10. LION
Chapter ten
LION
I’m a few rows to the left and behind the dugout, and when Tim steps out and turns to face the crowd, I immediately stand and wave so he can see me.
“You got this!” I cheer, and he steps up to bat.
Gordon lines up for the pitch, and when he sends it down, Tim holds off on his swing, and it’s called a ball.
“Knock it out of the park!” I yell, not knowing if he can even hear me over the rumblings of the crowd. I hope he can. The air is thick with excitement from the crowd. It’s like they can feel it, too, that something special is about to happen. I can feel it.
Gordon lines up. Tim digs his front foot into the dirt. You got this, I think, and then Gordon sends the ball down. It’s another fast ball, but this time, Tim swings, and with a crack, the ball is sent soaring over the field. I’m on my feet, half the crowd are, too, watching as it flies over the fence and into the crowd for a walk-off home run.
“Fucking yeah!” I scream, and the crowd erupts as Tim starts off at a slow jog. Ryan dashes out to pass him a pole, and with a few swings the Australian flag emerges and flies above him the whole way. Everyone is on their feet cheering now. It’s his first home run of the year, and when he crosses home plate, all the Funky Monkeys have joined him on the dirt. The music changes. Tim passes off the flag to an umpire, and then the team starts dancing to the Men At Work song, “Down Under”. They stomp and swagger, and the crowd eats it up. Tim’s smile has never been wider, and he’s looking right at me.
I knew he could do it.
***
“This was fun, thanks again for the ticket,” Colin, my sister’s latest attempt at a setup, says as we make our way out of the stadium. “So, do you think you might want to grab a bite to eat?”
“I was going to see if Tim wanted to check out this barbeque place here in town, but you can come, too, if you want.”
“Oh, umm, no, that’s fine. I didn’t realize… Never mind.”
“Okay. I’m glad you had fun. See you later.”
“Yeah, see you later,” Colin says, and I head over to the side wall of the stadium to message Tim, but before I can send off the text, Mouse is calling me.
“How did it go with Colin? He’s cute, right?”
“He’s okay, I guess.”
“Please, he’s totally gorgeous. And he likes cats and Banana Ball and working out.”
“You seem really into this Colin guy.”
“I thought you would be into him. Or at least into him enough for a wham bam, thank you, man.”
“You are so weird.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Whatever, Colin was a bust, okay. I’ll do better next time, I promise.”
“How about you give the ticket to a woman next time?”
“Colin was that bad he turned you straight?”
“No, but I don’t need to be setup on blind hookup dates by my sister. I just want to watch the game.”
“You mean you just want to watch your Banana Baller, Tim Sage.”
“He hit a home run tonight. Did you see? Were you watching online?”
“I didn’t, but that’s cool.”
“I told him he would, and he did. I’m totally his good luck charm.”
“Tell me I’ll win the lottery, let’s test that theory.”
“How would telling you to win the lottery help Tim?”
“It wouldn’t doofus, it would help me.”
“Oh, sure, fine, win the lottery.”
“No, you have to say I will win the lottery.”
“But I don’t know that you’ll win.”
I hear her sigh. She must be tired. It is getting late, and if I am going to catch Tim before he makes plans with the guys, I need to message him now. I might already be too late.
“Look, sis. I have to go, chat in a few days. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I send Tim a direct message.
LION: Hey, I heard there is a great barbeque place not far from the stadium. Want to check it out?
The status of his profile doesn’t show him online. In fact, it shows he hasn’t been online for six hours. Normally he’s replying to messages less than an hour before a game, but not tonight. I wait outside the stadium, scrolling through posts and sharing and commenting while I wait for Tim to reply. It was so cool to see him hit the home run. I knew he could do it.
A few guys come out of the gate laughing, and I look to see if Tim is with them. He’s not. It’s just a few fans stumbling out after one too many drinks. Thankfully, a taxi pulls up a few seconds later, and they climb in.
I check my messages again. Still nothing. Why hasn’t he messaged me yet? He normally comments on at least one of my posts by now, and tonight, he got the home run he was doubting he could get. I shared video and photos of it on all my logins, but there is nothing from him on any of them.
