Bobby let out an outraged noise and lunged forward, grappling with Crawford.
Graham grinned at the chirp as Bobby feinted like he was going to try to get in a hit in on Crawford. He had the height and good reach, but he was at least thirty pounds lighter.
He’d getflattenedif Crawford actually took a swing.
When they finally settled down and stopped horsing around, Bobby pushed his hair off his forehead. “Seriously though. I’m glad you’re okay though, Mouse. An ear infection? That shit iswild.”
“Yeah, it was,” Mickey agreed. “But Tanner is not bringing home germs to the team anymore.”
He glanced pointedly to the whiteboard on the wall that said “My Name Is … Tanner Clayton. It Has Been3Days Since I Was Patient Zero.”
“The counter shouldn’t have reset, you assholes! I have been so good this season. It wasn’tmyfault Erik had the sniffles last weekend!” Tanner protested loudly. “That isslanderto my good name.”
“Suuure, it wasn’t,” Connor said, sounding dubious. “Andwhatgood name?”
Graham laughed at Tanner’s outraged squawk.
Bobby grinned too, his expression turning a little wistful. “Man, sometimes I miss this locker room. The vibes aren’t the same in Minnie.”
“Yeah, we have a good group here,” Connor agreed.
“So, seriously, nothing else going on here?” Bobby asked, glancing around and looking disappointed, like he thought some exciting news might be lurking around the corner.
“Well, I’m dating someone,” Graham admitted with a shrug. He was pretty sure that wasn’t the news Bobby wanted.
But … he’d asked.
“Yeah? What else is new? That’s like … your thing, right?”
“Uhh, well,” Graham said, mildly offended by the characterization, even if it probably had been true before he started dating Thad. “It’sThadI’m dating now.”
“What the fuck?” Bobby said as his expression melted from amused to disgusted. “You’redating a dude?”
“Yeah,” Graham said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. “So?”
“What the fuck? I thought you werestraight, man.”
“So did I. Turns out, I guess I’m not. Why? You got a problem with that?”
Bobby grimaced. “I dunno. It’s just fuckin’weird.”
“Maybe toyou,” Graham said cooly, trying to keep his rising anger in check. “I’m pretty happy now.”
“Well, uh, congrats, I guess.” Bobby ran a hand through his hair.
“Thanks.” Graham’s tone was flat.
“I feel like … if you’re gonna be gay, you can do better than a guy likethat.” He sneered.
“Excuseme?” Graham bristled. The bi erasure was bad enough but to insult Thad? No fucking way.
“I’m just sayin’…”
Graham stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. “Whatareyou saying, exactly?”
Bobby let out an uneasy laugh, glance darting around the room. “C’mon. Some forty-year-old, ex-con social media guy?” The disdain dripped from his tone. “You can dowaybetter, man.”
“Bobby…” Connor said warningly. “You know damn well we don’t typically allow opponents in the locker room. I made an exception for you and?—"
