Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 40

Seven–thirty Lies

Victoria’s POV

True to his word, Caleb had spent the entire week making up for how much he’d hurt me. And like a fragile thing, my foolish heart had latched right onto whatever he was offering, soaking up his sudden warmth like parched earth.

Ever since I found out that he and Lexi had officially broken up, everything had shifted The looming obstacle that had kept us apart for months was completely gone.

As we strolled down the winding paved path of the campus park, my arm was wrapped securely around his, the thick fabric of his varsity jacket brushing against my shoulder with every step.

I felt a light, fluttery sensation in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

I was actually going to do it. I was going to call off the fake arrangement with Elijah. Now that Caleb was single and finally showing up for me, there was no reason to keep up the charade.

Elijah could finally have his clear shot at Lexi, and I could finally stop living a lie.

I still hadn’t confessed how I truly felt to Caleb. I didn’t want to rush anything or scare

him off.

For now, I just wanted to enjoy these tiny, quiet moments and take everything step by

step.

I wanted to give him the time and space to realize, entirely on his own, that he might actually love me as more than just a childhood friend.

“Hold on a second,” Caleb said, his voice smooth as he pulled us to a gentle stop near a brightly colored ice cream truck parked by the duck pond. “You still like mint chocolate chip, right?”

I smiled up at him, my heart doing a little dance.

“Always.”

He paid the vendor and handed me the waffle cone, his fingers brushing against mine for a lingering second.

I thanked him, taking a careful bite of the cold sweetness as we continued our slow walk under the canopy of oak trees.

As we walked, Caleb began diving into the past, throwing out a dozen “remember when” questions that had us both laughing within minutes.

“Remember when we tried to build that treehouse in your backyard and you

accidentally dropped the hammer right onto my dad’s favorite lawnmower?” he teased,

en thirty Lies

nudging his shoulder against mine.

“Hey! You were the one who handed it to me handle–first while my hands were covered in tree sap!” I argued, laughing as I bumped him back.

“Besides, your mom wasn’t even mad at me. She blamed you for letting a girl do the heavy lifting.”

“Yeah, well, she has always been biased toward you,” Caleb murmured, a warm, easy smile lighting up his handsome features.

Gradually, the laughter died down, and a comfortable, heavy silence settled between

1. us.

The afternoon sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long, golden shadows across the grass.

I looked down at my shoes, the ice cream suddenly melting a little faster in my hand as the one question that had been bothering me all week finally pushed its way to the surface.

“Caleb?” I asked softly, keeping my eyes fixed on the pavement ahead. “Why did you end things with Lexi?”

Beside me, Caleb stiffened instantly. The easy, relaxed posture he had maintained all afternoon completely vanished, his muscles locking up under his jacket.

He cleared his throat, his gaze drifting away toward the horizon.

“It just… it wasn’t working out anymore, Tori,” he said, his voice suddenly guarded, stripped of the warmth from a moment ago.

Before I could press for more, he smoothly forced a change of subject, pointing toward the athletic fields in the distance.

“Anyway, the big scouting season is coming up next week. The scouts from the major leagues are going to be in the stands for our next three home games.”

I managed a small, slightly disappointed nod, letting him slide away from the topic of his ex.

“I know. You told me about that on last week, remember?”

Caleb stopped walking, turning his body to face me fully. A slow, gentle smile returned to his face, his green eyes searching mine.

“Well… I just needed to make sure you’d be there. I play better when you’re watching.”

We stood there, locked in a quiet, intense stare. The rest of the world seemed to completely drift away, leaving just the two of us under the fading light, and for a fleeting, beautiful second, I thought,

This is it. He’s finally going to say it.

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But the universe apparently had other plans. A loud, upbeat ringtone suddenly blaster from his pocket, instantly disrupting the fragile magic of the moment.

Caleb let out an annoyed breath, pulling out his phone. His expression softened when he saw the screen.

“Hey, it’s a video call from my mom. I gotta take this real quick, or she’ll think I’m dead.”

He swiped the screen, and the bright, cheerful face of Genevieve Ashfield popped up.

“Caleb, honey! I was just calling to check on you before dinner,” her voice boomed through the speaker.

“Hey, Mom. I’m doing great,” Caleb said, smiling widely at the camera.

Without warning, he shifted his arm, pulling me tightly against his side and bringing me right into the phone’s camera spotlight.

“Look who I’m with.”

“Oh, Victoria! Sweetheart!” Genevieve gasped, her face lighting up with genuine delight. “It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve seen your lovely face! How are your classes going? Are you taking care of yourself?”

I couldn’t help but smile, a genuine warmth spreading through me at how happy she

was to see me.

“I’m doing really well, Mrs. Ashfield. Just working hard on my final project.”

“Oh, I know you’re going to ace it, you brilliant girl. Caleb, you make sure you take good care of her, you hear me?”

“Always do, Mom,” Caleb assured her.

We conversed for a few more minutes, exchanging lighthearted updates before the call finally ended with a round of warm good–nights.

Caleb slid the phone back into his pocket, the screen going dark, and turned his attention fully back to me.

“Alright,” he said, checking the darkening sky. “The sun is almost down. Let’s get you back to your place. I’ll drop you off.”

A sudden wave of anxiety hit me, my smile freezing on my face.

“Actually… I think I want to stay in the park for a little bit longer. It’s a nice evening.”

Caleb raised a skeptical eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked down at me.

“Why’s that? It’s getting chilly, and you don’t even have a thick sweater.”

I scrambled internally, desperately searching for a believable lie.

The absolute last thing I wanted was for Caleb to find out the truth–that my apartment building was entirely shut down for emergency pipe renovations, and that I

en thirty Lim

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