Base Hit by Haven Hadley
Vander
I rolledmy suitcase through the door and let it close behind me. The sound of silence was exactly what I needed after the long trip. I had to admit that traveling first class, instead of a cramped bus for hours on end, made a world of difference. My muscles didn’t feel tight and cramped. It wouldn’t take an hour in a hot shower, which probably wouldn’t stay warm that long, to release the tension.
This was also the first time I didn’t have to share a room with anyone else. The accommodations were smaller than the hotel I stayed at near the park, but I couldn’t expect a suite every time. Not when we were only here for a three-game series before we were off to the next city.
Two weeks and only one day off and that was used for travel. The next two weeks would be a bigger test than my first two weeks in the league had been. In those first couple of weeks, there had only been one away series. Not enough to even make it worth checking out of the hotel I stayed in. These two weeks were going to take a whole new level of endurance.
I left my bag by the door and walked over to drop down onto the bed. My mind went back to Evan. Who was I kidding? I’d been thinking about him since I’d watched him disappear two nights ago.
Staying at the club didn’t seem fun after he left. No one else caught my attention the way he did. At first, I thought it was the way his body called to mine, but I knew that wasn’t it. There was more to the story when it came to Evan. He’d changed partners so quickly that I thought maybe he’d been looking for the perfect person to go home with. After he left, on my way back to the hotel, I replayed the night in my head, trying to figure out if I’d done something to scare him away. That was when I realized he hadn’t been changing partners, he stayed in the same place the whole time, his partners moved on when he didn’t acknowledge them.
So why didn’t he move away when I put my hands on his hips or my lips on his neck? Why would he give me his number?
I pulled the card out of my pocket. The one I’d been staring at for the last two days. I glanced at the time on my phone. Six at night. Even with the three-hour time difference, it was only nine for Evan. Not for the first time, since he laid the card in my palm, did I debate about whether I should text him. So far I hadn’t had the nerve to do it. In the back of my mind, I knew Evan was different. That if I went down this road, it would be one I wouldn’t want to turn off of. With my career in the majors just starting, I had to admit that scared me.
Who would want to get involved with a man who would spend the next two months on and off the road? And that wasn’t even taking into account whether or not I got a long-term deal with Emperors to stay in the area.
Even with all those things stacked against me, I couldn’t help but wonder what could be. The heat of Evan’s lips pressed against mine was permanently seared into my brain. If I thought about it, I could still smell his cologne as it had swirled through my senses. By the time I got home, I hadn’t even wanted to change.
I moved farther up the bed with my phone gripped in one hand and the card in the other. It was now or never. Evan intrigued me more than anyone had in a long time. The pieces of my life had seemed to be falling into place, maybe this could go my way, too.
Sucking in a deep breath, I started typing.
Me:Hey, Evan. This is Vander. We danced at the club the other night.
I hit send before I could chicken out and felt like a dumbass immediately, introducing myself like some weird asshole. I’d watched him for a while before I went to dance with him and knew he hadn’t given his number to anyone else that night. Hell, he didn’t even turn around to talk to them.
I waited for a few minutes, hoping he may answer. When the phone stayed silent, I decided to get in the shower and clean the travel grime off. We had nowhere to be tonight, and as long as we were at the stadium in time for warm-ups, Joe didn’t seem to give a shit what we did.
When I finished my shower, I didn’t bother reaching for my phone. If Evan did answer, I wanted to be able to give him my full attention and, with the way my stomach growled, I needed to order food first. It was nice to not have to find the cheapest place for somewhat healthy fast food while on the road because that was all I could afford. I called down to room service and, after giving them my order and room number, climbed back onto the bed to look at my phone.
I felt the corner of my lip pull up when I saw Evan’s name on my screen.
Evan:Hi. I figured. Only one guy I gave my number to that night.
I groaned out loud. I knew I sounded like an idiot with that text, but that didn’t stop my fingers from flying over the screen once again.
Me:I’m glad you did. I had to go out of town for a game, but I’m hoping you’ll let me take you out when I get back?
I stared at the phone in my hand, willing it to light up with his response.
Evan:A game? What kind of game?
I knew my name had been on ESPN lately, which meant Evan probably wasn’t a fan of baseball.
Me:Baseball. I play left field for the Espen Emperors.
The phone in my hand lit up immediately.
Evan:A baseball player… That’s interesting.
Me:Interesting is you. I really want to see you when I get back.
The phone sat silent in my hand. I couldn’t stop staring at it, waiting for a response. The rap of knuckles on my door startled me from my standoff with the phone that wouldn’t do anything, no matter how much I willed it to. I let it fall to the bed and went to answer the door. The man from room service carried the tray in, setting it on the coffee table in front of the couch.
“Thanks, man.” I handed the guy a tip and closed the door behind him.
Having a table was definitely something new. I had a feeling this was the smallest room available to the players, but they had no idea how much I appreciated the peace and quiet, especially now. My phone still hadn’t made a sound, so I focused on the only other thing that mattered in the room—dinner. I lifted the lid off my meal and vowed that someday, no matter how hard I had to work, I’d be worth the suite.
