Page 17 of Switch Pitching

My chest tightens as I ask myself the real question: how the hell could I live with someone so effortlessly hot and not give myself away? I have willpower, for sure, but being in close quarters with James would seriously test my limits.

He shoves me. “I’m gonna blame the mess on you and your wild, drunken stumbling last night.”

“So you know that I’m chaotic,” I say, still half-joking. “You want to deal with that all the time?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

I accidentally fall for you because we’ll spend almost every waking moment together? I can already see it unfolding. Us: roommates. Him: everywhere. Me: crushing helplessly.

Can’t tell him that, though. “You have a point,” I say.

James smirks back at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. It’s almost unfair how captivating his smile is. “It’s settled! We’re living together. No take backs.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on taking anything back.” I hesitate, wondering if I’m forgetting something. “Oh, also, just to be completely clear, you’re okay that I’m gay, right? Because we’re going to live together and all that.”

Chuckling, James runs a hand through his hair. “Nah, no issues there. Besides, one of my best friends from high school is gay, so you aren’t the first.”

“Awesome.”

Sticking out his arm, James motions for me to shake his hand to seal the deal.

“That’s it, then,” I say, bringing my hand back to my side. “You can start going to viewings while I drive up, if you’re cool with that.”

James glances away nervously. “So, I might have forgotten to book a flight back to Boston.”

“You’ve been down here in Tampa since March. Are you telling me that you never bought a return flight?”

He shrugs sheepishly. “Yeah, I figured I’d fly standby or something, but now, I mean, do you have room in your car?”

I stare at him, surprised. “You want to drive to Boston? With me?”

“Yeah, it’s more eco-friendly.”

I scoff. “Eco-friendly? You know I drive a pickup. You just want to avoid booking a flight, don’t you?”

“Maybe. But it’ll be chill! You’re fun and I love hanging out with you.”

He thinks I’m fun? And he loves hanging out with me? That’s unexpected.

I chuckle and roll my eyes. “Alright, man. You can come with me.”

James throws himself across the bed and pulls me into a bro-ey side hug. “This is gonna be the best road trip ever. I’ll even help you drive!”

I tense up. It’s a hug. Nothing more.

He lets go of me and jumps up, grabbing a water and a pack of painkillers before throwing them at me.

“Take these, get cleaned up, and then get out of here,” he says, winking at me yet again. “I gotta get myself packed and ready for the drive tomorrow.”

Somehow, I manage to peel myself off James’s bed before the afternoon rolls around. I find my keycard in my other pocket, stumble back to my room, shower, and then get into my bed.

This is gonna be interesting. Spending way more time with James might stretch my control, but I’ve dealt with this before. I shared a room with Paul Tani during every away game in college and I didn’t fall in love with him, his chiseled cheekbones, or his stupidly perfect abs. Everything will be fine. Living with James won’t be a big deal at all.

It’s the crack of dawn, and James insists on heading out to beat traffic or whatever. He’s somehow full of energy, impatiently jumping from one foot to the other as I finish checking out.

“We good to go?” I ask, slipping my key card into the drop box.

“Yeah, let’s roll out!” James grabs his stuff and darts out of the hotel, leaving me to awkwardly speed-walk after him.

---