Page 6 of Pitcher Us
“Chai latte.” She shrugs. “Technically, it’s not tea or coffee per se, but tea brewed with milk. I can’t promise you’ll like it, but it’s got the caffeine you were searching for.”
“Alright,” is my only response. These past few days have been the most I’ve spent around Callie all year. I was never one to hang out after games and if I ever did venture out with the guys, Callie was never there. I never heard of her going out with them in general, really. If it weren’t for her sitting in the front bleachers with her beautiful red hair and loud cheers for Adam, I wouldn’t have known she was his sister.
Again, the key takeaway there is I definitely noticed her, just wouldn’t have known of the relation had she not made that obvious. All that being said, Callie’s not a temptation—or at least, shewasn’t. She’s my teammate’s little sister. She shouldnever be a temptation. But ever since the trip over here, she’s been a…distraction.
One I definitely shouldn’t entertain, but when we sat down on that plane, Callie looked over at me with tired eyes and that soft smile on her face and asked how I was handling all of this.
This odd feeling came over me when I looked over at her and the words she said registered in my brain. As far as I can recall, no one had ever taken a second to ask how I was doing. My mom and sisters never asked, but I never would give them a reason to think that something was wrong. I’m the person who takes care of things in my family—and I like that role.
But with one sigh of stress out of me, she was there asking me what I needed, what she could do to help. Even if what I needed was as simple as her listening to me vent. Not that I was going to vent or tell her any of the thoughts running through my head, but something about how she looked at me when she asked told me she wasn’t going to let it go without some sort of response. So, I grunted back a simple “I’m good” to appease her.
And she didn’t stop with me. Callie asked Adam at least five times what she could do to help once we landed. Hell, she treated everyone on that plane with such kindness and grace. Didn’t matter that she probably only had a few hours of sleep in the past forty-eight hours, she never made one complaint.
After deplaning, all she wanted was to stop in and grab a new charger. But Mr. Schedule wouldn’t allow for unplanned stops. So, she just smiled and asked him what she could do to help for the sixth time.
There wasn’t a single thing I needed from that damn convenience store, but I wasted ten bucks on a crossword book, so Callie had an excuse to get her charger. And now here I am, about to get some drink that I probably won't even like because she was cold.
Maybe my subconscious is pulling me to care for her because she reminds me of my family. I’ve seen my mom and sisters go through some crazy things, and they hold that same overly optimistic attitude Callie does. Maybe that’s what this whole distraction thing is about—me missing my family.
I’ve supported them from across the country for the past five years and leaving them weighed on me more than I led on, hence my loner tendencies. I guess I kind of wonder if Callie’s rainbows and sunshine is a cover up for something weighing on her. I’m not sure why I care to know so badly, but I do.
Rocking on her feet she looks all around the shop. “This place is adorable. I’ll have to add this to one of the perks of moving here.”
“So, tea? Not coffee?”
Glancing my way, that soft smile tugs at her lips. “No, no coffee for me. I used to drink it all the time, but I realized the caffeine and sugar would make me feel really jittery and anxious, so I switched to tea.”
“Couldn’t you just order decaf?”
She shrugs nonchalantly. “I could, but turns out I like tea more. It has less sugar and there’s tons of flavors with all sorts of different benefits to keep my hyper fixation from getting too carried away. Plus, it’s just a safer order. I would forget to say decaf sometimes, so better just to get something that doesn’t even have it.”
Hyper fixation? For a drink? And how could you just forget to add “decaf” at the end of your order? Hell, make it the first word you say.
“That’s fair,” is what I decide to go with, because I have too many questions about her statement.
“Granted, some teas do have caffeine,” she continues. “So I have to watch that too. But sometimes, depending on the amount of caffeine, it doesn’t affect me too bad if I don’t drinktoo much. I guess that’s where the added sugar would come into play because…sorry, I’m rambling. See? Imagine me on caffeine.”
I’m starting to understand why she stopped. How could there be this much energy in her already?
Her eyes study me. She’s biting back talking more, I know it. Just as her mouth opens slightly, our order is called out and I quickly step up to grab our drinks.
Handing hers out she takes it with that soft smile again. “Thanks.”
I simply nod back before heading toward the exit.
I don’t really understand why, but I look down at the name of the store on the cup and make a mental note to remember it.
“Great,” Adam says, clapping his hands together as we make it outside. “Now that you two have your drinks, can we please get a move on?”
“Hold on.” I hold out my finger telling him to wait another minute as I take a so-very-slow first sip of the drink Callie ordered me to really piss him off.
He huffs. “Seri?—”
I hold my hand up for another sip. Shit’s not bad. It tastes even better when I notice Callie trying to hide her laugh behind her cup.
“Alright, ready,” I say, and Callie snorts next to me.
“You both can find your own way if you like?” Adam’s vein on his forehead looks like it’s about to pop. God, the temptation to delay this even more is so great, but Callie steps up, slinking her arm through her brother’s.
