Page 83 of Dickathlon

“It’s likely Freddie would stay. I could rent out my half unless he has another idea. We haven’t talked about it too much. It’s still a ways away.” He glanced at me, adding, “Chula Vista is near San Diego. I’m not sure if I mentioned it to you or not.”

I felt Declan’s hand brush my knee. I spread my legs a little more, giving him a place to rest his hand. Once settled, his thumb casually rubbed back and forth over the fabric. I didn’t say anything about Chula Vista in front of his parents. I didn’t want to embarrass Declan. He hadn’t said anything to me about it. We hadn’t discussed our future either.

I knew we were dating and exclusive, but our lives were pretty distinct. I wasn’t sure how we could merge them together without one of us making huge changes. And San Diego was even farther from me than LA.

“You break seventeen feet in the pole vault yet?”

“For the first time yesterday, actually. Twice.”

“That’s great to hear. Keep pushing. I know you know that, but I gotta say it.”

16

Declan

I inwardly kicked myself when I mentioned Chula Vista. I hadn’t discussed it with Ty yet and shouldn’t have said anything about it in front of my parents. I'm sure he had a hundred questions, but he wouldn’t ask them until we were alone. Hoping the contact would comfort him, I reached out to touch him. He didn’t pull away, so that was a good sign.

“I know, Dad. I’ll get there. Yuri’s got a plan and the championships are still three months away.”

“They’re in Oregon, right?” Ty asked.

“Yeah,” I answered, surprised. I hadn’t mentioned that either.

Maybe this is a sign we should talk more?

It’s hard to talk when you’re fooling around.

Speaking of. “We should head out soon.”

“Aw, already, Declan.”

“Sorry, Mom. You knew this would be a quick visit. You’ve met Ty now, so you can stop pestering me. He’s amazing, right?”

“He’s very handsome,” she admitted.

“I’ll admit it, you two seem better suited than you and Freddie,” my dad added.

“Well, I hope so. Because this”—I gestured between me and Ty—“is real.”

“And we’re happy for you. Just don’t let your relationship distract you from your training.”

“Da-”

“I would never let him blow his training off for me, sir,” Ty said before I could defend us.

Well, if he wanted to blow something else, I might blow training off. “See what a good boy he is.”

Influence. You should’ve said influence.

I watched Ty shift in his seat. My praise had turned him on. That kinky little bastard. As awful as it sounded, I couldn’t wait to leave. The sooner we were out the door, the sooner we’d be naked and smothering each other with kisses. Possibly with an audience.

After my mom served dessert - a homemade Boston cream pie - we stayed for another half hour, until I noticed the sun hit the far end of the pool..

“Well, we should get going. I’d like to get to Palm Springs before dark.”

“Alright, we’ve been grilling him long enough.”

“Does he pass your test, Mom?”