Page 31 of Pitcher Us
“A mistake?”
Chapter 15
Will
I breathe out the question, cutting her off.She thinks that was a mistake?
Fuck, my brain feels like it’s in slow motion. The word “mistake" isn't exactly what I’d use to describe what just happened, but now I’m not sure what to do. We’re friends, that’s what we’ve always been, right?
Callie shuts her eyes briefly almost like she’s trying to process her next words. I can’t tell if it’s out of regret or embarrassment, but the anguish on her face feels like a punch to the gut and my brain finally catches up—I can’t let this ruin her birthday.
“Callie,” I say calmly. “It’s okay. We’re friends—why don’t we head back down for cake?”
Callie shakes her head lightly. “Friends, right. I just, um?—”
“Hey, it’s okay,” I reply, placing my hands on her shoulders, hoping it softens her guilt from the blow of the rejection she’s giving me.
Is it a rejection, though? Yeah, we’ve flirted, but I haven’t exactly made my intentions clear either. Mostly because they haven’t been. But then she kissed me, and I think I really want to kiss her again.
Callie stills as she looks down at my hands resting on her shoulders and when they make their way up to my face I swear they pause at my mouth.
She doesn’t move, and I can’t bring myself to either. I’m tempted to pull her back in and kiss her for real this time and find out if the word mistake really does fit here.
My hands tighten on her shoulders lightly as I track the freckles on her beautiful face. She told me I’m allowed to touch her, right?
But then the sobering voice of her brother comes from the hall. “Callie?”
Callie jumps back. Ice water being thrown on us would have been less of a mood killer.
Callie glances at my shut door and calls back, “Coming,” before turning back to me. “I?—”
“Let’s just head down, okay?” I say softly, and she nods.
I hold out my hand to let her go first. The moment she walks out my door my whole body stalls. Fuck—I need a minute.
Callie kissed me. Callie fucking kissed me, and I just stood there. Why didn’t I kiss her back? It just took me by surprise, and I don’t know—I panicked.
But now, all I can really think about is kissing her. I like Callie. And based on the effort I put into this party for her…fuck, I think I like her a lot.
Suddenly, the words I heard Callie say to my sisters come screaming back to me.
I’ve been holding a bit of a grudge against baseball players for a while now. Bad ex, he kind of put a bad taste in my mouth for dating baseball players.
I didn’t think much when I overheard it, but now I have a million and one questions. Is that why the kiss was a mistake? Does that mean she doesn’t want to dateanybaseball players? Is it the reason she never spoke to anyone outside of Adam and Jetton the team? How bad was this ex exactly? Is he why she showed up at her brother’s in the first place? She’s talked about the guys in her past not respecting her boundaries.
Or was it the lifestyle? If this trade has taught me anything, it is that everything can abruptly change at any moment. Maybe if she knew I have the option to get a no-trade clause for my next contract…
I make my way down the stairs cursing this new revelation and find Callie sitting by my sisters, smiling as she takes the first bite of her cake. I did so much to make today happen. I don’t regret it, seeing Callie’s reactions made every doubt about setting this up go away. And yeah, that kiss might have been small, but it didn’t feel wrong.
Friends. Why did I say that? Fuck!
But I’ve given her no indication that I want anything more from her either so here we are—in the fucking friend zone.
My brain is still trying to process everything that’s just happened, and I know if I don’t pull my shit together my sisters will get suspicious. I refuse to let my fuck up interfere with her day.
I take a deep breath and take a seat next to Adam.
Be cool, it’s not like you kissed his sister…oh, wait.
