Chapter 19 #2
And when my doorbell rings only seconds later, I shake my head in disbelief.
I keep to myself enough that I forget a chunk of the team lives in the same building.
Still early on in his career, Jake’s salary is much smaller than mine, and his apartment follows that trend.
So, when he bounds into my space, his mouth drops open in shock.
“Why are your ceilings taller than mine? And you have more windows! Holy shit, your fridge is twice the size of mine, too! This is bullshit!”
“Tell me that in ten years, kid,” I mutter. “Why are you here, Jake?”
“Oh, I want to meet the piglets!” he answers gleefully, a massive smile covering his face.
Jake is kind of like a golden retriever.
Happy most of the time, has never met a stranger, and responds well to treats.
I’m not entirely sure if he’s fully housebroken yet, but I’ve got my fingers crossed he doesn’t go piss in the corner to mark territory.
“They aren’t piglets. They’re guinea pigs.” I pause. What the hell are they called as babies? “Fuck, I don’t know what they are. I’m not sure of their ages either. Maybe they’re full-grown.”
Jake strides over to the cage. “They look full-grown. What are their names?”
“Marilyn and Muriel.”
He snorts. “Those names absolutely suit Layla.”
They really do.
“So, how long have you been banging their mom?” he asks nonchalantly. Opening the cage, he wastes no time grabbing one of the pigs. “Which one is this?”
“I have no idea,” I answer irritably. “And I’m not banging their mom.”
Jake looks up, raising an eyebrow. It’s clear he doesn’t believe me. “That’s the story you’re going with?”
I sigh, scrubbing a hand across my face. “I’m not currently banging their mom.”
He smiles triumphantly. “I knew it! I could feel the tension between you two. So have you in the past, or are you hoping for the future? Is that why you moved her in here? Are you hoping you can convince her to stay? Management will be pissed. I wonder if we can get them to change the fraternization rule. Of course, if you’re going to ask for a trade, this is all moot, right?
Or is Layla enough to keep you here? Then we’ll definitely have to come up with a plan. ”
Christ. He’s like the Energizer Bunny.
He brings up some good points, though. What happens if I convince Layla to give us a real shot? How will it impact her job? If I get traded, will she want to come with me, or will that effectively end our relationship? Do I even want a stable relationship? Does she?
“Yo, you just got really pale,” Jake comments, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “Did I say something that spooked you?”
I collapse on the closest surface, a chair by the window, and groan.
“I don’t know. Maybe all of what you said spooked me.
I don’t know what I want, and the only thing I know about her is that she wants to keep her job.
There are so many what-ifs in this scenario.
What if I get traded? What if she loses her job?
What if we try something, realize we aren’t compatible, and I still have to see her all the time?
What if one of us wants more and the other doesn’t?
That’ll make work absolutely miserable. What if she starts getting to know me and realizes I’m not worth the trouble? ”
Jake stares at me, mouth agape. “I didn’t think you’d actually answer me. Dude, all I wanted to do was hold a guinea pig. I’m not smart enough to answer any of this.”
I chuckle bitterly. “Neither am I.”
He shoves the guinea pig into my hands before pulling out his phone. “What are you doing?”
“Calling in reinforcements.” I watch as Jake furiously types on his phone, but I don’t receive any new texts. He glances up, giving me a cheeky grin. “You know we have a group chat without you, right?”
“I guess I didn’t,” I say, chuckling with a shake of my head.
Do I want help? How many people will know about this?
What if it gets back to the team? I quietly put Marilyn — or is it Muriel — back in the cage, then frown.
It’s a small setup. I’m not entirely sure what is considered normal for multiple guinea pigs, but it has to be bigger than this.
Layla’s apartment was small, and from other comments about finances, I assume she’d buy something bigger if she had the opportunity.
I make a mental note to contact Jamie for recommendations.
I’m sure he and Audrey can give me all the best tidbits for successfully raising guinea pigs.
And that’s when I realize I’m again making plans based on Layla not moving out.
Maybe I do need help from the guys.
“Alright,” Jake says, slapping a hand on the island.
“Dante, Jackson, and Ryder are heading over. Hernandez said to tell you to buy her things. In all honesty, he sent a voice memo, and it sounded like he said you should buy her tinks, but I’m assuming he meant things.
Delgado said she won’t move out if you make her come a lot, and honestly, he’s probably not wrong. ”
“As great as that help is, I’d prefer a woman who actually wants to be with me for me, not just for sex,” I snap, irritation clear in my voice.
It’s bad enough that professional athletes are constantly faced with women in it for the wrong reasons, and now I’ve got guys telling me to lean into that? Hell no.
“Yeah, I couldn’t do that either. I don’t want to be used for my body.
Use me for my bank account, like everyone else,” Jake replies.
Hearing the snark in his tone, I study him.
I hate that he’s already this jaded after only a couple of years in the majors.
It happens to everyone, no matter how we start in professional sports. Trial by fire.
“Are the guys coming here?” I ask.
“I said we’d meet them downstairs in my apartment. Just in case Layla comes back here. I’ve never seen her leave work during the day, but I know she drove in from somewhere. Being this close to home may be too much of an impulse to resist,” Jake explains.
“Shit. I never thought of that. We need to go. I don’t want to explain you being here if she shows up —” I’m interrupted when the object of my fantasies opens the door, a big smile on her gorgeous face. But as soon as her eyes catch Jake in her periphery, that smile fades drastically.
Fuck.