Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 8

Sit Down Victoria

Sit Down, Victoria

Victoria’s POV

I sat across from Elijah in the upscale restaurant he had insisted on taking me to.

Soft classical music played in the background, and the warm lighting made everything look expensive and polished

This place was nothing like the grease–stained booths of the local diners where I usually nursed a cup of black coffee to save my pocket money.

Any other girl on campus would be ecstatic. They’d be leaning across the table, batting their eyelashes, and soaking in the fact that they were sitting across from Elijah Carter.

But me? I was barely present. My fork moved through the food on my plate without much purpose while my mind stayed stuck on the look I had seen on Caleb’s face earlier on. That image refused to leave me alone.

I needed to talk to him. I needed to explain that it wasn’t what it looked like, even though, technically, I didn’t even know what it did look like anymore.

I just needed to know what was going through his mind–how he had processed everything that had happened over the past week.

A stubborn, prideful part of me wanted to stay silent. I wanted to see if his silence would break first.

I wanted to believe there was a sliver of hope that he might actually care, that seeing me with his rival would spark some buried flame of jealousy.

But the bigger part, the part that had loved him for years and would do almost anything for him–kept warning me that I could be destroying fifteen years of friendship.

And honestly, I would rather keep Caleb as my best friend than risk losing him completely from my life.

“It’s really disrespectful that you’re thinking about another man while we’re on a date.”

The voice was cool, sharp, and entirely too close. I blinked, the world snapping back into focus.

Elijah was leaning back in his chair, swirling a straw in his mocktail. His eyes fixed on me over the rim of the glass with clear irritation.

I frowned. “What’s so disrespectful about it?”

“You tell me.”

I let out a small, humorless laugh and leaned back in my chair.

“You’re the one who forced this onto me. You’re trying to blackmail me into a fake relationship, and you’re currently holding my evening hostage. You’ll just have to deal with the side effects.”

He set his glass down slowly.

A slow, unpleasant smile spread across his lips. It was the kind of smile that made the hair on one’s arms stand up. “But here you are, Victoria,” he said smoothly. “You’re out here having dinner with me. I never held a pun to your head, did 1? You could’ve said no at any point, but you came anyway.”

I clenched my fists under the table, my nails digging into my palms.

“Do you really want to ruin my life? Is that the goal? Or is this just some sick hobby for you?”

He leaned forward, the shadows of the restaurant playing across the sharp angles of his face.

“Ruin your life?” He let out a laugh, but there was nothing amused about it.

“Sweetheart, I’m trying to make it more interesting. You really do give yourself too much credit.”

His words landed exactly where he wanted them to. Heat rushed to my face, embarrassment creeping in before I could stop it.

“You know what? I’m done. I am not doing this with you.”

I pushed my chair back and stood up, ready to walk out and leave this whole evening behind.

“Sit down, Victoria.”

His voice was calm but carried an edge that ma Successfully unlocked! at him, his expression left no room for argument.

“No.”

Sit Down Victona

5 bonus

“Sit. Down, he repeated, his voice dropping an octave. “You walk out, and I’ll tell everyone that you begged me for this. I’ll say yuu–couldn’t handle being the ‘plain best friend‘ anymore and you practically auditioned for the role of my girlfriend. By the time I’m done talking, the only thing people will feel for you is pity. And I think we both know that’s the one thing you can’t stand.

The threat hit me right where it hurt. I felt the airleave my lungs.

I looked at him, searching for a sign that he was bluffing, but there was nothing in his eyes to grab onto.

He would do it. He’d ruin me just to prove he could.

I swallowed hard, the humiliation stinging more than the threat itself.

Slowly, I sank back into the chair, my shoulders slumped.

I finally understood why Caleb hated him so much. Elijah was a controlling, arrogant jerk who treated people like chess pieces.

“Good girl,” he murmured, though there was no warmth in it. “You’re not going to waste the money I spent on this meal. Eat. We leave when I say we leave.”

I stared at him, disbelief mixing with irritation.

Right. Of course. That was what mattered to him; ‘the price of the meal.’

The rest of the dinner passed in silence. Or at least, silence from me.

Elijah ate like nothing had happened, completely at ease, occasionally glancing at me.

I picked at my food, forcing down a few bites just so I wouldn’t have to sit there doing nothing.

By the time we were done, I felt drained. Like the entire evening had been something I needed to recover from.

We walked out of the restaurant into the cool night air. I didn’t wait for him to lead the way. I turned toward the sidewalk, intending to just start walking until I found a bus stop or a familiar landmark.

I didn’t want to spend another second in the confined space of his car.

I hadn’t gone three steps before a hand clamped around my wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Elijah asked, yanking me back toward him.

“I’m walking home,” I snapped, trying to twist my arm out of his grip. “Let go of me.”

“The hell you are. It’s dark, and you don’t even know where you are.”

“I’d rather get lost in the woods than sit in a car with you!” I fought back, digging my heels in, but he was frustratingly strong.

He didn’t even seem to be trying as he hauled me toward his car.

When we reached it, he pushed me against the side of the vehicle and caged me in with his arms on either side of my body.

I tried to duck under his arm, but he shifted, blocking me.

His face was inches from mine, and for the first time, he didn’t look bored. Ne looked livid.

“Listen carefully,” he said, his voice lower now, controlled in a way that made something uneasy settle in my chest. “I’ve been patient with you. And I think I’ve reached my limit.”

I let out a scoff that was half–laugh, half–sob.

“Patient? Is that what you call this? Because the meaning of that word must have changed and nobody told me.”

Elijah’s expression hardened.

“Why do you even like him so much when he clearly doesn’t?” he asked, his voice thick with irritation. “It’s embarrassing

The question broke something inside me. All the frustration of the week, all the years of hiding my feelings, came bubbling up to the surface.

“Why do you care about my life, Carter?” I yelled, my voice echoing in the quiet parking lot.

“Whether or not I like Caleb, whether or not he returns my feelings–why does it bother you so much? It’s my life! It’s my heart! If Caleb wants to toy with it, I’m okay with that. I’m okay loving him from the shadows. I never came to you with any complaint. So why are you so worked up about it?”

The silence that followed was heavy. I breathed hard, staring up at him, my secret finally out in the open, raw and bleeding between us.

I didn’t care that I’d admitted it. Elijah had already figured it out anyway.

it Down, Victono

saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. He stared at me for a long beat, his gaze scanning my face as if searching for a lie

Fhen, slowly, he pulled back, his arms dropping to his sides.

You’re even more stupid than I imagined, Victoria,” he said quietly.

Sbonus

‘ve spent so long nursing the particular ache of loving someone who doesn’t love you back the same way.

knew what that felt like. I had satalogued it, learned to live around it the way you learn to walk around a bruise.

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