I’ll meet you for breakfast. I’m hitting the batting cages.
And rattle one off to Ainsley.
Can you meet me at my apartment?
Ainsley is the first one to respond with “sure,” putting me somewhat at ease that she won’t have a run-in with my father if they were both waiting for me. The guys say goodbye, asking again if I want to go to the bar. Right now, I’d love to hit the bar and knock back a few to numb my thoughts on tonight’s game. It seems like the best way to look forward to tomorrow. Hell, I’m not even looking forward to five minutes from now.
I stall in the clubhouse as long as possible, waiting for my father to text back, until I have no choice but to head out and face the music. I know the speech well as I’ve heard it a time or two. Thing is, I don’t want to hear it now, nor do I need to. I’m playing at a professional level and have coaches to help me figure things out. I can’t say that to my dad, though. He’d find it to be an insult and I’ll never live it down.
Before I turn the corner that will bring me face to face with my dad, my phone chimes. His name flashes on my screen with a new message.
That’s good to hear. You need it. I wasn’t impressed.
I pocket my phone, knowing that it’s not going to matter what I have to say. Besides, some things are better left unsaid. I’ll deal with him tomorrow morning before practice so he can tell me everything I’m doing wrong. Until then, my mind is focused on Ainsley.
The drive to my apartment seems to take forever, and as soon as I pull into my complex, Ainsley’s Wrangler comes into sight. She hops out as soon as I park my car, coming over to meet me.
“Hey,” she says as soon as I’m out of my car.
I respond by pulling her into a kiss. She doesn’t hesitate, silently telling me it’s okay to go further. Pushing her against her car and holding her face in my hands, we make out like two horny teenagers until headlights flash in our direction.
“Do you want to come up? The guys are at the bar so it’ll just be us.”
“Yeah.”
Her hand feels good in mine, like it belongs there. I guide her through the courtyard, and she follows behind as we climb the steps to my apartment.
“It’s a mess,” I tell her as I unlock the door. “But we can hang out in my room.” I open the door and flip on the light, illuminating the bachelor pad. All three of us are to blame. Had I known Ainsley was coming over, I would’ve cleaned up this morning. Leading her down the hall, I turn on the light for my bedroom, which is surprisingly clean considering the state of the rest of the place is like a pit.
“Are you guys always this sloppy?”
“Sort of.” I shrug, tossing my keys on to my dresser and kicking my sneakers into my closet
. I fall onto my bed and sigh, rubbing my hands over my face. The frustration of the day is starting to build.
“Where’d you say everyone is?”
“At the bar.”
“What? It’s only like four in the afternoon.” I feel the bed dip and realize I’m being a horrible host. She removes one of my hands from my face and curls up into my side.
“I like this,” I tell her.
“Me too.”
“I played like shit.”
Ainsley sits up on her elbow and looks at me. “It’s only the first game.”
“Doesn’t matter. I have expectations. I know I’m better than Bainbridge, but if I don’t prove it now, I won’t get much of a chance once the regular season starts. I only have a month to wow the coaches.”
“Well, it only took you a few days to wow me.”
I roll over onto my side and face her. She leans forward and kisses me.
“Are you saying you’re finally wowed?”
She ponders my question playfully before answering, “I am officially wowed. I had fun today. Thank you for inviting me.”