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“I think I have plans already,” I told him, strapping on my watch.

“What plans? All you ever do is hang out with Callahan. I’m sure he’d be okay with you taking one night off from playing house.”

He turned toward Cally. “Yo, Callahan!”

Cally looked up from his phone, his expression bored. “What?”

“You gonna let Ports off his leash for one night?”

“Fuck off, Nielson,” Cally said with a roll of his eyes.

“Fuck you, man,” Nielson groused. “What’s your problem?”

Cally pushed to his feet and slid his phone into the front pocket of his bag. “My problem is you run your mouth too goddamn much. It’s obvious Mikey doesn’t want to go on this stupid date, but he’s too nice to tell you to fuck off.”

Nielson crossed his arms over his naked, sweaty chest. “What are you, his protector?”

Cally crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m his friend.”

“More like a jealous lover,” Nielson snorted, glancing between Cally and me with a gleam in his eye I didn’t like the look of.

“Hey, watch it,” I said, stepping toward him, my right hand curling into a fist. I glanced down at it in surprise. I didn’t think I’d hit Nielson, but I wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t. Regardless, I needed him to shut his fucking mouth.

Before I could take it any further, Cally said, “I don’t have time for this bullshit” and picked up his bag, draping the thick leather strap over his chest.Then he turned to go, but not before he caught my eye and another look I couldn’t interpret passed between us. “I’ll see you later,” he said, his voice flat, as he headed toward the exit.

“What’s that guy’s problem?” Nielson asked once Cally was gone. “He’s so fucking weird.”

“Give it a rest,” I snapped, shoving my wallet into my front pocket.

Nielson took a large step back, holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. “Whoa, chill. I was just messing with you, man. I don’t really think you and Callahan are fucking or anything like that. Can you imagine?” He laughed, though it sounded nervous more than anything, like maybe he finally realized he’d stepped way over the line with that bullshit he’d been spouting.

Though it really wasn’t bullshit, was it?

Cally and I were … lovers or whatever, though I didn’t flatter myself enough to think he was actually jealous. That wasn’t what this was, what we were.

But we hadn’t really talked about seeing other people, either, so maybe he was pissed—though I couldn’t imagine why. It wasn’t like I’d asked Nielson to set me up.

I let out a sigh. Cally and I probably should have talked this through before now. Though, honestly, I hadn’t really seen the need to since I didn’t actually want anyone else. Why would I? He was my best friend, one of my most favorite people in the world, and he was an expert at making me come.

Outside of the whole “you probably shouldn’t be doing that shit with your teammate” thing, it really was the best case scenario.

But it was precisely because Cally was my teammate, that I had to run damage control.

“Hey Nielson!” I called out before he could disappear into the showers.

He turned back around, his expression wary. “Yeah?”

“Set it up,” I said, my gut twisting.

His face broke out into a wide grin. “My man!” he exclaimed, pointing finger guns at me. “You won’t regret this.”

I already did.

The lights were on when I entered the apartment. I dropped my bag in the foyer, alerting Cally to my presence in case he hadn’t heard my key in the lock. Then I cleared my throat for good measure as I moved into the main space, finding Cally with his head inside the fridge

“Hey,” I said. “About Friday.”

He stood up, keeping his back to me. “What about it?” He stared hard at the carton of eggs in his hand, like he wasn’t sure what they were doing there.