CHAPTER 3

Jude's eyebrows shot up. "That's really sad," he said.

"Yeah, it's a shame, and he was a good player too. You would have liked him," Yon told Jude.

Klaus snorted a laugh. Jude glared at him.

"What?" Yon asked.

Jude took a sip of his beer.

"Oh, nothing. So what's Malachi's sexual orientation?" Klaus asked.

Jude choked again. For fuck's sake.

"What? Why? Do you want to date him?" Yon asked with a laugh.

"Just curious," Klaus said dismissively.

Yon appeared uncertain. "I don't know. Straight, I guess? He hasn't been in touch. He postponed last semester," Yon replied.

"He's had girlfriends?" Klaus asked.

Yon gestured vaguely with his hand. "Yeah, a couple."

Jude's balloon went flat. He looked at Klaus, and Klaus shrugged.

"That's too bad. We'll just postpone college experimentation another day," Klaus said.

Yon laughed outright. Klaus smiled at Jude, and Jude shook his head. That was all right. So Malachi was truthful. Something would not have happened between them had he not been. Jude took another gulp of beer and scrunched up his face at the flavor.

They finally let Jude out an hour later. He pushed through the too-warm home, descended the stairs, and looked around. He noticed Malachi sitting with his crowd a little further away. He slowed his pace, looking at him. Malachi was laughing really hard. A girl glanced up at him, but Malachi wasn't looking at her. Someone offered Malachi something, and his fingers wrapped around it and brought it to his lips. He puffed a cloud of smoke that was probably weed. He laughed loudly, holding up a cup and taking a swig. He was gorgeous and one thousand percent out of Jude's league.

Jude just kept going, not wanting to glance over his shoulder.

Jude continued searching for Malachi.

Whenever Jude was leaving to go out running or going out to training or class, he glanced around to see if he spotted Malachi. They were in different groups, so weeks passed before Jude spotted him again.

Jude was about to lose hope of spotting Malachi when he walked into the clubhouse and there he was. Jude stopped short. Malachi was talking to Yon and the other higher-level students. Malachi wasn't in uniform, so he probably wasn't there to skate. He was in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, which was quite casual, but he looked even better than Jude remembered. Daylight suited him.

Klaus spotted Jude first and smiled brightly, waving Jude over. Jude rolled his eyes and approached them.

“Jud, go change. We’re going to try something different today,” Phoenix, their captain, told Jude, and Jude nodded.

Jude glanced at Malachi, and Malachi lifted his hand to greet him.

“Hi,” Jude said lamely.

Jude fought to get himself balanced as he changed into his uniform, and when he got back to them, Klaus was talking about him.

"Jude's a prodigy. It would be disheartening if it wasn't crazy to watch," Klaus told Malachi, and Jude felt embarrassment wash over him once again.

"Yeah?" Malachi said.

"It's seriously intense. Jude likes setting, but he's really great at everything. His serve is crazy," Yon said. That was nice to hear.

"You're setting me up to fail," Jude said to them, and they turned to him.

"Not possible," Klaus said.

"What are we doing?" Jude asked.

"Practice game," Phoenix answered.

Phoenix arranged the teams, and Jude straightened up when he heard Malachi was coming to play. Malachi pulled on a pair of gym shorts, and Jude shook his head to prevent himself from becoming distracted by the sight. They stood lined up on their side of the net, and Jude could feel Malachi watching him.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked Jude.

"It's fine," Jude told him.

Jude took a step back, took a deep breath, and concentrated. This was the easy part for him. Drinking and small talk were well out of his comfort range. Jude was aware of what he was doing in this gym. They started to play, and while Jude let his eye wander over towards Malachi, it was the curiosity of a player.

Malachi was good at spiking. His reflexes were quick, and his body obeyed them seamlessly. He moved with a natural grace, his muscles flexing under his skin with each jump and dive. His breath came in steady, controlled gasps, and Jude could see the determination etched on Malachi’s face.

Every time Jude served, Malachi zeroed in on him, his eyes never leaving the ball. Malachi always smiled while playing, a genuine, carefree smile that made Jude’s heart race. His eyes were focused and intense. They followed the ball with laser precision, darting from player to player, never missing a beat. Malachi’d lean on his knees and sway slightly from side to side, his anticipation evident. He wanted to catch it, to prove himself on the court. The sight of Malachi moving was riveting.

