Page 21 of Catch Me
“You heard what West said to me,” he went on.
“He’s wrong.” I kept my tone inflectionless and continued to avoid looking at him.
“Okay, cool, but whatever issues you and Tilian have are not my business. I just want to clear the air and talk about the obvious tension here. I’m happy to give you a room to sleep in when you’re here, however many times that is. If you’re not comfortable around me because I’m gay, I’ll get you a hotel.”
“I never said—”
“You didn’t have to. And look, if you have some sort of issue with gay people, I don’t want to get into all of that. I’m not interested in trying to change your mind or anything. That’s your deal. I’m trying to establish a professional relationship in the hopes that it’ll have reciprocal benefits for you and the team. In the interest of doing that, be straight with me. I’m not offended by your opinions, and it doesn’t change any of my offers.”
My ears felt hot, and I couldn’t decide if I was angry or embarrassed about being called out. I was definitely confused about his stance. He hadn’t so much as implied that I was a bad person, even though he probably thought it. I’d been called a homophobe and a bigot before. When I was younger, my dad told me he had too, so I hadn’t thought it was a problem for a while. Not until I stopped wanting to be like him.
“I don’t have an issue with gay people,” I said quietly.
“Okay.”
He didn’t seem to care either way, but I continued anyway. “Yeah, like, even if I don’t agree with it, I don’t care.”
“Don’t agree with it...” He nodded his head slowly. He didn’t expand on his words, and it just made me scramble for something else to say.
“We’re cool. As long as a guy doesn’t...” Fuck, that was going to sound dickish.
He swiped a hand down his face, and it took me a moment to realize he was laughing. With the sun shining through the window, the lighter streaks in his hair stood out. His smile was brighter, though. I tore my gaze away and looked outside again.
“As long as a guy doesn’t hit on you, right?”
I just shrugged.
“I have a question.”
“I’m good,” I said shortly.
“Why would a gay man have any interest in hitting on a straight guy when other gay men exist? Do you think we wake up every morning and think, ‘Today, I feel like getting rejected and possibly punched in the face?’”
I rolled my lips as I thought about his questions. Nobody had ever responded like that and it...made sense.
The back of his hand hit my chest lightly. “Lighten up, Roman. I have zero interest in hitting on you. It’s entirely up to you how we go forward.”
I scooted a little closer to the door. “Okay, just don’t touch me.”
He shook his head a little, but I didn’t turn to see his expression. I refrained from touching my chest, even though it felt like his hand was still there.
*****
“You must be Roman. I’m Pete Callihan.”
He held out his hand, and I took it firmly. Pete was old enough to have mostly grey hair with some brown sticking around. He looked healthy enough to run out on that field and play the game. His blue eyes were bright and the smile on his face felt genuine.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied with a smile of my own. “Thank you so much for the opportunity.”
“Trav said you’re talented, and I trust his judgment. You brought some of your work?” He nodded toward the folder, then motioned for me to take a seat at the rectangular table.
“Yes, I have illustrations to show you my style and the type of things I typically draw.” I flipped it open and scooted it toward him so he could browse through it. “Those aren’t the only things I can do, so if you have something different in mind, I’m positive I can accommodate it.”
“You’re versatile,” he noted as he looked at one of the pictures and nodded appreciatively. Travis opened the door to leave, but Pete spoke again. “Stick around, McKinney. This was your idea.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” He painted on a smile that looked mischievous.
He took the closest chair, which was next to me. I thought it would make more sense for him to go around and sit by Pete, but it was fine. We were supposed to be acquaintances, and according to him, none of the other stuff mattered.
