21. I Understand a Cat
21
I UNDERSTAND A CAT
Tanner
I hit reply so fast.
Tanner: Just got back to my hotel room.
Luke: Cool. You doing okay?
That’s an odd question. Brow furrowed, I study the message as I walk farther into the suite, flopping down on the couch.
Tanner: Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?
Luke: I just know you’re the one player who likes to give it your all at the All-Star game.
Oh. Huh. He knows that about me. Did I ever tell him that? Not sure, but I’m grateful he gets it. I don’t have to pretend I’m happy with my performance back there.
Tanner: Yeah, well, tonight kind of sucked. I prefer to hit dingers for the fans, all things being equal.
Luke: Dinger is such a weird word. But I wanted to make sure you were okay.
This is nice that he reached out. We can be friends like we’ve always been.
Tanner: Thanks, man. I usually don’t let games get to me, but I wanted to do better tonight. For the fans, ya know. But I’m good. You?
Luke: Glad you’re alright. I’m packing for my early flight.
Before I can ask when he’s taking off, my phone rings. It’s Luke on FaceTime. I answer it faster than a friend would.
“Hey,” I say, but that came out too soft, too sweet. I clear my throat. My voice is deeper this time as I correct with a casual, “Hey.”
“Hey,” he says, and then he’s quiet, almost shy. Like he forgot why he called. “I just wanted to…”
He stops, snort-laughs, then turns his face to the side, lifting a hand behind him. “I’m only gone a few days,” he says to the orange cat who just walked behind him on the couch. “You won’t even miss me, End Zone.”
I dip my face to hide my smile over the way he talks to his cat. I can’t get caught up in how he speaks to a pet.
Luke turns to the camera again as I raise my face. “End Zone won’t really miss me while I’m gone. He just pretends he will,” he explains as the critter in question curls up on Luke’s shoulders.
“I don’t know, man. Looks like he’s marking you before you leave. I bet he’ll miss you.”
“Nah. He’s just worried Kickoff will be mean to him so he’s sucking up to me before I go,” Luke says, lifting his arm behind him to stroke the cat and giving me a nice view of his biceps again.
His muscles fill the screen, and my memory fills in from the other night.
When those big arms were braced on either side of my head as he drove into me.
Heat flares in my chest.
“I’m gonna have to call bullshit on that,” I say as the cat rubs his face against Luke’s cheek.
He’s still stroking the cat. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Maybe he likes me.”
He’s not the only one.
“Elsie’s all set to take care of them and get them high?” I ask, trying to focus on practical details, not how I’m feeling like I understand a cat suddenly.
“She is,” he says as the critter climbs down Luke to settle on his lap, pawing at his stomach. “Oh, man, he can’t play the piano on me.”
“Dude, you’re shirtless with a cat. What were you thinking?” I ask, chucking. That’s friendly, right? I’m sort of ribbing him.
“I don’t know,” he says, then tries to settle the creature. Cooing at him, stroking his chin, petting him. Melting me, and that is not fair.
Soon, the cat is curling up on his lap. “Does he have the loudest purr in the world?” I ask.
Luke smiles dopily, like he’s proud of the feline’s noise box. “Yeah, he does.”
It occurs to me I don’t know why Luke called. He hasn’t said, and we’ve only been talking about the cat. “So, what’s going on?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You said you were fine, but I wanted to check.” Luke’s cheeks go the slightest shade of red.
My heart thumps at both his reaction to his own words and to his actions. He doesn’t usually call to see if I’m good. No one does. I like this feeling of being cared for. “Not my best game, but what can you do?”
“Stay grounded. The next game will be better,” he says, quoting me back to me.
“Sounds like good advice.”
“Someone smart shared that with me. And it helped me, Tanner,” Luke says, then yawns. “Anyway, I know you expect the best all the time, so I didn’t want you to be beating yourself up over the game. You’ll do great in Seattle.”
My next series is up the coast right after the wedding. And for the first time in thirty-six hours, I relax. “Thanks. I’m okay,” I say, my limbs nice and loose as I stretch out on the couch.
Luke mirrors me, sliding down on his sofa, his golden skin on display, looking thoroughly lickable. I’d like to run my tongue down his chest right to his abs, then under the waistband of those boxer briefs. I’d like to give him a slow, leisurely, goodnight blow job.
A thank-you-for-checking-in-on-me BJ. Then send him off to dreamland on the aftereffects of an orgasm.
Another yawn clobbers him.
“Go to sleep, Luke,” I say, even though I don’t want to let him go.
“Yeah. I probably should.” But he makes no move to hang up.
“What time is your flight?”
“Too early for me. Eight a.m. I think I get in at six a.m.”
I laugh at his math. “Bet it’s more like eleven.”
“That too,” he says, sounding slurry.
“I’ll be waking up then if I’m lucky,” I say.
“Perfect. You can pick me up at SFO and drive me to Napa. Thanks for offering.”
I smile stupidly. But the logistics do make sense. We’re both heading to Wine Country around the same time. “You just want to see my McLaren,” I say, since I’m picking those hot wheels up tomorrow.
“Yeah. That’s all. I just want to see your McLaren.” His sleepy smile says he wants to see me.
“Can’t wait to show it to you,” I say.
But what I mean is I can’t wait to see you too .