Shy and scholarly, long-distance swimmer Ryan Zwick thinks he’s the only gay member of the college swim team. He keeps his head down in the showers, and his head in the books the rest of the time. But when a sporty new transfer student joins the team, Ryan feels a surge of hope. Sexually inexperienced and looking for love, fellow swimmer Blake Gossens is everything Ryan wants in a boyfriend. But what is Blake’s game, exactly? And just how straight is he? Blake seems to be more interested in Ryan’s best friend, Marissa, leaving Ryan to go back to secretly checking out his teammates in the pool. But Ryan keeps getting mysterious messages in his dating app from a stranger who seems to know a lot about him. Could this messenger be Blake? Or someone else? When bad weather hits unexpectedly, Ryan is forced to confront his real feelings toward Blake, while opening up to the stranger by his side, eventually giving in to his wildest fantasies -- and his heart.

Distant Swimmer

&ldquo;Sure,&rdquo; said Ethan. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re on the same phone as before&mdash;from high school?&rdquo; He was, but he had blocked Ethan&rsquo;s number over a year before. Now Ryan was not sure what to say to him.


&ldquo;Yep. Same number,&rdquo; said Ryan. He was bad at lying&mdash;it came from being the son of a farmer.


&ldquo;I tried calling last year,&rdquo; said Ethan.


&ldquo;Text is better,&rdquo; said Ryan. That was actually true.


&ldquo;Are you busy now?&rdquo; asked Ethan. &ldquo;Do you wanna go grab some food? I&rsquo;m done with my dives for the day.&rdquo;


&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Ryan, relieved to have an excuse. &ldquo;I got a relay coming up and coach wants me around the team.&rdquo;


Chapter 25