Page 4 of Sidelining the Safety

“Hm…” Lee sighed quietly, slowly dragging his sight from Mac back to Drew.

Drew chuckled. “Screen door on a submarine… I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Heard what before?”

Lee and Drew looked at Mac as he resumed his seat, a pot of coffee in hand. He poured them all fresh cups and then rested the pot beside him. “I’ll return this in a minute and grab your bagel, but I didn’t want to miss our time together. Unless you might be up to spending more time with me, I mean, us.”

Lee doctored his coffee with sugar and cream. “I don’t know anyone here other than my teammates. It’d be nice to have some friends who could show me around town.” He side-eyed Mac and Drew, hoping he didn’t sound as enthusiastic as he felt. Spending time with either, or both, of these gorgeous best friends would be fun, even if he had to stifle his libido. Lee wouldn’t make a move on Drew, not knowing how much he wanted to be the main squeeze in Mac’s life, which also put Mac off-limits.

“Great!” Mac grinned, flashing pearly whites before whipping out his phone. He thumbed it on, toggled to Contacts, and slid it over. As Lee entered his name and digits, another phone entered his field of vision.

“Mine, too, please,” Drew said. “Unless I have class, I’m in.”

“What about looking for a job?” Mac countered, a slight frown marring his profile.

“You’re looking for a job?” Lee interjected, hoping he wasn’t stepping on toes. “The team and stadium are interviewing for open positions. Some of them are only game-day jobs, but there are others. Full- and part-time, I think.”

Drew leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. “Is there anything with the medical team?”

Lee scratched his head. “I don’t know, but I can ask when I head over there later.”

“Yeah? That’d be great. I need an internship ASAP for the next semester. Having that locked down is key.”

“Cool.” Lee smiled. “It’d be nice to see a friendly face… more than just the team, I mean.”

“Have you made friends with any of your teammates yet?” Mac asked in a cadence so like Lee’s mother, he laughed.

Lee gave him a light shove, which Mac overdramatized. Damn, these two were fun and funny. He’d have to thank the hostess for seating him here. Already he looked forward to spending time with each of them separately and both of them together.

He took a sip of his coffee and gathered his thoughts before answering. “A couple. The veterans each take a rookie under their wing, and of course, the defense tends to stick together. It’s hard though.”

“Why’s that?” Drew asked, but before Lee could answer, he paused as Amy approached and placed a toasted and smeared bagel in front of Drew and a second plate with several varieties of muffins in the middle of the table. She also dropped off a stack of small plates.

Spying a cranberry-orange one, Lee reached but stopped himself from grabbing it just inches away. “May I?”

Mac chuckled. “Of course. I got them for you guys.”

“Thanks.” Lee snatched it up and grabbed a clean plate. “I love this kind.”

As Lee unwrapped his muffin, Drew picked up the thread of their conversation. “Are you an introvert? Is that why you said it’s hard to make friends?”

Lee shook his head as he took a small bite, moaning quietly as the flavor of the moist, sweet muffin hit his tongue. “Damn, that’s good.”

“I know, right? But no deflecting, alright? We’re your new best friends and we need to know all the things.”

Lee chuckled, his gaze darting between the two men. Both stared at him, appearing eager to hear his answer. “Fine. While I do have some introverted tendencies, it’s my position.” Seeing their confusion, he explained. “I play safety.”

“Safely’s good.”

Lee nearly spit out the bite he’d just taken. He slammed a hand over his mouth, coughing to keep from choking.

“Aw shit, man.” Mac slapped his back. “Don’t die on us. We just met you.”

Snorting and coughing were not a good mix. Lee’s cheeks burned, embarrassment scorching him hotter than the blazing Texas heat. He swallowed and took a few careful sips of coffee before he dared to even look at them.

“Okay. I’m good.” He peered at Mac as he’d been the one to set Lee off. “It’s not ‘safely.’ My position on the team is called safety.”

“Oh-kay…” Mac drawled. “And what does a safety do?”

---