Page 14 of Somewhere Only We Know
“Your not so unrequited love from college that you had to leave because your dad was sick who you magically see today? If that’s not the making for a second chance, I don’t know what is.”
I see my sister look at me from the corner of my eye, but I avoid her. The noise around me fades as I think back to that winter break. We made plans. So many plans. And they were gone quicker than the first snowfall in Pennsylvania.
8
NATE
COLLEGE, SPRING SEMESTER - MAY, JUNIOR YEAR
Thank goodness we’re local for regionals and super-regionals. I don’t think the team would survive a road trip for these games. This is the best we’ve played all season, but it would only take one blow on our house of cards to ruin the mojo we’ve got going on. But now since campus is closed, those of us not local have had to find other places to stay. Luckily, or unluckily, for me Jax urged me to stay at her family’s house. I felt like I was living in a museum for those few days when she went out of town for her sister's graduation. Thankfully with baseball, I’ve been out more than in, but when I’m there all I do is make up reasons to kiss her. And that’s bad for someone whose focus needs to be on baseball.Okay, maybe a little temptation is fine.
Me: Headed to the bus and then I’ll be at your place.
Jax: Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?
Me: Nope. See you soon girlfriend.
You would think that with us testing the boundaries of our new relationship it would be awkward. But, no. I just have the added bonus of knowing more intimate details of my best friend. We’re in the winner’s bracket of the tournament. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have planned a date with Jax for today. Her parents mentioned how much she loves greenhouses, butterflies, and learning about all different types of plants. That gave me an idea.
The seat next to me fills with one of my coaches. I take off my headphones and give him my attention.
“What’s up coach?”
“Have you given any thought to what’s after college?”
“Look for internships or maybe enter the draft,” I say with less confidence than I’ve ever felt.
“You should. Enter the draft that is. Nate, you’re one of the best outfielders I’ve had the pleasure of working with. You do solid work at the plate, you see the outfield better than some of the professional players I’ve watched, and you’re an excellent teammate. Any team would be lucky to have you.”
I look at him like he’s sprouted two heads. I like baseball, but enough to have it as my career? Five year old me would be jumping in his seat. But twenty-one year old me? Not so much.
“Thanks, coach. That means a lot.”
He pats me on the shoulder before going back to his seat. As we travel down the highway and back to campus, I try to picture myself as a professional baseball player. It’s not that I think being an athlete is a bogus job. It’s that I’ve never been able to picture myself as a professional athlete. Well, that’s a lie because every kid has dreamed of playing professionally. But the realistic side of me always thought I would use my architecture degree.
I’ve loved how buildings were made since I was little. And I’m not talking about the actual building of them, but the blueprints. We all have to start somewhere and that’s what architecture is. Starting from scratch and becoming something worth something. Same with photography. While I knew I would never pursue a simple hobby and attempt to turn it into a career, finding a subject and turning it into art means something. But baseball? That’s all talent and despite what my coach says, there are more talented baseball players than me.
We round into the school and start gathering our things. Once parked, we all hurry off with instructions to be back here at seven in the morning. Groans chime in, but it’s lighthearted. We have one more game until the next round and while I’m excited, I’m also nervous. These could very well be my final games here if I decide to enter the draft. This could mean leaving Jax and I’m not ready for that. She’s been by my side for the last three years and to think our time together is limited scares the shit out of me.
Throwing my bag in the trunk, I round to the front of my car and start up, heading to Jax’s house like I’ve done dozens of times. A few minutes later I pull up to her family’s house and park on the street. I walk up the long driveway and give a courtesy knock before walking through the front door. The house is quiet with her parents at work and her sister living with her boyfriend.
Sliding off my shoes and lining them up next to the others by the front door, I take the stairs two at a time and turn right when I get to the top. When I first came over to Jax’s house freshman year, I was floored by how big her house was. My parents house in Virginia is nothing to scoff at, but this house is huge. Naturally, I was intrigued by theangles and lines of her house and how this place is an actual home instead of just a blueprint.
The low hum of music comes from Jax’s room whose door is wide open. I find her on the balcony that looks over the backyard with her iPad in her lap and doodling away. Quietly, I place my bag in the hallway and creep into her room. When she gets her iPad out, sirens could be going off and she wouldn’t hear them. Is it dangerous? Yes. But she also gets this cute look on her face and her tongue peaks out from the corner of her mouth.
I step up behind her and cover her eyes the same way she usually does to me.
“Holy shit,” she gasps.
“Guess who?”
“The plumber?”
“Nope,” I tell her feeding into this.
“Hmm. If not the plumber then maybe my boyf–” Jax cuts herself off. While I’ve been shouting from the rooftop that Jax is my girlfriend, she’s still shy when it comes to labels. That hasn’t bothered me because I know where I stand with her. But to hear her getting close to finally uttering that word is a feeling unlike any other.
I move my hands from her eyes and come around to sit on the matching footstool and move it closer to her. My legs cage her in but Jax avoids my gaze and looks back down at her iPad. Wanting her to talk to and look at me, I carefully take the device from her hands and place it on the other chair.
