Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Victoria’s POV

:.

VPN 36

20 vouchers

The sun was just burning over the brick courtyard of Elijah’s apartment complex, casting long shadows across the pavement.

Parked along the curb was a massive, sleek black passenger van–large enough to comfortably haul the entire Blizzards core group and their luggage up to the coast.

I walked out of the lobby doors beside Elijah, holding my small overnight bag while Elijah hauled two heavy leather duffels.

Standing near the front hood of the van was Coach Miller, holding a clipboard and talking casually with his girlfriend, Natasha.

She looked effortlessly put–together in a wide–brimmed sunhat and oversized sunglasses, laughing at something Coach was saying while he gestured toward the van.

“Hey! The main event has arrived!” Nate hollered from the sidewalk, tossing a duffel bag onto the pile.

He turned to us as Elijah and I walked down the front steps.

“Elijah, my man! Tell me you brought extra speaker cables, because if I’m forced to listen to Coach’s classic rock playlist for six hours, I’m jumping out on the highway.”

“You jump, I’ll hit the gas,” Coach Miller called out without looking back, drawing a burst of laughter from Miles and Adele, who were sitting together on the tailgate.

Jace walked up from the sidewalk just as we reached the van, a gorgeous girl with long, dark curls and a dimpled smile trailing right beside him.

“Guys, this is Fallon,” Jace said, gesturing to her with a quick grin. “She’s coming along for the ride.”

“Hi everyone,” Fallon greeted, her voice warm and easy as she offered a small wave. “I promised Jace I’d keep him from falling asleep at the wheel if he has to drive.”

“Welcome to the asylum, Fallon,” Miles said with a grin, throwing an arm around Adele’s shoulders.

She immediately scowled and shoved at his side.

“Get off me.”

He didn’t move an inch.

“See?” he said, looking at the rest of us. “She’s already grumpy, and we haven’t even left yet.”

Adele rolled her eyes.

“Pace yourself, Fallon. The noise doesn’t hit full volume until about three hours in.”

1/4

10:38 Mon, Aug 3

Chapter 156

VPN

36

20 vouchers

“Carter! Victoria!” Coach Miller waved at us. “Throw your gear in the back. We’re waiting on two more.”

I set my small bag down by the curb, taking in the energy of everyone around us. It felt like a true send–off, a final deep breath before everyone went their separate ways.

Just as Elijah tossed our bags into the cargo trunk, a dark sedan pulled into the visitor space.

Caleb got out of the driver’s side, followed by Nova from the passenger side.

My chest tightened slightly, an instinctual reaction I couldn’t entirely control.

Caleb looked tired. Not the kind of tired a good night’s sleep could fix, either.

His jaw was set, and there was a heaviness about him that hadn’t been there before.

Nova wasn’t much different.

She adjusted the strap of her canvas tote, her shoulders drawn in as though she were trying not to take up too much space.

She kept her eyes on the ground for a second before glancing toward the group, her expression careful and unreadable.

As Caleb walked over, his eyes found mine almost immediately.

There was something in his expression I couldn’t quite make sense of. It wasn’t anger exactly, but it wasn’t peace either. It lingered just long enough to leave a knot in my stomach.

Maybe I was reading too much into it.

After everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks, it would’ve been easy to imagine things that weren’t there.

I pushed the thought aside, offered him a small smile, and closed the distance between us.

“Hey, Caleb,” I greeted. “Feels like it’s been forever since we’ve actually talked.”

“I’ve texted you a couple of times, but I never heard back. How’ve you been?” I searched his face for a

“Yeah.” He let out a quiet breath as he tossed his bag into the back of the van. “Sorry about that, Tori. I just needed to step away for a bit and deal with some stuff.”

10:38 Mon, Aug 3

I wasn’t completely convinced, but I didn’t push.

20 vouchers

I caught the brief glance that passed between Elijah and Caleb–a swift, sharp exchange of eye contact that lasted only a second before Caleb looked away.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify