Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 177

Out of Touch

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Victoria’s POV

“Caleb,” I choked out, the word coming out fractured and uneven.

His grip on my waist tightened for a split second, keeping me anchored against him before the reality of the situation crashed through my mind.

I immediately broke away, taking two quick steps back until my heels hit the rough pebbles near the water’s edge.

My heart pounded heavily against my ribs as I looked up at him.

“Caleb… what are you doing out here?” I asked, pulling my sweater tighter around my chest.

Silence hung between us, filled only by the gentle, repetitive splash of the dark lake against the shore.

Caleb shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, letting out a short chuckle that lacked any real warmth.

“I saw you coming down here,” he answered smoothly. “Wanted to spend some time with you. Or is it a crime to hang out with my best friend now?”

My stomach turned over at the word best friend. A strange, nauseating knot twisted in my gut, but I didn’t say a word.

I just turned my face back toward the horizon, staring blankly out at the dark sky reflecting off the lake.

A few minutes dragged by in heavy, uncomfortable silence before Caleb finally spoke again.

“You’re not going to ask about Lexi?”

I let out a harsh, humorless laugh, turning around to face him with my arms crossed tightly over my chest.

“What do you want me to say, Caleb?” My voice came out as a fierce, strained whisper. “You made your choice. You chose her.”

He paused, a look of brief hesitation passing over his features before he raised an eyebrow, his head tilting slightly.

“What do you mean, ‘chose her, Tori?”

I stared at him in complete incredulity. A breathless gasp left my lips, and for a second, my throat locked up entirely because of the sheer absurdity of his question.

I couldn’t even process the fact that he had just asked me that with a straight face.

“What do I mean?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “Did you seriously just ask me what I mean by choose?”

He let out a short, dry laugh, devoid of any genuine amusement.

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11:31 Tue, Aug 25

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

“Yeah, Tori. What do you mean by choose?”

I swallowed hard, glaring at his shadow.

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For months–years, even–I had mastered the art of changing the subject, brushing uncomfortable conversation under the rug, and swallowing my frustration just to keep the peace between us.

But the anger lingering beneath my skin wouldn’t let me back down tonight. It was enough. I had to confront

him.

“Caleb, are you genuinely that out of touch?” I asked, taking a step toward him. “Are you really going to stand there and pretend you didn’t know Nova likes you?”

When he didn’t answer, just staring at me with a blank, unreadable expression, I pressed on.

“Come on, Caleb! You can’t tell me you didn’t see everything she did for you. That girl took care of you when your life was falling apart after the crash! She stood by your bed, she supported you, she poured everything into making sure you were okay. You knew how she felt about you.”

I shook my head, my eyes burning with frustration.

“Even if you wanted to bring Lexi back into your life, why now? You owed Nova a conversation first. She was your friend, Caleb. It’s basic human decency to talk to her before bringing the ex who broke you right back into the middle of everything. Do you have any idea how disrespectful that is? Not just to Nova, but to all of us! Lexi deserted you when you needed her most!”

“She had her reasons, Tori,” Caleb cut in sharply, his voice dropping into a stern, protective tone.

I let out a loud, bitter scoff.

“Of course she had her reasons! Everybody has a reason for being awful! She was selfish, she ran away because things got uncomfortable, she-”

I paused, a harsh hiss escaping my teeth as I searched for a word sharp enough to match what she made me feel, my chest heaving with rage.

“She’s an opportun-”

“Don’t speak about Lexi that way, Tori!” he snapped, his voice ringing across the quiet clearing.

I froze, completely taken aback by how fast he had leaped to her defense. A bitter, cold realization hit me square in the chest.

“Wow… You’re actually defending her. After everything she put you through, you’re standing here yelling at me to protect her.”

Caleb took a deep, shaky breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes for a second.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t come out here to fight with you, Tori. I didn’t come out here to talk about me and Lexi.”

“But you brought her up!” I yelled softly, my glare digging into him.

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11:31 Tue, Aug 25

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