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“Yeah. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Nice. Heard she went through a wicked divorce. Yo, Osi?” Hayes nudged him.
“Yes. This for her,” he said, handing Ryan the flowers.
“Right. Thanks. I guess I should, uh, put them in water,” he said, heading to the kitchen to look for something to stick them in.
“I don’t fuckin’ know, I guess. Just make sure she knows they’re from the two hotties on the fourth floor and not the dusty rook, eh?” Hayes twirled the lollipop stick as he looked around. “I thought you said it was a mess in here. Looks pretty put together to me. You should see our place. Most days we’re lucky if we can find the front door.”
“This is because you are pig,” Osi chimed in, and Hayes flipped him both middle fingers.
Ryan smirked. “Yeah, it’s fully furnished. Sheets, towels, kitchen stuff. All included.”
“I mean, that’s cool. Makes it easy. So, how’d you even end up living with Nick’s much older female cousin? That’s kinda weird, eh? What are you, 22, 23?”
“I’m 23. And it…just sort of happened.”
And how’d you end up such a nosy little shit? Ryan thought, partially annoyed as Hayes grabbed a beer, twisted the cap off, and had a seat at one of the counter stools. Just as he was about to drink it, Osi grabbed it from his hand. “Nope. Can’t have yet. Two more months.”
Hayes swatted him and grabbed it back. “Shut it. Yes, I’m the only guy on the team who can’t get into a bar yet. Meanwhile, back in Canada, I’ve been going to bars for almost two years. So stupid.”
“Oh, you’re Canadian? So, this right here is like the beginning of a bad joke,” Ryan quipped awkwardly. “You know. An American, a Canadian, and a Russian walk into a bar.”
“No. American and Russian walk into bar. Canadian have to wait outside!” Osi replied immediately, giggling as he said it, which made Ryan laugh as well. He liked this guy already.
“Piss off!” Hayes shot back, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth, taking a quick swig, and immediately sticking it back in. He must’ve noticed Ryan staring because he said, “I’m not an animal, guy. Just trying really hard to quit vaping,” as he pulled it out and waved it around before sticking it back into his mouth. “And I’ve got a little bit of an oral fixation.”
“Well, that can be a very good thing,” Ryan remarked, his eyes widening immediately after he said it. He damn sure hadn’t intended to flirt with his new teammate but realized that’s exactly how it came out. “I mean, I bet the birds don’t mind.”
Hayes stared blankly at him for a few seconds, then shook his head. “Nah, I’m sure they wouldn’t. But there’s only one bird for me,” he said, reaching into his back pocket for his phone.
“3, 2, 1…” Osi quietly counted down to the exact moment when Hayes proudly thrust his phone in front of Ryan’s face.
“Not bad, eh, Rook?” Hayes bragged, showing off a picture of him and his incredibly hot, half-naked girlfriend. “That’s my girl Jenna. She’s…”
“Instagram model. 500 thousand followers. Is 28 years old. Together for nine months. Is love of his life,” Osi finished for him, rolling his eyes. “You will hear this five more times before we leave.”
“I can’t help it. I miss her. No idea when I’ll even see her again. She’s back in Ontario, and it sucks. You got a girl, Rook? Or a guy. I mean, hey: no judgment here.”
Yup. He definitely thinks you were flirting with him. Great job, Baylor.
“Ah, of course you do,” Hayes decided, pointing to where Ryan’s black compression t-shirt clung to his incredibly well-defined midsection. “Kid’s out here lookin’ like a fuckin’ Greek god.”
Ryan laughed uncomfortably, and ran his fingers through his hair, unsure if this was an appropriate time to tell the guys he just met that at 23, he’d never actually been in a real relationship before. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity; girls tossed themselves at him on a regular basis, and he indulged just as regularly. Ryan Baylor’s toxic trait was that he liked to play, and the chase was his favorite part of the game. Getting them into bed, which never took long at all, seemed to flip a switch that made him immediately lose all interest, so much so that his nickname in college was “Ghost.”
There had only been two girls who’d somehow managed to garner his attention post-sex. And both, after he’d worked up the courage to spill his guts and go for it, had let Ryan know in no uncertain terms he wasn’t “boyfriend material.” He wasn’t sure what that even meant, but with that, a fuckboy was born, with him determining that it beat having the shit repeatedly kicked out of his fragile heart.
“Nah, nothing going on in the girl department at the moment,” he finally said.
“Well listen, that’s probably a good thing. Because you’re about to have chicks of all ages, and I do mean all ages, throwing themselves at you like it’s their full-time job. You? They’re gonna sweat you hard. Buckle up, Rook. It gets very tempting, for real. Some of these women are so hot,” he said, closing his eyes and pretending to bite down on his hand. “I’ll flirt a bit, but at the end of the day, I’m not a cheater. You enjoy that shit, though. Osi does, right, Osi?”
Osi nodded and shrugged. “Every time and again. Is nice.”
“So anyway, we won’t keep you. Just wanted to introduce ourselves and let you know we’re here. A few of the other guys will be over tomorrow night for a little pre-season get-together. You should come. And, uh, bring Nick’s cousin, too, if she’s down. I wanna see how hot…I mean, I would like to meet her,” Hayes said with a sideways smirk and a wink. “Catch you later, Rook.”
“Was nice to meet you,” Osi said, reaching out to shake Ryan’s hand. “Bridgeport is like big family. We are happy you are part of it.”
“Thanks, man,” Ryan said, and they exchanged numbers before they left. As soon as Ryan closed the door, he immediately popped onto Instagram and unfollowed Hayes’s girlfriend. He knew she’d looked familiar.
