Chapter 34

Adrian's POV

I can't believe we're actually about to do this.

The 8 of us are seriously about to share one order of calamari.

8 grown, not just grown, massive football players are about to share one order of calamari. Is everyone a cheapskate? Derek is paying for the meal, they should be going crazy, and one order of calamari is not enough for everyone. We should have at least 4. I am very frustrated by this and I will ask for another order for just me and Derek to share.

Me and Derek are also about to come out to everyone. I am so excited and scared at the same time. I am sure people will be happy for us, it would be insane if they aren't, but it's still so crazy. Our best friends are about to know that I'm in a relationship with Derek and how in love we are.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Derek asks me.

"Yeah. When should we tell everyone?" I whisper, not trying to draw unnecessary attention.

"Whenever makes sense."

I guess that's an answer. I don't really know what a good time would really be, because everyone is gonna be talking all dinner long. It's not the best to just interrupt everyone from eating to say something that will take like 2 minutes.

Out of nowhere, Derek's hand finds my thigh and he lightly squeezes it while still staying engaged in the conversation and again not making a big deal out of it. As far as anyone can tell, nothing happened. My hand falls on top of his hand and I look at him and he smiles a tiny bit. I am seriously so obsessed.

The affection he shows me on a daily basis is infinitely more than I ever got before getting with him. I really just pray that this relationship will continue to sail smoothly, and we won't have any drama.

We get our food pretty quickly, and we dig in. The room slowly begins getting warmer as the inevitable moment of me and Derek coming out approaches. Derek notices this and rubs my thigh a little bit. I find it endearing that he really likes my thighs. I don't specifically focus on that area when I'm working out, but I guess he really likes them.

A little more time passes, and Derek taps my leg with his leg and I look up at him. He nods at me before clearing his throat, quickly getting everyone to stop talking.

"Uh, I have something to say," he announces.

"You're not transferring, right?" DeShaun asks.

"No, of course not."

"Oh, ok. Cool."

"Yeah, well anyways, this is kind of important so can everyone listen?" he asks.

"Yeah, but I have to go to the bathroom," Cam says.

Aaron kinda slaps his boyfriend to try to get him to pay attention and Cameron very quietly apologizes and kisses him on the cheek before they both return their attention to Derek.

"Okay, well, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but there is someone in my life that I am quickly falling for," he starts.

"What's her name?" Jax asks.

"That's the thing, it's um, it's a guy," he admits, visibly embarrassed.

"You're gay?" Jax asks.

"Yeah."

"No way."

"I am though."

"I don't believe it."

"Well I am."

"Are you bi? Or 100% gay?"

"As far as I'm concerned I'm definitely gay," Derek once again restates.

"So who are you dating?" says Jax, asking yet another question.

"He's sitting at this table as we speak," Derek says.

"It's Adrian," damn near the entire table says at the same exact time.

Everyone then diverts their attention to me, waiting for me to say something. I clear my throat and begin.

"Yes, me and Derek are dating," I say.

Everyone erupts into cheering, which is pretty embarrassing in front of so many other people.

"Shut up!" Derek says, silencing everyone.

"Are you guys in love?" Aaron asks.

"That's private but I think he knows," Derek says, smiling at me.

"Same answer. We don't really have to say it. Not yet."

"Have you...?" Kai asks, obviously suggesting something.

"Kai, we are not answering that question," I fire back.

"Ooooohhhh, that means they definitely have," Kai laughs.

"Shut the fuck up," Derek orders, and Kai shuts up immediately. "Our private life is private, but we would like to just have everyone know that we are together, and this is how it will probably be forever."

"Are you guys planning for marriage yet?" Aaron asks.

"Not really, no," Derek answers. "Are you two?"

"I don't know about Cam, but I've got a ring picked out."

"I've got one bought," Cam says, one upping his boyfriend.

"Is it nice?"

"I plead the 5th."

"Whatever. I'll see the ring soon," Aaron realizes.

"How long have you been gay?" Kai asks.

"Uh, that's a really dumb question but I've been gay since birth, and I've known I'm gay for years."

"Hmm. That's interesting."

"What?" Derek asks.

"Nothing."

"Okay."

"Why didn't you tell any of us before?" Aaron asks.

"Because my mom is a fucking bitch and would've kicked me out of the house if I said anything about possibly being gay. But now that I don't live with her, and don't rely on her, I can be open about my life," he answers calmly.

"Well, we're all proud that you came out and we will do everything we can to support you," Cam says earnestly.

"Thank you," Derek says, smiling at everyone.

