He drops his gym bag beside him.
A gym bag.
Why the hell is Jason taking a gym bag to Fiji?
I would think he would travel with a suitcase like an actual twenty-something adult.
But then, I also thought he wouldn’t be known as the most homophobic athlete in the country.
Not the world, certainly. There are probably Russian athletes who outshine him in that respect. And I’m sure there are American athletes even more ill-mannered than him, though they’re smart enough not to announce it to the media.
I watch Jason for a minute, see him talk with the Fiji Airways first-class flight attendant, see him look relieved and hand over his card and passport, see him sweep his gaze around the airport.
Is he looking for me? But then his shoulders fall, and his jaw tightens, and I know that’s not the case. Jason Larvik doesn’t think about me.
I pull out my phone and find Rex’s number. He answers on the first ring.
“Cal?” He sounds surprised.
“I’m at Logan,” I tell him. “Larvik is flying to Fiji.”
“Tell me you’re making that up.”
“I saw him hand over a credit card and his passport to Fiji Airways’ first-class counter. He told me he was going there too.”
Rex chuckles. “Entitled athletes. Talk about having a public tantrum.”
“What would you like me to do?”
For a moment, there’s silence, and I regret asking.
“You need to get on that plane,” Rex says.
“Excuse me?”
“Keep your receipts. And don’t lose him.”
The call ends before I can process what happened. I stand frozen for a moment. My laptop is in my bag. That’s good. I need my passport. Why the hell did I not take my passport to work?
I call my roommate. Jeremy is a freelance reporter and blogger.
Please, please, please.
He picks up. “How’s my favorite roommate?”
I give an awkward laugh. “Is there any chance you could bring my passport to the airport?”
“What?”
“Sorry. I’m on a story.” This sounds absurd, and I half expect a camera to zoom in on my face, movie style. But maybe this is what it’s like to be in the big leagues, to be working at actual Sports Sphere and not Sports Sphere’s cramped Southeast office. “Rex wants me to leave the country to cover it.”
“In that case, I better get your passport. He’s crazy intimidating.”
“You think he’s intimidating because you have a crush on him.”
“Don’t tell him that!”
I chuckle. “I won’t.”
