t see it. But you know what I mean.”
“Hunter…” I brought my hands up to either side of my waist. “You can’t.”
“I can’t do what, Patrick?”
“You can’t just throw away everything you’ve worked so hard for,” I went on. “You can’t just throw away your whole career just because you want to be with me. You were right, about getting as much of the spotlight on yourself as you can, when you’re the one in the sun. Honestly, I wish I would’ve thought more about that before I was relegated to being second string with my dance company.”
“I don’t care about the spotlight anymore, Patrick—”
“You’re just saying that because it’s still on you.” I scoffed. “Trust me, Hunter. When it’s gone, it’s gone. And you don’t deserve for it to be gone, just because of me. I don’t want to only be with you in the shadows, but that doesn’t mean I want to drag you into the shadows, too.”
“You’re not dragging me into anything.” Hunter’s voice was low as he stepped closer, close enough to wrap his arms around my waist. “I’m well aware of the consequences that could happen if we say we’re together, Patrick. And I’m telling you that I don’t care about any of them. I want to be with you.”
“You’re not thinking—”
“Yes. I am.” Hunter’s fingers slid up toward either side of my face before he spoke again. “Patrick, being with you is worth more than any endorsement or sponsorship. Being with you is… it’s everything to me. You’re everything to me, Patrick McEntire.”
“Hunter—”
“Can I kiss you again?” he whispered, his lips only a few inches away from my own. “God. I missed kissing you so much.”
“Yes.” I smiled up at him, my body suddenly feeling warm all over, his touch radiating throughout my body. “Yes, you can kiss me again.”
Nearly as soon as I gave him my permission, Hunter’s lips were pressed against mine for a second time that night, my heartbeat spiking with the motion, launching inside my chest with every movement of his tongue.
And in that moment, I idly wondered if our hearts were beating together in perfect time.
“What’s your Instagram handle?” Hunter asked as we stepped into my apartment.
We’d just gotten back from the youth center, leaving much earlier than the other guests, making our way out the back of the building without anyone seeming to notice we’d even disappeared from the function.
I shot him a curious look before I replied, “Why? Are you trying to add me or something?”
“Yeah. That and I want to tag you as my boyfriend.”
“Hunter.”
“What?”
“You literally just came out like an hour ago,” I said. “Don’t you think you should hold off on any huge declarations of relationships or anything like that?”
“How else are people supposed to know that you’re mine?”
“What makes you think I’m yours, Hunter Perry?” I teased, looking back at him. “Technically, you only won me for a date, which we both know could either last a few minutes or—”
“Or a hell of a lot longer.” Hunter smirked. “So, what do you want me to do? Wait a few weeks before announcing to everyone that we’re together?”
“I just want you to be sure before you blow up your whole life,” I answered. “Coming out is a really big deal, Hunter.”
“Yeah, but so was living without you, Patrick,” he replied. “And I’ll do whatever you need me to do, just so I don’t have to go through that again.”
“You make it sound like you’re in love with me or something.” I lightly chuckled as I spoke.
But