Page 22 of Caught Stealing Your Heart
“You missed me?”
Banks closed his eyes and adjusted his head on my lap. “Yeah. Friends can miss one another, right?”
“Yes, they can. I missed you too, which is why I came. Plus, I thought it would add some sparkle for our image.”
Who was I kidding? The main reason I went to the game was to see Banks. Of course, I had to throw the extra in there to downplay things. Since Banks seemed to be opening up and expressing himself more, I figured I could do the same. I would continue to follow his lead.
“Well, you should do it more often. It doesn’t have to be because of our situation. It can be because you care. I care, and I know you see it, Leilani. What you said earlier low-key pissed me off, but I let it go. Don’t ever fix your mouth to say you’re not something to me when you are.”
I thought he’d forgotten about that conversation, but apparently not. I didn’t mind being put in my place when it was right, so Banks clarifying that made me feel good.
“I know, and I apologize.”
“Thank you.” Banks yawned for a few seconds then asked, “Would you be mad if we didn’t go eat?”
“No. It’s obvious you’re extremely tired, so you’ll get a pass this time. You definitely owe me a good meal.”
“I got you. When are you leaving?”
“I fly back out tomorrow afternoon.”
“Why?”
I rubbed my hand over his waves in a slow, steady motion. “What do you mean? I gotta go home. That’s why.”
“Stay another day. I’ll pay for whatever you need, but let me make it up to you. We have an off day tomorrow before our next game, so we can do whatever you want.”
“Are you sure?”
“Would I have asked if I wasn’t?”
“Smart mouth.”
His deep chuckle vibrated his back my stomach. I continued to rub his head as I gazed out the window. It wasn’t long before soft snores escaped his nose and mouth. I peered down at him. My hand slapped over my mouth to keep from laughing. He was so handsome, even with his mouth partly open. For myself, I snapped a quick picture and lay my head back.
All the while, I couldn’t help but wonder… what were we doing for me to be falling like this?
What wasshe doing to me?
I’d rewatched our one-month anniversary video Leilani posted of us, over and over on the way to her hotel. The fact she pulled it off without me knowing was crazy. Usually, I was the giver. I was the one who surprised others, so I could easily catch onto them. Leilani was sneaky but in a good way. She was trying to match my energy, and I appreciated it.
The song playing in the background caught my attention. “Butterflies” by Queen Naija oozed through my phone speaker. Her words resonated with me, especially the opening lines. Slowly, I bobbed my head, allowing the words to speak to me. Deep down, I hoped they spoke to Leilani in the same way.
It was beginning to get hard to decipher what was real and what wasn’t when it came to my feelings.
One particular picture caught my eye, so I paused the video.
The moment was clear as a day with no clouds to me. In the picture, I was standing on the mound, winking at Leilani with my hand in my glove. Before she captured the picture, I was in my head. I’d walked the batter before the one in the box. My pitching wasn’t on point as it usually was, and it bothered me. While I knew every game wouldn’t be perfect, the pressure was on.
We were down by two points at the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and no runs scored. My fielding team had been backing me up with every play, so I needed to make sure I did my best. Not only did I not want to let myself and our fans down, but I also didn’t want to let my team down either.
Even with the crowd and my teammates surrounding me, Leilani was the only person with me at that moment. When she blew me a kiss and mouthed ‘you got this,’ all the negative energy bottled up inside me diminished. As I did my breathing techniques, I kept my focus on her. Her energy was pulling at me, giving me the boost I needed to get through the reminder of the game. Her presence encouraged me and put me in my element.
Like I told her before, she was my good luck charm.
As badly as I wanted to celebrate the win last night, my body demanded that I rest. The day had been filled with media appearances and meetings with my coaches. I’d been up since four that morning, so I needed the rest.
The second my head hit Leilani’s lap, and she started rubbing my head, my body and mind relaxed. She immediately coaxed me into a peace like no other. A peace I’d crave from her and only her.
