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Sixteen
Rowan
Tweetie,Henry, and I arrive at the hotel room our agent, Jagger Kale, booked for us. We’re scheduled to have an interview withSportsNightto talk about the upcoming season.
Jagger opens the door of the suite dressed in a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. “My trifecta.” He walks toward us and places his hand out for us to shake.
“How’s the family?” I ask.
“Good. I’ll be back for your first game with my son.”
“Does he play?” Tweetie takes no time before he’s over at the snack table Jagger set up for us, grabbing a cookie.
“Nah, he’s a gamer. But he loves to travel, so he agrees to go to a game, and I agree to go wherever he wants. It’s bonding time. Hensley gets it.”
“Magic will know what that’s like soon enough,” Tweetie laughs, snagging a small sandwich before he’s even finished chewing his cookie.
“What are you talking about?” I sit on the couch, wanting to get this interview over with. I hate doing them. The only reason I’m a little more at ease today is because Tweetie and Henry are with me, and we all know Tweetie will take over.
“Your girl. She’s at your place all the damn time.”
“You have nothing better to do but spy on me?”
Tweetie clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth. “That’s how often she’s there. Every time I leave my place, she’s either coming or going.”
He’s not wrong. For the last three weeks, Leigh has been all I think about, all I want. We talk, and I’ve been getting to know her, but I haven’t asked her a lot of personal questions. Twice now, I’ve found her at Peeper’s Alley with swollen eyes as though she’s been crying.
If I go there and ask why she’s upset, it’ll suggest that we’re more than just a hookup to each other. And I sure as hell don’t want her asking me about my personal demons. She must be finding some solace in Ruby, which is odd since that woman has never seemed like someone who wants people to cry on her shoulder.
“Bodhi likes her. The other day she stopped after she left your place and helped him chalk a sun on the stairs,” Henry says.
My eyebrows raise. “Really?”
Henry nods, opening a sparkling water. “She seems nice. Good with kids. And I’m guessing she’s good at other things since she’s kept your interest for more than a week.”
I lean back on the couch and rest my ankle on my knee. “Fuck off, I’m not like that. I think you’re confusing me for Tweetie. And I’m not dating her. I’m just…”
“Fucking her?” Jagger asks, sitting in the chair next to me.
“Yeah… I mean…”
Jagger holds up his hand. “You don’t have to answer to me. I had my fun, but don’t be an idiot and pass up the woman for you like I did. Thankfully, I got a second chance, but not everyone does.” He eyes Tweetie, who turns toward the snack table, giving us his back. I’m not sure what that’s about.
Leigh is beautiful, funny, and I have this pull to her I’ve never felt with anyone else. I’ve never considered dating anyone since I got into the league. Seems like a waste to me because of how much I travel. Plus, I don’t want to bring an innocent person in to bear the brunt of all the doubts in my head about what kind of a man I might be to a long-term partner. Leigh’s too good for that, and she seems happy to keep our agreement the way it is, so why mess that up?
“Look at him thinking.” Tweetie laughs, sitting in one of the chairs with a plate full of food.
“Give him a break,” Henry says. “Our boy might be realizing he’s falling.”
I shrug. “She’s a great fuck. That’s it.”
The words taste sour coming out of my mouth. She’s more than that. And she will be more than that to someone else after she’s done with me, which will probably be as soon as my season starts since I won’t be available as much.
“Okay, the interview is going to start soon, so get all nice and cozy on the couch. Tweetie, put the fucking food down, and don’t hog the spotlight,” Jagger says.
“That’s a hard ask,” Tweetie says.
We all sit side by side on the couch with Tweetie in the middle. Jagger gives Tweetie his stern dad look, the only look I’ve seen from anyone that sobers Tweetie up.
