Page 62 of Dickathlon

“Say what now? Does Christmas make you mopey or somethin’?”

“My family was like gaga over you when I said who I was bringing home. Apparently, your boyfriend somehow missed how famous you are.”

“Really?”

“Some gym posters. And Pierce was, like, freaking out about ESPN.”

“Oh that. Yeah, Nike is one of my sponsors.”

“Nike?!”

“Excuse me, gentlemen.”

I turned to see a uniformed police officer a few feet away.

“As adorable as your reunion has been to watch - admittedly, I have a gay son that would’ve liked it a lot more than me - I’m gonna have to ask you to get in your vehicle and leave this area. It’s for loading and unloading only. And, uh, kissing while legal in the state of California isn’t by definition loading or unloading.”

I felt the color hit my cheeks at the same time Declan said, “Sorry, officer. You can see how cute this guy is.” He pointed his thumb at me. “Can’t keep my hands off him.”

“I don’t play for your team, but you’ve both got enough muscles, that’s for sure. Either of you thought of a job in security before? I’d definitely feel safer if you were watching my back.”

Declan laughed, adding, “No sir. We’re athletes.”

The officer nodded, wished us a Merry Christmas, and before I knew it, Declan had thrown his bag in the backseat and we were on our way.

“Is that all you brought?”

“Don’t worry, Ty. The presents are getting mailed to your parent’s place.”

I nodded. “About that. Did you get presents for everyone?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Shit.

“I forgot to tell you. We don’t do presents. Well, we do for the kids, but not for the adults.”

“That’s okay. I’m more into giving.” He winked. “I can’t wait to give you yours. And thanks again for picking me up. I’m glad we have some time before we’re at the house. I can get a last minute cram session in.”

A phone call interrupted the music I was playing via Bluetooth. I recognized the number. It was my doctor. I hadn’t told Declan I went to see him.

“You can answer it if you need to.” He must’ve seen the hesitation on my face. “Better not be another boyfriend.”

I gave him a little laugh and answered the call. “What’s up, doc?”

“That never gets old, Tyler. How are you feeling?”

“Still doing great. I’m guessing you have some results for me?”

“That’s right. Always a mind reader.”

I glanced over and noticed Declan had stopped fiddling with his phone. His eyebrows were raised as he waited for the doctor to continue.

“To be blunt, based on the scans, there is still a risk of permanent damage if you push too far and do too much.”

“So, the Olympics are unlikely.”

“Unfortunately, yes. Though I still think with proper training, you could be an amazing athlete.”