Chapter Four
I see him in the distance.
At least I think it’s him.
When I head toward the clubhouse after the game, he walks my
way, and I just know. I smooth a hand over my hair and then along my hip as I
walk, giving him a small wave.
The corner of his mouth curls into a smile. He slows his
pace, his eyes never leaving mine, and for half a second, I swear he’s fighting
back a grin.
My stomach flutters. That subtle, knowing smile—like he’s
both happy to see me and amused by me all at once—makes my pulse skip. I bite
back a grin of my own, suddenly hyperaware of how my heart is hammering, and
think, OMG, he’s even better up close.
I suddenly wish I had taken everyone’s advice and looked him
up online so I would have something to say, because right now my mind is
completely blank.
Well, except for the part focused on how handsome he is.
Blond hair, a lean, athletic build, and the closer we get, I notice his smile
more and more. My heart skips a beat.
Is this what it’s like when you meet your person? The one?
“Ella?” he asks when we’re close enough.
I nod. “Hi, Christian.” Not sure whether we should shake
hands or hug, I go in for the hug and say, “I’m a hugger.” We embrace, and I
notice that he smells good. He’s not wearing any cologne as far as I can tell,
but just his natural scent is worth bottling and selling.
“I’m glad you made it. I know stadium traffic can be
brutal.”
We step apart, and I miss the feeling of our closeness
immediately. “It wasn’t too bad. I made sure I left early so I wouldn’t be
late.”
“Would you like a tour?” His smile seems genuine, and I am
instantly lost in his bright-blue eyes.
What did he ask? Oh! A tour.
“Sure. That sounds great.” I answer, and his eyes crease in
an almost smile.
For the next few minutes, I get to experience the Magic’s
complex with my own personal guide as he gives me a behind-the-scenes tour. His
hand lightly brushes mine and lingers, and I do my best not to sigh dreamily.
There’s only a handful of people lingering after the game,
and it’s cool experiencing this without all the noise and crowd.
“Do you want to go onto the field?” he says, his voice
carrying a hint of excitement. He puts his hand on my lower back and guides me
toward the outfield gate. When he touches me, I instantly get full-body chills.
I wish he would keep his hand there and pull me in for another hug. “There’s no
better view in the entire stadium than when you’re standing on the field. I’ve
played in hundreds of games, but this view never gets old.”
We walk onto the outfield grass, and the view is beautiful.
“It takes your breath away,” I say, in complete awe of the stadium around me
and also the man standing right in front of me. We keep walking toward center
field, and he pulls out a baseball.
“I heard it was your birthday, so I wanted to give you a
game ball to remember this special date. I hope it’s okay that I signed it to
you.”
I am truly speechless in this moment and cannot get over how
sweet and thoughtful this man is. I look at the baseball on which he wrote: Happy
22nd birthday, Ella. Best wishes, Christian Lucas.
I look up at his blue eyes and give him a big hug. “Thank you
so much, Christian. This is such a kind gift. I didn’t tell you it was my
birthday because we were already meeting under unusual circumstances, and I
figured if I threw the whole birthday thing out there, you’d probably run away
as fast as you could,” I joke. “I didn’t want to add any additional pressure to
our date.”
“Well, my sister googled you, and she gave me strict orders
not to show up empty-handed,” he says with a slight laugh.
Suddenly, there’s silence between the two of us, but it’s
not awkward. There’s a palpable energy, as if the rest of the world has paused
and we’re the only two people in it.
I break the silence. “Remember when I mentioned how I was
here for a game a few weeks ago?”
He nods.
“Well, we were sitting right behind the dugout. You stepped
out and looked out at the crowd, and…”
“And…?”
Ugh. I hope I don’t regret admitting this.
“And it felt like you looked right at me,” I blurt.
He stares at me for a moment before his eyes go wide. “You
were sitting in the first row, right? There was a guy to your left and a girl
to your right. And you were wearing my jersey.”
Now, my eyes go wide. “I was!”
Holy crap. I cannot believe he remembers that.
“You see, I am so focused during the games that I never look
at the crowd. That was the first time in my professional career that I had ever
looked in the stands during a game. I remember you because I couldn’t believe I
had broken my focus. I didn’t realize you were a Magic fan.
“Oh, I’m not a fan,” I quickly correct, and then realize how
bad that sounds. “I mean, I don’t really follow baseball. I was wearing your
jersey because my…um…my friend got it for me. Twenty-two is my favorite number,
and he thought it would be fun to get me a jersey for the game with that on
it.”
“Twenty-two…?” His eyes narrow, and I have no idea why.
