Fine, time to put an end to it. He reached out and grabbed Zach’s shoulder. “Hey, man, let me apologize—”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Zach said quickly, not quite shrugging off Javier’s touch, but certainly not letting it linger. “We are totally cool.”
Casting a desperate glance around, praying no one was within earshot, Javier lowered his voice and said, “I meant about how I left it. In Portland.”
“How you left it?” Zach laughed bitterly, then quickly recovered his carefree demeanor. “You got traded. There are no hard feelings here.”
It was a bigger lie than Javier’s rumored romance with that Brazilian supermodel. But he would let it pass until they had a more private time to talk. “Okay. I’m glad we’re cool.”
He watched Zach head up to the field, buttoning the last button on his practice jersey.
Chris leaned over the dugout rail, scaring Javier half-to-death. He hoped he didn’t look as jumpy as he felt.
“What was that about?” Chris asked, cocking his head.
“Nothing,” Javier replied quickly. “Just settling up accounts.”
* * * *
They ended the series a total sweep, which was more than enough reason to celebrate. After a few interviews with some of the press guys that had gathered, Javier was grateful to get a shower, get changed, and head out on the town with some of the other guys. He was the first one in the clubhouse, the first one out of the shower, he’d probably be the first one at the bar, and that suited him just fine.
He was tying his sneakers when Zach came out of the showers, a towel slung low on his hips. Javier absolutely hated the allegation that gay guys in locker rooms couldn’t keep their eyes to themselves, but it was pretty damn difficult not to look at Zach. It was like taking someone to the Eiffel Tower a second time and telling them that they didn’t deserve a repeat of the view.
Zach’s architecture was no less impressive on repeat. His stomach was hard, the muscles of his abdomen defined like bas relief ornamentation. Two long ridges of muscle led Javier’s eyes down, to where the white terrycloth intersected the fine line of auburn hair below his navel. Quickly averting his gaze, Javier inconspicuously adjusted himself as he stood up.
He cleared his throat, knowing that whatever sound came out of him when he spoke would be some guilty, broken thing he couldn’t control. “Listen, some of us are going out to this bar, Quinn’s, over on Leonard. You wanna tag along?”
Zach took a long breath, and never looked away from his locker. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why, you have something better waiting for you?” Did that sound as confrontational as Javier thought it had?
A couple of the other guys trickled in, talking about the game, and that ended the conversation. Taylor came to stand between them, at his own locker. “What about you, Zach? You coming out with us?”
“Nah, I think I’d better just call it an early night,” Zach protested.
“Shut up, you’re coming.” Taylor had a way of saying stuff like that, and no one took offense. They just sort of went along with it. “You can sleep on the flight tomorrow night.”
“Yeah, all right. Maybe for a few drinks.”
Zach’s acceptance of the invite did something weird to Javier. He’d invited Zach along first. Was it because he knew Zach would turn it down, considering the source? Or was he ticked off because Zach had said no to him, but not to Taylor? Maybe a little of both, and despite his earlier invitation, Javier was suddenly not looking forward to Zach being there.
Quinn’s was as packed as it was any night after a win. It was nice to have a hometown bar, full of hometown fans, waiting for them if they wanted to swing by after a victory. They didn’t go if they lost. People didn’t want to buy you beers then, they wanted to empty them over your head. But tonight, the customers packed to the walls cheered when they arrived.
“Hey man, how’s Minika?”
Javier didn’t recognize the young guy who’d called out the question. “Beautiful, as usual.”
That was a good answer. It didn’t confirm or deny anything. Minika Costa was, far and away, one of the most beautiful women on the planet. She just wasn’t dating him. They’d been hanging out at the cover reveal party for her swimsuit edition. She was a nice girl, but so into women that even if Javier had been interested, there was no way anything was ever going to happen. Since that night, they'd exchanged a few emails and had gone out to "be seen" in New York a couple of times. It was a great cover, and easy to accomplish when they were playing there. She'd even come and sat in the wives and girlfriends section a couple of times.