“Nah, you could never hate me,” I said confidently. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him. This wasn’t the send-off I’d hoped for, but there was a line I wasn’t ready to cross, and kissing him after he puked up the last of whatever he drank last night was definitely on the other side of that line. “But I bet you’ll remember this before the next time we get time together.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry if I was weird last night,” he apologized. “And I’m sure you’d rather havenothad to rub my back this morning.”
“I’d rub your back anytime, Sean,” I whispered before nipping at his ear. “Watching you puke up whatever you still had in your stomach wasn’t the best start to my morning, but I figured it was inevitable after talking to you before you passed out this morning. And as for last night, I’m sure a time’s going to come when you’re the one having to talk me down, so it’s all good.”
As fun as it was sitting in a locked bathroom stall, it wasn’t smart. Anyone could walk in and overhear us, and then they’d know who was in the stall if they waited us out. I peeked through the crack between the door and the frame before unlocking the door. I turned to Sean and kissed his cheek. “We’re going to have to hurry; otherwise you’re going to miss the bus.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” he moaned. I held the door open for him and stifled my laughs as I watched him sulk back to the table.
I noticed as we sat that my dad had ordered Sean a tall glass of juice, some toast, and a simple fruit plate to replace the veggie omelet there was no way he’d be able to eat. Sean muttered his appreciation before shrinking back into his seat while he ate. As soon Sean shoved the last piece of toast into his mouth, my dad offered to settle the tab while Sean and I walked to the Jeep.
“Feeling better?” I asked, resisting the urge to wrap my arm around his waist. We stopped at the back of my Jeep and I couldn’t resist reaching up to smooth out his shirt. If anyone noticed, I’d gladly tell the world that Sean was hungover beyond belief and needed the help to look presentable.
Luckily, a quick glance around showed me that we were alone on the side street.
“A bit,” he admitted. “If I tell you I’m going out drinking with the guys, remind me of this.”
I laughed, knowing that wouldn’t be necessary. I doubted he’d touch anything stronger than soda for the next month. “What happened last night? When we talked, you said you were going to make an appearance and then head upstairs.”
“Green came down and invited himself to sit with us,” Sean told me, his mouth puckered in dismay. “I couldn’t exactly be an asshole, but it still chaps my ass that they put him up in a suite before the deal was even final. It pisses me off to no end that the team flew him in so he’d be ready the second the paperwork was signed, but the more we drank, the more I realized he’s not the same asshole he was a few years ago. It’s like we traded places or something. I’m the prick and he’s the team player.”
“Nah, but he likely grew up and realized that no one is indispensable, and you were upset that him joining the team meant Eric left. It’s understandable,” I explained. The stars were definitely in some odd alignment, because this now made twice that I was the voice of reason. That had always been Sean’s job, while I was the flighty, emotional one in our friendship.
“I guess,” Sean conceded. I heard my parents walking down the street, so I motioned for Sean to get in the Jeep. Once I was sitting, he reached for my hand. “Then again, if Eric hadn’t left, we might not have figured this out.”
“I’ll guarantee it,” I agreed with him. “Look, we have about twenty seconds left, so I’m going to be fast. I don’t regret what happened, and I won’t after today. I’ll text you the dates I found that we could get together, either at your place or at mine. We’ll figure out the rest when we have time. Okay?”
Sean lifted my hand to his mouth and gently kissed the backs of my fingers. “Thanks, Mace. I know I give you shit about being the goofball, but you’re a good guy.”
The back door opened and our private time was over. My parents both got out of the Jeep to say goodbye to Sean back at the hotel, and told him to keep in touch with them, even when I was on the road.
By the time Dad slid into the front seat with Mom behind him, I was certain that Sean was going to have two more people cheering for him at his home games from now on.
7
Sean
The seriesagainst Boston was off to a brutal start. It was a case of playing our absolute best against a team that made us look like little leaguers. The only thing that kept me from getting totally down on my own performance was the annoyingly cute messages Mason sent me before, during, and after the game. He’d caught most of it from his hotel room, because ours was a day game and his wasn’t until that night. When I turned on my phone, there was a running commentary.
What made me laugh were the messages giving me his insight into the batters I was going to face, as if I could have pulled the phone out while I was on the mound.
Me: Thanks for the info. Next time, send that before the game so I’ll know going in. Hope you do better against Ortiz than you did our guys. Call me when you get back tonight.
I quickly changed while Kevin was in the bathroom so we’d be ready to head down for dinner. I still hated him a bit for contributing to me getting annihilated the other night, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that he really was a good guy.
He’d never replace Eric, but I supposed that was perfectly fine by me now that I had Mason. I flipped my phone over in my hand, wondering what in the hell was taking Kevin so long, and nearly dropped it when my phone rang.
“Hey, I thought you’d be at the park by now,” I answered, allowing a wide grin to spread across my face.
“You know, you’re pretty funny for a guy who got his ass handed to him today,” Mason goaded me. I didn’t argue with him since I’d given up six runs and eight hits in four and two-thirds innings.
“What can I say? It’s hard to be perfect all the time.” Mason’s arrogant confidence was clearly rubbing off on me, because perfect was the last word I would ever use to describe my performance so far this year. “Are you still at the hotel?”
I hated trying to figure out what time it was in Arizona, because the state couldn’t be like the other forty-nine, so it varied and I never remembered what part of the year was which time zone.
“No, we’re just pulling into the parking lot. Time to head in and train for a bit before batting practice. I tweaked something last night, so we’re going to take a look at my leg.” He hadn’t mentioned anything last night when we’d talked, so I wondered if this was something he noticed when he woke up or if he hadn’t realized it might be something more serious than a strained muscle until now. “Who knows, maybe I’ll get my own rub down today.”
“It’s always good to have goals. If you have time, text me and let me know what they say about the leg,” I requested. By the time he knew anything, I’d be sitting down for dinner but I didn’t want to wait until tonight.