"Of course. We're your friends. Besides, there's no way you can be any more of an insufferable couple than Cam and Aaron, right?" DeShaun asks.

"We're not insufferable!" Cam yells.

"We all get that you're a couple you don't need to make out in public," DeShaun yells back.

"He's right," Aaron mumbles.

"Whatever," Cam says. "You're all just jealous you aren't dating someone with lips like Aaron's."

Dinner continues and I feel much more relaxed the rest of the time. Me and Derek are public. At least to the people closest to us. That's really all that matters to me. We're out and unsurprisingly, we have support. I was never worried about that. We have a group of people that will support us through almost anything. I'm very thankful for that.

After dinner, me and Derek go right back to my dorm room and sit on the couch, getting ready to watch some TV.

"I'm such a lucky person," Derek says randomly. "My boyfriend is an angel, my friends don't mind that I'm the way that I am, and I'm living out my dreams."

His arm loops around my waist and he quickly pulls me onto his lap before rapidly planting kisses all over my face.

"Derek, I think we should discuss some things since we're public now," I tell him, my hands finding his hair.

"What do you wanna talk about, baby?"

"Your mom and her boyfriend."

"What about them?" he asks, continuing to touch me in places he knows I like to be touched.

"I think you should cut them off. They will absolutely not support you and I, and it is obvious that any contact with them will not be good for you anyways."

"Okay."

"Really? You'll cut them off for me?" I ask.

"Uh, yeah. You're completely right. They aren't gonna do anything that benefits me, they're just gonna keep hurting me and being asses to you and everyone else, so I think it's only right that I cut them off."

"Thank you," I say, pecking him on the lips.

"Of course. You know I'll do anything for you."

"Really?"

"Uh, I have limits, but almost anything," he answers, his hands finding my ass.

"Can you buy us matching Christmas pajamas?"

"Huh? Yeah, yes, of course I will. I'll get them soon."

"Thank you," I say, hugging him. "You're the best."

"No, you're the best. You're letting me go with you to Hawaii for three whole weeks. That's crazy, it really is crazy."

"My parents wanna meet you, and we need to have a first vacation together. Hawaii would be a nice wedding destination too."

"We are becoming Cam and Aaron, aren't we?" he asks, smiling.

"That's not a terrible thing, right? They love each other. Do we love each other?"

"Yes," he smiles. "I love you."

"Really?"

"Of course I do, dummy. You're the first person I've wanted to get married to."

"Wow. You love me," I grin.

"You're damn right I do. Now do you love me?"

"Yes, of course I do. A million times yes. I love you more than you love my waist," I joke.

"That's saying a lot."

"I know."

"Well. I'm glad we said that, because I've been containing myself from blurting that out randomly for a few weeks," he admits.

"A few weeks? I've been holding myself from saying that for years."

"Well, things happened and now we can both say it comfortably and mean it from the bottom of our hearts."

"Yup. I love you."

"I love you more," he replies.

"Not true."

"Yes true."

"Whatever. Let's go to bed," I settle.

"Kay."

I begin to get off of Derek's lap but he picks me up and brings me to the bed. He also gets changed quickly right in front of me before bringing me my clothes and lying down next to me.

I get changed next to him while he watches me before I roll over to face him.

"One more game," he tells me. "Then we're free."

"Yup. Then Hawaii."

"I'm so excited. I've never been there."

"It's so beautiful. We're gonna have a great time. By the way, I just have one request," I tell him.

"What is it?"

"Please don't wear a tank top when you first meet my parents. They are not against that kind of thing, I think. Actually I have no idea what their stance on something like that would be, but I think it would be best if you didn't wear something that revealing the first time you meet them. It just wouldn't be the best, you know?" I ask.

"Yeah. I get it. I always have one on, I'll just put something else on over it. But I can still wear one other times, right?"

"Of course. It's just first impression things. I want them to think of you well, and there's only one first impression and there's like, no taking away that first impression. But other than that, yeah, I don't mind you wearing a tank top," I state.

"I know. You love seeing the outline of my abs through my shirt."

"I do," I agree, my fingers tracing his chiseled abs while he laughs.

"Is the weather during the winter usually okay?"

"Yeah. It's still in like, the 70s. But we probably shouldn't go in the ocean. The waves are crazy there when it's not summer."

"I don't even like the beach. As long as there are pools, that's good enough for me," he tells me.

"Should we go to sleep now?"

"I don't wanna. I wanna talk to you all night."

