Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

EITA

Chapter 121

Caleb’s POV

The afternoon sun fell across the dark wood of my coffee table, cutting through the quiet of the apartment.

I leaned back against the cushions of the sofa, stretching my leg out straight.

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The crutches was finally gone, replaced by a slight, clumsy limp that still made my thigh ache if I walked too far, but today, my body just felt heavy.

A quiet knock at the door broke the silence.

I didn’t have to guess who it was. I had been expecting her, but my chest still tightened as I gripped the armrest and pulled myself up to a standing position.

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Crossing the room took a few slow seconds, my sneakers pressing unevenly into the rug. When I pulled the door open, Victoria was standing there, a small, polite smile on her face.

She looked different. Not in a way that made her unrecognizable-she still had those familiar eyes and the same way of holding her shoulders, but the hesitation that used to follow her around campus like a shadow had completely evaporated.

She wore a simple, floral patterned tiered maxi dress, her hair falling around her shoulders in soft, neat waves.

“Hey, Caleb,” she greeted, her voice carrying an easy warmth that felt entirely foreign compared to the heavy, complicated history between us.

“Hey, Victoria. Come on in.”

I stepped back, holding the door wide enough for her to slip past.

She smelled sweet, a scent that instantly brought back a dozen memories from middle-school year, though I forced those thoughts straight down.

She walked into the living room, her eyes doing a quick, curious sweep of the space before she turned back to me.

“The place looks great. Nova mentioned you finally got that terrace set you were looking at.”

“Yeah, a couple of days ago,” I replied, closing the door with a quiet click. “Nova actually picked out the cushions because she insisted my taste in outdoor furniture was too bland.”

Victoria laughed, a genuine sound that filled the empty spaces of the room.

“That sounds exactly like her. She’s usually right about those things, you know.”

“Don’t tell her that,” I muttered, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth as I gestured toward the kitchen island.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“Lemonade?” she asked, flashing me a hopeful grin.

I chuckled. I knew how much she loved lemonade.

“Of course. There was no way I wasn’t keeping my best friend’s favorite in the fridge.”

She laughed, following me into the kitchen.

I moved behind the counter, reaching into the upper cabinet for a glass.

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Chapter 121

My movements were slow, careful, but my mind was working double time. It had been weeks since the accident, weeks since the entire trajectory of our lives took a turn.

Thanks to my family’s money and a lot of pulling strings, the administration had actually postponed the final exam season for my sake so I wouldn’t lose the semester.

Nova had already finished her regular coursework, but she was still sticking around, coming over every single day to help me study so I’d be stable enough to walk into the exam hall next week.

I set the glass of lemonade on the marble counter, sliding it toward her. She took a seat on one of the high barstools.

“So,” I began, leaning my forearms against the opposite side of the island. “What brings you all the way our to this side of the campus? I thought you and Elijah were tied up with the graduation prep.”

“We were,” she said, taking a small sip of the drink. “But Elijah had a mandatory team meeting with the baseball coaches until four, and I had some errands to run nearby. I realized I hadn’t dropped off those old photography folders you asked for last month. They were still sitting in the trunk of my car.”

She reached into her small tote bag, pulling out a thick, black leather portfolio and placing it on the counter between us.

It contained all the old prints from our early college days, back when I was still convinced the world revolved around my athletic career and she was the quiet girl carrying my gym bag.

I looked down at the leather cover, my fingers tracing the edge. “Thanks. I didn’t think you’d actually remember where you put them.”

“I don’t forget things like that,” she murmured softly.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, but it carried an undeniable gravity.

I looked at her, trying to find a trace of the girl who used to sit on the floor of my childhood bedroom, silently highlighting my notes while I complained about my training schedule.

For fifteen years, she had been my shadow. She had been the one constant presence I took completely for granted, assuming she would always be exactly where I left her.

A specific question had been scratching at the back of my mind since I got out of the hospital bed, something I had never possessed the courage or the right to ask.

I didn’t want to make it obvious. I didn’t want to drag up the past and come across like some pathetic ex-friend trying to force his way back into a place he’d already lost.

But looking at her now, so comfortable in the life she’d built for herself with graduation only days away, the question sat heavy in my throat, refusing to stay there much longer.

“Can I ask you something, Victoria?”

She blinked, her blue eyes meeting mine over the rim of her glass.

“Sure. Anything.”

I shifted my stance, looking down at my own hands for a second before meeting her gaze again.

“Back then… before the accident, when everything was still a total mess with Lexi and I was being an absolute idiot… why did you stay as long as you did?”

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