I returned to the screen and tried to get Toad along. “You don’t have a big ego, do you?”
“Nope. Dad taught me that pride would be my biggest downfall if I let it. I got cocky as a kid when I realized I was a lot better than the other players. He nipped that in the bud the first chance he got.”
I snickered. “A family of principles. I can respect that.”
He crossed the finish line but I still had another lap to go. He set his controller down and faced me. “I want you, with your fresh eyes, to get to know me through the game. Everyone already comes at me with preconceived notions. I’ve never met someone who doesn’t know me like that. A connection that comes without the celebrity worship. Something genuine.” He shrugged. “And baseball is a big part of who I am. I want you to get to understand why that is.”
I let Toad go off the road where he dropped into a pond. I put the controller down and ignored the rest of the lap as something flying in the sky fished my little guy out of the water.
His face pinched together, bulbous shoulders deflating. “That was too much. Wow. Sorry. Trying not to sound desperate here.” He huffed. “I… I don’t have a lot of practice at this.” He let out a nervous laugh.
“Ah, so we’ve found something you’renotgood at. Only took a couple days for me to find it.”
He responded without hesitation, “I’m batting blind here. Taking swings in the dark. Trying to find the right things to say.”
“What do you mean you don’t have a lot of practice?” I spun on the edge of the couch to fully face him. “Surely you…” I gestured up and down to indicate his form. “I mean. Come on.”
He scratched at his neck and leaned into the couch. “You’d think so. But.” I saw heat rise in his cheeks as his eyes went to the floor. A man of his size and reputation lookingshy?
“Hey,” I said to grab his attention. “Don’t be ashamed that your body count is low.”
He shook his head. “I’m not ashamed. It can just be embarrassing to admit.”
I let out a light chuckle as I sank back into the couch. “Whoareyou?” I said through a breathy laugh. “Quite the conundrum.”
“So will you? Will you come to the game tomorrow? The suite is really nice. There’s free food and drinks. Air conditioning.”
I had my head resting on the back of the couch and rolled it to look at him. “I’ll go on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“Thatyouget to knowme.” What was I doing? Hopping back into something again? The black eye hadn’t even faded yet. This was a mistake that I couldn’t stop. “When you have the time—I’m sure you have a weird, regimented schedule or whatever—come with me and take pictures. It could be wherever, as long as—”
“Done. I’ll let you know when I have time.” My brow went up at the quickness of his response. He continued before I could respond. “Come on, let’s get back to the party.” He popped up from the couch on spry legs and held out a hand to help me up.
I accepted it and, with ease, he pulled me up to my feet. We stood inches apart, hands still interlocked. A fan of thin, dark hair dusted his chest that I didn’t see earlier. He wore two gold chains that snaked together, the symbols at the end hidden beneath his tank top. Damn, he was sotall, and I wasn’t short by any means.
“What happened to your eye?” he asked me carefully, as if he knew a landmine lie buried somewhere in the question.
I rubbed at it. “This is what happens when I move too fast.” I looked down, collected my thoughts, then back up at him. “I’m a cautious person, Rome. Please don’t mistake hesitation for rejection. All right?”
He shot me with a half grin. “Never.” He stepped back to create space between us. “Shall we?”
Together we walked to his front door. On the driveway back to the house, he said, “Oh, a total smokeshow, knockout of a woman named Rei is going to find you and interrogate you. It’s all in good fun. Share or withhold at your discretion.”
I nodded. “Rei. Hottie. Got it. Anyone else?”
“Someone named Brett will give you endless crap but he’s harmless. Hiroshi will assess you from a distance like some weird, overprotective dad-bot cyborg. Other than that, you’re in the clear.”
“Theydoknow we’re not even dating, right?”
He nodded, but I swore I saw a thought bubble form over his head in all caps: YET…
I smiled at the imaginary image. Giggled a little.
“What?” Rome asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
