𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘: 𝐓𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝

Chapter 1: Wentworth Miller

I lifted my Starbucks cup off the coffee table to finish the terrible but warm brew. A shot of pain where my neck connects to my shoulder reminded me it had truly only been a week. "Fuck it feels like it's been longer though. I hate sitting around doing nothing." I groaned laying down the coffee back on the table.

"Come with us to the restaurant tonight," Joel suggested, brushing strands of sleek dark hair from my face.

"Your soui chef?" I smiled in question, trying to make him see that he had nothing to worry about since I could joke through the pain.

"Off the menu, he got himself a boyfriend now."

"Damn," I feigned disappointment then tried again "I never pegged him for the type to commit, you sure he has a boyfriend?"

Joel laughed, shooting up to his fullest height and walked to my closet. "That's what everyone said about me before I scooped up a husband of my own. Now catch..." Joel threw me the first shirt he saw in my there. "...or do you need help putting it on before we go?" He teased.

I laughed catching it with my good arm. "I'm not in the mood to go out."

The doorbell rang once, reminding me our mom had said she'd stop by the house. The house was a monstrosity that we all lived in and had been in the family for centuries. We, being my parents, my high school-aged sister who lived in the wing opposite of mine and me, the college football star. Joel had moved out the very minute he slipped a ring on his husband's finger. I'd also moved out into the dorms during my freshman year in college but ever since my injury, the entire family had insisted on me moving back in.

Mom let herself in without waiting for a response. "I hope everybody is decent!"

"Up here!" Joel called back and I groaned.

"Boys!" Mom entered face first, wearing her signature bright smile and carrying a Cavalier King Charles in a snake print Birkin.

"Is that a puppy?" Joel asked excitement all over his lit blue eyes.

Mom didn't reply right away since she'd gotten distracted by her phone after it dinged. Either with a meme from dad, her sisters, messages from her women empowerment groups or with messages from one of her 'ballplayer mom groups'.

"Oh it's a puppy." Joel started to coo over the ruby and white fluffy thing anyway. "You're a cute puppy, yesh yesh a cute puppy.." on and on he went playing with it until he came back to normal and asked mom. "Why do you have a pup mom? And why is it in your Birkin?"

Mom finally took her eyes off the poor iPhone, looked at him and then smiled a scary mom smile. When she cast her eyes slightly to the left to look at me, my heart knew it before she said it. "No No No." I hastily jumped off the bed and started backing away before she even said it.

But she started walking towards me despite my backing away. "Oh shush I got it for you baby, you're just so lonely darling." she stopped walking.

"What he needs is a boyfriend or a girlfriend, not a high maintenance pet," Joel said, to my rescue. All the while playing with the fluffy ears of the bi-coloured pup.

"Your brother can barely take care of himself let alone a partner. A pet is just the thing he needs if he's ever going to learn how to take care of someone else." She shooed the puppy from Joel's hands to my direction. "And besides The Bleacher's blog is due for another end of season coverage on college players. This puppy will help with your optics."

"What wrong with my optics now?"

Mom began to preach, "How many times do I have to tell you, boys? Perception is reality and just by last year's coverage you look like such a loser..."