The whoosh of their sneakers squeaking against the shine of the gym floor, the sound of rhythmic thumping of the ball as it was spiked and served, and a few grunts of exertion punctuated the air. Whenever Jude attempted something, he sensed Malachi watching him, critiquing, appreciating. It was exciting and unsettling. Malachi’s raw talent was obvious, but there was a hint of untapped potential in his movements. Jude wondered how much better Malachi could be if he were training regularly. Yon had been right; Jude also liked Malachi as a player.

When the game was over, they all huddled. Phoenix urged Malachi to join and play again, while Malachi smiled and gave a slight nod, avoiding a direct answer.

Malachi's eyes landed on Jude's. "If we ever do this again, I want to be on his team," Malachi said, nodding in Jude's direction.

Jude smiled to himself. He made a move towards his water bottle and heard someone tagging along behind him. Malachi was there beside him.

"Hey," Jude said, the awkwardness coming back again.

"They weren't kidding about you."

"You're not bad yourself," Jude told Malachi.

Malachi smiled wider. "Thanks," he panted, still gasping for breath. He was certainly out of shape; he couldn't catch his breath at all. "I don't think I'll be able to keep pace with you," Malachi said teasingly.

"You're not training; no wonder, then. I'm certain you could if you were," Jude told Malachi.

Malachi's smile broadened. "I like that you're arrogant. I never noticed that before," Malachi said, laughing again. He grabbed a bottle of water and drank from it. Jude watched Malachi's throat as he moved around the bottle, transfixed.

Wait.

"Arrogant," Jude repeated.

"Yea, you know you're good, you're excellent even. I thought you were shy when we met, but you're not shy here, right? You're not shy when you play," Malachi said.

Jude didn't have a response to that.

Malachi snickered again. "I don't bite, you know?" Malachi said, his smile growing.

"What?" Jude said, bewildered.

"You're looking at me like you expect me to pounce on you or something," Malachi answered, flinging his eyes open.

If Jude blushed, he'd be flushing right now.

"I don't think so. You're just a little… " Jude struggled for words.

"What? Annoying?" Malachi laughed.

Not even.

"No, intimidating, I guess," Jude told Malachi.

"I'm scary? I scare you? Are you kidding me?" Malachi laughed once more, smiling so hotly as he did. He was scrunching up his nose.

"Yeah, well, sorta," Jude chattered, taken aback by Malachi's reaction.

"You're a foot taller than me," Malachi reminded.

"That's not true. You're like five-eight-ish," Jude replied.

Malachi chuckled. "That is not the problem. I could not possibly frighten you. That does not compute," Malachi replied. He drank another mouthful and sat on the bench. His cheeks were still rosy from exertion, and beads of perspiration dotted his forehead, glittering in the light. The image of him, flushed and with a hiccup in breathing, stirred something in Jude.

The perspiration made Malachi's hair stick a little to his forehead. It clung there, darkened by the moisture, and when Malachi pushed it back, it stood up messily. Malachi made it look like he did that purposefully, as if he knew how good he looked. He pulled on his shirt sleeve, revealing his muscled shoulder, and Jude swooned. Malachi’s skin was smooth, slightly pink from the workout, and Jude could see the defined lines of his muscles. Malachi probably had a great body, too, if Jude was able to see it. His clothes hung loose on him slightly.

Jude met Malachi's eyes and knew Malachi had been staring at him. Shit. Malachi's lips, parted in breathing, smoothed into half-teasing smile, half-not.

"What do you have going on for you on Friday?" Malachi asked.

Jude's heart stuttered. "Why?

I invited Yon to a party at my house. Come with him," Malachi said with a charming incline of his head.

It was probably the first party invitation Jude had ever gotten, and Jude was ready to accept.

"Thanks, but I won't be able to make it. I'm returning home for the weekend," Jude told Malachi.

Malachi shrugged nonchalantly. “Next time,” Malachi told him and pushed up from the bench. “And next time, we’ll play for the same team. I’ll look forward to those tosses, Jude.” Malachi gave him one last smile and walked towards Yon.

Immediately, Jude wanted to call his mom and cancel. He knew he couldn’t, but he would give anything to be going to that party.