Chapter 2

Riley

As evening settled after practice, Riley sat on the balcony of his apartment with his housemate. Devon watered the plants grouped on the ground as Riley knocked back a beer and played with his baseball mitt.

“Are you lookin’ forward to this year?” Devon asked as he trimmed some herbs for dinner.

“Yeah,” Riley replied. “I spent the summer on campus, training, training, and then more training. I missed you, ya punk!”

Devon laughed at that. “I didn’t miss campus, but I did miss kicking around with you.”

“That’s good! Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing what the new students are like and having some classes as an alternative to sport, too,” Riley said.

“You mean interested in the new girls?” Devon asked. “And, for you, guys, I guess.”

Riley smirked. “I love everyone.”

Devon chuckled. “Looking forward to class?”

“Yup. I need a break from baseball. Don’t the first years look younger this year?” Riley said as he glanced down out at the cars pulling up.

Devon laughed. “Yeah. They do.”

Riley stood up to watch various new and current students as they made their way up the lawns with their luggage and domestic items. Who were these fresh faces? He noticed a nervous guy with his parents, bidding them farewell just below their balcony. He looked like a first-year from how he peered around brightly at the other students and the campus facilities. That reminded Riley of the new catcher on his team. They’d met a few hours earlier, and he had been one of the newer members, so probably a first year, too. 

Ethan had been solid, all firm muscle, with the cutest smile when Riley’s first pitch had landed in his mitt. The thought aroused Riley slightly. Ethan had seemed so brooding and serious before they began, and Riley had always been attracted to that type of man since he’d first come out. But, then, when they’d played ball, he’d seen Ethan change from earnest to excited. Riley didn’t see that boylike expression on many catchers, and he wanted to know more about his new teammate. But he was more interested in what was for dinner at that moment and would think about baseball later. 

Devon finished with the gardening, so they headed inside to cook something together. Riley had lived with Devon since First Year, and they’d had a couple of other flatmates, finally settling in comfortably together. They whipped up some pad Thai and watched reality TV on Devon’s laptop as they ate. As Riley washed the dishes, Devon asked about practice.

“What are the new recruits like?”

Riley shrugged as he rinsed the plates. “It’ll be a while to see who sticks with it–practice is really tough at first. There are a few catchers, so I want to see what they’re like.”

He thought about Ethan again; his dark brown eyes and the dark hair that fell across his eyes made Riley want to know more about the person behind them. And he had exotic, olive skin that just made Riley want to touch it.

“Let’s hope you get someone good so that you can win all your games,” Devon said. “I’m mostly worried about getting into honors. It’s going to be a stressful semester.”

“If anyone can do it, you can,” Riley said as he hung the dishtowel. 

“Hmm. You’d better do honors, too. Not sure who will hire you for having a Literature degree.” 

Riley laughed at that. “I’ll worry about that when I finish my baseball career.”

As he settled down at his desk later, he did think that he was pretty lucky not to have to worry about employment after college. Some scouts had already talked to him at games about where he wanted to end up and had given him their cards. As long as the team played well, he’d continue to be noticed. Moreover, he had the luxury of doing a degree that he was interested in, not just choosing classes for employability. With that comforting thought in mind, he decided to turn in for the night.

***

The next day, he saw Ethan at one of the campus cafes buying a coffee. He looked different when he wasn’t wearing his baseball uniform, preppy in an old cardigan, and with his eyes focused on his hot drink. He even wore glasses which meant that he must use contacts during games. Riley wondered what Ethan was studying and thought he’d walk up and ask him. But, as he crossed the maze of seated tables to approach Ethan, he noticed a cute girl with long curls sidle up to meet him. Who was she?

Devon called to him from outside the stationery shop as he thought that.

“Hey!” he said as he ran up to Riley. “You forgot your cleats.”

“OH! Thanks, Devon,” Riley said as he put them in his sports bag. 

He immediately forgot about Ethan as they decided to split a pizza for lunch. After eating with Devon, he made his way to the law library, one of the quietest spots on campus. He found a quiet corner to focus on some of his literature readings. As he underlined various passages, he received a text on his phone on the table beside him. His pencil lead snapped as his concentration was broken.

The text was from Bec, a girl he’d been chasing for a few weeks. They agreed to meet at a coffee shop nearby. He stopped in a bathroom to check his appearance, then treated her to a chai latte and a piccolo latte for himself. 

“What led you to message me out of the blue?” he asked.

“I wanted to know if you’re going to the Alpha frat party on the weekend,” she replied.

Riley sighed internally. People thought he liked frat events because he was the baseball Ace. There was a reason he hadn’t moved in with those testosterone-fueled athletes, namely the very homophobic environment that was the norm. He was a little more sensitive despite the bravado that he put up around others, and he didn’t need the headache of tiptoeing around straight guys. It took a lot for him to trust someone, and respect was one of the requirements.

“I was thinking that I have an essay coming up….” he said as he looked away.

“PLEASE come! My friend wants to see Devon there!” Bec insisted.

Oh. So that’s why she contacted him. Riley didn’t want to ruin Devon’s chances of meeting a nice girl, so he decided to try and encourage his flatmate to attend.

“I’ll ask him. I'll text you if he wants to go,” Riley said.

“Thanks!” Bec said with a big smile. “I’d better go. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.”

Riley raised his hand in a polite wave as she went on her way. He thought about how he had been chasing her unsuccessfully and wondered if he should give up and quit while he was ahead. If she’d be occupied with others at the frat party, he could do the same.