Page 2 of The Tryout

Jamie, on the other hand, seems almost unaffected.

“I dunno, twenty five? Thirty?”

“Fahrenheit?”

He laughs at that.

“Welcome to Minneapolis?”

I’m regretting it already.

Jamie’s apartment is nice. Not big-league contract nice, but modern and clean and bright.

It is also, I can’t help but notice, a little dusty, like a disused museum wing being opened up for a special event. I try not to think about why.

I toss my bag next to the couch and get the grand tour from Jamie – a kitchen, living area, and half bath below, then the bedroom up in the open loft with a full bath next to it.

“So, uh, did you want to share with me, or…”

I almost burst into laughter at the suggestion.

“You trying to seduce me, Carter?”

He splutters, simultaneously defensive and offended. This time I do start laughing.

“Relax. Been there, done that. Besides, I’m pretty sure your boyfriend could absolutely destroy me. Not worth the risk. I’ll take the couch.”

Still red-faced, Jamie digs in.

“That can’t be good for your knee. I’ll take the couch.”

I glare at him.

“Jamie, one of us is getting paid thousands to play hockey tomorrow night. If the Huskies heard you offer that, they’d have me murdered. Let it go.”

He shrugs, heading to the closet in the corner of the room for some extra pillows and blankets.

“Fine. You can have the couch.”

Finally, four days into my visit, I break.

“So, are you gonna introduce me to your man or not?”

Jamie’s eyes immediately light up, and the joy I see on his face makes me almost feel bad for making him wait this long. Yes, we needed the time together. But this is also the first time Jamie felt he couldn’t tell me something; have I just been proving him right?

We end up deciding to grab dinner together at a bar down the road from the house Ethan just purchased. I get the sense the public setting is intentional – I can’t interrogate him the way I want to, but they also can’t act as lovey-dovey as they probably want to. All in all, it’s probably a good idea.

The bar is supposedly queer friendly – I was surprised to find Tremblay’s new house is, in fact, right in the heart of Loring Park, an undeniably queer neighborhood. I find myself tempted to fall back on our old joke – there are gay bars in the Midwest? But something about the way Jamie grabs a booth in the back, like it’s his usual spot, makes me think it won’t go over that well anymore.

Not quite ready to get rid of all my brattiness, I make sure I slide in next to Jamie, keeping him and Ethan from being able to sit together. It isn’t until we’re all seated that I remember Ethan is only just out, and the two haven’t publicly announced they’re dating. No matter where I sit, they were always gonna have to just be two bros out for a drink.

The bartender comes over and Jamie orders us a pitcher, probably grateful for his day off tomorrow. As I look around, I realize a gay bar in the Midwest apparently looks like, well, any other bar in the Midwest. There’s a couple electric slot machines in the corner, a bunch of beer on tap, and a Timberwolves game on the TV over the bar.

But there’s also a Pride flag right next to that big screen, a match for the one next to the door as we walked in. After Jamie adds a couple appetizers to the beer order, the bartender leaves the table. In his wake, silence falls over the table. Tremblay’s eyes are jumping between me and Jamie; mine stare straight at him the whole time.

“So, it’s nice you two finally get to meet. Ethan, Avery. Avery, this is Ethan.”

“Good to see you, Avery.” Ethan is clearly playing nice; I’m not sure if I’m there yet.