Page 30 of Necessary Roughness
Roman
I liked sleeping in my recliner. Some of the best sleep I’d ever gotten came from falling asleep with a Physics textbook in my lap, my eyelids dragged down by invisible weights. I never planned to sleep there—it just sort of happened sometimes.
But today, I chose the recliner for another reason.
Logan quietly opened the door, slipped inside, and closed it behind him.
“Morning,” I said.
Logan practically jumped out of his shoes. “Holy shit! You scared the piss out of me.”
One of the benefits of being a big guy was that I didn’t need to talk a lot. My physical presence, combined with silence, often coaxed information out of people without any interrogation on my part. It worked on strangers, but it also worked on friends.
“I, uh, went for a walk,” Logan said, scratching the back of his neck. “Couldn’t sleep. Worried about the game.”
I stared at him.
“You know I was out all night, don’t you?” he said, shoulders slumping.
“The offensive coordinator came by last night,” I said. “Wanted to chat about one of the routes.”
Logan’s entire body went tight like a wire. “Oh fuck .”
“I told him you popped a melatonin and passed out,” I explained. “He left an updated playbook for you to read. It’s on the table.”
Logan sighed. “Thanks for covering for me, bro.”
“Anytime.” I paused. “Actually, you know what? Not anytime. I don’t want to cover for you again while you’re out all night with your fuck-toy. Don’t make this a regular occurrence.”
“It’s not like that,” he said, flipping through the playbook on the table. “I was stressed. I couldn’t sleep. Fifteen minutes with her was better than any melatonin. Slept like a fucking corpse.”
“Don’t care,” I replied. “We have a curfew for a reason.”
“I’ve never seen you care before,” Logan said, switching from guilt to anger. “We’ve snuck out plenty of times when we were younger.”
“This is different.”
“Is it? The only difference I can tell is that you sound jealous.”
That pierced me like a dagger between the ribs. “Jealous?”
“You’re jealous that we can have as much sex as we want, whenever we want it,” Logan spat at me. “I’ve known you since freshman year, Roman. You can’t cover it up with anger. You’re jealous.”
Hearing him say it made me realize it was true. At least partly true. But even though linebacker was a defensive position, I was best when I was attacking—whether on the football field or off. “Here’s the thing. I don’t think it’s just a physical relationship.”
“Sure it is,” Logan said, but I talked right over him.
“The two of you are obsessed with this girl. Grinning while group-texting with her at study hall. Chatting about the next time you get to see her.”
“Because she’s hot,” Logan argued. “And great in bed. Why wouldn’t we look forward to that?”
“You like her.”
Logan flinched. “I like her as a friend. That’s all.”
I slowly shook my head and rose from my recliner. “You’re a shitty liar, Logan. And the saddest part of all of this? You’re not just lying to me. You’re lying to yourself.”
“She’s good for my performance,” he said, voice weaker than before. “Hooking up with Sloane helps me focus on the field.”
I took a step toward him and jabbed my finger into his sternum. “Then go out and fucking prove it today.”
“You two are up early,” Knox said, emerging from his bedroom and rubbing one eye with a fist.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I replied, glancing at Logan.
“I’m just eager to start the day,” Logan said.
Knox yawned his way into the kitchen. “Know how you feel. This game is big. Gulf College is on the upswing, and if we lose to them…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. If we lost to Gulf College, our chances of winning the conference shrunk drastically.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Logan said. But on his way out of the living room, he paused next to me and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You need to get laid, bro. Maybe then you’d lighten up.”
I thought about what he said for the rest of the morning leading up to the game.