Page 98 of Drop the Gloves
Barczyk
My apartment this evening?5 ish?
Abernathy
I’ll be there.Dinner after?
Barczyk
Maybe.
* * *
Evan walked into Riley’s apartment complex with the same mix of dread and anticipation he had the first time.It was funny how the source of his dread had shifted.He wasn’t worried about sex with Riley...he was worried about Riley.
He was worried aboutthem, and what that meant.
The gym was empty except for Riley, who was swinging at a punching bag.Instead of his spandex shorts and muscle shirt, Riley wore joggers and a loose Riveters tee that was far too faded for his five months on the team.Barefoot and with a headband to keep his growing curls at bay, he looked good, fluid and lithe as he moved.He always looked good, though.Evan stood in the doorway to admire him for a few more seconds before he walked over.
“Got the place to ourselves,” Evan said in a hopefully cheery voice.
Riley took a few more swings before he stopped.“Reserved it,” he said with a shrug.His eyes roamed over Evan as Evan took off his hoodie and boots.“Grab some boxing gloves.Let’s jump right in.”
The routine of swinging and blocking was more familiar than he’d realized.Evan had to talk himself through the first round or two, but his body remembered what to do.It was grounding in the same way mini-golf was, that slight mental exertion to take his attention off all the other stuff flitting through his mind.
“Not bad,” Riley said after fifteen minutes of exchanging light jabs.
“Learned from the best,” Evan said with a smile.Riley didn’t smile back, and Evan felt his own fade away.
“I’m gonna get a drink.We’ll go again in a minute.”Riley walked off to the water cooler at the far end of the gym.Evan was thirsty, but he didn’t feel like he was invited.What was going on?
“Hey,” Evan said as they squared up again.“You sure you’re okay?”
Riley shrugged.“Good enough.”
“Do you—?”But then Riley was swinging at him, harder and faster than before, and Evan’s attention went from Riley’s strange mood to defending his face.This time, he felt like that punching bag hanging in the corner more than a practice partner.But he powered through, doing his best to fight back.He needed to weather the storm, because it seemed more and more like this practice was for Riley’s sake rather than Evan’s.Too much frenetic energy, and with no game or practice for the next two days, this was the closest outlet he’d get.Evan could do this for Riley.
He was panting by the time Riley backed away again, a dangerous glint in his hazel eyes.
“Thanks,” Evan said and, groaning, took a seat on the mat.“I need a break.”
Riley sat down a few feet away.He crossed his legs and circled his arms around them.“Watch the shoulder when you swing,” Riley said, his tone off.“Wouldn’t want it to get hurt.”
Evan froze.“My shoulder?”
“Yeah.Heard you injured it last season.”
There it was.The perfect opening to bring it up and clear the air...but he didn’t.There was something weird about this whole evening, and his skin prickled with goosebumps.It was like he stood on the precipice of a cliff and where to step to come down safely.
“My shoulder’s fine,” he said, and he could tell from the look on Riley’s face that he’d just misstepped and fallen over the edge.
“Then why do I have guys like Travis fucking Walker telling me I’m a jackass for having injured you last season?Why can I Google ‘Barczyk Abernathy hit’ and get tons of GIFs of me nailing you along the boards and blog posts going off about how dangerous that play was and poor Abernathy could’ve been seriously hurt?Huh?How come all that exists out there, and you’re telling me ‘it’s fine’ ?”
There was a flicker of shame that ran through him; Evan turned away from Riley and stared at the small cracks on the mat.Funny how you couldn’t see them until you got close.
“Yeah, you hit me last season,” Evan said.“You hit people all the time, though.”
“And most of the time, those people aren’t shy about telling me off for it.I join a new team, and if someone’s got a bone to pick with me, they pick it.We laugh about it, we share a beer, and it’s like it never happened.If you were upset about it, why’d you never say anything?”
