6. Chapter 6
I glance at Alyssa in my peripheral vision. We’re halfway into an episode of New Girl, and she hasn’t stopped pulling out the tassels on my throw pillow.
“Do you want to talk about it? Or would you prefer to keep destroying that pillow?”
Her hands stop moving. She glances down at the graveyard of tassels in her lap, then up at me. “I’m sorry, I think my fingers had a mind of their own. I’ll get you a new one.”
“I don’t need a new pillow.” I pause the show and shift to face her. “What’s going on?”
Alyssa slowly angles her body toward me. “Is it weird for me to talk about my date with you?”
I furrow my brows. “Why would that be weird? You come here after almost every date and tell me everything.”
She grabs one of the cookies I made this afternoon and nibbles on it. “Even if this one went well?”
“Went well as in you like him, or went well as in he wasn’t like Mike?” She didn’t even let me know she was going on the date yet, but it must’ve at least gone well enough that she didn’t text me to see if she could come over right after.
Alyssa glances down at the cookie, smiling shyly. “I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with him.”
I clench and unclench my fist. I need to be happy for her, even if it means our friendship might change. I swallow and force words out. “That’s a good sign. You can talk to me about anything.”
She blows out a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. I’ve been dying to debrief with someone.”
“Why can’t you tell your roommates?” I thought girls dissected every detail together.
“I told them it went well, but I feel like I can’t tell them everything. Not when they’re the ones who set me up with him.”
“Ah, the guy from their matchmaking.”
“You’re never going to guess who he is.” She pauses for a beat, then squeals. “Rhett Hayes.”
I was expecting her to say some teacher from Mallory’s work or an owner of one of the dogs Kelsey walks. Not someone famous. “The country singer?”
She nods, a soft smile on her lips.
“I didn’t know he lived in Louisville.”
Her expression dims slightly. “He doesn’t. His home base is Nashville, but he’s on tour right now. I still can’t believe he came to see me before his concert in Lexington.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s not exactly on the way.”
“I know.” She beams.
“That’s already more effort than the majority of the guys you’ve gone out with.”
“You make it sound like I’m a serial dater.” When I don’t say anything, she laughs. “Okay, maybe I have gone on a lot of first dates, but I’m just trying to find my husband. And Rhett has been the closest thing to a contender I’ve had.”
I’m just trying to find my husband.
The words repeat in my mind on a loop. I knew she was trying to find a date to her cousin’s wedding. And obviously she’s had lots of crazy first-date stories from her dating-app matches and her cousin’s matchmaking attempts. But she’s never told me she wants to settle down soon.
And if she finds someone to marry, I can’t even begin to think about how much her life—and our friendship—will change.
But my agent has been hearing whispers about a potential mid-season trade for me, so maybe this is for the best. She’ll get married while I move to another state to play for a different team.
“That’s great.” My smile feels a little forced. “I’m all ears.”
She dives in, telling me all about their date.
I have to give the guy props for renting out the coffee shop in a more secluded part of town without the pressure of fans staring or the paparazzi.
I have my fair share of fans who recognize me around Louisville, but I don’t carry the same kind of celebrity status Rhett does.
“He asked for my number at the end of the date, and he’s texted me every day since then.”
“Sounds like it was perfect.”
Alyssa nods. “Without a doubt the best first date I’ve ever been on.” She drops her gaze to the pillow on her lap, wearing a soft smile.
There’s a sinking feeling in my gut. I grab one of the kitchen sink cookies and take a large bite. I’ll have to do a little extra cardio today, but I need something else to focus on other than whatever weird feelings are stirring in me.
“Where’s your head at?” I ask.
“I’m enjoying getting to know him, even if it’s over text. But it almost feels too good to be true.”
“How so?”
Alyssa shifts, snuggling further into the cushion. “All of his answers to every question are just so…perfect. It’s not like I think he’s lying. Rhett is truly an amazing guy.” She shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe if we were getting to know each other in person or via video call, it would feel more…”
She purses her lips like she can’t find the right word.
“Authentic?” I guess.
She sighs. “Yeah. It just sucks because I do think he’s authentic, and I see why the girls set us up, but I wish he lived closer or that we had more time to get to know each other in a more personal way than texts.”
“Was he not upfront about that?”
“No, he was. I guess I just didn’t realize how hard it would be.” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, because he’s great. And I really am loving our conversations.”
“But it’s hard getting to know someone when the conversation is drawn out through text messages with long breaks in between,” I say.
“Exactly. But I’m excited to see where things go.”
I finish off my cookie and take a long swig of water. “Have you asked him to go to your cousin’s wedding?”
“No. I don’t want to freak him out. Like, hi, I just met you for the first time, and I know we’ve only been talking for a week, but do you want to come to my cousin’s wedding with me?” She leans closer. “Oh, by the way, did I mention she’s marrying my ex?”
I grimace. “I can see how that would be a little intimidating.”
“A little?” Alyssa scoffs.
“Is there ever a right time to ask a new partner to go to a family wedding with you?”
“I don’t know.” She laughs. “But definitely more than a week.”
“Fair.” I clasp my hands behind my head and stretch. It almost looks like Alyssa watches my arms with rapt attention, but I must be seeing things. She’s probably daydreaming about Rhett Hayes. “I hope you’re able to talk to him soon.”
She smiles. “We have a video call planned for this weekend.”
I pick up another cookie from the plate and toss it to her. She catches it with a laugh. “What was that for?”
“You nibbled on one cookie. You need more sugar to sustain you.”
