“What do your teammates say?” I ask. He props his foot up on the bottom of my barstool, bringing his knee into direct contact with mine. I will myself not to move away even though the heat of him feels like a brand through the thin fabric of my leggings. “My teammates don’t say anything because they don’t know.” He rolls his shoulders, and I get the sense he’s admitting things, saying things out loud that he hasn’t said before. “I’ve played through the pain before, and I’ve had surgery before. I’ll have another one if I have to. It’s the job, right?” He’s making it sound so simple, like it’s
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