Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 198

Platonic, Right?

Angle’s POV

Twenty minutes later, the alcohol had fully settled into my blood, turning the world into a warm, slightly tilted blur

The beat coming from the speakers shifted into the heavy, hypnotic synth intro of Taio Cruz Dynamite, followed immediately by the high–energy drop of Rihanna ‘We Found Love

“That’s my song!” Fallon shrieked, grabbing my wrist so hard my drink nearly spilled over the rim.

“Dance floor! Right now!”

“Yes” Bluey screamed, tossing her empty cup into the trash bin.

We staggered as a messy, laughing group toward the center of the wooden deck, where a crowd of people was already jumping and moving to the music.

The bass vibrated up through the soles of my shoes, making my head spin in the best way possible.

As I made my way through the packed crowd, swaying my hips to the rhythm, my shoulder clipped hard against someone standing near the edge of the deck.

“Whoa, sorry about that,” a male voice said, reaching out to catch my arm.

I pulled back, blinking through the hazy light to see who I’d bumped into. When my eyes finally focused on his face, my expression instantly flattened.

It was Jake–the same guy who had tried to corner me and push his luck earlier in the week.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

You

Jake offered a timid, slightly sheepish grin, holding his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Yeah. It’s me. Look, uh. I saw you walk over and just wanted to apologize for a few days ago. It really wasn’t cool of me. and it’s not who I usually am.”

“Yeah, right” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest and stepping back “You were trying to force yourself on a girl who explicitly said no? Couldn’t take a hint, could you?”

Guilt flashed clearly across Jake’s face, his shoulders slumping.

“I know I know I was an idiot, and I genuinely feel bad about it. I just wanted to say I’m sorry before the trip ends

I stared at him for a beat, letting out a long breath. The alcohol in my system made me too lazy to hold a heavy grudge tonight.

“Whatever. Apology accepted. Now move”

I pushed past his shoulder, stepping toward the center of the crowd.

“Wait!” Jake called out over the music, taking a step after me. “Can I at least get your number though? Your name? You’re hot as hell!”

Without even bothering to turn around, I raised my right hand over my shoulder and flicked him the middle finger, staggering straight onto the dance floor.

15.20 Tue, Sep 8

M

Door Fall For The Baseball Captams

Nova. Fallon, and the color–hair girls were already in the middle of the crowd, throwing their hands in the air and lups moving to the heavy beat.

Irew myself right into the middle of them. letting the music take over.

The stress of the past few days, the terrifying reality of heading back home to face my career decisions, the uncertainties waiting for me…all of it dissolved into the cold night air.

Right now, all that existed was the bass, the warm buzz in my chest, and the crowd moving around me.

As the songs bled into one another, the group slowly began to break off.

Fallon ended up dancing with Jace, Nova got pulled into a conversation near the edge, and the color squad drifted off toward

the bar.

Before I realized it, I was dancing solo near the center of the deck, my eyes closed, my body swaying instinctively to the heavy, continuous beat of the music.

I didn’t care that I was on my own. I was lost in the moment, enjoying the effortless rhythm of the night.

Out of nowhere, a solid presence moved up directly behind me.

Before I could even turn around, two large, strong hands reached out, wrapping firmly around my waist and pulling my back flush against a wide chest.

My immediate instinct was to go into defensive mode–to throw an elbow back and teach whoever it was a quick lesson.

But before I could snap, the faint, clean scent of expensive cologne, cedarwood, and a hint of citrus filled my nostrils.

I knew that smell anywhere.

My body instantly relaxed against him, the tension draining out of my shoulders as I let my back settle against his frame.

“I didn’t know you could sway your hips like this, bestie,” Miles‘ low voice murmured right against the shell of my ear, his hot breath sending an unexpected, foreign shiver straight down my spine.

I gasped softly, my breath catching in my throat for a fraction of a second. It was a strange, unfamiliar reaction–something I’d never felt around him in all the years we’d been friends.

But the alcohol in my veins quickly smoothed over the edge of my confusion.

I let out a low chuckle, keeping my feet moving to the heavy rhythm of the song.

“You act like you know everything about me, Miles.”

Miles let out a deep laugh that rattled right through his chest and into my back.

His grip on my waist didn’t loosen, if anything, his hands pressed a little firmer against my hips, guiding my movements to match his.

The space between us slowly disappeared. My ass was brushing directly against his grom with every movement, the heat radiating off his body wrapping around me in the cool night air.

A tiny voice in the back of my head told me this was a line we usually didn’t cross, that we were strictly friends, strictly platonic, strictly safe.

But I was drunk, the music was too good, and for the first time all week. I just wanted to let go and enjoy the ride

I leaned back into his chest. letting my head fall back slightly against his shoulder as we moved together.

15:20 Tue, Sep 80 M.

Do Nor Fall For The Baseball Captains

“Who was that?” Miles asked, his voice dropping right beside my ear

closed my eyes, letting out an involuntary hum as the alcohol worked its magic.

“Him”

“The guy you were talking to a few moments,” he repeated, his fingers tightening slightly on my hips as he kept us swaying “Who was he?”

I let out a lazy laugh, trying to turn my head to glance at him.

“Are you drunk, Carter? How many cups have you actually had tonight?”

“Enough to know exactly what I’m doing and what I’m asking, Addy,” he replied, his tone laced with that familiar, protecuve edge.

“You’re the drunk one here. But don’t dodge the question. Who was that? Is that the guy you’re planning to hire?”

I opened my eyes, tilting my head back further.

“Come on, Addy,” Miles continued, a faint scowl pulling at his eyebrows. “We’re a team. We were supposed to do the auditioning together. When did you go behind my back and pick someone to play the fake boyfriend role?”

I laughed out loud, finally spinning around in his grip so I was facing him directly.

I reached up, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck while our feet kept moving in small, effortless circles.

The heavy party track had faded out, transitioning into a slow, syrupy R&B song.

I couldn’t tell if it was KWN or Dej Loaf–my alcohol–soaked brain kept mixing up the two–but the heavy bass and smooth melody pulled us right into its intimate orbit.

Something fluttered in my stomach, unexpected and difficult to ignore. I stepped closer, completely erasing the tiny gap left between us until my chest was practically pressed against his.

I looked up, letting a playful grin touch my lips.

“And what if he was? You jealous, bestie?”

Miles didn’t throw back a quick, arrogant comeback like he usually did.

Instead, his dark grey eyes locked onto mine, searching my face.

The silence between us stretched for a second, drowning out the laughter and noise of the party around us

We had been best friends for seven years. We knew every single expression, every quirk, every bad habit the other possessed.

But looking at him right now, under the yellow glow of the string lights, he felt entirely different.

I swallowed hard, trying to blame the sudden warmth in my face on the liquor

It’s just the booze. I told myself fiercely. It’s the stress, the pressure of finding some random guy to pretend to date for my career, the fact that I’m completely exhausted.

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