Damon and Maddox already knew, and Jet figured it out, but whoever wrote that article is oblivious.
Just when I think I can relax, Lennon shakes his head.
“I got a phone call from my coworker. They’re running a story. They said you were gay and wanted me to confirm.”
All the air leaves my lungs. His magazine is running the story?
“Can’t you stop it?” I yell and then hate myself when Lennon winces. “I’m sorry. I’m not yelling at you. I’m freaking out.”
“Yell at me,” he whispers. “Yell at me because I deserve it. You’ve been risking more than you used to, and I don’t want—”
“That was my choice. This is neither of our faults, and right now, we need to focus on the more important thing of either beating this story to the press or getting your editor to squash it.”
Lennon stares at me with an expression I can’t read. Surprise, maybe? Shock? All I know is he doesn’t start moving.
“Do you want to call your editor or should I?”
Finally, he snaps out of whatever’s holding him back and he starts tapping away on his phone. His finger hesitates over the number.
“Damon,” he says. “We should call Damon first and see what he knows. I don’t want to give away anything to my editor if we don’t have to. If we call and tell him to squash it, he’ll ask why we need to.”
“Yeah. Do that. Call Damon and put him on speaker.”
It rings a few times before Damon picks up. “Where’s Ollie?”
No hi, no how are you, just where’s Ollie. That can’t be good.
“Uh, I’m right here,” I say. “You’re on speaker.”
“You two have got to be more careful. That photo of you guys—”
“It’s so hot,” a voice calls out from the background. I think it’s Maddox. “It’s like foreplay porn.”
“Ignore him,” Damon says, “but he has a point. Unless you want this to come out—”
“Well, that’s just it,” Lennon says. “It has. Or … it will. I got a call from a guy I work with. He’s running a story about it, but they want confirmation from me. Which I didn’t give. Obviously.”
Damon hesitates, and I can practically hear his gears turning from here.
“Where did the story come from? If this photo is the only source, there’s no way they can print that without opening themselves up to a lawsuit, because it’s nothing. You’re smiling at each other. Yeah, we know it’s more, but that’s only because we know.”
“Wait, so there’s been no talk in the media this morning about this?” Lennon asks.
I don’t let the hope trying to claw at me take hold, because no news means they haven’t beaten us to the punch yet.
“I have Google alerts for all my clients, and this was the only thing this morning.”
“I want to beat them,” I say.
“Like, beat them up?” Damon asks. “I know that’s a hockey player’s MO, but I don’t think it’ll work off the ice.”
Lennon smiles, but it quickly falls when I glance at him. He also looks away as if I’ve scolded him. I want to reassure him, but at the same time, I can’t even focus on us right now. I need to get my head in the zone. I need to salvage my career.
My worst fear for the past six years is happening, so I need to focus on that first and foremost.
“No,” I say. “I mean I want to come out before they can out me. It’s been the one thing I’ve wanted—control over how my news comes out. They can’t force me out like they did to Matt.”
“Okay,” Damon says, slipping into full-on business mode. “First thing we need to do is get you back to New York. We need to track down your PR department and the GM, and then we’ll need the head coach for the press conference. If we do this right, we can have it over and done with by tonight.”
“I have Ava’s phone number—the PR rep,” Lennon says.
When I cock my head at him, he shrugs.
“We’ve kind of become friends.”
“Give me the number.” Damon’s voice is authoritative, and this is exactly why I knew to hire him the moment I met him. “Then get a flight to New York, and I’ll call you.”
“Are you still in Boston?” I ask.
“Nah, Maddy and I drove back last night after the game. Stay off all social media just in case, try not to draw attention, and I hate to say it, but maybe you guys should go separately to the airport. I dunno if you’re coming out and announcing your relationship, but you don’t want to add fuel to the fire before you can tell everyone yourselves.”
Way to put the pressure on something that’s too new to define for real. Yesterday, I may’ve called him my boyfriend, but as Lennon was quick to point out, it’s too early for that. I also don’t know how telling everyone we’re dating will affect Lennon’s career. In all this time, I’ve never even asked if he was allowed to get involved with an athlete he reports on.