Page 20 of Saved By the Pitcher

Chapter Eight

All day, Mike had thrown himself into reviewing the financials of his downtown restaurant and inspecting the premises. The work had taken him away from social media and his thoughts about his conversation with Jessica.

By the time he had returned to his apartment, he knew he wouldn’t sleep because of his nervous energy. He realized it was, in part, due to his angst about James. Mike remembered how James had sometimes seemed sad, and it made Mike wonder why such a handsome, talented man wasn’t on top of the world. The text from Billy suggested James had issues with relationships, but why was a mystery. Nevertheless, Mike was drawn to James, and potential concerns couldn’t dissuade his interest in pursuing him. He remembered he hadn’t called James the night before and he didn’t want another day to pass without the two of them connecting.

It was almost midnight and by most peoples’ standards, too late to contact someone. However, Mike knew it was a working day for James, and he remembered James telling him that after an evening performance, he didn’t get home until eleven-thirty or so. Chances were, James was still awake.

Mike sat at his computer to initiate a video chat. He figured if James was in bed, he would have shut down everything or, at least, he could ignore the pinging from his technology. The dial-up signal displayed for a couple of moments without response, so Mike was ready to disconnect just as James appeared on Mike’s screen. James was sitting in a room lit by a background lamp, giving him an ethereal glow. Mike almost gasped at his good fortune, as James was shirtless. Although Mike could only see from the collarbone up, the exposed skin was making his heart beat faster. He hadn’t lost his attraction to the man since they had last spoken…that was for sure.

“What’s up?” James asked, seeming apprehensive.

“Hi. Is it too late to talk?”

James’ expression remained unreadable. “I was about to go to bed. I shouldn’t talk long. There’s a matinee tomorrow.”

Mike swallowed like a nervous teenager asking for a prom date. “Oh. I just thought you might be up, having worked tonight and all.”

“A call last night would have been better,” James stated.

Mike realized from the hurt in James’ voice that the man had felt rejected when Mike hadn’t called. The night before, Mike had been so focused on his conversation with Jessica, he hadn’t taken the time to consider how going silent on James would impact the man’s emotions. “God, James, I’m sorry that I didn’t call last night…or this morning.”

James’ expression turned sad. “I’m sure you had your reasons. You didn’t owe me anything, and you don’t need to explain. Thank you for your apology, though.”

“Listen, don’t disconnect. Please,” Mike begged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ghost you. My head was in a bad place last night.”

“Why?”

“My ex-girlfriend called me,” Mike explained. “It was upsetting. She called me things I wasn’t expecting. I guess it was my first experience of what it’s like to be hated for who you are, and it wasn’t good. I should have called you, but I didn’t want to end the day we had together by dumping and projecting drama on you.”

James seemed to contemplate that, and his expression became more relaxed. “I’m sorry that happened to you. You should have called me. If you want us to be friends, then it’s okay for you to share the bad as well as the good. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I only wanted to hear from you when you’re happy.”

Mike nodded. “You’re right, James. And from now on, if I tell you I’ll call, I will.”

James smirked. “I believe your words were ‘maybe I can call you later,’ so you didn’t break a promise.”

“But I can tell I hurt you. I’m sorry about that.”

James smiled a little. “Okay, stop apologizing. I understand.” Mike sighed with relief and grinned in return. “Truth though, did you really have business to tend to when you dropped me off yesterday?”

Mike decided to be honest, even though he feared it would anger James. “No.”

James’ face fell. “I see. Listen, thanks for the apology…”

Mike cut him off before he could disconnect. “Wait. Let me explain. I shouldn’t have lied to you, but I panicked.”

“Over what? Did you think if you came up to my apartment, I was going to push you to do something you weren’t ready for?” James asked with annoyance.

“No, James. From what little I’ve seen from you, it’s obvious you’re not like that,” Mike replied. “I hate to tell you why because I don’t want to get your brother in trouble with you. He texted me…”

James rolled his eyes. “Ah, yeah. Don’t worry. He was just here. He told me what he did.”

Mike was surprised to hear that. “Oh? Interesting. James, no offense, but the two of you have an odd relationship.”

James shrugged. “I suppose.”

“So, then you understand why I backed away. I didn’t know what to do once I read his text. I had wanted to be more affectionate with you all day, then he threw a wet blanket on the idea. Did he tell you that his message was that if I had sex with you, that you’d be done with me? Listen, I don’t know what that’s about, and you don’t need to explain. I’m just saying, in that moment, I imagined what it would be like to never see you again, and I didn’t want to do anything that would cause that. I got caught up in my thoughts and wasn’t sure what to do next. But the bottom line, James, is I’ve enjoyed being with you. Even if you only want to be friends, I want to continue what we started yesterday.”

James nodded. “I liked being with you, too, Mike. And yes, I want to be friends.”