Page 59 of Wingmen

“I guess I mostly stay in the Pearl District. Sometimes north of there, or south for hiking.”

Elliot was quiet, watching the street go by, and Dustin sensedhe was putting something together in his head. Eventually, he said, “Where I grew up in Tampa, it was more like this.”

Dustin pursed his lips as he put on the blinker. He looked over his shoulder to change lanes. “My neighborhood was more like this, too. Well – not quite, but definitely not like the Pearl District.”

“Is it weird? Living there.”

Dustin could see what he was really asking. Rodriguez had just had a legendary breakout year, and his salary was about to reflect that. Dustin remembered: it was jarring, those first few of years in the league, suddenly having that salary – even before you crossed the million-dollar mark. But that was ten years ago. He hadn’t thought about it so much since he’d been coming to Portland.

“I guess I’m used to it,” he said.

Elliot nodded and looked out the window again. “My mom still lives in a neighborhood like this.”

“You could buy her a place somewhere else. Lots of guys do that.”

He turned. “Is that what you did?”

Dustin adjusted his hands on the wheel and watched the road. In his head he played out how the rest of this conversation would go if they started down that line of inquiry. “Something like that. I’ll tell you another time.”

Elliot’s food was delicious,and watching him cook was more entertaining than anything Dustin had found on streaming since he’d been laid up with the injury. He sat at the island with a glass of wine and grilled Elliot on power play strategy while Elliot bounced around the kitchen, throwing seasoningeverywhere and spilling things all over the stove. Cleaning didn’t seem to be part of the process.

After dinner they sat on the floor in front of the couch, watching headlights on the hills through the big window. Dustin turned Elliot’s hand palm-up in his lap and traced the lines with his fingers. Elliot rolled his eyes and said, “We’re holding hands now, bro?” and Dustin just smiled because he knew the dumb macho thing was a front for his shyness.

He drew a circle on Elliot’s palm. “I have a request.”

“Okay…” Elliot sounded mildly suspicious.

“I need a better nickname for you.”

“A nickname? Do I have one? Is that where we’re at?”

Dustin sighed. “In my head I started calling you ‘kid’ at some point? And it feels…weird.”

“I don’t mind that. I’ve pretty much been calling you ‘old man’.” Elliot watched Dustin’s fingers move to his wrist and walk up the inside of his forearm. “Some of my friends call me Roddy.”

“I could try that.” Dustin brushed the inside of his elbow. It was softer than the rest of him.

Roddy sipped his wine. “Should I not call you Viejo? What would be better? Dusty?”

“Dusty?Roddy and Dusty? What are we, Muppets?”

Elliot laughed, watching Dustin’s fingertips walk back down his arm. He went quiet, and Dustin felt a current of nervous tension cross the gap between them.

“I actually…have a request too,” said Elliot. His voice was very small, like he wasn’t sure he wanted Dustin to hear that request. Dustin waited, pressing the tips of his fingers into Elliot’s. “It’s…a different request.”

“Okay…”

“I was thinking about… Um. Since we’re like…here, and not –you know, in the car – and I guess this iskind ofa…date – ? I was thinking about…have you ever…um…”

Dustin looked up. Elliott’s cheeks had gone completely pink and he was watching Dustin’s fingers with an intensity that suggested he didn’t want to look Dustin in the eye while he said this.

“Have you – ay, never mind.”

“What?”

Elliot looked up, eyes fierce like they had been before he went down on Dustin for the first time. “Have you ever thought about doing it? Like all the way. With another guy.”

Dustin’s chest kicked. Wow, okay, so he wasn’t going to have to bring up the Reddit stuff after all. He swallowed and said, “Well, not…withanotherguy. But I have thought about it with you.” He watched the flush creeping down Roddy’s throat. So cute. “Have you?”