Maybe not cool

Riven

That morning, I felt like absolute shit.

Exhausted didn’t even cover it. My eyes were gritty, my body heavy, and my brain kept replaying last night on an endless loop no matter how hard I tried to shut it down. Kael’s stupid voice, his stupid hand wrapped around me through my shorts, the way he’d looked up at me with that filthy smirk while I fell apart like some desperate idiot. The wet heat of my own cum soaking into the fabric. The way I’d gripped his arm like a lifeline.

All because of that nuthead.

I groaned and dragged myself out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom. I wasn’t going anywhere today. No practice, no errands, nothing. Just me, my couch, and a long nap to recover from whatever the hell had happened last night. That thought actually made the corner of my mouth twitch into a small, tired smile as I squeezed toothpaste onto my brush.

I was mid-brush, foam in my mouth, when my phone started ringing from the sitting room.

I sighed around the toothbrush. Please don’t be Kael. I was seriously considering blocking that unwanted number the second I finished brushing. I didn’t even bother leaving the bathroom. I kept brushing slowly and thoroughly, letting the phone ring itself out. It went on long enough that it sounded almost tired by the end.

Only when it finally stopped did I rinse my mouth, splash water on my face, and pad barefoot into the sitting room. I dropped onto the couch and picked up the phone from the center table.

The screen lit up with the missed call.

Shit.

It wasn’t Kael.

It was Dex.

My stomach did a small flip. Dex wasn’t just a teammate on the Bulls. He was one of my closest friends on the team. He also had a short fuse and zero patience for bullshit. If he was calling this early, it probably wasn’t good news.

I hit call back before I could overthink it.

The line barely rang once before he picked up.

“Hey, what’s up?” I said, trying to sound normal. “You called. I was in the bathroom.”

“You home?” Dex asked, his voice rushed, like he was already moving somewhere.

“Hmm, yeah. Why?”

“So the Vipers are playing a match today. Do you wanna come?”

I leaned back against the cushions, already shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me. “No, I don’t think I would like to come.”

“Oh well, too bad,” Dex said, not sounding sorry at all. “Cause the coach called me, saying we should go to the game and watch how the guys play and report back to him.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Of course. Coach never missed a chance to make us “study” the competition, even on off days. The Vipers were a strong team — fast, aggressive, and annoyingly well-coordinated. We even managed to beat them the other day. Watching them play meant sitting in the stands for hours, taking mental notes, and pretending I wasn’t exhausted.

And worse… Kael would be on that ice today. Sweating, skating hard, throwing that big body around with all that Alpha confidence. The same hands that had been on me last night would be gripping a stick instead.

My face heated instantly. I shifted on the couch, suddenly hyper-aware of the faint soreness between my legs and the way my cock had traitorously twitched at just the memory.

“Riven? You still there?” Dex’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m here,” I muttered. “Do we really have to go? I’m wiped.”

“Coach’s orders, man. He wants eyes on their defense and how they transition on the break. Said it’ll help with our next matchup. I’m heading out in twenty. I can swing by and pick you up if you want.”

I hesitated, chewing on my lip. Part of me wanted to say no, to hide in my apartment and pretend last night never happened. But the bigger part knew Coach would chew me out if I skipped. And if I was being honest… a tiny, stupid, self-destructive part of me was curious. Curious to see Kael in his element. Curious if he’d look the same after what he’d done to me.

“Fine,” I sighed, already regretting it. “Pick me up. But I’m not staying the whole game if it drags.”

Dex laughed, short and sharp. “Yeah, sure. See you in twenty.”

He hung up.

I tossed the phone onto the cushion beside me and buried my face in my hands for a second, breathing slowly. Now, I would be studying and watching Kael and praying nothing happens to my sexuality.

Get it together, Riven. It was one stupid night. One stupid handjob. You’re still straight. You’re still you.

But even as I thought it, my body remembered the slow drag of Kael’s fingers, the way he’d watched my face the entire time, the low growl in his voice when he told me to look at him.

I stood up quickly, shaking off the thoughts, and had a shower. Then, I headed to my room to throw on some clothes. Jeans and a hoodie — nothing fancy. Dex would be here soon, and the last thing I needed was to show up at a Vipers game looking like I’d spent the night tossing and turning over one of their players.

Especially that player.

As I pulled the hoodie over my head, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My lip was still slightly swollen from where Kael had split it yesterday. The faint bruise was a reminder I couldn’t ignore.

And somewhere deep down, beneath all the denial, I wondered if Kael would notice it too when he saw me in the stands.

Soon enough, Dex’s car pulled up outside my building. I grabbed my keys and headed down, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt a little lower as I slid into the passenger seat.

The second I closed the door, Dex’s eyes flicked to my face. His brows pulled together.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, pointing at my mouth.

I instinctively touched the swollen spot on my lower lip where Kael had split it yesterday. It was still tender. The faint bruise must have been more visible than I thought.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I whispered, keeping my voice casual. I tugged the hood further over my head, trying to shadow my face. “Let’s go.”

Dex didn’t look fully convinced, but he let it drop. He started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

“By the way,” he said after a moment, glancing sideways at me, “I’m surprised you allowed me to come to your new place. You’ve been acting like it’s some top-secret bunker.”

I let out a soft, tired laugh and shook my head, staring out the window at the passing streets. “It’s not that deep. I just like my space.”

Dex snorted. “Yeah, sure. Mr. Private over here.”

The car filled with comfortable silence after that, broken only by the low hum of the radio. I leaned my head against the cool glass, watching the city blur by. My mind, of course, refused to stay quiet.