Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 21

was still human, and I had been in love with this man since we were children. Seeing him like this was a cruel test of my willpower.

Victoria.”

His voice broke the spell, thick and slightly raspy. I cleared my throat, forcing my eyes upward to his face and then mmediately to the wall behind him.

swallowed hard, trying to find the words.

Why’d you call for me, Caleb?” I asked, trying to sound bored. “I actually had plans today.”

saw his face drop, just a fraction. The confident smirk he usually wore didn’t appear.

nstead, he chuckled softly and ran a hand through his damp hair, sending a spray of water onto the floor.

You’ve never ever excluded me from your plans, Tori. What changed?”

sighed, finally finding the courage to look him in the eye. He looked tired. There were shadows under his eyes that hadn’t >een there a week ago.

I’m really busy, Caleb. And you said it yourself–you didn’t want me hovering around you so much. Besides, I’m in a elationship now. Elijah expects me to have boundaries, and I think he’s right.”

r

watched his jaw lock. His grip on the towel tightened until his fingers were white.

Boundaries?” he repeated. “Does he know we’ve been best friends for fifteen years? That doesn’t just go away because some guy with a nice car says so.”

raised a brow, crossing my arms.

What is it to him how long we’ve been friends? Whether it’s been fifteen years or a century, the principle is the same. You drew boundaries when Lexi asked you to. You told me you had to prioritize her. Why can’t I do the same for my partner?

He hissed, a sound of pure frustration. “It’s not the same thing, Victoria.”

‘How is it not the same?” I was genuinely confused now. The double standard was so glaring I wondered how he couldn’t see it.

Caleb opened his mouth to explain, his hands gesturing vaguely, but the words seemed to fail him.

He trailed off, looking at the floor, before shaking his head.

“Forget it. Just… forget it. I just wanted to spend time with my best friend. I thought you’d abandoned me.”

I let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it.

‘Abandoned you? It’s only four days, Caleb. Four days I didn’t reach out and you call it abandonment? You’ve gone weeks

My Best Friend in is Town!

to our

without calling me before. You’ve gone entire months without checking in when you were dating someone new. Why is it a Crisis new?

“So you’re taking vengeance?” he snapped, his eyes flashing. “Is that what our friendship has gotten to? You’re keeping score?*

There was a crack in his voice–a hint of genuine hurt–that almost made me soften.

The old Victoria would have been across the room in a heartbeat, apologizing, promising to stay as long as he needed.

But I remembered Elijah’s firm advice. I remembered the challenge he’d set: to prove I wasn’t a weakling, a fool for a man who only saw me when he was lonely.

I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze down to his ankle. It was still bruised, a deep mottled purple and yellow, but the swelling had gone down significantly.

“How’s the sprain? It seems to be healing pretty quickly. I bet Lexi’s doing a great job taking care of you.” I gave him a sweet, fake smile.

“She must be the one who hired the nurse so you’d have professional care while she’s out

Caleb’s expression turned stony. “Lexi’s busy, Victoria. She has her own life.”

“Of course she does,” I said, nodding slowly. “We all do. Which is why I should probably get going. Elijah is waiting downstairs, and we have dinner reservations.”

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me again.

‘You’re seriously leaving? Just like that?” He sounded more than just annoyed; he sounded genuinely stunned that I wasn’t bending to his schedule for once.

‘I’m sending Sarah in to help you,” I said, my hand tightening on the doorframe until the wood bit into my palm, I didn’t look

back.

‘Maybe once you’ve got some clothes on, we can actually talk about why you thought it was okay to drag me here a non- emergency.”

‘Wait, Tori. Just stay and help me out,” he pressed.

His voice dropped an octave, losing the edge and replacing it with that low, intimate tone he knew I’d never been able to

‘esist.

‘Sarah is a stranger, and having her hover while I’m like this… it’s awkward. I’d just rather it be you. Come on, please?”

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