Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 25

50

Willow Is Back

Victoria’s POV

A loud giggle escaped my lips, the sound bouncing off the quiet walls of my room as I reread the same line for the third

time.

The male lead in this novel was such a quirky, stubborn character–always hiding his true intentions behind a wall of biting sarcasm and absolute arrogance.

For some reason, my mind kept editing the text, replacing the fictional boy’s face with Elijah’s.

Thinking of him made my fingers still against the paper My eyes drifted away from the pages, landing on the dark wood of my bedroom door. It was a habit now.

No matter what I was doing, my brain kept looping back to that afternoon at Caleb’s apartment.

I could still feel the solid press of Elijah’s chest against my back, could still hear the dangerous, protective rumble in his voice when he stood between me and Lexi’s fingernails.

When I had tried to apologize to him–hating myself for potentially ruining his chances with Lexi, the girl he actually wanted, he had just brushed it off with a careless wave of his hand, a slow smirk spreading across his face.

Don’t sweat it, Victoria, he’d said, his voice entirely too smooth. ‘I know how to play the long game. I’ll still win her over.

His confidence was always hovering somewhere near the stratosphere.

But sitting here in the quiet, a stubborn question kept circling my mind: If he was so completely sure of himself, why couldn‘ the just tell Lexi how he felt directly?

Was it possible that the great, untouchable Elijah Carter was actually terrified of rejection?

The image of him stammering out a confession made me snort out loud.

3zzzz.

The sudden vibration of my phone on the mattress made me jump, snapping the thread of my thoughts. I leaned over and ooked down at the glowing screen.

Caleb.

watched his name flash against the glass, the phone sliding an inch across the sheets with every pulse.

A familiar, suffocating heaviness settled into my chest. A pathetic part of me desperately wanted to swipe the screen and answer. He was my best friend. I had loved him for more years than I could count on both hands, and checking on him was practically a reflex embedded in my DNA.

But the memory of him sitting on that couch, calmly telling me to stop while his girlfriend tore at my hair, was a fresh bruise n my mind.

Even if he couldn’t return my romantic feelings–which I was finally, bitterly trying to accept–the very least he could do was protect my loyalty. He could have valued our history enough to stand up for me.

The ringing stopped. The screen went black.

r

let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, staring at the dark glass until the quiet returned to the room.

Knock Knock. Knock.

I frowned, my eyes darting toward the front door. The sound was loud and unexpected.

I wasn’t expecting anyone. Eva was out for the day, meaning it wasn’t any of her friends, and the only other person who ever dropped by was Elijah–but he had explicitly told me he’d be spending the weekend at the campus diamonds.

The baseball team was preparing for a massive scout game next weekend, and the stakes were incredibly high.

The head coach was finally announcing the team captain for the season, a title Elijah and Caleb had been quietly warring over since freshman year.

With Caleb still sidelined on crutches and standard baseball regulations requiring a singular leader to anchor the dugout, Elijah was practically living on the field to seal the deal.

As for Caleb? He definitely wasn’t coming to see me. I was certain of that.

The knock came again, louder this time, more p Successfully unlocked! “Coming,” I called out, tossing the book onto my pillow and sung on te oed.

I padded across the small living area, checking my reflection in the hallway mirror out of habit before unlocking the

Willow Is Back

deadbolt and pulling the door open

The bersun standing on my welcome rnat made my jaw drop.

“Hey, pumpkin,” she said, winking at me.

“Wi… Willow?” I stammered, my voice going up an octave.

My sister stood in the doorway, looking so incredibly radiant it felt unfair.

Her thick brown hair, which used to trait down her back, was cut into a sleek, razor–straight bob that framed her face perfectly.

Her striking gray eyes–the one trait we didn’t share popped with brilliant life under the hallway lights.

She was dressed in a tailored coat, looking every bit the successful professional, and a single, heavy boutique shopping bag was slung over her forearm.

Before I could even process the reality of her standing there, she dropped the bag and threw herself forward, her arms locking tightly around my neck.

A lump immediately formed in my throat. It had been three long years since I’d felt her hug mne. Three years of grainy video calls across impossible time zones.

She had gone abroad for her master’s program, graduated at the top of her class last spring, and immediately got snatched up by a firm over there, making it impossible for her to visit.

A hot sob tore from my chest, my fingers gripping the fabric of her coat as I buried my face into her shoulder. The familiar scent of her perfume instantly made me feel like a little kid again.

Willow just held me, rubbing slow circles into my back, letting me get it all out without asking a single question.

After a long minute, I finally pulled away, sniffling into my sleeve and feeling a little embarrassed.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just rain on your parade the second you got here.”

Willow rolled her eyes, a classic, comforting sisterly gesture that immediately broke the tension.

‘Oh, please. If you hadn’t started sobbing, I would have assumed you died three years ago and some stranger was wearing your skin. Now, are you going to keep me out in the hallway like an intruder, or do I get a tour of little palace?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify