Page 166 of Catch Me
“It’s not that simple. This is my career.”
“Did you already negotiate your arbitration salary for next season?”
His words made me ball my fists. “That has nothing to do with it. What the hell, Sen?”
“You’re their most valuable player right now,” he pointed out. “Anthony can’t pitch like you anymore, so the offer must be a lot. Three million? Five million?”
“More money means I can help people. I can actuallydosomething, even if I can’t be online.”
“How much?”
Grinding my teeth together, I shrugged. “Eleven if I’m on my shit for these games.”
His mouth dropped open. “Eleven million?”
I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. “Fuck, Sen. Just stop. It’s not about the money. This is what I want to do. It always has been. A couple years and I’ll be a free agent, then maybe I’ll get to a team that’ll let me do all that.”
“I’m just worried, okay?” He put a hand on my arm, helping to calm my irritation. “It’s not about Roman or even the money, really. I want you to be happy, whether that’s playing baseball or whatever else.”
Gripping his biceps softly, I looked into his brown eyes. “I’m happy. I’ll try to do more once we’re done with the season. Promise. Maybe we can go LIVE together.”
“The day you win the World Series would be a hell of a date for it.”
My smile seemed to make him relax. “It’s a date,” I agreed.
“Go warm up or whatever. I expect you to pitch like a pro.”
“I am a pro, buddy. That’s why I’ll be making the big bucks.”
With a wink, I turned around. My dad wished me a good game, and all of the guys followed, along with the people Mikey had invited. I used their encouragement to bolster my confidence and get focused.
This was my game. I was going to kick the Sox off those Boston bastards.
*****
I wanted to go home and lie the fuck down, but I knew that I couldn’t. I was teeming with energy, which was only exacerbated by my excitement. We’d gone out and celebrated our win, and since tomorrow was a travel day, we’d allowed ourselves a couple of drinks. Not enough to lower my inhibitions, though.
Well, maybe. I honestly couldn’t be sure if I’d have come to this damn hotel otherwise. I wanted to think I had better sense than that, but I was starting to doubt that. If I did, I wouldn’t have given a fuck at all.
As much as I hated it, I was worried, which meant I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Since Sen, Kai, and my dad were staying at my place, Tessa would have plenty of company until I got back.
After knocking for the third time, I began to pace in front of the door. It didn’t matter that I was freaking exhausted. I hadn’t been blessed with an off switch.
Finally, the door opened. When I saw Roman, I just felt even worse. He was in sweats and his hair was messy, which unfairly looked good on him, especially with the extra length. He looked groggy, like he’d just woken up.
“Were you sleeping?” I asked.
“No.”
He turned and walked back inside. I caught the door and followed him, trying to push away the awkwardness that almost convinced me to leave.
Roman leaned against the wall beside the window. His tablet was on the table, but he had papers set up on the bed with some sort of flat wooden tray that I assumed worked as a drawing surface.
“Can I...” I trailed off, not wanting to overstep.
After a second, he nodded. I came closer, keeping enough distance so that we weren’t touching. My eyes were locked onto the drawings, and I was compelled to look through them, but I pushed my hands into my pockets.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