“You know me well.” She takes a giant bite and moans. “Maybe too well.”
“There’s no such thing.”
She eats another bite. “Thanks for listening, Slugger.”
“Happy to anytime.” I look directly into her light blue eyes. “You know I’m always here for you, right?”
Alyssa nods. “Same goes for you. Speaking of, how have things been? I know you miss your family.”
While I miss my family and Boston, I’m happy with how my baseball career has turned out thus far.
I was grateful to get drafted to the minors right after my junior year of college.
And when I got called up to the majors three years ago by the Louisville Mustangs, I didn’t care what team I went to as long as I got to play the sport I love.
But my long-term plan has always been to end up back in Boston, near my family.
My parents are my grandma’s full-time caretakers, so they aren’t able to travel far for my games. I know they miss seeing me play, and I miss being around them and all my cousins and their kids. As an only child, they’re the closest thing I have to nieces and nephews.
But I’ve enjoyed my time playing for the Mustangs more than I expected. A big part of that is my teammates. We’re a little bit of a dysfunctional family. But they’re my dysfunctional family.
An even larger part is because of Alyssa.
Growing up, I never bothered making friends outside of the people I played ball with.
When I met Alyssa my first week in Louisville, I wasn’t seeking a relationship or even a friendship, but now I can’t imagine my life without her.
I have practically zero say in whether I will ever be traded to another team, but the thought of leaving her feels like taking a fastball straight to the face.
“My grandma just got a knee replacement, but with her Alzheimer’s she keeps forgetting, so that’s been a little difficult on my parents trying to make sure she doesn’t fall or injure herself. But otherwise, she’s doing well, all things considered.”
She shoots me a sympathetic smile. “Your mom is the best. I miss her.”
I rub the back of my neck. “She misses you, too.”
My mom flew in alone for my first-ever home game for the Mustangs while my dad stayed home with my grandma. I had invited Alyssa, too, after she’d shown me some of her favorite spots in Louisville. She showed up and sat in the box suite with my mom, chatting throughout the game.
From that moment on, my mom makes sure to bring up Alyssa every time I talk to her, asking when she can see her next.
She’s also not-so-subtly implied that I’m making the biggest mistake of my life by not being more than friends with her.
She can’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that I’m not interested in a relationship when my whole life is baseball.
Maybe it’s because she already had me by this age, but I think she just worries about me being alone here.
But I like to keep my head in the game. I wouldn’t be able to give a new relationship the time it deserves.
And with the possibility of a trade on the horizon at a moment’s notice, I couldn’t do that to someone.
There’s always time to start a family once I retire or have a no-trade clause in my contract. For now, I enjoy my life the way it is.
She fidgets with the blanket. “Have you heard anything more from your agent about a potential trade?”
I shake my head. “Sometimes I wish I could just control what team I play for, but the sport doesn’t work that way for rookies.”
“The waiting must be torturous. I can’t imagine not knowing where I’ll be living in a few months.” She presses her lips into a thin line. “I feel like I understand most of the rules and basics of baseball now, but the behind-the-scenes stuff is confusing.”
“Believe me, I get it.” I laugh. “That’s what my agent is for.”
“I’m glad it’s not just me.” She pulls the blanket up over her shoulders. “Do you have any plans to see your family soon?”
I shake my head. “Not until after the season. It’s too hard to get all the way up to Boston when I only have a random day off here or there.”
Alyssa shoots me a look. “You should go see them during All-Star week.”
“Too bad I already have plans then.”
She furrows her brows. “Doing what?”
“Being the best plus-one to a wedding to ever exist. Even though my best friend didn’t bother to ask me herself,” I tease.
“You really don’t need to go to that with me. Besides, I could still ask Rhett.”
“Then I’m the best backup plus-one you’ve ever seen.”
Alyssa sighs. “You should spend your time off doing something you actually want to do. Not waiting to see if you need to pinch-hit for the wedding.”
“Nice baseball reference.” I extend my fist toward her, and she bumps it.
“I’ve been friends with you for three years. I was bound to learn the lingo at some point.”
“I think you’re selling yourself short.”
“I used to call it a touchdown when you scored, so I think I’ve come a long way,” she explains.
“I mean that you said I should spend my time off doing something I actually want to do.” I stare into her light blue eyes. “What makes you think that wouldn’t be spending time with you?”
She returns to pulling at the tassels on the pillow. “I usually see you every week. I thought you’d rather spend your time off doing something you can’t normally do during the season, like visit your family.”
“I love visiting Boston in the fall once the season is over. What I really need during my days off is a beach vacation.”
She looks up at me again with a wary gaze. “You’re sure you wouldn’t mind going?”
“Honestly, you’d be doing me a favor. The beach. Free food. Free entertainment. My best friend.” I shrug casually. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Alyssa runs her fingers through her hair. “Okay, if you’re really sure, then I’ll let you know in the next week or so.”
“Sounds good.” I press play on our episode and turn back toward the TV.
Maybe I shouldn’t have pressed her so hard.
But I just wish she had felt comfortable enough to ask me in the first place.
Maybe I think we’re closer friends than we actually are.
Should I have been encouraging her to ask Rhett to the wedding? Can you wingman a woman?
I don’t understand why I can’t stop thinking about all of this. I never overthink anything, but I have a feeling these thoughts aren’t going to just disappear with half of an episode of my favorite show.
I’m going to need a hardcore workout later. People exercise to relieve stress all the time, right? I just need a weights session to help relieve all this tension.