I kiss his cheek and stare him in the eyes. They always have a glimmer in them. I don't know what it's from, because even when it's dark, like it is right now, his eyes continue to shine. It's really crazy because he doesn't use contacts or anything either, it's just how he looks normally. I can't believe I'm with someone that looks like he does. It still blows my mind.

"Got something on your mind?" he asks.

"Kinda. I just wanna know what about me you love."

"Hmm. Maybe it's the fact that you have such a beautiful personality that is impossible not to fall for, your eyes are so easy to just look at for hours, you're so funny, you make me feel like I can just be myself and be fine with that, and let's not forget those thighs and that waist."

I laugh a little. "Do I really make you feel comfortable?"

"Yeah, you're like, the first person that I feel comfortable around. I can just be real. I don't have to be something I'm not, I don't have to pretend to be some tough straight guy, I can just be a romantic gay guy around you. And that's the best feeling," he tells me, staring in my eyes.

"Wow. Am I turning you soft?"

He chuckles. "I was never tough. I just worked out for hours everyday and kind of stopped talking a lot for a while, and that's what I'm told tough people do. I've always been a softie at heart, it's just that I'm lowkey insecure," he admits.

"Are you deadass?"

"Yeah."

"What could possibly make you insecure?" I question.

"Uhh, well, I always thought I wasn't attractive. But I guess I am if I have you as a boyfriend."

"You're tripping. I think you should get some rest," I burst out in laughter.

"Adri, I'm being honest," he whines.

"I do not remember a single time that I've seen you that I haven't thought you were the most attractive person on the planet."

"Well, I did used to be super ugly."

"Lies. Good partners don't lie," I joke.

"Adri, listen to me," he tells me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me towards him.

"Fine," I mumble.

"I used to be like really ugly. Then I got braces and lost weight and once I lost enough weight to become a cornerback instead of a linebacker, I hit the gym daily and worked my ass off to get an aesthetic body."

"This all happened before you moved here, right?" I ask.

"Yeah. I only had braces for like, a year before I got them off and finally started living my life."

"Were you fat or just really big?"

"I was just really big and I didn't like that look for me so I lost a bunch of weight and I was a twink for a couple months," he admits.

"Damn."

"Yeah. I used to be skinny after I lost hella weight. But then I worked out enough to get to this point and I will probably keep working out to just get stronger. This is my desired body."

"Your body is the desired body I want to sleep next to tonight," I state.

"I don't wanna go to sleep."

"What do you want?" I ask.

"I wanna watch basketball highlights."

"Okay. But we have to go to sleep soon, okay? We have class tomorrow and I don't want to be tired."

I walk over to the desk in my room and grab my computer. I bring to back to bed and turn it on, going straight to YouTube and looking up the NBA.

"LeBron James is fine as hell," he blurts out.

"You know what? Yeah. I agree."

5 minutes later, Derek is asleep. I put the computer down on the table next to me and kiss Derek on the cheek before tucking myself in next to him and falling asleep next to his warm body.

6 days later...

We won our final game before the break and we celebrated by having a party in the locker room. Except all of us were exhausted so we didn't really actually party because we were all sore. We just ate some food and then left.

Me and Derek got Chinese takeout and went back to the dorms where we ate.

Love is really a powerful thing. I have loved a lot of things during my life. My family, my friends, football, music, and plenty of other things. I have stronger love for people like my parents and grandparents, but that doesn't mean I can't love other things like my friends.

Derek is completely different though. Romantically, I've never loved someone so openly in my life. I wouldn't say Derek has opened my heart up, but he has made me feel things I've never felt before in my life. He's spooned me, which is phenomenal, he's kissed me on every square inch of my face, he's touched me in places that give me butterflies, he's let me touch him in places that I've only ever dreamed of touching someone, and he's bought me things without me asking for things. I feel spoiled by him, and who am I to say I don't want him to spoil me? I enjoy that he buys me things, even if he won't let me pay him back. I obviously love when we just talk and both of our hands travel to places where the sun may not shine, and I love when he kisses me.

Derek has changed my life and my life has been significantly better since he decided not to hold a grudge against me anymore.

I just hope this lasts forever.

A/N: I'm alive! And this book is almost over. I will do my best to get the rest of this done by the end of the year, but I don't know how much time I will realistically have. I have so much to do school wise and I would love to write a lot, but this is a year I need to lock in. I want to go somewhere good for college and this year is probably the most important year of high school. Anyone in college (or done with college) at like a state school, could you let me know if it was nice and what kinds of things you did that got you into that school? That would be great. Thank you for reading!!! Below this are images of the hotel that I'm imagining Derek and Adrian will be going to for the break, which will begin next chapter.