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“Just the one that finished in May.”
“That must have been an upgrade from the retirees you usually teach.” I opened the side of the case before sliding the whole thing onto the lowest shelf of the fridge.
“Honestly,” Theo said, lowering his voice. “She’s more talented than I am. She should be teaching, not me.”
“So, you haven’t asked her out because you think you shouldn’t date a student from a class you volunteer to teach or because she’s more talented than you?”
“Neither,” he said. “We’re just friends.”
“Cool,” I said, tossing him a Hairless Dog IPA from the fridge door and grabbing two cans from the case Aiden brought. “Maybe I’ll ask her out then.”
“Fuck you,” he said, shoving my shoulder. “She’d eat you alive.”
I grinned. “Probably. Come on, we can’t miss the first pitch.”
I handed Aiden a beer before Theo and I took our places on either end of the couch. Skye plopped between us and yawned. We opened our cans and raised them in the air. “To Logan,” we said in unison and drank.
“Who’s playing again?” Theo asked, setting his non-alcoholic beer on the coffee table.
“The Washington Nationals and Charlotte Knights,” Aiden answered.
“Who are we rooting for?” I asked.
Aiden shrugged. “Don’t matter.”
We got together at least once a week to watch a game, more during football season. I think Theo suffered through them as a form of self-punishment. Aiden and I were basketball fans as well, but the summer season bored us all.
Theo shook his head. “We could watch a movie if neither of you care about the game.”
“The movies you like are depressing,” Aiden said.
“Fair enough,” Theo said. “Speaking of depressing, how’s work, Cal?”
Skye shot off the couch and jumped at the window, barking. Aiden curled into the armchair as she passed. “For Pete’s sake,” he yelled.
“Skye,” I said. “Come.”
She gave another bark at whatever had grabbed her attention, probably a squirrel, and sprang back to the couch. She had an obsession with the bushy-tailed rodents, which made controlling her on walks a full-body workout.
Aiden put his feet down slowly, shoulders tense. The crushed can in his hand dripped, and a large wet mark spread across his chest.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “You can rinse your shirt out in the bathroom and borrow one of mine. You know where they are.”
He glared at my dog and walked down the narrow hallway toward my bedroom. Skye huffed and rested her head on her paws.
“Maybe we should shut the blinds,” Theo said.
“Good idea.” I closed the shutter blinds on the big picture window facing Sullivan Street before heading to the kitchen for more beer.
“How are things going at work?” Aiden asked, pulling one of my t-shirts over his head as he walked back down the hallway.
“You’re going to stretch the shit out of that,” I said handing him a beer.
Aiden flexed and the shirt pulled so tight it had to be cutting off circulation to his arms. I take care of myself, running and hitting the gym five days a week for weight training. No one wanted an out-of-shape PT pushing their bodies through the pain of recovery. But Aiden worked construction in addition to joining me at the gym.
“You didn’t answer him,” Theo said, taking another sip of his drink.
“Everything’s fine. Do you want to order a pizza from Peppers or Door Dash something else?”
