Blue Line by Ariel Bishop

Author:Ariel Bishop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ariel Bishop

Seth doesn’t notice until they’re settled at a table with their foot, but the rest of the team is giving them a respectful amount of space. No one else is sitting at their table, or the ones immediately next to them. Not even Harri.

Tyko looks up, notices the same thing, and grins the sunny smile that Seth has gotten too used to. “They must think I’m still pissed.”

“Then they’re not paying attention.” Seth wants nothing more than to devote himself to his plateful of macro-balanced proteins, fats, and carbs, but he’s an adult. Theoretically. “Probably should talk, then.”

He regrets it, a little, when Tyko’s face loses that easy happiness. But they have to talk. They can’t keep just like, accidentally fucking through the season. As tempting as that may be.

“Yeah.” Tyko straightens slightly. “So, ah.”

“I need to focus on my play—”

“Relationships inside the team are hard—”

They both stutter to a halt, laughing a little.

“You first.” Tyko pops a piece of fruit in his mouth, chewing pointedly.

Seth drags his eyes away. He is a grown-ass man. He can have a conversation without getting distracted by Tyko’s mouth. “So, I think I have a chance at staying up with the Birds.”

Tyko nods, swallowing. “More than a chance, I think. You’re playing really well.”

“Ah, thanks.” Seth inhales, hating the way it feels shaky, the blush trying to crawl up his neck. “But I need to stay focused, and we both know there are no guarantees. If I—if we were dating, for real, and I got sent down, or traded again—”

“Yeah.”

Seth busies himself cutting a bite off his omelet. The one-two punch of Tyko’s sympathetic voice and his matter-of-fact praise is a lot to deal with, especially on a mostly empty stomach. “So. Yeah.” He chews, swallows. “What were you saying?”

It’s Tyko’s turn to look down, picking up a strip of bacon. “It—I’ve seen it go bad. When people date in the team.”

His eyes dart a look over Seth’s shoulder, there and back again almost too fast to catch. But before Seth can turn to look, try to see who, or what caught his attention, he speaks again.

“It’s a risk. And like you said, we need to stay focused.”

“Yeah.”

They eat quietly for a few moments, methodically shoveling in fuel. Despite the regret Seth can almost physically feel hanging in the air between them, the silence is comfortable. Probably because they’re on the same page.

Even if it sucks.

He looks up as he’s taking his last bite. Tyko is wiping his fingers methodically with the paper napkin, but there are still two strips of bacon on his plate.

“Didn’t Adina say you needed more fats?”

Tyko makes a face. “They’re worried about my weight loss, but I can—”

Seth picks up a strip, lifts it to his mouth. “Talk less, eat more.”

“Bully.” But Tyko obeys, biting off half the bacon in one go, then the other half so fast that his teeth graze Seth’s fingertips.

They’re sitting in a hotel conference room, surrounded by their teammates. It’s an absolutely terrible place to get turned on by feeding someone a piece of objectively shitty bacon.

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