Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 84

Let Me Explain

Victoria’s POV

Nova stood by the water cooler in the hallway, wrapped up in a conversation with another girl from our department.

I leaned against the lockers a few feet away, my hands shoved deep into my coat pockets, waiting for her to finish.

I needed to fix things between us, but the moment the other girl grabbed her bag and walked away, Nova’s entire posture shifted.

She glanced at me, her eyes darting away instantly as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and began walking down the corridor in the opposite direction.

She was actively avoiding me. It wasn’t even subtle.

“Nova, wait,” I called out, quickening my pace until I managed to step into her path, blocking her way toward the stairs. “Please. Can we just talk for a second?”

Nova stopped, letting out a sharp breath as she stared at the floor between us.

“Victoria, I really don’t think we have anything to say to each other right now. Just… let me get to my next class.”

I let out a long sigh, my shoulders dropping.

Looking at the tight line of her jaw, I could see the raw hurt written all over her face.

“I know I hurt you. I get it. But there’s an explanation for why I didn’t say anything.”

Nova let out a dry, empty chuckle. There was absolutely no humor in it, just a cold, hollow sound that made me feel incredibly small.

She finally raised her head, looking at me with a blank expression.

“Okay. Go ahead, Victoria. Let’s hear it. I’m dying to know the explanation for why you sat there and watched me pour my heart out to you about my feelings for Caleb, and you never once mentioned that you knew him on a completely deeper level.”

She paused, her voice hardening.

“Honestly, I’m probably stupid for asking. For all I know, you went right back to Caleb and told him all my secrets so the two of you could laugh about it.”

The accusation stung. I stayed completely quiet, simply listening to the bitter edge in her words. I shook my head slowly, the weight of her distrust pinning me to the spot.

When I didn’t immediately defend myself, Nova’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah. I knew it,” she muttered, ti Successfully unlocked! valk away from me.

“I didn’t do anything like that!” I finally defended myself, my voice rising enough to

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make her stop.

Nova froze, her back completely stiff, but she didn’t turn around to look at me.

A couple of tears escaped my eyes, tracking hot paths down my cold cheeks. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to keep my voice steady.

“If we are being completely honest, Nova, I don’t owe you this explanation. We aren’t that close. But I’m going to tell you anyway because I don’t want you believing lies about me.”

That made her pull her shoulders back. Slowly, she turned around to face me, her expression guarded.

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, taking a deep, stabilizing breath before I continued.

“Caleb has been my best friend for fifteen years,” I confessed. “And for a very long time, I had a massive crush on him.”

Nova’s eyes widened, her defensive stance melting away just a fraction as the information registered.

“It was always an unrequited love,” I went on, staring at the brick wall behind her so I wouldn’t lose my nerve.

“He never saw me as anything more than his best friend. To him, I was basically a sister. But I kept holding onto this stupid, secret hope for years. I watched him go through girlfriend after girlfriend, breaking my own heart over and over again, until…” I paused, stumbling over my words for a second.

Trusting people had never been easy for me. Even though I liked Nova and wanted to clear the air, I still couldn’t bring myself to reveal that my relationship with Elijah had started as a cold business transaction.

That was a secret I had to keep guarded.

“Until I really got to know Elijah,” I corrected smoothly, forcing myself to look back into her eyes. “Slowly, I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do to change how Caleb saw me. Our relationship could never be more than what it already was, and that was a really painful reality I had to force myself to accept.”

Nova stayed completely silent, listening intently as her expression began to soften.

“When you came to me and confessed your feelings for him,” I explained, my voice dropping to a quieter tone.

“I panicked. I didn’t know how to navigate the situation. How was I supposed to look you in the eye and tell you that I’ve been harboring these deep feelings for the exact same guy for fifteen years, while also being his closest friend? I didn’t want to make things weird for you, and I didn’t want to lose Caleb either. So, I thought the best thing

2.4

Let Me Explain

to do was just suppress my own feelings entirely. I figured I could step back, keep my mouth shut, and watch you try to achieve the kind of happiness with him that I was never able to get.”

The anger completely drained from Nova’s face, her features softening into a look of profound realization. She opened her mouth, her eyes turning glossy as she stepped toward me.

“Victoria… oh my god. I didn’t know. I’m so—”

“No, don’t,” I interrupted, offering her a small, tight smile as I held up a hand to stop her.

“You don’t have to apologize to me, Nova. Your feelings are completely valid. You were hurt because it felt like I was keeping secrets from you, and I understand why you reacted the way you did. You don’t need to give me your sympathy either. I just wanted to share this because the truth was becoming too heavy to keep to myself, and I believed you deserved to know. Especially now that you’re spending so much time helping him study for that course he needs to pass.”

Nova took a shaky breath, finally getting a clear chance to speak.

“I really am sorry, Victoria. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and accused you of talking behind my back. That was incredibly unfair of me.”

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