Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Victoria’s POV

30

Outside, the cool night air hit us as we climbed into Elijah’s jeep. The city was quiet, the streets bathed in the amber glow of streetlights.

Elijah plugged his phone into the dashboard, and soft acoustic music filled the silence.

A few minutes into the drive, he started singing under his breath.

Trying not to make it obvious, I propped my phone against my leg and switched on the camera. Something told me I wasn’t going to catch him like this very often.

I wanted to remember this moment.

His voice rose softly over the instruments-deep, rich, and surprisingly smooth.

He was singing along to White Keys by Dominic Fike, his fingers tapping a subtle beat against the leather steering wheel.

There was no strain in his voice, no trying too hard; it was just effortless, soulful, and beautiful.

I sat back in the passenger seat, my head resting against the headrest, simply admiring him. The soft streetlights flashed over his sharp side profile-the straight bridge of his nose, his strong jawline, the quiet focus in his dark eyes.

“Since when do you sing like that?” I asked softly, interrupting the chorus.

His singing stopped immediately.

He glanced at me before looking back at the road, a faint flush creeping into his ears.

“I don’t really sing,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. “I barely even listen to music, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Eli, that was incredible,” I insisted, leaning closer to him. “You have a gorgeous voice. You should sing way more often. What other secret talents are you hiding from me?”

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he pulled up to a red light.

“Nothing cool, I promise. No secret rock-star past.”

“Liar,” I teased, narrowing my eyes playfully. “Come on. Tell me.”

He glanced at me, a tiny, reluctant smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“I used to play classical piano. My mom made me take lessons from when I was six until I turned fourteen. That’s literally it.”

My eyes widened in delight. “You play the piano?”

Chapter 149

“Used to,” he corrected lightly as the light turned green and he stepped on the gas. “Haven’t touched a keyboard in years.”

I made a strong mental note of that, mentally adding ‘buy or rent a piano’ to my future bucket list.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of a brightly lit 24-hour gourmet bakery.

The smell of melted sugar, fried dough, and warm vanilla enveloped us the second we walked through the glass doors.

Elijah let me pick out whatever caught my eye; a half-dozen glazed donuts, a warm apple fritter, and a small container of fresh strawberries.

We took the long way home, driving along the quiet river strip while I happily ate a warm donut in the passenger seat, popping small pieces into Elijah’s mouth whenever we hit a red light.

By the time we unlocked the front door to his condo, it was past one in the morning.

The apartment was silent.

The only sound was the quiet hum of the refrigerator.

Sophia was exactly where we’d left her.

Except now she was fast asleep.

She’d somehow managed to fall asleep sitting on the rug, slumped against the sofa with a legal pad balanced on her chest and her glasses hanging crooked on her nose.

Elijah sighed.

“I knew it.”

He set the bakery bag on the counter and walked over to the coffee table. With the ease of someone who’d clearly been through this before, he gathered Sophia’s scattered files into tidy stacks, capped her highlighters, and put everything back in order before turning his attention to her.

With gentleness, he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back before lifting her effortlessly into his arms.

Sophia let out a sleepy little hum and instinctively rested her head against his shoulder, never fully waking.

He carried her into the second guest room, where Alex was already fast asleep, and gently lowered her onto the bed.

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