Page 30 of Strike Zone

“There are a million other tables. Why are you here?”

“A million? That’s a stretch, don’t you think?” He eats a fourth of his burger in one bite.

“You’re going to get indigestion eating that fast.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been eating like this since I was five years old. Ain’t nothing going to bring me down.” He takes five French fries and stuffs them in his mouth whole. “I’m here because I have something fun for us to do after we eat.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

He’s not wearing a hat today. He looks…handsome. His hair cascades in layers down the side of his head until it blends into the longer hair in the back. Without the bill of his hat getting in the way, I can see his eyes more clearly. They are brown, but every now and then they catch the light and transform into a warm caramel.

“What is it?” I ask.

“It’s a surprise. Trust me. You’ll like it.”

Funny enough. I do trust Wyatt.

We finish eating our lunch and he escorts me to his pickup truck, which seems to be on its last legs.

When he parks the truck at our destination, I stare at him. “We’re at your townhouse.”

“I know. Come on.”

He opens my door and I hesitantly take his hand and allow him to help me down. Pride wants to take over and push him out of the way. I’ve always done things on my own.

Maybe it is the only child in me. I never had a sibling to partner up with or even a close friend to lean on. Charlie is the closest thing to a best friend I’ve had besides my dad. I sometimes wonder if it’s by default, that maybe if she wasn’t my roommate freshman year, she never would have given me a chance.

We stuck together over the years because, why change what’s working? Lauren and Sydney are my friends because of the same reasons. We were all together on the same floor in the dorms our first year. We’ve stuck together ever since.

Then there’s Wyatt. A man who has been pursuing my roommate for a couple of months. He’s getting what he wants in a few days. Yet, he still texts about random things that have nothing to do with the whole Charlie situation. He also shows up out of nowhere to walk me to class or eat lunch.

What will happen once he gets what he wants from Charlie?

You get to have your life and your personal space back. Why does that thought make me feel sad and empty?

“Don’t be scared. I promise you’ll like this,” he says as we enter the house. Nash and his behemoth of a friend, Eli, are eating at the dining table while they study. Wyatt says hello then excitedly ushers me downstairs.

I follow him down the hall toward his room. It looks a little bit better than when I left it a few days ago. There’s a new pile of laundry forming, but the weights are still in the corner and his shoes aren’t scattered all over the floor anymore.

“Ta da!” he yells, gesturing toward his closet which is practically bursting at the seams.

“I don’t get it.” I stare at him blankly.

“I’m going to let you organize my closet.”

“Why would you do that?” I realize to some people this would seem like a punishment. To me, it’s a dream. I walk inside the small space and run a hand over the shirts he has hanging up. His cologne sits on a shelf which explains why his scent is stronger here.

“I knew you would like it. I also thought it was time to get rid of some of this stuff. I’ll be moving out before I know it. I need the head start,” he says, picking up a plastic cowboy hat that's covered in glitter and placing it on his head.

“Are you sure you want to do this? It’s going to take a few hours.”

“I know.”

“Once we start, we can’t stop until we’re done.” I take a step in his direction.

“I know.”

“You will have to throw things away or donate them.” I take another step.

“I know. I’m ready.”

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