Chapter Six

The week leading up to my date with Eve couldn’t have started out worse if it tried. I’d been calm for me, just brainstorming ideas about movie choices, when Mo showed up at my door to tell me my brother was in trouble.

Not Grant directly, but Darryn’s abusive ex came after him again, after we thought he was out of the picture. Darryn had gone missing for several hours, and I’d done my best to be there for Grant, holding his hand even when his grip turned crushing. Thankfully, everything turned out all right, but it knocked me off balance, and I’ve been on edge ever since.

I’ve checked in on my brother a couple of times now, who assures me they’re both doing okay. But no matter how hard I try to distract my anxious thoughts with schoolwork, tinkering with broken devices, and my upcoming date, my anxiety has me locked in my room with no plans to leave for the rest of the day or even tomorrow.

So it’s no wonder that when someone knocks on my door, I nearly jump out of my skin.

My heart’s still racing when I pull the door open to find Eve standing there. I let out a small sound and slam the door in her face.

Oh shit.

“Annie?” Her voice is gentle.

I swallow back the lump in my throat. “Sorry,” I manage. “I just…it’s been a rough week.”

There’s a pause before Eve responds. “I understand,” she says. “I wanted to check on you. I heard about what happened with your brother.”

Yeah, I’m sure it was all over campus within hours. I take a deep breath and open the door. “Sorry,” I repeat. “Obviously I’m still a little jumpy.”

She smiles. “That’s understandable. I won’t keep you. I was just in the building to drop off a book and thought I’d stop by.”

Warmth runs through me. “Thanks. I really do appreciate it.” I shake my head. “I’m okay. Or, I will be, at least.”

“That’s good.” She reaches out slowly, giving me time to move away, but I let her take my hand. She squeezes lightly. “Is there anything I can do?”

I almost shake my head, but I realize that just having her here—talking to me, holding my hand—is helping me calm down. “Could you just…keep talking to me a little longer?”

“Sure.” She squeezes my hand. “Anything in particular you want to talk about?”

“Movies,” I blurt out. “I was thinking about what to go see this weekend.”

She smiles. “So was I. What kind do you like? I’ll watch almost anything, except gory horror movies.” She shudders. “I made the mistake of watching the first Saw movie when it came out. Still regret that.”

My anxiety keeps draining away the longer she talks. “Not my thing either,” I say. “Maybe something with big explosions and car chases?”

Eve laughs and moves a little closer. “That sounds like a plan.” She reaches for my other hand. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

I nod. “Okay.” I feel much more centered now, enough that I can give her a smile. “I think I’ll be all right now. I hope your week has been okay?”

She shrugs. “Typical stuff. Nothing major.” She tilts her head. “So I’ll see you on Friday?”

“Oh yeah.” I nod again quickly. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Yay!” She laughs at herself, making me smile. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

I squeeze her hands. “Me too.”

She smiles and squeezes back before letting me go and taking a step back. “I’ll let you get some rest. I hope the rest of your week is better.”

“Thanks. Take care.”

“You too.” She holds my gaze for another long moment before she turns and heads down the hall. I watch her until she disappears into the stairwell and then finally close the door. I lean against it and sigh, smiling.

Yeah, okay. I’m half gone on her already, and we’ve only been on one real date. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel after more.

…

The happy butterflies only last until Thursday night, when she texts me.

Bad news, she says. Rainout tonight, so we have to stay over and make up the game tomorrow. And then we have a Saturday game, too. Can we reschedule?

I slump on my bed and try not to be too disappointed. Weather is unpredictable, especially during this season. We just need to adjust and make sure our schedules match. I suppose if we’re going to date or whatever, I should print out a copy of the game calendar so I can keep up.

I text back. Sure. Maybe I’ll come to the game Saturday.

As soon as I send the text, I second-guess it. What if she’d been trying to let me down gently? Like, not outright cancelling, but delaying it?

But her answer comes back quickly.

That would be great! Maybe we can grab something to eat after the game. Hope to see you then! Xoxo

I let out a sigh as the butterflies take flight again. Well, at least I hadn’t screwed that up. Plenty of time left for me to screw things up, though.

…

Saturday night finds me not in my usual spot out in the bleachers, but behind home plate, just below the press box that reaches high above the field.

Eve texted me a few hours earlier to tell me she’d left me a ticket, and while I appreciate the gesture, sitting in the midst of the crowd makes my skin feel tight and every beat of my heart vibrates through my torso hard enough to make my hands shaky. I don’t know how many people the park seats—and I imagine the guys get more attendees, since that’s true of most sports, unfortunately—but there’s a good size crowd tonight.

