Page 39 of The Love We Make

“We bet if I struck him out, he wouldn’t ask you out.”

I bolted upright, “What?”

“So like I said, he won’t ask.”

“How? What? Who?” I had so many questions. Important, deep, meaningful questions. But the fan in me asked, “How are you so sure you will strike him out?”

“Because I can.”

“So you mean to tell me that if you strike him out, he won’t ask me out. What happens if he pops out to the catcher?”

“He can and probably will ask you out.”

“In which case, I will probably say yes,” I warned again.

Ethan just shrugged, “Won’t happen.”

“Is this a test?” I asked. Was Ethan claiming I was his to test me again? Did he think it would scare me?

“No, it’s not a test.” He looked at me like I had lost my mind and for some reason, I instantly believed him.

This wasn’t a test.

I decided to drop it. I suddenly didn’t want to know what was going on in my crazy best friend’s head.

He needed to pitch tomorrow.

Later that night I would lose my virginity.

It was a big day for both of us.

Besides, I liked Aaron and told Ethan I would say yes to an invite or a night out. But truthfully, I didn’t see Aaron as a potential relationship or anything. I didn’t feel him like that. A night with a new friend was all I saw there.

Ethan got up from the bed and started for the bathroom to change. As he pulled his shirt over his head, showing me his perfectly sculpted back, he added, “I even told him what pitches I’d throw.”

???

The two days in New York had been a whirlwind.

The luncheons and home run derby. The parade and meet and greets.

Not that anyone cared, but I rode in the parade with Ethan and sat behind him while he signed autographs.

I got the stink eye from a few fans but most everyone was so fun to talk to. Some made me third-party embarrassed with the amount of flirting they did. I held my tongue but a small part of me wanted to be like, “Save it, ladies, he’s nuts.”

The National and the American League teams were separated for the rest of the day so we didn’t see Aaron again. But Ethan told me Aaron had texted him that morning asking me what my favorite flower was.

I didn’t buy Aaron’s interest. Like me, he probably saw this as a chance for a new friend that doubled as a chance to drive Ethan crazy. I even told Ethan that Aaron was just trying to get in his head before the game.

He didn’t care, he shrugged it off and texted him back: Change-up, Change-up, Slider. Those were the pitches he told Aaron was coming. I wondered how true that was. He was probably playing his own version of their mind games.

Before the game, there was a huge ceremony with introductions and a small concert. Stars from both the baseball world and the entertainment world were present. So much activity was buzzing around us. It was an adrenaline rush even being in the stands.

I knew Ethan had to have been shaking with excitement.

I had been given the choice of regular seats or box seats for the game. I chose the regular seats even though it meant I was basically sitting by myself. I didn’t know anyone else around me.

Ethan didn’t like it.

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