The Tryout and some Big News

The next day you are a bundle of energy. You do your best to contain it, saving it for the tryout that afternoon. Charlie gives you a pep talk before you part ways after breakfast to head out for morning classes. You drink in his every word and thank him profusely for the confidence he'd given you.

The time comes and you are out on the field, dozens of over young hopefuls all around you warming up and working out. The first team were training and watching from the other side. You go through all the warm ups, all the drills, all the reps. It was all familiar but so much faster than you were used to. Such a higher standard expected of you. It is a bit rough at first, as it is with many of the new prospects, but after a bit you catch up to the pace of things. As you begin to settle in and shake off the rust your confidence begins to build. These guys weren't so good, you could hang with them, hell, you were better than most of them.

Time finally comes for a little competitive scrimmage against the first team. It is a long hard fought full half of soccer. The results are what one would expect, the main team trounces the up and comers. But for your part you have an outstanding game. Your unshakable confidence from yesterday holding you in good stead, never letting you doubt yourself for an instant. While others on your team struggled you were spraying passes, making tackles, and keeping the other team's main playmaker firmly in your back pocket. At one point as you were about to sprint out to the wings to provide some support you remember Charlie's comment of you being easily taken out of position. You back off and let the wingback do his job and you are there to intercept as the pass comes in to the center of the field when it comes a few seconds later.

Afterward the player you'd been shadowing most of the game comes up and gives you a clap on the back. "Good game man."

You just nod. "Thanks, you too."

The coaches pull you all in. As the first team head to the dressing room the coaches explain that the rest of you will receive an email the next day telling you whether they want to see more of you or not. With a few more words you are let go. You knew you'd done well. While it was no guarantee you had a confident feeling you'd be getting one of those emails tomorrow.

You are walking by the fence, the stands on the other side, as prospective players and their girlfriends that had been watching come together and kiss and give praise. You are walking, distracted, your mind running over some of the plays from the game, when you catch a glimpse of a familiar olive green army jacket out of the corner of your eye. You look over and smile. Jumping the short fence you jog over. Your cleats crackling and clacking on the pavement.

Charlie was standing just beside the bleachers, out of sight from the other spectators. He was clutching a stack of books to his chest.

"Charlie! What are you doing here?" You ask happily.

"Just watching." He says. "You did good."

His praise warmed your soul. "Thanks to you." You state, believing that truly in your heart.

He shakes his head. "No."

You walk together toward the dressing rooms. He has a funny smile on his face. "Hey, um, I....I've got some news."

You didn't know what it was but you could tell it was good news just by the way he said it. You were excited to hear it. "Let me get changed, then let's head out for a bite to eat. You can tell me all about it."

He nods. You dash in and take a very quick shower and get changed. Within fifteen minutes you are back out and headed for the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" He asks, curious as to why you weren't heading in the other direction.

You smile. "After a tryout like that this deserves something special. I'm in the mood for a steak."

He walks beside you quietly, each of your happy moods rubbing off on the other. You walk shoulder to shoulder, you'd walk even closer if you could. As you hit the lot and start walking toward your truck he laughs. "That's your truck? Ha! I love it!"

You smile. "It's old and it doesn't look like much but it's in good shape and it'll get me almost anywhere I want to go, on or off road." You add. "If you ever want to go hiking out in the back country...well...I can get us there."

You feel a **** even as you say it. As your friendship had deepened and blossomed so too had your attraction. If you and Charlie ever were to get out...totally alone, away from everything...you honestly weren't sure you could trust yourself with him anymore. Fighting off this desire day after day was wearing on you, you really didn't need any extra opportunity to test yourself. You remind yourself to take some time to go visit Samantha soon, you had to touch base with her soon. Also, to be blunt, it'd be nice to actually get laid again.

He walks around it a bit looking at your old truck. The pair of you get in and you start off. It is quiet in the cab as you drive your old pick up truck through the city, sticking out from the rest of the traffic. Charlie was looking around at the passing sights, you were driving and looking at Charlie every chance you got. He glances over every so often and gives you a little smile. Sigh...how did he have this effect on you? How could he have this effect on you?

You find a decent but not too expensive chain steak house and pull in. This would do the trick. You park and head in. You are seated, you order, and are finally given a time alone face to face.

You ask excitedly. "So, what's the news?"

He grins with barely contained enthusiasm. "Remember I said I had long lost family down here?"

You nod. "Yeah, of course. Your Grandma was separated from her sister. I remember."

His brown eyes sparked in the dim light. "I think I've found someone who knows them!" He takes a bound book of journal articles that he'd brought with him into the restaurant and sets it on the table. "Thanks to the University's library I've gotten access to all sorts of things I couldn't get to before." He hurried flips open to a page he had bookmarked. "Here. She works in private industry. A cutting edge researcher in genetics. Brilliant stuff, absolutely brilliant...if unorthodox. Dr...um...yeah, Dr Peggy Bailey."

An academic article from a genetic researcher? What an odd way to track down lost family.

He continues as his eyes scan the article. "The direction of her research. Her theories and experiments. If you know what to look for..." He laughs. "...it's as obvious as a signal flare. IF you know what to look for. Which no one else would."

You had no idea the real meaning behind what he was saying, but he was so damn happy and so you were happy for him. "That's great." You say.

He closes the book and sets it beside him again, coming back down to earth. "Now, due to confidentiality she probably won't be able to tell me anything. But I just KNOW she knows who they are, some of them at least." He looks up. "I have to go talk to her. She's based in a lab only a few hours away."

You gaze into his eyes. You reach across and take his hand in yours, he is surprised at this small but very public display of intimacy from you. A hug between male friends might be explained away, holding hands across a table in a dimly lit restaurant...harder to explain.

You didn't care. You say, your own voice matching his excitement. "Well then...let's go. Let's go this weekend. Where are we going?"

He is surprised. "Uh... This weekend? Oh, uh, Jonathan, you don't have to... This is my family thing, you don't have to bother. She probably doesn't even work on the weekends. It's a long drive."

You squeeze his hand in yours. "Then we'll wait around till Monday if we have to. Skip some classes. I don't mind a long drive...with a good friend."

"Jonathan. I..." His words catch in his throat.

You inform him point blank. "I'm coming with you."

After a long quiet intimate moment he finally nods, the anticipation of the adventure and the possibility of his great family mystery being solved getting the better of him. "Okay." He says.

You give his hand one last squeeze then you clap your hands and in an all too College aged dude sounding loud voice you exclaim. "Alright! Road Trip!"

Tables all around you look over disapprovingly at the disturbance as Charlie blushes. You just laugh, you couldn't wait.