Page 17

Blake came down with a cold, but he still held practice every day, not allowing his illness to slow him down. If any of the guys hoped for a little reprieve, they were sorely disappointed. He was as tough and unrelenting as always, but I didn’t mind. Annoyed as I was at him for not taking a break, I was glad to spend as much time with him as I could. I knew he would never ask for help, so I went to his place after classes, bringing a secret weapon.

Blake looked pitiful when he opened the door, his hair a mess and his nose red like he’d been stuck in a windstorm. He was wearing a ragged T-shirt and pajama pants, his trouser snake bulging under the flimsy gray fabric. I bet he was freeballing. It took some effort, but I tore my gaze away from his crotch and looked him over. His illness did nothing to diminish his sexiness. He leaned on the doorframe, blinking at me with bloodshot eyes as though I’d come to sell him a timeshare instead of soup and comfort.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was a croak, even deeper than usual, rough like sandpaper.

I held up the bag, the smell of chicken soup escaping through its loosely tied knot. “Special delivery. One life-saving elixir, guaranteed to fix even the crankiest wrestling coach.”

“You shouldn’t have come,” he said, sniffling. “I might infect you.”

“I took my vitamins. Now move over and let me take care of you.”

Blake groaned and stepped aside to let me in, muttering something under his breath about insubordination. His place was dimly lit, the blinds drawn, the coffee table cluttered with a sea of tissues and two half-empty mugs.

“You weren’t answering your phone,” I said, kicking off my shoes and heading toward the kitchen. “Figured you were either dead or too stubborn to admit you needed some assistance.”

“I’m not helpless,” he called after me, though the effort to sound indignant fell flat under the weight of his rasping cough.

“Sure, and I’m the next Olympic gold medalist,” I shot back, rummaging through his cabinets for a bowl. “Go lie down and I’ll be right over. ”

“What’s with the bossy attitude?” Blake grumbled as he shuffled back to the couch, collapsing into it with a weary sigh. He was a large, heavily built man, but he looked smaller like this, his usual sharp edges dulled by exhaustion. Vulnerable in a way that made me want to snuggle next to him and cuddle him like a baby. A very big, very manly baby.

By the time I brought him the soup, he was half-dozing, his head lolling to the side. I nudged his arm gently, and he blinked up at me, his lips twitching into something that might have been a smile.

“You didn’t have to come all the way out here, you know,” he said, sitting up and taking the bowl from me. His fingers brushed mine and the warmth of his fevered skin sent a shiver up my spine.

“I know,” I replied, settling into the space between his legs. “But you’d do the same for me. Plus, I needed an excuse to skip out on studying.”

“Ah,” Blake said, a hoarse, crackling sound that somehow still managed to warm the room. “Always the altruist.” When I sank to my knees before him and reached up for the waistband of his pajama pants, his eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

“I’m providing a full service. You just sit there, eat, and relax. Let me work my magic.”

After a moment of hesitation, Blake lifted his hips a little and I pulled his pajamas down. No underwear, just as I thought. His cock was limp, but there was a promising drop of precum on its tip, as it rested on top of his full, heavy nutsack.

Placing my hands on his thighs, I spread his legs wider and lowered my face to his groin, nuzzling him and inhaling his scent. I gave his cockhead a quick lick, just a taste of the tip to collect the oozing liquid before I moved to suck on his balls. He groaned above me, his cock getting bigger and harder by the second. My mouth traveled up from his nuts, along the thick shaft, to the engorged crown. I teased it with my tongue, lapping at the slit and tracing the ridges of the underside. Then I wrapped my lips around the hard flesh and started sucking, bobbing my head up and down, swallowing him as deep as I could. I didn’t use to be able to take him all the way down, my gag reflex kicking in as soon as the head of his cock hit the back of my throat. But I’ve had plenty of practice and I was getting better each time. Now, I relaxed my neck muscles and let the organ slide past my tonsils, until my nose was buried in Blake’s pubes.

“Mmmmm,” the low, appreciative moan rumbled above my head.

Blake started bucking his hips a little, tiny movements following the rhythm of my sucking, but was otherwise passive, focused on his soup. I could hear him slurping it as I slurped on his fat dong, both of us busy in a feeding trance. My jaw started to ache, my throat getting sore. When I tried to swallow, the movement of my laryngeal muscles did something to his cock that made him shiver.

“Fuuuuck,” he howled, thrusting deep into my mouth.

His cock throbbed inside my neck, and I knew he was cumming. I pulled back in time to feel it spurt in my mouth, jets of hot cream that was my reward for a blowjob well done. There was so much of it—Blake was a heavy cummer—but I relished eating it, barely managing to keep his load from spilling as it kept gushing and flooding my mouth. His cum tasted so fucking good; it was a treat to swallow as much and of it as possible. Yum.

