The locker room that afternoon after practice had been tense, not only from the Witch Weekly article (which no one on the team took seriously, but cast a pall over practice nonetheless), but also because the practice itself had not been great. The Beaters were off again, and there was some sort of internal spat between the Chasers that Barry refused to get in the middle of, but was starting to get annoyed with because it was interfering with their playing. The Seeker had been moping after a break-up, and it had taken all of Barry's patience not to just knock their heads together and remind them to get their heads in the game. After, he'd talked with the coaches and management, and it was decided that though Barry would start in the upcoming game, they were going to play all three reserve Chasers, and possibly the Beaters as well if tomorrow's practice was more of the same. They were far enough down in the rankings, that the team owners were willing to try anything to advance a little.
By the time he got home, he was still feeling restless and his home gym didn't seem like enough. Instead, he changed into swim trunks and headed up to the roof. Swimming was his preferred stress reliever, and better on the muscles than machines after a full day of training. He floated in the water for a few minutes, lazily keeping himself afloat, before moving smoothly into actual laps. He lost total track of time, and of his surroundings, as he moved through the water, and only came back to himself when he heard the splash near him. He slowed, moved so he was treading water, and saw...Jamie. As always, his heart did a little wistful thump, though he pushed it away with determination. They were friends. That was all it had been for years, and he shouldn't still think about what ifs whenever he saw the man, even if it was just for a moment. That wasn't fair to either of them.
"Hey. How was the concert? Did the bassist really rival Donny?" There, that was nice and casual, friendly even. Showing interest without being too interested.