Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 80

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Angry Kitten

Victoria’s POV

I strode out from the attached bathroom, the remaining steam from my shower swirling gently out into the bedroom behind me.

The main bedroom lights were switched off, plunging the space into a quiet, shadowy stillness.

The only illumination came from the massive window overlooking the backyard, where the bright, unclouded moonlight spilled across the floorboards.

I found Elijah sitting at the very edge of the mattress, his back to me as he faced the glass.

The silvery light fell across the broad, expansive lines of his back, highlighting the pale, smooth skin and the heavy definition of his shoulders.

His dark hair was completely scattered, sticking up in messy, chaotic tufts from where he had repeatedly run his fingers through it in thought.

On the left side of his shoulder blade, a simple tattoo stood out against his skin; a thick, solid black band that wrapped entirely around his upper arm, paired with a clean, minimalist geometric arrow that pointed straight down his spine.

I walked over to the vanity mirror, wrapping a dry towel around my damp hair to squeeze out the excess water. Through the glass, I kept my eyes on his reflection.

He hadn’t moved an inch since I walked out. He was completely motionless, staring out into the dark yard with an intensity that made the air feel thick.

Deciding to break the heavy silence, I dropped the towel around my neck and grabbed my hairbrush.

“What’s got you thinking so hard over there?” I asked, keeping my tone light.

Elijah didn’t turn around right away. He just let out a quiet, breathy exhale that barely stirred the quiet room.

leaned against the vanity, tossing a look toward the small, twin–sized bed he was currently occupying.

“You know, if you’re agonizing over how you’re going to survive the night, I don’t blame you. That tiny bed is a far cry from the massive luxury one you usually sleep in back at your place. And the fact that you have to share it with me makes it a nightmare.”

I offered him a playful smirk.

“If your giant body can’t fit, I can always take the floor. I’d hate to be the reason the star captain wakes up with a cramped spine.”

Angry Ninen

Elijah let out a short chuckle, but the sound was completely detached. It lacked his usual arrogant warmth, falling flat against the walls of the room.

My playful expression faded, replaced by a sudden frown. The disconnect in his demeanor was obvious.

I set the hairbrush down on the wooden surface of the vanity and slowly walked over to the bed.

The mattress dipped significantly under my smaller frame as I sat down right beside him, our thighs brushing in the dark.

“Hey,” I murmured, reaching out to place my hand against his bare bicep. The moment my fingers made contact, I could feel how incredibly tense he was.

His muscles were knotted tight, as rigid as stone beneath my palm.

“What’s wrong?”

He finally turned his head to look at me, a small smile stretching across his lips. But the expression was entirely empty; it didn’t reach his dark eyes at all, leaving them shadowed and distant.

“I’m fine, Zhen. Just tired from the drive.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, shaking my head in immediate disapproval.

“You can lie to anyone else on that campus, Elijah, but you can’t lie to me. So tell me. What’s actually wrong?”

Instead of answering, his jaw tightened, and he started to shake his head again, clearly preparing to mutter another textbook dismissal to shut the conversation down.

Before he could utter a single word of denial, a ridiculous impulse took over my brain.

Wanting to startle him out of his own head, I lunged forward.

My small fingers wrapped clumsily around the thick, sturdy trunk of his neck, squeezing with absolutely zero real force.

It was the least threatening gesture in human history, my hands barely covering half the span of his throat.

“Look at me,” I commanded, trying to sound tough, though my voice carried a faint tremor of amusement.

Elijah froze entirely. He stared at me, his eyes wide with absolute shock as he looked down at my hands wrapped around his neck.

For a beat, the entire room was dead silent. Then, his chest began to heave, and he burst into a loud, uncontrollable laugh.

The heavy tension that had been gripping his shoulders completely slipped away as his laughter filled the small bedroom. It was a full–fledged, genuine laugh, the kind that

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made his eyes crinkle and his head tilt backward.

Seeing him lose his gravity entirely made me start laughing too.

i let go of his neck, burying my burning face in my hands because I honestly had no idea why, out of all the logical things I could have done to get his attention, my brain had decided that a terrible, clumsy chokehold was the right choice.

When his laughter finally calmed down to a quiet chuckle, he wiped a hand over his mouth, his dark eyes sparkling with pure amusement as he stared at me.

“What the hell was that, Victoria?”

“I was asserting my dominance,” I mumbled defensively, my face still hot.

“Asserting your dominance?” Elijah mocked, a teasing grin spreading across his face

He reached out, mimicking my exact gesture by lightly placing his massive hand over his own throat, wriggling his fingers.

“Look at me,” he repeated in a high–pitched, dramatic whisper, completely butchering my voice.

“Was that the best you could do to get information out of someone? You looked like a very angry kitten trying to take down a golden retriever.”

My face scrunched up in annoyance, and I promptly folded my arms across my chest, turning my body away from him.

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh at my expense, Elijah. See if I ever try to help you out of a dark mood again.”

Elijah’s chuckles gradually subsided, leaving the room in a soft, comfortable quiet. He shifted his weight on the mattress, sliding closer until his chest was pressed against my shoulder.

“At least I got you to smile,” I said softly, turning my head back to look at him.

The humor had drained from the moment, leaving behind something much more intimate.

“Now tell me, what happened?”

Elijah let out a quiet sigh, staring down at his own lap. “You really won’t let this go, would you?”

“Nope,” I said, popping the syllable as I shook my head definitely. “Not a chance.”

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