“Fuck, Tyler,” he said, half-chuckling, half-moaning the words. “Where did you learn to suck a cock like that?”

“What can I say?” I spoke around his meat, licking it clean as it softened. “I was inspired.” When it finally went limp, I gave it a goodbye kiss and pulled his pajama pants up, tucking him in. “Feeling better now?”

Blake set the empty bowl down on the table and pulled me onto his lap. I settled into it, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Much better.”

I put my hand on his forehead, checking his temperature; he felt only slightly warmer than usual. “You’ll live, I reckon,” I said and began to rise, but his arms tightened around me, and I slumped back onto him. His sudden clinginess made me all tingly inside .

We fell into an easy rhythm as we spoke, trading jabs and stories, the quiet hum of the heater filling the spaces between words. It felt natural, like this was where I was supposed to be—sitting in his lap, watching him smirk at my bad jokes, listening to the occasional sniffle that broke his sentences.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked after a while, his hands resting on my ass, possessive and proprietary.

“What, taking care of you? Nah. It’s just fun to see you not in control for once.”

Blake grunted, his expression wry. “Don’t get used to it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, grinning.

But as he leaned back, his eyes heavy with the haze of exhaustion, I couldn’t help but think I’d happily bring him soup and blowjobs every day if it meant I’d get to see him like this—unguarded, human, and mine.

* * *

Finn had a way of looking at me that made it feel like my thoughts were written in neon letters across my forehead. His eyes—sharp and curious—tracked me as I walked into our dorm, the door clicking shut behind me. The room smelled like dirty socks and last night’s pizza, now cold and forgotten in its box on my desk.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Finn said, not looking up from his laptop, but the tone of his voice gave him away. It wasn’t his usual easy-going voice I knew and loved. It was pointed.

I dropped my jacket by the door, pretending not to notice. “I went for a run.”

He snorted, snapping the laptop shut and leaning back on his bed, his arms crossed. “Right.”

“What? Look, if you have something to say to me, then say it.”

“Ty, come on. I’m not an idiot. You’ve been disappearing all the time lately, and when you are here, you’re grinning like you’ve won the lottery. I know you’re not hooking up with that Chris guy, unless he can teleport every night from another state like he’s Nightcrawler. So who is it?”

“Who’s what?” I asked, toeing off my sneakers and turning toward my bed. I rummaged through my gym bag, pretending to search for something, just to have something to do with my hands.

“The guy,” Finn said, standing up, his voice clinging to me like a persistent shadow. “Don’t play dumb. You’ve been sneaking around for weeks. You think I don’t notice when you don’t come home after classes? Or when you’re staring at your phone like it’s going to kiss you back?”

I grabbed a bottle of water from my desk, twisting the cap slowly, buying time. “You’re imagining things.”

“Bullshit,” he said, planting himself in my personal space, his arms crossed. Finn was tall and sturdy, his presence filling the room like a thundercloud. “Look, man, I’m happy for you if you’ve got someone. For real. But you can’t keep blowing me off without at least telling me what’s going on.”

I sighed, leaning against the desk and taking a sip of water. “It’s not like that, man.”

“Then what is it like?” he asked, his voice softer now, the edge of frustration giving way to concern. “You’re my best friend, Ty. Did you even know that Sandra dumped me?”

Well, this made me feel like shit because I didn’t know. I was too focused on my thing with Blake to pay any attention to what went around me, even when it came to my BFF. “Shit, dude. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, whatever. I just… I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

The sincerity in his voice made guilt twist in my stomach. Finn had been my anchor since freshman year, the one person I could always count on, and I hated lying to him. I wanted to tell him everything, I really did. But the truth was too complicated, too dangerous to share. “I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Finn studied me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing as if he could peel back my words and see what I was hiding. Finally, he sighed, running a hand through his chestnut locks. “Fine. Keep your secrets. But if this mystery guy breaks your heart, don’t expect me to cheer you up.”

I chuckled and pulled him into a bro-hug, the tension finally easing. “Deal.”

He punched my shoulder. “Oh fuck you, of course I’ll cheer you up.”

Both of us laughed, but after a moment, we became sober again. “Seriously, dude. I’m here for you. You know that.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling at him for real this time. “I know. Look, how about we go to the movies tomorrow? Just the two of us. I'll even let you pick out the movie.”

Finn snickered. “That’s because you know I have better taste in movies than you. But okay. You got yourself a bro-date.”

We fist-bumped to seal the deal, but that got me thinking. I loved what Blake and I had, but we could never go out on a date here. Never be out in public together, as a couple. Were we even a couple? Or was I just a casual fling, a temporary distraction from the boredom of small-town life? My soul yearned for answers, but I didn’t dare to ask him.

Not yet, anyway .