NORMALCY
Waylynn
We fallinto an easy routine over the next couple of days. There are times when I question how I went from living alone to living with three guys, two of which share my bed and one more that seems to hint he might want to too, but most of the time, I try not to overthink it. I’ve spent the past ten years overthinking everything.
It’s after eight when Oswald gets home from practice on Friday. “How was dinner?” I ask when he and Memphis enter the living room.
“Fine. You guys had sticky chicken.” He throws himself on the sofa next to me. His hair is still damp from his shower, and he smells amazing.
“There’s some left. Do you want me to warm it up for you?”
“Nah, I’m full. They catered a bunch of shit we could eat while watching films.” He leans his head back, and his eyes sink closed on an exhale.
“Sleepy?” I question, threading my fingers with his.
“A little,” he replies.
“I got a call from that bar I played at. Their regular Saturday night gig had to cancel, so they wanted to know if I could fill in,” Bates informs us.
Oswald lifts his head off the couch to look at Bates. “That’s awesome. They love you.” He grins.
Bates does this almost shy half shrug. “I’ll have to leave the game a little early. Do you guys want to come after it’s over?” He scans the three of us.
I bite my lip, excited, but I wait for Memphis and Oswald to answer first. “Hell yeah!” Oswald agrees easily, then his face falls into a slight frown. “Shit, do you mind if I invite a guy from the team? Higgins is a good dude, but I’ve been putting him off for a couple of weeks.”
“You can invite the whole football team. More at the door, more in my pocket,” Bates divulges.
“I haven’t heard you practice once this week, are you nervous?” I’m nervous for him, and I have no idea why. He did amazing last time.
“Not really, though I would have practiced a little if I knew I was playing this weekend.”
Oswald kisses the back of my hand, then releases it to pull his phone from his pocket. I watch as he sends out a quick text, inviting Higgins to the bar tomorrow. “What time do you play?”
“Nine, which is a little early for a Saturday night show.”
“That means we’ll have time to hang out after.” Oswald finishes his text and sets his phone down. Within seconds, it’s vibrating.
“Higgins will be there,” Oswald announces.
My attention is drawn to Memphis on the other side of Bates when I hear his voice in my head.Oz’s girl.Our eyes meet, and a small sense of regret fills me, but instead of pushing that feeling or the words down, I explore what it could mean. Clarity comes quickly, but without explanation. I know in some way, the regret stems from Memphis not being able to behave the way he did last time at the club, like we were together, exchanging kisses and touches. He’ll have to keep his distance.
What I don’t know is if the regret is his or mine—probably both. “It’s only a semester.” I realize too late that I said the words out loud.
Memphis’ brows furrow deeply before he asks, “What?” with an air of uncertainty.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about school.” I try to recover, but it still seems way out of left field. “I’m excited to see you play again.” I change the subject back to Bates so they can’t dwell on my weird outburst.
“I’m glad you guys are coming.” Bates bumps his shoulder into mine. “I will have to dip out a little early from the game, though, so I can clean out the back of the van and get my equipment, so make some moves early in the game,” he tells Oswald.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Oswald grins and offers his knuckles to Bates.
“Next week is Iowa, right?”
Oswald’s smile slips. “Yeah, we fly out Friday.”
“Do you already have a ticket?” I ask Memphis.
“No, I’ll miss this one and New Jersey in a few weeks. The rest are close enough to drive to.”
