Read Love, Hypothetically[Theta Alpha Gamma 02 ] for Free Online Page B

because he could never compete with a memory.”
“How dramatic,” Paul sniped.
“Xavier had a flair for it.”
Paul bit his tongue to keep from asking what the hell Trevor was doing with a guy like that.
“I missed the stuff he took, but it wasn’t worth chasing after him to get it back.”
Paul snorted. “Sounds like he couldn’t compete with much of anything when it came to your opinion.”
“Yeah, I guess I wasn’t that into him.”
“I need to know this why?”
“He was talking about you. You’re the memory.”
Paul laughed shortly, unamused. “How do you know he meant me?”
“He mentioned you by name. He said I talked about you and was always comparing him to you. I thought he was nuts, but after that, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Trevor shifted, turning toward him. “It was like, I don’t know, Paul. I kept thinking about what happened between us, and it just made me sick.”
“That makes two of us,” Paul muttered.
Trevor ignored him. “I saw it clearly then, I guess. After Xavier left, I’d wake up dreaming about that night in the locker room, and what happened, and I’d lie there at night hating myself. I wanted to come out—it was as if I’d never like myself again unless I did. When my contract was up, I resigned and came out at the same time. They weren’t exactly begging me to stay.”
Paul couldn’t help but ask, “Do you like yourself, now?” He did have some humanity, after all.
Trevor nodded. “I do, yeah.”
“This is misplaced guilt, Trevor,” Paul said softly, standing up and looking down at him. “You feel bad for what happened, that’s all this is.”
Trevor stood up also. “No, it’s not. I thought it was too, and that when I left baseball and came out, it would fade, but it didn’t.” When Paul started to turn away, Trevor grabbed his arm and held him there. “I didn’t stop thinking about you, and I started wondering what would happen if we could see what we’d have now. When this job came open, I applied for it right away.”
This was bullshit. Paul shook off Trevor’s hand and stepped back. “And you thought what? That you’d come here and your long-lost boyfriend would’ve been pining away for you for nine years? That he’d fall into your arms, forgive you for betraying him, and agree to run off to New York and marry you? That I’d trust you?” Paul pointed at him. “I’ve got news for you, Trevor: no one marries their first love. It’s a fairytale.”
Trevor stepped close and asked quietly, “Was I your first love?”
Paul tried to meet Trevor’s eyes, but he couldn’t quite manage it. “Your dick certainly was.” Weak.
“You were my first love.” Trevor’s voice pulsed in Paul’s chest.
His lungs hitched. “You never told me that, or showed me.” He’d probably revealed too much by even responding.
“I should have. I was horrible to you. I don’t deserve another chance, but I’d like one.”
His words throbbed in Paul’s fingertips and chest and nuts. Paul swallowed, staring at the floor. “I can’t give you one.”
Trevor grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly and pulling it toward his chest. “I swear to God, Paul, I will never treat you like that again. I won’t. I’ll make it—”
“It’s too late,” he whispered. He met Trevor’s eyes, knowing all the pain he carried was spilling out, but he couldn’t stop it. All his normal protective mechanisms were malfunctioning.
Trevor grabbed him, one arm wrapping around his waist and the other smashing his head into Trevor’s shoulder. Paul let him. He couldn’t take whatever else Trevor was trying to offer him, but he’d take this. Trevor rocked him like a child, swaying back and forth, occasionally kissing Paul’s temple like he was trying to take the pain of some boo-boo away. Paul relaxed into it, letting Trevor do this for him.
But it still wasn’t enough. When Paul tried to pull away, Trevor gripped him tighter. “Please.”
“I understood why you did