Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains novel Chapter 94

I looked at Elijah. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded.

I walked down the long, carpeted corridor, my sneakers making no sound against the

thick wool.

As I neared the heavy oak door of the sunroom, the sound of bright laughter and chatter filtered through the wood.

I paused, my hand hovering an inch away from the polished brass knob. A strange feeling stitched itself inside my chest, but I shook it off, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

The laughter died instantly.

Nova was sitting on the edge of the plush sofa beside Caleb’s wheelchair, a thick corporate law textbook resting across her thighs.

Her fingers were still holding the page open, but she froze the second she saw me.

I noticed the subtle, self–conscious shift in her stance; the way her shoulders automatically squared and how she moved just an inch further away from him, but I didn’t let my smile slip.

I caught her eye and gave her an encouraging, entirely friendly look, letting her know

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she didn’t have to feel out of place.

“Hey, Tori.”

Caleb’s voice was still hoarse, a lingering remnant of the breathing tubes from the accident, but he was smiling broadly at me.

He looked between Nova and me, his eyes darting back and forth before he quickly gestured to the open book on her lap.

“She’s helping me study,” he explained immediately, his tone almost defensive, as if he needed to justify why they were tucked away in the quiet room together.

He chuckled, looking back at her.

“And Tori, I gotta say, you have a serious knack for finding good friends. Nova is really funny.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But I agree completely.” I walked farther into the room, caught Nova’s eye, and winked. “Ribs never stand a chance around her.”

Nova’s cheeks flushed a bright, pretty pink, and she looked down at the textbook, a shy smile pulling at her lips.

I stopped at the foot of his chair, rubbing my palms together briskly before letting out a loud, dramatic exhale.

Caleb’s smile faded slightly, his dark eyes narrowing as he analyzed my face.

“That’s not a good sign, Tori. Is it bad news?”

I chuckled, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

“Well…” I paused, darting a quick, meaningful glance toward Nova before looking back at him.

Caleb caught the hint instantly. He turned his head toward Nova, his expression softening.

“Hey, Nova, give us a minute? I’ll call you back in to finish this chapter.”

“Of course,” Nova said quickly. She picked up her notebook, offered me a small, polite nod, and slipped past me, closing the door quietly behind her.

The second the latch clicked, I stepped into her vacant spot beside his chair.

Without saying a word, I reached out my index finger, aiming it straight for his wrapped, injured wrist.

“Don’t you dare,” Caleb barked, twisting his arm away from me and giving me a mock glare. “I am a recovering patient, Victoria. Have some respect.”

“I was just testing your reflexes,” I replied, rolling my eyes as I shrugged my shoulders.

“Besides, you don’t have a sister, so annoying you is literally my full–time job. You gotta

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be more appreciative, ‘bestie.’

“You excel at it,” he muttered, though the familiar, fond warmth was back in his eyes.

“Anyway,” I began, my tone leveling out as I leaned against the edge of the side table.

“Elijah and I are hitting the road soon. I just wanted to come in here, let you know we were leaving, and do one final check–in on you.”

The playful energy evaporated from the room, leaving a quiet, heavy silence in its wake.

Caleb didn’t say anything right away. He just sat there, his eyes fixed on me, before he let out a long, slow breath.

He reached down with his uninjured hand, running his palm flat against the fabric of his sweatpants over his knee.

“Thank you, Tori,” he said softly.

He looked up, his expression entirely serious.

“Honestly… thank you. I really didn’t expect all of this. I didn’t expect you to spend every single night in that uncomfortable hospital chair.”

He paused, his jaw tightening slightly before he spoke again.

“And I really didn’t expect Carter to show up for me the way he did. Bringing food, helping me move around… it was a lot.”

I felt a sudden, strange rush behind my ears at the mention of Elijah.

“He really does care about you,” Caleb continued, his voice dropping into a deeper, thoughtful tone.

“Or… I don’t know, maybe it’s love. The way he treats you, and the way he looked out for me just because of you… it’s deep.”

Hearing him use those words: care, love, deep, made my blood run hot. They sounded far too serious for a conversation I wasn’t prepared to have.

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