Page 37 of Tagging Bases

Here, the sounds are sharper, from the roar of the crowd to the sing-songy calls of vendors hawking peanuts and Cracker Jacks. The smells are more vivid too—fresh-cut grass, hot dogs, and the faintest hint of sunscreen.

I push through the throng of fans, glancing at my ticket every few steps to make sure I’m headed in the right direction. Seats behind home plate are primo, or so I’ve been told. But I don’t care about having a great view of the field. I’m here for one reason only. To see Charlie and Daniel.

When I finally spot Danielle, she’s standing at the end of the aisle, with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping rapidly on the concrete. Despite the warm day, she has a gaudy green scarf with little white baseballs on it wrappedaround her neck. Knowing her, she knitted it specifically for this occasion.

Don’t kill mefloats through my mind as I walk up to her, but I wisely keep it to myself. “How mad are you?”

“What do you think, Harrison?” The vein near her temple bulges.

“I think…you really want to give me a pay raise?” I grin at her with all the innocence I can muster.

With a roll of her eyes, she smacks me on the shoulder and sits down. “You’re an ass.”

“I am.” I sit down beside her.

“And you’re going to be picking up an extra shift to make up for your forgetfulness.”

“Okay.”

“But I still love you.”

I smile. “I love you too.”

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, care to tell me why we’re here?”

“I have my reasons.” I scan the field. It’s a circus of activity. On the sidelines, a coach blows a whistle, and a few players sprint up and down the foul line, their feet kicking up clouds of dust. The sight of it pumps even more adrenaline into the crowd.

As we wait for the game to start, neither of us says a word. It’s a comfortable kind of silence. One that can only happen when you’re with a friend who knows you’re not a fan of small talk.

My breath hitches when the two guys I’ve come to watch walk out onto the field. They have no idea I’m here, and I prefer it that way. I want to observe them in their natural habitat.

I also want to see them in their uniforms because, oh Mylanta, the images on Google do not do them justice. Not by a long shot.

The forest-green uniforms are a thing of beauty, like something out of an old-timey baseball movie. Each player’s number is stitched in white on the back, and they wear knee-high green socks and green caps that I bet look even better when worn backward.

Charlie’s uniform hugs every inch of his tall, lean frame. His broad back tapers down to a narrow waist, and his long legs move him across the field with effortless ease. The short sleeves showcase his muscular forearms—the kind you get from years of hurling fastballs—and his perpetual bedhead peeks out from under his cap, giving him a boyish charm.

Daniel, on the other hand, exudes nothing but power. Where Charlie is lean and lanky, Daniel is stocky and solid. His catcher’s gear accentuates his hulking frame, transforming him into a warrior ready for battle. The chest protector stretches across his wide chest, the shin guards hug his thick calves, and the mask rests atop his head like a crown. When he does a few squats as a warm-up, his thighs strain against the fabric of his pants.

I bite my lip to stifle a groan.Get it together, Harrison. You can’t think about them as if their pieces of meat.

But I do. I have been for weeks now, ever since that night in the holding cell left me weak in the knees and wanting more.

I try to shake off the impure thoughts and focus, but it’s impossible. Not when Charlie and Daniel are right there in front of me, looking like every gay man’s wet dream.

“Earth to Harrison.” Danielle waves a hand in front of my face.

I blink and turn to her, dazed. “What?”

“I said, do you know them?”

“Know who?”

“Them.” She points to Daniel and Charlie, who are doing some sort of friendship handshake. It reminds me of something out ofThe Parent Trap,and it has caught everyone else’s attention as well. I smile as the Jumbotron focuses on them being complete and utter goofballs.

My smile instantly fades when I glance back at Danielle to see her staring me down with narrowed eyes.

“Well?”

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