I bounce my knee and try to focus on the view instead. It’s a nice ballfield, as new as everything else for a college that’s been open for less than a decade. The dugouts have flat roofs and sit below field level, like a real ballpark, not like the simpler fenced-in areas some fields have. The grass is nicely cut, the lines between the bases look freshly painted, and the park lights highlight every angle of the diamond.

The speakers crackle to life and I jerk in my seat. Dammit. I hope no one noticed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your University of Atlanta Tornadoes!”

I clap along with the rest of the fans as the team takes the field to start the first inning. Eve’s not among them. Frowning, I lean forward and scan the team’s dugout until I see her talking to one of the coaches. She looks fine, so she must not be scheduled to start tonight. I don’t actually know that much about softball, beyond what carries over from baseball, so I sit back to watch the game and learn.

The first couple of innings go quickly, lots of strikeouts and only a couple of hits, and then I hear Eve’s name. She’s coming up to bat first in the third inning, and I don’t know how that came about when she wasn’t in the field—I have got to read up more on the rules—but I sit up straighter to watch her hit.

She takes the first ball for a strike, but on the next one, she launches a long fly ball.

The crowd reacts as the ball just keeps going, right over the fence and onto the grassy hill beyond. Eve’s teammates and the fans cheer as she rounds the bases, a smile on her face, scoring the game’s first run.

When Eve’s nearly back to the dugout, she pauses and looks up toward the press box—toward me. The quick grin and wave she gives me before disappearing into the dugout set my face ablaze. I sink down into my seat, carefully not looking around to see if others noticed the exchange. I hadn’t thought about how dating a sports star might pull me into the same spotlight. The idea doesn’t thrill me. I mean, I won’t stop seeing Eve just because it might get me some attention I’d rather not have. But I’ll need to figure out how to deal with standing out more than I’m used to.

Ugh. I’ve only gone out on one sort-of date so far, and already I’m a mess. But I am not going to let this chance pass me by. I like Eve, and she seems to like me back. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out, but I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot before I even get started.

At the very least, I’m going to get in one good make-out session.

I grin at the thought, but it’s weird to be grinning to myself in the middle of a softball game, so I bite it back quickly.

An hour and a half and four more runs later, the Tornadoes have won, 4 to 1, and I clap along with the crowd as the teams swap high-fives at the edge of the field. People start standing, ready to leave, but I’m not sure what to do. Eve mentioned going for something to eat, but she didn’t say where or when, and I don’t know where to meet up with her.

I can’t stay in the park alone, though, so I follow the other fans down the steps and toward the exit. Outside, I pause. I could head back toward the dorm, but if Eve does want to meet up, then I’d just have to come back. I doubt the players have their cell phones in the dugout, so I can’t text her—or I could, but she wouldn’t get it until she’s back in the locker room.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and stare at it, going through all the options over and over again, unsure what to do.

“Annie, hey!”

I look up to find Eve walking toward me. She’s still in uniform, her spikes clicking on the concrete, pink hair peeking out from under her cap, and sporting a smile that makes my knees weak. “H-hi,” I say and hope my smile isn’t too wobbly from nerves.

“Glad you made it!” she says. “You still want to grab some food?”

“Sure.” I nod for emphasis as I slide my phone back into my pocket. “Should I just wait…?”

“C’mon.”

I follow her toward the athletics building. It’s only a few dozen yards to the entrance, and she waves me in ahead of her. I step inside and stop short. Two of Eve’s teammates are standing there, and when Eve follows me in, one of them turns to her.

“There you are,” she says. “You’re going to dinner with us, right?”

“Oh, I can’t,” Eve responds. She touches my arm. “I’m going with Annie. Annie, this is my roommate, Naomi, and our teammate, Wendy. Naomi, Wendy, this is Annie.” She smiles at me. “Naomi plays second base, and Wendy’s a short fielder.”

Wendy, tall and slender with her long dark hair in a ponytail, gives me a friendly smile and says hi. Naomi, who’s shorter and stocky with close-cropped blond hair, looks more like she’s sucked on a lemon, but she says hi, too, so I let it go. Maybe post-lemon-sucking is her default expression.

