The Naked Jock Chapter 7 (Patreon)

All characters engaged in sexual activity are 18 or older.

It’s never fun running into someone you don’t like, but that feeling of discomfort only gets worse when that person broke your heart into a million pieces. And of course, it would be my luck that I run into the asshole who did just that on my very first date with Jake. 

“Derek.” I grit my teeth. “What are you doing here?” Jake looks between us with concern, his hand squeezing mine reassuringly. 

Derek smiles, but I notice his eyes flicking to where Jake’s holding my hand. “Oliver, it’s so good to see you. It’s been so long!” I don’t respond—I can’t as memories of what he did, how he hurt and betrayed me assault my mind—so he turns to look at Jake and extends his hand out to him. “Hey, bro. I’m Derek. Oliver and I used to date.” 

Jake tells him his name and reluctantly shakes Derek’s hand, but the one holding mine never leaves my grip. Somehow, as impossible as it may be, Jake knows that I need him right now. He knows that if he lets go, I’m going to run out of here as fast as I can. He knows, even though I only hinted at it, that Derek is the reason I’m still single. 

Derek scratches at his head awkwardly and forces a smile as he looks back at me. “So it was really nice to see you, Oliver. I’m—uh, I just transferred here, so I guess I’ll be seeing you around campus. We should catch up sometime.” He nods at Jake and then walks away, taking all the air in the room with him. 

The moment he’s out of sight, I let the mask fall off. My hand trembles as I pull away from Jake, and a torrent of emotions threatens to wash away any chances of us having a good first date. 

“Ollie,” Jake says, concern etched into his face. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head, not trusting myself to talk yet. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” I whisper. 

Our eyes lock, and just like that, he seems to understand that I need time to process this. So Jake being Jake, he turns the conversation to topics that won’t gut me. “DC or Marvel?”

That gets a laugh out of me. “Marvel, duh. They have the best movies.” 

“Maybe,” he admits, “but I think DC comics are better.” 

My jaw drops open. “You read comic books?”

He shrugs with a shy smile on his face. “I know. It’s a little strange that a football player like me would read comics, but I really like them. I like reading fiction books, you know? Sometimes a little fantasy or sci-fi.” Then he lowers his voice and leans in, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “Sometimes, I like to read smut about gay boys. That’s my favorite.” 

Just when I think he can’t surprise me anymore, he does, pulling me from the darkness that threatened to swallow me. He tells me all about himself, opening up about his parents who—like Liam guessed—are wealthy attorneys but never seem to have much time for him. He tells me about his childhood and how he fell in love with football the moment his dad put him in a flag football league when he was five years old. And through it all, he stops to ask me questions every so often, letting me share without pushing me beyond what I’m comfortable with. 

Jake fills the silence, but it’s not overbearing, and it’s not how he normally would do it. Gone is the, I know I’m sexy persona that he puts on for his friends and fans. This is the real Jake, raw and unfiltered. It’s a Jake that I don’t think many people see, even amongst his teammates. 

We order dessert, and while we’re waiting for it, Jake goes to the restroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts. 

“You two are such a sweet couple.” I look over in the direction of the voice to see a kindly old lady sitting across from an equally old man who’s nodding along.

I smile, bright and genuine. “Thanks, but it’s just our first date. We’re not really a couple…”

The old lady leans in close, her wrinkles becoming even more obvious. “That might be the case, young man. But I can tell when two people are going to make it in the long haul, and that’s what I’m getting from the two of you—call it a sixth sense if you will. The way you two look at each other is something special. It’s the same way I look at my Herbert after sixty years of marriage.”  

“Woah,” I say. “That’s a long time.” 

They both nod, and this time, the old man speaks up in a gravelly voice. “It is, but it feels like it was just yesterday we met. I fall in love with Martha more and more every day. That’s what happens when you meet the one.” 

“Thanks,” I whisper as they get up from their table and hobble away together, holding hands. Is that who Jake is? Is he the one? 

I don’t get to think about it for long because our dessert shows up right as Jake comes back to the table, and the smile he gives me is fucking infectious. It has me grinning ear to ear as we devour the chocolate cake in front of us. When I ask the server for the check, she looks at me confused and says that the bill was already paid for. 

I narrow my eyes at Jake, who smirks, that signature smile of his back on his face. “What? I didn’t do anything. Someone must have paid for ours as well. You know, like those pay it forward things.” 

I chuckle and bump his shoulder as we make our way through the restaurant. “You’re such a bad liar.”

He grins. “I know, but at least you won’t have to worry about me trying to pull one over on you.” His words stop me in my tracks. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but it’s like he knows exactly what he needs to say to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

The car ride back to campus is quiet but comfortable, and even though I wanted to fool around with him tonight, I just don’t have it in me after seeing Derek. So he walks me back to my room, stopping outside. He leans down and kisses me, soft and sweet, letting me know it’s okay that we don’t do anything else tonight. 

Jake pulls away first, leaning his forehead against mine. “There’s a football game this Friday, and the Kappa brothers always throw a party for us after the game. Do you wanna come? Ryan and I can get you and Liam tickets, and then we can go together after the game.” 

I smile and kiss him again. “I would love to. And I’m sure Liam will want to as well. Just… have Ryan text Liam himself. It’ll make him happy.” 

Jake nods and kisses me one last time. “Good night, Ollie. I had a great time with you tonight.” 

I watch him walk away and can’t help but wonder if that old lady was right.