Page 88 of The Third Baseman

13

JUPITER

Present Day

New York City in the rain is not a fun place to be driving.

And… there was the thunder.

At least it summed up my mood.

Fuck, I missed California.

“Fucking move, already!” I leaned on the horn. The douche in front of me inched forward.

Jesus.

I should have walked. I’d have gotten home quicker, and given how everyone was hurrying along with their heads down, no one would have noticed me anyway. If I had to stay in this traffic any longer, it would be worth the fine for abandoning my car.

Shuddering as a droplet of rain trickled down my neck, I grabbed the towel off the passenger seat and rubbed it over my head again.

Goddamn rain. Even in the ten seconds it had taken me to run from the stadium to my car I’d gotten completely soaked.

It had been going for a solid two hours now. The heavens had opened the second I’d stepped onto the field at the start of the seventh inning. We’re not talking about a trickle of rain, a couple of drops; we’re talking apocalyptical; a torrential, thunderous downpour. If I didn’t know better – that I couldn’t actually summon meteorological changes in the atmosphere – I’d say I was living up to my name as the root cause, because it matched my mood perfectly.

The tarps had come out before I’d gotten around the bases. The boys and I sat there, frustrated, waiting for something we all knew was going to happen.

Rain-out.

We lost the game, and the mood I’d been sporting all afternoon hit rock bottom.

Before anyone had time to suggest a post-game analysis, I’d grabbed my bag and stormed out. The only thing I needed to completely top off this total bullshit of a day was seeing Marnie with that douche coffee guy again.

I thought I’d been okay with leaving her there, but by the time I’d gotten back to the stadium, it was clear to me and anyone in my path that I wasn’t. No. I was definitely not fucking okay with that.

I’d left her, and every time I blinked, all I could see was them together. I sawhimdrying the tearsI’dcaused.

My punishment? That I’d kissed her, and now I remembered exactly what her lips felt like; I had a 4D memory of them imprinted on my skin, on every part of my body, and I could do absolutely nothing about it.

I pulled the visor down to check I hadn’t turned into The Hulk from the thick, ugly green jealousy raging through my veins, but no. The same asshole I’d always been stared back.

Actually, not always. And not exclusively.

Because I was also a man of my word, and I promised I’d give her space… to be her friend.

I just didn’t realize how hard it would be, and I was only eight hours in.

Fuckingfriends.

I should have asked for a definition, because as of right now, I had no clue what it meant. I thought it might have meant she’d come to the game. Scratch that, she’s supposed to come to the game as part of her job; but as afriend, she could have been back in her usual seat.

She wasn’t.

As afriend, I thought she’d support me.

Perhaps send me good luck message.

Nothing.

---