“I thought you were going out with us.” Naomi’s clearly not happy, but Eve either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“We’re just grabbing some food,” she says. “I’ll see you when I get back to the room later. Oh hey.” Eve glances at Naomi, then back at me. “Are you free tomorrow? Because some of us are heading up to the lake. Naomi’s parents have a place on Lake Allatoona. You want to go?”

I look over at Naomi again, and it’s all I can do not to flinch at the fire in her eyes. “I don’t—”

“It’ll be fine. Right, Naomi?”

Naomi’s face changes in an instant, going from murderous to, well, not exactly happy, but at least neutral. “Sure,” she chirps out. “The more the merrier!”

“Great!” Eve waves a hand toward a grouping of chairs in the corner. “You can wait here if you want. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

I avoid looking toward Naomi and Wendy, keeping my eyes set on Eve’s face instead. “Sure. I’ll be here.”

Eve grins again and disappears with the others into a door marked Women’s Locker Room. I perch on the edge of the closest chair and pull out my phone to give me something to do. A handful of other people sit nearby, but I ignore them in favor of sorting through email, marking three repair requests to follow up on the next day and relegating the rest to the trash.

It’s only about half an hour before Eve walks out, carrying a duffel bag in one hand. I stand as she stops in front of me and gives me a showstopping smile.

“Ready?” she asks.

I can only nod and smile back. “Ready.”

We walk out together into the evening air. It’s early enough in the year that the weather’s still chilly at night, even though it’s reaching sixty during the day. I do not look forward to the long, hot summer ahead.

“I was going to suggest pizza,” Eve says as we head in the direction of the dorms. “But everybody will probably be at Charlie’s on Saturday night. And I have curfew in an hour and a half.”

I catch a glimpse of bright yellow off in the distance. “There’s always Waffle House.”

It’s across the street from campus, but it’s usually not busy until after midnight, when the post-party crowds go in search of greasy food.

“Oooo. I haven’t had their hash browns in forever.” Eve grins at me. “And it’s quick, too.”

A few minutes later, we’re sliding into a bright yellow booth and an older woman is smiling and putting napkins and silverware in front of us. We ask for water and the server walks away to get our glasses.

Eve pulls the laminated menus from the rack at the end of the table and hands me one. “One of the best constants in the South—Waffle House food. Always hot, always greasy, always good.”

I laugh and glance at the menu. I wasn’t really hungry when we left the ballfield, but the magical smells of onions cooking in a butter-like substance on the open grill behind the counter are quickly working their magic. Hash browns, for sure. Maybe a pecan waffle?

I look over at Eve, which is becoming one of my favorite things to do. Even after a game, face free of her usual makeup and her hair still drying from her shower, she’s beautiful.

“Important question,” I say. “How do you like your hash browns?”

Eve grins. “Make or break decision! I always get them scattered, smothered, and covered,” she replies, which by the menu means mixed with onions and topped with melted cheese. “What about you?”

“Mostly the same,” I tell her. “But I have been known to go with chunked and capped, too”—diced ham and mushrooms.

Eve makes a face. “Ham, okay. But mushrooms? Gross.”

I grin at her. “More for me, then!”

The waitress comes back to take our order, and we both go for scrambled eggs and our usual on the hash browns. Eve waves off the toast that comes as a side—“I can’t eat that much right after a game”—but I ask for the raisin toast option, and she perks up at that.

As the waitress goes to put our order in, Eve bumps her foot against mine under the table and I have to hold back a shiver from the contact. If this is her thing, I’m quickly growing to love it.

“I could probably handle half a slice of toast,” she says, giving me a raised eyebrow and a slow smile.

Damn. Looking at me like that, she could have anything I have to offer. I manage not to throw myself across the table. Waffle House might be a greasy-spoon diner that’s seen its share of public disturbances, but I’d rather not get thrown out.

Instead, I try to return her smile in kind. “I think we might be able to come to an arrangement.”

This time, when Eve’s foot touches mine, she leaves it there. A full body shiver runs through me and goose bumps rush over my arms, so I move them off the table and onto my lap. How am I going to survive this date if she keeps on touching me?

There’s something else I need to address, though. “So, about tomorrow…”

Eve leans forward. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I just thought it might be fun. We took a couple of team trips last year, and then Naomi was there all last summer so a few of us went up a couple of other times. We go out on her family’s boat, eat lunch, sit on the dock. We’ll be back before dark.”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to talk me into it. It sounds fun. I’m just…” I shrug. “It seems like Naomi doesn’t like me all that much.”