I rest against the wall, the cool brick draining heat from my back and sending a chill up my spine. I’m sure he’s just caught up in the excitement of the night with the team. They probably have team traditions after a night like that. The stadium is eerily quiet, and my stomach grumbling echoes through the cold air. One last check. Still nothing. Okay. It’s no big deal. He’ll message me later.
I bring up the map to Red’s Barbeque and start walking. I at least need to eat something. Besides, if it’s good, I can tell Tim to check it out when he has time, maybe after the next game.
To see Red’s Barbeque from the road, you would think it’s just a person’s house, and in truth, it is. Red apparently lives on the upper floor, and his restaurant is a collection of different tables and chairs he’s collected over the years, filling every downstairs room except the bathroom and kitchen. It’s late and many of the tables have the chairs tilted in as they start to close up for the night.
“Am I too late?” I ask, and the woman wiping down one of the tables smiles my way.
“That depends, hun. What were you after?”
I shrug. “What have you got?”
“Hang out here for a minute, and I’ll duck in and see what Red can whip up for you.”
“Thanks.”
I lean against the wall, the restaurant filled with the scents from the day’s smoking and sweet spice rubs. It has a warm feel to it, like being home for the holidays, wrapped in Mom’s warm hugs, or sitting next to Dad on the couch watching baseball.
“Here you go, hun,” the woman says, coming out of the kitchen with a plastic bag filled with three foil containers. “Red put a few things together for you.”
“Thanks, what do I owe you?”
“On the house. Just promise if you like it to leave a review on Red’s page. Here,” she hands over the bag and grabs a flier with the menu printed on it. Flipping it over to the back, there’s a code I can scan with my phone to take me to Red’s socials page.
“I will, thank you,” I say, pulling out a twenty and stuffing it into the tip jar on my way out the door.
I get halfway to the bed and breakfast when my phone makes the monkey noise, and I fish it out of my pants pocket to check the message.
TIM: Sorry, I didn’t see your message and the team went out to celebrate the win. Did you end up going anyway? Was it amazing?
LION: No problem at all. You deserve to celebrate after an awesome game like that. I totally knew you could do it. It was an amazing hit! I got to Red’s just before they closed, so they gave me a few things to takeaway. Just on my way back to the BnB now. If you were hungry, you could still join?
I probably shouldn’t ask. He’s had a huge three days with performing and tonight’s game and going out with the team. He probably just wants to go to bed. Maybe I should message him not to worry about it? My phone makes the monkey sound that always brings an immediate warmth to my chest
TIM: Where’s the BnB?
Oh my gosh. Yes! I give him the address, and I’m almost all the way there when his reply comes through.
TIM: See you in five.
The room my sister rented for me for the weekend is actually one of those tiny houses that’s set in a backyard and is accessible through a side gate, so I wait for him out the front. The main house is pretty. It’s set on the corner of a quiet street, and there’s a lush green garden and white fence that separates the house from the street. A green archway welcomes you through the main gate and beside the porch on the left is a sign saying Meg’s Bed and Breakfast with an arrow pointing down the drive.
The tiny house is super cute. Like a mini version of the main house, it has a teeny porch with white fencing and inside hosts only a large bed, tiny bathroom and kitchenette. I’m glad there is a bathroom here, though, because it would be a bit awkward going up into the main house to pee in the middle of the night.
The owners are lovely, though, so they probably wouldn’t mind. It was odd that when I got here, they asked when my partner was arriving. It made much more sense when they told me Mouse told them it was a booking for two.
“Hey,” Tim says, coming around the corner and spotting me.
“Hey.”
“This looks nice,” Tim says, looking up at the trees that help hide the main house from the street.
“Isn’t it just so sweet? Mouse picked really well. I’m staying in the back. Come on.”
I lead us through the gate, trying to keep quiet. The owners, Mrs. and Mr. Pots, are not super old but it is their house, so I want to try not to be too much of a bother.
“Wow.” Tim says when he lays eyes on the tiny house. “I’ve seen these online but never in person.” He starts giggling, and the way his eyes crinkle brings a warmth radiating through me.
“What is it?”
“You’re like the biggest guy I’ve ever met and you’re staying in the smallest house I’ve ever seen.”
I step onto the porch and turn and face him.
