Page 31 of Slew Foot
She straightened, pushing her hair behind her ear, her gaze following Rafe as Mickey led them over to the elevator.
So, I’m not the only one who notices Rafe, Mickey thought ruefully. But who wouldn’t notice him? With his size, his looks, his earnest niceness …
And okay, MickeyknewRafe was gay, which made it both better and worse. Mickey hadn’t been digging too hard into Rafe’s history but maybe he’d read a few articles on the Minnesota Acorn’s website from last year’s Pride event.
Rafe and his ex, Logan, had been photographed together, talking about their relationship, about coming out.
Mickey still didn’t understand how Logan had let a guy like Rafe go.
And okay, maybe Rafe had some horrible, deep dark secrets, or was a nightmare in relationships or something. Mickey had no way of truly knowing. But he seemed?—
“What floor?” Rafe asked.
Mickey cleared his throat. “Five.”
“This place is nice,” Rafe said as the elevator rose.
Mickey nodded. While the bright, newly built seven-story complex wasn’t necessarily the first one he would have picked, he did like it.
When they reached the fifth floor, Mickey unlocked the door to the apartment and pushed it open. “That’s Tanner’s room,” he said, gesturing to the left. “Bathroom’s to the right.”
He hung up his coat along with Rafe’s, took off his sneakers, and put on his house shoes.
Rafe took off his shoes too, wiggling his big feet in his dingy white socks.
Mickey gave Rafe a brief tour, pointing out his bedroom on the left, the guest room straight ahead, and then the combination kitchen/living room to the right.
Neither he nor Tanner cooked a whole lot, which was just as well, since the kitchen was mostly a wall of cabinets and appliances along one side of the room. The couch and giant TV took up most of the space, and there wasn’t even a small table or countertop to eat at.
Tanner had also taken the room with the biggest closet, using the bathroom across the hall, which left Mickey with the slightly bigger room and private bath.
Tanner, who was sprawled across the couch, looked up from his phone. “Oh my God, I thought you guys were never coming!”
“We stayed a little later to run some drills,” Mickey explained.
“I’m starving. What’s for lunch?”
“I don’t know,” Mickey said drily, knowing Tanner was angling for him to place the order and pick up the tab. Sometimes he put his foot down about it, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue today. “What do you want?”
“Everything!”
Rafe nodded his agreement, clutching his stomach.
Mickey stifled a laugh. He and Rafe had eaten at the arena and Tanner probably had too but, apparently, it hadn’t been enough. After an entirely unnecessary argument about what type of food to order, they settled on Thai takeout for lunch.
Mickey got the papaya salad and steamed fish with vegetables—something that fit well with his meal plan—and Rafe was clearlytrying to do the same when he got tom yum soup, fresh summer rolls, and chicken larb.
Tanner did not, going for fried spring rolls, khao soi—a pork noodle soup with coconut milk and topped with crispy fried noodles—and Thai iced tea. He was going to get yelled at by the team’s dietician and trainers, but whatever, that was his cross to bear, not Mickey’s.
Tanner had never met a rule he didn’t want to break, and Mickey had given up on trying to nudge him into doing better. Most of the time.
When their takeout arrived, Tanner was conveniently missing, so Mickey tipped the delivery person and carried the bags into the kitchen.
Rafe, who had been sprawled on the couch, stood. “Need any help?”
“Sure.” Mickey nodded toward an overhead cupboard. “Plates and bowls are up there. You can get some for yourself if you want. Tanner’s a barbarian who always eats straight out of the containers.”
“I am not a barbarian!” Tanner squawked as he came back into the room. Chirping carried them through plating their meals—or not, in Tanner’s case—and it wasn’t long until they were seated on the couch.
