Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Victoria’s POV

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The midday sun beat down hard on the university diamond, sending thick waves of heat radiating off the red clay.

Graduation was two weeks behind us, but the campus wasn’t empty. Because the administration had pushed the seasonal tournament back a month to accommodate Caleb’s late medical clearance and makeup exams, the entire athletic department was still stuck here, pulling double sessions in the sticky summer air.

I sat on the lowest aluminum bleacher, a thick fantasy novel resting against my knees, though I hadn’t actually read a single line in twenty minutes.

My focus was fixed on the batting cages.

Elijah stood inside the net, his black practice jersey stretched across his sweat-dampened shoulders.

Anyone else would have looked exhausted after a session like that, but Elijah just looked like he was getting started.

He took a slow breath, tightening his grip around the aluminum bat as he watched the ball come toward him. For a second, everything about him went still.

Then he swung.

The crack of the bat echoed across the field as the ball shot toward the far screen.

A perfect hit.

He didn’t celebrate or even react. He simply adjusted his stance, jaw clenched, already waiting for the next pitch like the last one hadn’t been impressive at all.

“If he stares at that machine any harder, it’s going to short-circuit,” Adele muttered from beside me, faning herself with a laminated roster sheet. “Does he ever actually take a normal break?”

“Only when he wants something.” Alison chimed in, leaning back on her elbows with a wicked grin. “And by something, I mean our resident salutatorian.”

Right on cue, the machine stopped, signaling the end of the round.

Elijah stepped out of the cage, still wearing his batting gloves. He grabbed his water bottle, took a long drink. and headed straight toward the bleachers.

His eyes found mine almost immediately. Somehow, with everyone else moving around the field, it felt like he was only looking at me.

He stopped right in front of my row, leaning his forearms against the metal railing. Up close, I caught the scent of his cologne mixed with sweat from practice.

1/5

15:44 Fri, Jul 24

Chapter 127

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“Hey,” he murmured, his voice carrying that rough, edge that always made my stomach do a slow loop.

Before I could even answer, he leaned over the bar, caught my chin with his gloved fingers, and pulled my mouth down to his.

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The kiss wasn’t subtle. It was intense, leaving me frozen for a moment as his damp skin pressed against mine.

I could taste the water on his lips, smell his cologne, and somehow three seconds felt much longer.

A loud, synchronized groan erupted from my left.

“Oh, come on!” Alison threw her hands up, tossing her sunglasses onto the bench. “It has been fifteen minutes since the last drill, Carter. Every single break, you march over here and act like you’re going off to war. We are tired of it.”

Adele laughed, using the roster sheet to block the sun from her eyes.

“Can you two at least pretend the rest of us exist? Some of us are trying to survive this heat without watching a full romance novel play out in front of us. Go back to the dugout.”

Elijah didn’t pull away immediately. He let his thumb brush against my lower lip, a small, relaxed twitch at the corner of his mouth proving he’d heard them, even if he didn’t care.

He finally looked at them, his expression dropping back into his usual unbothered, blank mask.

“Find your own boyfriend, Al,” he said dryly. He turned his eyes back to me, his gaze softening just enough for me to see. “Go change. We’re leaving early. I told the coach I had an appointment.”

“An appointment?” I repeated, blinking. “For what?”

“A date,” he whispered, his teeth grazing my earlobe for a split second before he stepped back, tossing his water bottle to a freshman manager.

The second Elijah disappeared down the dugout path, Alison leaned over the bleacher, a knowing smile spreading across her face.

“A date? Oh, honey. Look at you.” She pointed at me. “Do you need us to help you pick out an outfit, or are you planning to show up looking exactly like you do right now?”

Adele chimed in.

“If you need help learning how to properly blend foundation or apply something beginner-friendly to actually look sexy for once, our room is right down the hall. We can give you a full tutorial before you go.”

My cheeks flared.

“I know how to put on makeup,” I muttered defensively, looking down at my shoes while my heart did a stupid, happy flutter. “And I don’t need to look sexy. It’s just a regular dinner.”

“Right, a regular dinner, Alison snorted, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s why your entire neck is bright red. Go get changed, Victoria.

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15:44 Fri, Jul 24

Chapter 127

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An hour later, I was in my room spritzing perfume onto my wrists and staring at myself in the mirror, trying to decide if I looked more nervous or excited.

“You look beautiful, Tori,” Adele said behind me.

I looked up at the mirror and immediately groaned, covering my eyes.

She was walking right past the bathroom door completely naked, a towel draped uselessly over her shoulder.

Since graduation, I’d been staying over at Adele’s apartment. One thing I’d quickly learned about her was that she was completely comfortable with herself.

Clothes weren’t something she felt the need to wear every second of the day; sometimes, they seemed more like a suggestion to her.

“Can you please put on some clothes?” I fake-scowled, turning around on the stool.

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