Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

game?" His voice squeaked a bit on the last question.
    "Hey now, I'm coming to your game. Why can't Cam Hunter, too?" Brad asked, a look of mock hurt on his face. He made eye contact with Cam and gave a short wave to signal their location.
    "Yeah, but you're you , Brad. You know, we're like… friends. And stuff. That's Cam Hunter," Nick said, his eyes wide and focused on Cam. Nick paused, then turned back to Brad. "And, hey wait, why is he here? You guys aren't gonna throw down or something, are you?" Nick asked warily.
    "He, ah, he just needed a place to go tonight. Something low key. I can't really explain it. Don't ask questions," Brad ended up saying, not really knowing himself why Cam Hunter was there other than he seemed to want to be and Brad was actually rather pleased he had shown up.
    "Ooooookaaaaay," Nick said with a shrug as Cam approached them. It occurred to Brad that having a kid like Nick know of and be witness to this supposed deathmatch rivalry between him and Hunter probably wasn't the best way to teach the kid good sportsmanship and growing up to be a mature adult.
    "Hey," Cam greeted them, looking down at Nick.
    "Cameron," Brad said, the man's first name feeling rather foreign on his lips after years of having called him by his last. "Cameron, this is Nick Carpenter. Nick, this is Cameron Hunter."
    "Um, duhhhh, Brad. I know who he is. Uh, hi, Mr. Hunter, it's really nice to meet you," Nick said, offering his hand gravely.
    "Please, call me Cam," Cam said, shaking Nick's hand. "Both of you," he added, looking at Brad with a hesitant smile. Brad felt his own lips lift in an answering smile.
    They walked into the gymnasium, and Cam asked Nick about his position and the team they were playing. They only had a few moments to chat before Nick had to rejoin his teammates for a huddle. Catching Cam's gaze, Brad tilted his head towards the bleachers to indicate where they'd be viewing the game. "Shall we?"
    "Sounds good."
    They climbed the long set of wooden bleachers and created something of a stir amongst the small crowd of parents and students assembled there. Brad came to these games fairly regularly, but Cam Hunter was definitely a new element. And Cam Hunter together with Brad Jameson? Brad could see the puzzled looks on a number of faces and didn't even know himself how he'd explain it.
    With a shrug, he sat at his usual bench near the top behind the seats where Nick's Cardinals were gathered. Cam cleared his throat as he settled down on the bench next to Brad.
    "Thanks for letting me join you, Jameson," Cam said.
    "My pleasure, Cam ," Brad said, emphasizing his last word with a lift of his brow. "And if I'm going to call you Cam, I think you'd better start calling me Brad."
    "Sure… Brad. Feels a little strange to say that after so many years." Cam gave a low chuckle and glanced sideways at Brad as though gauging his reaction.
    Brad's lips quirked up in a half-smile. "Oh, I'm sure you've called me much worse, Cam."
    "Maybe," Cam replied with an enigmatic look, his lids dropping to shield his eyes.
    Brad's brows rose at that, but before he could pursue the statement further, the buzzer rang to signal the beginning of the game. Shrugging it off, he faced forward and stretched his jeans-clad legs onto the bench in front of him.
    The two teams tipped off and began hustling up and down the court, trading baskets. He and Cam settled into a pleasantly companionable silence broken by brief comments on the game. The crowd, although small, was supportive, cheering at the shots and plays the Cardinals made and groaning at the turnovers. They may have snuck curious glances up the bleachers in his and Cam's direction, but other than one wide-eyed kid wearing a maroon Railers T-shirt asking for Cam's autograph, which was gladly given, the crowd kept their focus primarily on the game while the kids were on the court.
    At one point, Nick entered the game just before the first half was over and made an impressive shot from the top of the arc to give the Cardinals the lead. Brad clapped his hands along with the crowd and shouted his encouragement. He glanced at Cam, and they shared a grin.
    "Reminds me a little of my JV days, you know?" Brad commented over the din of the cheers.
    "Oh yeah? You played basketball?" Cam asked, turning to Brad with interest.
    "Hell, I played everything. At least, in those early years, I did. My folks thought it'd keep me out of trouble, so I had a team for every season. When it