I tucked into my food. The steak practically melted in my mouth. But it meant nothing the moment I heard the chirp of a new text message. I darted from my spot on the couch, dropping the fork on the table in my effort to get my fingers around the phone.
Evan:I don’t know if that’s a good idea.
Why wouldn’t he think it was a good idea?
Me:Why not?
He was quick to answer. But I had a feeling when I opened the message I wasn’t going to like what it said.
Evan:I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for.
Me:How do you know what I’m looking for?
Evan:Gonna tell me you weren’t in that club to get laid?
I sighed into the empty room. He had a point; I had gone to the club to find someone to take home for the night. At least, until I started dancing with him. Something about him was intoxicating. While I would have loved to see his round ass as I plunged into him, for the first time I wanted to spend the night with someone that didn’t have to include sex.
Me:I won’t lie, but that changed the minute I started dancing with you.
Evan:So you didn’t want to fuck me?
Me:I definitely didn’t say that. It just wasn’t all I wanted.
Evan went silent again, so I decided to push a little harder. I wanted to see the man again and I wasn’t known to back down from a challenge. Hell, I spent three years in the minors trying to work my way up to the majors. I was up for any challenge.
Me:Are you afraid to give me a chance? I promise I’m a nice guy.
Evan:Nice guys don’t say they’re nice. Plenty of assholes use that line.
Things were starting to become clearer. It seemed someone had hurt Evan in the past. Now wasn’t the time to ask, but I had to do my best to try and reassure him I wasn’t one of those guys.
Me:I’m not one of them. Please give me a chance. Dinner? A movie? Whatever you want, it’s your choice.
When Evan didn’t answer, I brought the phone over to the table to finish eating. My plate was cleared and still nothing. It was getting late and I wanted to get to the stadium early to get warmed up for the one o’clock game. I decided to send one last text before I climbed beneath the sheets.
Me:What do you have to lose?
As much as I wanted to know if Evan answered, I also knew I would stay up all night waiting for the ding of my phone and end up playing like shit tomorrow. I switched my phone to silent and climbed into bed. If he didn’t answer by morning, I knew I would need a whole new plan to get Evan.
* * *
I trudgedinto the locker room behind everyone just like always. Heads bowed, they were mostly silent during the walk to their temporary lockers in the Saddle Harbor stadium. It was our first loss since I’d joined the team and it didn’t sit well with me. I’d hit a three-run shot into right field, giving us the lead in the top of the seventh.
Things went to shit in the bottom of the eighth. They’d managed to tie the score with a couple of good hits into center and right. The kind an outfielder knows will lead to runs, but it was about keeping it to one instead of a few. They hadn’t been able to take the lead, but they’d been able to tie the game.
Then came the top of the ninth. With runners on first and third, there were two outs. We only needed one run to pull ahead then do our best to keep them from scoring in their last at bat. Callen walked up to the plate. The team believed he had it in the bag. Hell, even I knew he could easily drive in a run. My problem with him keeping himself in the closet didn’t mean I was stupid when it came to his skills on the field as a ballplayer.
At least, until tonight.
Dumbass went down looking, waiting for the perfect pitch that didn’t come, instead of driving in the run with a base hit. It looked like the idiot wanted the home run instead.
Joe nodded at everyone as he walked into the small room set aside for the visiting team’s manager. Knowing Joe, he wanted to find a way to fix today’s mistakes before tomorrow’s game.
The minute the door shut, Callen turned to the rest of the room. “Let’s shake it off. Go back to the hotel, get some rest, and we’ll get them tomorrow.”
I scoffed. “We could’ve gotten them today, if it weren’t for you.” I turned to my locker, unbuttoning my jersey, when I was yanked around by my shoulder.
Callen stood, jaw clenched and hands in fists at his side. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
No way in hell would I let Callen try to intimidate me. Not even with the team on his side. I crossed my arms over my chest and didn’t attempt to hide the sneer on my lips. “Maybe if you hadn’t been trying to show off with a home run to match mine, you could have had a base hit and put us in the lead. You had to try and be better than everyone else.”
Just as the last word left my lips, Callen lunged for me, taking us both to the ground. I twisted my body, putting him on the bottom, more than ready to take a swing at the smug bastard when I was yanked off him and held. I fought the hold as I took great pleasure in seeing Callen do the same.
“Enough.”
All heads snapped to Joe, who stood in the middle of the room red-faced. It made me think back to my first day in the clubhouse. No doubt I was about to get shit on and Callen would get a pass.
“Joe—” Callen started, but Joe held up a hand stopping him.
Joe stalked forward, standing between the two of us. “I’ve had enough of the bullshit between you two.” He glanced around at the rest of the team. “I want everyone out of here in the next ten minutes. You can shower in your rooms.” He turned his gaze back to us. “And I want you two here an hour before everyone else tomorrow. We’re going to deal with this shit once and for all.”
Without another word, Joe spun on his heel and stormed back to the manager’s room, the door rattling the entire wall as it slammed into the frame. After that, no one said a word. It had been clear; Joe had been pushed past his limits. My stomach churned as I shoved my things into my bag to head back to the bus for the hotel.
First, I woke up to no answer from Evan. Now, I had to deal with Joe’s wrath, all because of Callen Teague.
Could this day get any worse?