“Mr. Lucas?” someone calls out, and we both turn to see one
of the bat boys running out onto the field. “Sorry to interrupt, but you left
your cell phone in the clubhouse.”
“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize I left it. I guess I was rushing
too fast to get out of there. Thank you so much, Jake.”
As Jake runs off, Christian looks at his phone. “We should
actually get going so we have plenty of time for dinner before the restaurant
closes.”
I feel Christian’s hand come to rest low on my back again as
he gently guides me back to the outfield gate. My knees practically go weak.
“My car’s parked in the players’ lot, so…”
“Would it be okay if I drove myself to the restaurant?” I
ask, feeling a little nervous. “No offense or anything. I just figured for
later on, after we’re done eating…”
“It will be easier for you to head home.” He smiles. “Not a
problem. I’ll drive you around to your car. Mine’s closer.”
“Oh. Okay.”
We stroll along quietly, and I’m not sure if it’s because
there isn’t anything to say, or if we’re so close to his vehicle that he
doesn’t want to start a conversation. Still, I’m not a fan of the silence.
This really would be a good time for me to pull some random
internet facts out, but I’ve got nothing.
“I’m parked right over here,” he says, and I’m mildly
surprised—in a good way—when I see that he drives an older car, too. Suddenly,
he’s a little more relatable.
He opens the door for me, and I’m about to climb in when I
see a beautifully wrapped box on the passenger seat. Christian leans in and
grabs it before holding it out to me. The paper’s white, with little pink
flowers on it, and it has a big pink bow.
I’m seriously twinning with this box, and it’s awesome.
“I had to get you a real present,” he says shyly.
“Oh, my goodness, Christian,” I say, smiling so hard that my
cheeks actually hurt, but it’s worth it. “You totally didn’t have to do this
but thank you.”
“Why don’t you sit down so you can open it a little easier?”
That’s a great idea, because it would be awkward while
standing.
As I’m taking a seat, he jogs around to the driver’s side and
joins me in the car. We’re both grinning, and I honestly can’t believe he did
something this sweet.
I carefully tear open the wrapping paper because I don’t
want to seem too eager. When it’s off, and I open the box, I cannot even
believe what I’m looking at.
A Hello Kitty purse.
Is this man the sweetest or what?
My eyes go wide as I take it out of the box and hold it up.
“I love it!”
“Are you sure? In my sister’s research of you online, she
said that she saw several pictures of you carrying these kinds of bags, so I
thought it was a safe bet.” Then he nods at the one I brought with me and
grins. “I’m glad I was right.”
“Are you kidding me? This is amazing. And so thoughtful of
you.” Without thinking, I lean in and kiss him on the cheek. I inhale a little
bit of his natural scent because he smells so good. When I pull back, he looks
a little stunned, and I know I am because I can’t believe I just did that. But
rather than address it, I simply thank him again.
“Happy birthday, Ella,” he says before starting the car. The
way he says my name, with his voice low and husky, sends a shiver down my
spine. It feels like…a promise.
“Thank you. It may seem silly, but I collect Hello Kitty
purses. I have over thirty bags, but I don’t have this one.” The bag is really
cute, pink with a quilted design, silver stitching, and, naturally, Kitty’s
adorable face. It makes me happy.
We take the short drive around the stadium parking lot to my
car. “I’m honored you’re spending your birthday with me, but I’m sorry that I
took you away from celebrating with your friends.”
“You’re not. I promise. I went to lunch with some of them
today, and we’re going to have a party next month.”
His brows furrow in confusion. “Why next month?”
“Because it’s also my friend Freya’s birthday in a few
weeks. We thought it would be fun to have a joint party. Plus, we’ve all got
crazy schedules, and it was the first date we could all agree on that would
work.”
I’m already wondering whether I should invite him.
Maybe get through this date and then decide, silly.
Don’t be pushy.
We round the corner, and I know I don’t have to point out
which car is mine because it’s literally the only car left in the lot. I had
been a little self-conscious earlier about my old, rusty vehicle, but knowing
that Christian’s isn’t in much better shape makes me feel better.
He pulls up beside it, and I quip, “This is me.” We both
laugh.
“The restaurant is only ten minutes away, and a straight run
from the stadium.” He gives me the address in case we get split up in traffic,
and before I know it, he’s getting out of the car to walk me to mine.
Which is three feet away.
Is he perfect?
He opens one door for me to get out and then opens the other
so I can climb in. We’re both smiling, and now I almost hate that we’re driving
separately.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he says. “Follow me as best
you can.”
“I will.” Then I wait for him to get in his car and pull