Page 73 of The Battery
“Just relax with me. Take it easy.”
He nodded and I felt his muscles relax.
Not a bad morning after our breakfast date.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Leo
Rome had melaughing as we sat together at the corner of the hotel bar. Closing time approached and we should have both been in our rooms resting up for our final game against the Rangers tomorrow. But he invited me to share a beer and catch up on a few things. He had been telling me about an awkward encounter with a fan out in public, an aggressive woman whoreallywanted to get to know him better. I had my own fair share of such interactions, and I couldn’t help but feel for his predicament.
The free flow of the conversation brought us through a myriad of topics that we didn’t stay on for too long. I had no idea it was exactly what I needed. It had been almost a month since Cody’s near death and he was recovering remarkably well. When I didn’t have my focus on the game, I devoted all my time to his recovery. Not that the man needed it—he was, if anything, determined to get back in the game. However, the constant pressure of ensuring success in both worlds had started to wear on me.
Mr. Perfect took note and singled me out for a shared beer. It tasted great and conversation with him was the perfect pairing. Two veterans and their war stories.
“How is that going, anyway?” Rome asked after I had discussed Cody’s recovery. “Y’know. The whole thing. Where you guys at?”
I stared into the orange slice floating on the surface of my half-empty pint glass. “We talk when we can. I practically forcedthe guy to move in with me so I’m trying to show him that I’m okay with going slow.” Rome made a face. “What?”
“You?Taking it slow?”
Got me to crack another smile. “Something ’bout him. I dunno. At first it was purely physical. Then he just… latched onto me. And I let him. ’Cause it felt right. Not sure how to explain that.”
“You don’t have to, judging by the look in your eyes.” Rome sipped his beer and fished for a peanut out of the bowl of mixed nuts between us. “Think he’ll stay at the house after he recovers?”
I shrugged. “Not sure, to be honest. He’s pretty protective of his independence.”
“What doyouwant?”
I sipped at my beer. I knew the answer before he finished asking the question. It just took some muster to get it out of me. “It’s nice. Coming home to him.Realnice.” I shook my head and looked back at the orange. “Which is crazy because we don’t even share a room.”
Rome wiped the air with his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.What?Even formethat’s a bit removed. What gives?”
I plucked a candied cashew from the bowl. “He needs to sleep elevated at a certain level. I got him this special bed.”
“So what. Why can’tyousleep in that bed?”
Because we haven’tslepttogether yet, you ass.“I told you, I’m giving him his space. Feels like there’s a line there I don’t want to cross.”
“Ohhh,” Rome said and gave me a salacious grin. “’Cause you guys haven’t, you know, hit a home run.”
I punched his shoulder. “I’m gonna go to my room.” I feigned standing up and he played along, tugging me back to my stool. “I don’t do this kiss-and-tell shit, Rome. Not my thing.”
“Fair enough, fair enough,” he said and took a swig from his beer. We were both almost done. “Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up. While I may not have known you for years, I’ve known your game for well over five years now. Something has changed. And for the better.”
It was true. We had only ever interacted on the field. I couldn’t count how many times Rome stood in front of me, at bat, while I played catcher for the Brawlers. We had known each other quite well professionally. I respected him for the incredible player he was, though admittedly he irked me to no end when we were rivals. Which reminded me…
“I know I wasn’t there when it happened,” I said. He sat up a little straighter on his stool. I think he knew what I was referring to.
“Your ACL,” Rome said.
I nodded. “Look, I need to level with you. I would have gone out on the field swinging at any blue and bronze I saw.” The game when Quinn called Rome a homophobic slur to his face. Rome threw his first punch and received his first game ejection. The action caused the entirety of the Riders and Brawlers teams to storm the field in an all-out… well,brawl.
“It wouldn’t be in defense of Quinn. It’s just the shit we do when we see teammates getting into it.”
Rome turned out his lower lip and lifted both hands. He wasn’t in agreement. I didn’t blame him.
“I’ve almost duked it out with Quinn before.” At that, Rome’s brow went up. “In the locker room three years ago. He slings around slurs of all kinds like it’s nothing. Got sick of it and told him to shut his mouth.”