Eve blows out a frustrated breath. “Ugh, Naomi. She doesn’t like new people much. She and Wendy went to high school together, and Wendy says it was the same then, too.” She reaches one hand across the table. “Don’t take it personally. I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t think it’d be okay with her.”

I’m not completely convinced, but I’m willing to give it a shot. “Okay. I’m in. Do I need to bring anything? What do I wear?”

Eve relaxes, laughing. “It’s too early for shorts, so jeans, and sandals if you have them in case your feet get wet on the boat. Layers on top. We usually wear tank tops or swimsuits with an overshirt for when the sun gets too hot.”

I can handle that. I think I even have some sandals buried in the back of my closet.

Our food arrives then, and we eat quickly, mindful of Eve’s curfew. She does take half a slice of my raisin toast, and by fifteen minutes before her curfew, we’re in front of my dorm, because Eve insisted on walking me.

She reaches for my hand and takes a step closer. “I’d really like to kiss you good night,” she says, her voice low.

I’d really like you to, I want to say, but my throat’s closed up and I can’t get the words out. So I nod quickly, hoping she doesn’t read my pause as hesitation, and a moment later, her lips touch mine.

It’s a soft kiss, not much more than a lingering press, but it’s the first time I’ve kissed someone for real, not for “practice” or as part of a game.

It sets my heart thumping and a thrill runs through my body like I’ve been shocked with an electrical current. If one kiss can cause this, I can’t even imagine what more would feel like.

Eve pulls away slowly, stretching out the feeling, and when I open my eyes—when did I close them?—she’s giving me that soft smile I like so much.

“Meet you back here in the morning? We’ll leave at ten, so maybe a quarter till?”

I nod again, slightly dazed and already missing her lips. She lets me go and heads down the sidewalk toward her dorm. I watch her walk away, my mind tumbling over and over with thoughts and feelings I don’t know how to deal with. The physical attraction is the easiest to deal with. Eve is beautiful, so who wouldn’t be attracted?

But it’s everything else that’s tougher to manage. The way my heart jumps when I see her. The longing deep inside when she leaves. The way she looks at me, like I’m someone she genuinely cares about.

I climb the steps to the lobby and head down the hall to my room. I’ve just stepped inside and kicked off my shoes when my phone rings.

Frowning, I pick it up and see Eve’s name displayed. I hurry to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, did you maybe pick up my key along with yours? I can’t find mine, and I need to get inside before curfew.”

She’s talking fast, and it takes me a second to process what she’s said. “Oh. I don’t think so, but I’ll check.” I only had what was in my pockets—my phone and wallet—but I pull out the latter and dig through, finding only one card key, the one I used to get into the building and my room. “No, I just have mine.”

“Shit.” She spits the word out. “I’ve turned my wallet and my duffel upside down, and it’s nowhere. And the lobby’s already closed. I have to be inside in five minutes or I’ll be late.”

And missing curfew could mean trouble with the team.

“Is there anyone you can call?”

“I tried Naomi and she didn’t answer.” Eve’s out of breath, clearly upset. “I guess I’ll have to call the RA.”

“Go call her, then. And let me know once you’re inside, okay?”

“Okay.” Eve blows out a long breath. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

She hangs up before I can say goodbye.

While I wait to hear back from her, I put everything back in my wallet and get out pajamas for bed. I don’t want to change yet, though, in case I need to go back to…what? I don’t know. Bring her back here to sleep? Just the idea of sleeping with her makes my stomach swoop.

Before I can spin too far down that tunnel, my phone rings. It’s Eve.

“Are you in?” I ask immediately.

“Made it by two minutes!” She laughs. “Wendy was running late too. She showed up right after I hung up with you. So I’m in and good. All I have to do now is find the damn key.”

I swallow. “Well, I’m glad you made it.”

She blows out a breath. “Me too. And hey, I had a great time tonight.”

“Me too.” I don’t know what to say after that, but that’s okay, because Eve does.

“Awesome.” She pauses. “You have a great night, Annie.”

She says my name like a soft caress, and I shiver. “You too.”

We hang up, and I sit staring into space for a good minute before I start getting ready for bed. I’m definitely not falling asleep anytime soon, but I might as well go through the motions.

Hell, I’ll be lucky if I sleep at all, considering that my mind won’t stop playing back every moment of the last couple of hours—especially that kiss. It’s a mental blockbuster, that’s for sure, and one thing’s for certain: I can’t wait for the sequel.