when he was the star baseball player in high school and even when he wasn’t. His charismatic personality mixed with his talent give him a presence in any room.
The damn tap is only pouring foam, and in frustration, I smack it on the pile of ice, dumping the Solo cup on top of it.
His strong hand picks up the cup, and he grabs the spout. The muscles in his forearm flex while he’s pumping the tap. Unable to gain the composure I need to look at him, I stare down at his hand pouring me the perfect beer.
Our fingers brush in the exchange of the cup, and my whole body tingles, aware that my first love is back. Needing to brace myself, I lean against the wall, acting nonchalant by bringing the cup to my lips.
Even if this isn’t my typical college night, I sure as hell need to act like I’m not facing the only guy to make my heart ricochet against my chest wall.
“I’m sorry. I have no right to be angry,” he says, standing to my right with his back to the wall.
“You left me,” I whisper, relieved that the noise level has picked back up. I’m not even sure I want him to hear my admission.
His arm is no longer pressed to my shoulder, and I calculate he’s moving. Then, his shoes come into my view of the floor.
“What are you talking about? We left each other. That was the point.” He rolls back on his heels.
“You’re right. That was the point. Why are you here?” We made a pact, an agreement, that we would not contact one another.
“Can we please go somewhere else to talk?” he whispers back.
His hand reaches out, and I sway forward. My body heats up, the closer his hand grows to my cheek. He’s a millimeter away when he retracts, only igniting a burning in my flesh for his touch.
“Yeah.”
He nods his head in the direction of the living room but says nothing. When he heads toward the staircase, I stop walking.
“Not upstairs.”
He halts on the first step and peers around to find somewhere else. There are bodies everywhere, each corner already occupied with a couple or a cluster of girls. The house is not an option, and I wish the hope of being alone with him wasn’t so prevalent.
“Walk?” he asks.
I nod and down my beer, needing something to numb the pain in my body.
As we leave the baseball house, the situation is eerily similar to two years ago—when we intentionally hurt each other.
Chapter Three
Crosby
My body is so responsive to Ella’s presence. I forgot how much she affected my normal rhythm. My breathing is staggered, my heart is thumping, and my palms are sweating. The same perfume is intoxicating me, as I stagger to put one foot in front of the other.
“Why are you here, Crosby?” Ella’s voice pulls me back to our conversation. A conversation I’ve prepared myself for.
“They offered me a spot on the team. Third base.” I shove my hands in my pockets to stop the urge to grab hers.
“So, you took over Mike’s spot? I knew they brought someone in, but no one told me a name.”
“What do you mean?”
“I help out the team physician as an internship. This is my first year.”
“Oh.” I wish jealousy wasn’t my first reaction at hearing that she’s around the guys all the time. It’s a reminder that she’s not mine. The thought of her with sweaty, horny baseball players doesn’t slow my wildly beating heart.
“I’m pre-med.”
I nod, assured that nothing kept her from pursuing her dream.
The sound of chirping crickets ring around us, and every fourth step, her shoulder brushes my arm, igniting a hot current to run through my veins. After two years, I never assumed the instinct to reach for her hand or splay my hand on her lower back would burn strong.
“Crosby, why are you here?”
“I told you, I got a spot.”
“You knew I was here.” She stops walking, and her eyes squarely pierce me. “We made an agreement that we’d move on with our lives.”
Wetness pools in her eyes, and I imagine she’s thinking back to the worst night of our lives. Well, second worst.
“I want my life back. This was my chance to play in Division One with the hopes of being drafted. ”
“And what exactly did you expect would happen between us?”
A tear slips down her cheek, and I reach out to wipe it away. She backs up a step, but my palm