Page 3 of Crew
“Love you too.” I ended the call and made my way into the living room.
Dropping onto the couch next to Pearson, another teammate who shared the apartment with Schultz and me, I made myself comfortable.
“Glad we made it back in time to actually catch a game.” Schultz turned up the volume on the television.
Although we kept up with how the Rockies were doing, our schedule didn’t give us a lot of opportunities to watch them very often.
“Stratton’s been killing it behind the plate. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two from watching him.” Pearson chuckled. Stratton was the Rockies hot-as-fuck starting catcher, and he was performingwell enough that he likely wouldn’t go anywhere until his contract was up. So while it was always possible Pearson could see some play time in the majors, it was highly unlikely.
“I’d let him teach me a few things,” I joked, my words heavy with innuendo.
Schultz shook his head and chuckled. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Could you imagine if he got called up, but couldn’t focus because he was too busy checking out Stratton’s ass?” Pearson laughed.
The doorbell rang, and Schultz hopped up. “Pizza’s here.”
A few seconds later, he returned and dropped some paper plates and two boxes of food on the coffee table. We all grabbed a couple of slices and settled in for the game.
I spent the next hour alternating between watching the action on the screen and scrolling through a dating app on my phone. Thankfully, most of the guys I found were looking for a one-night thing rather than a relationship because random hook ups were more my style. A guy I’d talked with a couple of times over the last few days was blowing up my messages. Since we didn’t have to be at the field until the following afternoon, I was trying to make plans to meet up with him later.
The crack of a bat followed by the announcer’s call of a line drive caught my attention, and I looked up just in time to see Long running down the first baseline. The guy was one of the best in the league, both offensively and defensively, but when he reached back and held onto his hamstring, I knew things weren’t good.
“Oh shit,” I breathed.
“Dude, hopefully, it’s just a cramp or something,” Schultz noted.
Maybe. But when Schmitt, the manager, signaled for a pinch runner, I had a feeling it was worse than that. If Long went out, the Rockies would need to call up a replacement since Stratton only played first base on occasion and was needed behind the dish. That meant I was the likely choice. While I never wanted someone to get hurt, it was part of the sport, and my heart rate sped up as I wondered if I’d finally get the chance to play in the big leagues.
By the time the final out was made, no announcement had beenmade on Long’s condition and it was likely we wouldn’t know anything until the morning. But I wasn’t going to stay home all night, thinking about the possibility of playing in Denver. I had plans for the rest of my night.
I stood and tucked my phone into my pocket. “I’m heading out.”
Pearson gave me a knowing look. “You meeting up with afriend?”
“Yep.”
It was nice not having to hide my sexuality from my roommates. Coming out in the sports world was always a little concerning, but for the most part, I hadn’t run into many issues. However, I worried things might be different if I reached the majors and had the media to deal with.
Schultz smirked. “Hope he shows you a good time.”
I snorted. “Me too. Don’t wait up.”
My teammates chilledin the locker room like they did before every game. Some were engrossed in whatever they looked at on their phones, while others discussed the best way to beat our opponents. I was busy preparing a plate from the spread of food laid out for us.
My phone began ringing just as I was about to take the first bite of my turkey sandwich. Standing, I grabbed it from my cubby, and my pulse began to race when I saw my agent’s name on the screen.
“Hey, Barry. What’s up?” I answered, trying to keep my excitement in check.
“Not much. Just wondering if you feel up to playing in Denver tomorrow night?”
I dropped onto my chair. “Are you serious?” Even though I’d recognized the huge possibility I’d be called up, his words still didn’t quite feel real.
“Yep. Long’s got a torn hamstring. He’ll be on the IL for at least six weeks.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed. Everything I’d been working toward had finallyhappened.
“I’ll text you all the travel details in a few minutes,” Barry stated. “The team needs you to play tomorrow, but they want you to meet the guys in the clubhouse tonight after the game ends.”