“Take a picture? I always wanted to be a giant. Do you know that story with the beanstalk? I dressed up as the giant every year as a kid for Halloween.”
Tim gets out his camera and takes a few shots, then joins me on the porch.
“Is there somewhere inside where we can eat?” he asks, and I unlock the door and lead him in.
There is a tabletop that lifts up at the edge of the kitchenette and requires us to sit on the end of the bed as seats. I start laying out the containers, and Tim slides in to sit, leaving space for me beside him.
He leans in toward the food, closing his eyes and breathing in the spices. His long blond hair is tied back again, and while it’s adorable in a low ponytail at the back of his neck, I love seeing it out more. Specifically hanging loose and messy around his face. From this angle, his jaw is sharp, and I can see a slight kink in his nose that I never really noticed seeing him front-on in his pics and from afar at the field. It has to be from an old injury. Probably from something dangerous in Australia, that place is full of dangerous things. Everything there is trying to kill you.
“This smells incredible. And you don’t know what you got?”
I shake my head.
“They were really nice, they wouldn’t even charge me.”
“Wait. It smells this good, and it was free?”
“I tipped.”
He lifts the lid on the first container.
“Suddenly I’m starving. Sit, let’s eat.”
I grab us forks and a stack of napkins and sit as he’s lifting off the last lid.
“Wow, look at that bark,” he says, picking up a little piece with his fingers and popping it into his mouth. He closes his eyes again, as if seeing it will somehow take away from experiencing the full flavor. His tongue sweeps over his lower lip, lapping up the sauce before sucking one finger into his mouth and releasing it with a pop. It was far sexier than I ever thought eating could be, and I turn my attention back to the food before the rest of my body starts reacting to him, too.
I pick up a shred of meat, sure to get some with a line of bark, and pop it into my mouth, closing my eyes just as Tim did.
It’s sweet and rich and has a soft crunch in my mouth.
“Do you like it?” Tim asks, and I open my eyes.
“It tastes good to me. What do you think?”
“I think it’s perfect. They might have used cherry or apple wood to smoke it, but I’m not sure exactly.”
“You know a lot about barbeque.”
“It’s my favorite way to cook meat. One day, I…”
He stops mid-sentence and picks up another piece of brisket, popping it into his mouth.
“One day what?” I ask, and he sighs, the pure joy that was emanating from him a moment ago shadowed by a nervousness I don’t like.
“I want to do this one day. You know, after baseball.”
“You want to make barbeque?”
He nods.
“Cool.”
“Huh?”
“That’s really cool. So, is that why you try all the barbeque places on tour to learn what you like and how to do it?”
His smile is back. It’s not the full face kind that makes his eyes twinkle. But I’ll take it.
“Yeah. I was thinking I could have, like, one of those cool food trucks, then I can still travel, too. If the tour is still going without me, I could follow it around.”
“That sounds like so much fun. Oh wow, you have to do it. Have you started looking at trucks? Your menu, you have started that right? Like you have some recipes you know you want to do. Ohhh, can I try one? I could help. I could be your taste tester, and then when you get the truck up and running, if you need help, just let me know. Most of my jobs have been in restaurants, cafes, and serving at weddings and stuff. I could totally help you out. A food truck sounds amazing.”
Suddenly, Tim’s hand cups the side of my face, and then his lips are pressed tightly against mine. A burning need overtakes me, and I slide my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck and pull him closer. I need more. More of his lips, of his tongue, of the heat that spreads through me as we kiss. I’ve never been kissed like this before. Like I’m the air he needs to breathe. But that is what this feels like. Like Tim was drowning and my lips are bringing him back to life.
He pulls away and brushes his fingers over his swollen lower lip.
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Yes, you should have. It was amazing.”
“It was.”
“The best kiss I’ve ever had.”
He raises one eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.
“Really, the best?”
“By far.”
“Okay, then.”
“Okay, then, what?”
“Okay, then, I should have.”
“Damn right you should. Now tell me more about this food truck before I grab you and kiss you again, and then all this barbeque will go cold.”
His eyes sparkle with the light of pure happiness, excitement, joy, and as we dig into the trays of mixed sides and smoked meats he tells me all about his big dream. I have to help him reach his dream, because he just made mine come true.