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Parker: I was never talented enough to go pro. Everyone’s good. But speaking of being an athlete, I’m late for kickball practice.
I shoved the phone in my gym bag and felt it vibrate once more but vowed to check it later.
At the kickball field, I found my friends already warming up. We didn’t all take the game super seriously, butsomeof us had a wicked competitive streak, so a few guys were jogging laps and others were stretching. I joined the joggers to get warm and ran a few laps around the field before heading to the dugout. My phone vibrated as I was rummaging through my bag to find my water bottle, so I took the time to check it and answer. Before I knew it, I was caught up in our conversation, a goofy grin on my face as I looked down at my phone.
Travis: You play kickball? That sounds like fun, but it’s totally random. I didn’t know adult kickball teams existed, much less that we had them in Port Grandlin.
Parker: Adult kickball leagues definitely exist! My team is one of the top competitors in our league. The league is called All Means All. Very queer-friendly. That’s why I joined. I wanted a community and friends, you know? Plus, I wanted to stay active. I’ve been on the team for years. There are six of us who’ve played together since right out of college.
Travis: It’s hard to make friends as an adult. I get that. My closest friends as an adult are my best buddies from college.
Parker: That’s where I got into kickball initially. College. My frat had a team in the intramural league. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found a whole-ass gay adult league right here in Port Grandlin when I graduated.
“Earth to Parker.” Theo snapped his fingers in my face. “What are you doing?”
“He’s probably arranging his next hookup.” Cam reached for my phone, but I pivoted and kept it out of reach.
“Why don’t any of us respect the sanctity of another man’s phone?” I shot Cam an annoyed look. “For all you know, I’m looking at porn.”
“Ooh, porn? Let me see.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m just texting a friend. Yes, afriend. Not a hookup.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “Sure you were. Anyway, you’re up.”
I tucked my phone back in my gym bag and headed onto the field. It stung that they didn’t believe me and it also stung that they expected me to do nothing but search for my next piece of ass. Then again, I hadn’t exactly done much to prove them wrong on that front.
So I liked sex. So what? There was nothing wrong with hooking up with people. Almost all of them had done the same thing at some point in their lives. Only Bennett was innocent of random hookups. Hell, Cam’s wholemarriagehad started out as a drunken hookup. But regardless of all that, guilt gnawed at me out of nowhere. I owed Travis more than status as a hookup, right?
It was just our team on the field for practice that night and Jared was pitching. I kicked the ball with a vengeance when it came my way, sprinting to first base, then second. I stopped there and caught my breath as Bennett stepped up to the plate to kick next.
Despite my best efforts, I was distracted all throughout practice. I couldn’t stop thinking about Travis. For some reason, park ranger wasn’t what I’d pictured for him, but it also wasn’t very far from the mark if I thought about it. I had assumed he was maybe a history teacher or something, but he’d always been outdoorsy and passionate about protecting the environment, even when we were in middle school. I remembered when he created a no littering campaign as a part of his bid for class president.
After practice, we all headed over to Jock Strap, our favorite sports bar, to have a few drinks, recap practice, and strategize for our upcoming game. Instead of six of us cramming into a large booth, the two newly added husbands joined, so the eight of us took up a couple of tables. There were a few other seasonal players on our team that came and went, but they rarely joined us for drinks after practice, which left Bennett, Levi, Jared, and me, plus Theo and his husband Nate, and Cam and his husband Oliver, all huddled around a couple of tables ordering enough wings and beer to satisfy an army.
Curiosity was burning inside me so as soon as we’d ordered, I checked my phone again, delighted to discover another message from Travis.
Travis: That sounds amazing. Good luck at practice. I don’t have anything as exciting as all that going on in my life.
I chuckled quietly and shook my head, grinning at my phone. There was a green circle next to his icon, so I knew he was logged in and active on the app. I messaged him back, hopeful that he’d reply.
Parker: I bet you do. Besides, my life's not all that interesting. The wildest thing I do most weeks is have family dinner on Tuesdays.
Travis: Does your mom still make that great spaghetti sauce?
Parker: Actually, she does. We just had it last night.
Travis: Oh man, I’m so jealous.
Parker: You wouldn’t be if you were obligated to eat it once a month, plus leftovers.
Travis: I don’t know, I think I would be.
Parker: Maybe you should come to my next family dinner so we can find out.
Before I could see his response, Jared elbowed me in the ribs. “Dude, pay attention to your friends, not your fucking phone.”
“Like you assholes haven’t done the same thing,” I muttered, putting my phone face down on the table.
