“Will do.” Mason dropped his voice when he next spoke. “Are you going to be watching? Want me to blow you a kiss?”
The rumble of his deep voice sent a shock straight to my groin. He could never know that, otherwise he’d go out of his way to get me hard right before I had to play. He was twisted that way.
“If the game is on, yes, I’ll be watching. We’re heading over to The Dugout so I’d assume it’ll be on one of the screens,” I informed him. As for his offer to blow me a kiss, I honestly couldn’t think of anything more mortifying than me seeing that while sitting with my teammates. Knowing my luck, my cheeks would turn a deep shade of red from either lust or embarrassment. Neither were good emotions to experience while out for a night with the team. “And as sweet as it is, no, you don’t need to do anything for me. Knowing that you know I’m watching is acknowledgment enough.”
“If you say so. Alright, we’re here, so it’s time for me to get at it.” There was a long silence on the line, and then four barely audible words. “I miss you, babe.”
“Miss you too,” I admitted. “Have a good time out there and remember to keep your weight off the back side of your foot.”
While it was important to me to keep our personal lives and work separate, I couldn’t not say something to him about his stance. I’d noticed it during our series, and again in last night’s replay. He needed to correct that quick before it became a habit.
“Yes, Dad,” he grumbled.
“Hey, I’m not trying to be a dick, but I saw it so I figured I’d mention it. And with your leg hurting, it’s even more important that you pay attention.” The bathroom door opened, and I turned away slightly to give myself the illusion of privacy. “I’m sure you already knew, but you’d do the same for me.”
“I know. If I get done with the trainer quick enough, I’m going to see about getting in some extra batting practice today,” he told me. “Look, the guys are filing off the bus already, so I really do have to go.”
“Okay, call me when you get in tonight,” I reminded him.
“Babe, you do realize that’s going to be after two your time, right?”
“Yeah. If I don’t answer, leave a message. I’m going to see if I can catch a quick nap when we get back so I’ll be up.” Kevin tapped the face of his imaginary watch and I nodded. “Okay, go do your thing and I’ll talk to you later.”
Mason quickly signed off and I turned to see Kevin watching me intently. “You got a girl back home?”
“I thought we’d been over this before,” I said impatiently. “My personal life is off-limits. I’m not trying to be a dick, but it’s how I’ve always operated. We can talk about anything else, and you won’t have to worry about me getting in your business either.”
“Hey, I wasn’t trying to pry,” he responded, holding his hands up in surrender. “Honestly, it’s cool to see someone who’s not willing to compromise his values when we’re on the road. My last roommate was gone half the time, fucking different women in every city while his pregnant wife sat home. It got old after a while.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that from me. And I didn’t mean to come off as a dick, but it’s a fucked up situation to begin with, without the rumor mill running rampant,” I informed him, figuring I owed him at least that much.
I’d never been the guy thinking about someone, missing them while I was on the road. It was strange, more so because it took all of about five minutes for me to realize how much I hated being away from Mason.
“It’s cool. Just know that if you ever need to talk about it, I’m here. My girl split when I got traded, so I’m trying to get used to that before even thinking about moving on,” he admitted. I cringed, knowing that his story was all too common with some of the players. It seemed their girlfriends either would follow them to the ends of the Earth or had roots firmly planted in one place.
“Do yourself a favor,” I advised him, motioning toward the door so he’d get moving. “Don’t let Ricky hear that you’re newly single. He’s a great guy, but he’s the newlywed on the team and thinks everyone needs a wife like his. And knowing what I do about her, if I was looking I’d want that for myself. If he realizes that you’re trying to get over someone, he’ll call her and she’ll have a half-dozen girls for you to talk to by the time we get home.”
“Cool. Thanks for the heads up.” Jason and his roommate, Keith Henderson, joined us as we waited for the elevator. Talk quickly turned to plans for when we got back to Milwaukee, and I finally started to relax.
Dinner was at a sports bar not far from our hotel. The owner was a former player, and he’d set up a semi-private dining area on the second floor where we could all watch the games on the big screen televisions along the back wall without having to worry about autograph hounds or home team hecklers bothering us. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but when sitting in a bar dedicated to sports the same day as a game, it was inevitable.
Kevin immediately pulled out the chair next to mine, and Jason nearly choked on his beer. He leaned in close enough that no one else would hear him before whispering, “Looks like you two are getting along. You’ll be best friends before you know it.”
I punched him in the shoulder, partly because he was being an ass, but also because I wasn’t going to stand for him giving Kevin a hard time. The more I learned about the guy, the more I realized he had his own demons, and hazing by his new team wouldn’t do anyone any good.
“Don’t be a dick,” I scolded him. “He’s not half bad once you take the time to talk to him.”
The Bulldogs/Rattlers game was just starting on the television furthest from the balcony. I hoped they’d switch it up, because the one set that gave us an unobstructed view was currently showing a gymnastics exhibition. I considered going down to plead my case with Al, because I could almost guarantee that no one in here cared about watching gymnastics on the big screen. And if they were, there were plenty of smaller screens for less popular sports.
Jason disappeared to order the next round of pitchers and returned with a glass of Coke for me. He even had them put a lime wedge in it, so it looked like I was drinking something stronger. I loved that he thought of the little details, because I’d been sitting there trying to figure out how long I’d be able to nurse one glass of beer before it got so warm I couldn’t choke down another sip.
Before I knew it, the main screen switched to a wide-angle shot of Paradise Park, a few miles outside of Phoenix. I tried to hide my smile when they ran through the starting lineup and Mason’s picture and stats filled the eighty-four inch monitor.
I knew I’d failed miserably when Jason nudged my arm. “He must be a really great guy to make you crack that smile,” he teased me.
I choked on my soda, which only drew more attention.
“We lived together his rookie year,” I pointed out. “Trust me, nine months of trying to get him to put on some damn pants when we were home and failing will either bring roommates closer or drive a wedge between them.”
