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6

BODHI

The clock reads 8:00 p.m.—off to bed I go, in excellent timing.

After my chat in the clubhouse with King, I grabbed Chinese takeout on the way home, showered, and stuffed my face.

It’s been a perfect night.

Nothing beats an oyster pail full of orange chicken and lo mein after a killer practice. Add those crab rangoon things and I’m floating in a heavenly realm. I don’t have a clue what kind of addictive shit they put in those bad boys, but I can throw back ten in a sitting.

I quickly clean up my mess in the kitchen and head toward the stairs before a knock on the door halts me from moving any farther.

Again? What is up with all these late-night visits?

My roommates are at Delta for the night, and I know Navy is staying with Tenley, so who could be at the door?

At least I’ve got respectable clothes on.

“One sec,” I call out.

I need to talk with the guys about installing security cameras here. It wouldn’t be a bad investment, especially with the increasing number of late-night visits.

Not that I have much to complain about with the last one.

My little terremoto.

Swinging open the front door, I come face-to-face with Gus.

My brows shoot up in question. “Dude, you live here.”

If I ever questioned whether Gus lacked brain cells, now would be the time. Is he drunk? Did he get hit on the head? Did he lose his key? Because why?

He laughs. “Great observation. I know I live here, but they don’t.”

Gus turns to face the unexpected.

In the darkness of the night, every friend in my village comes into view, and it looks like they’re all here for me.

My people.

A flood of unfamiliar emotions comes over me, and I don’t know what to do with them all. What I do know, though, is that these people are my ride-or-dies.

My village may be small, but it’s sure as fuck mighty.

Callaway, Kodi, Mack, Kingston, Tenley, Navy, and Gus all storm through the house with arms full of miscellaneous bags, making themselves perfectly at home and greeting me on the way in.

Nobody asks: What are you doing? Want to hang out? Are you good? There are no questions—supporting me unconditionally as my friends.

This is what I need. This is the therapy that Dr. Banks will never be able to provide.

Loyal friendships are the ones that bring the most profound peace.

I’m standing by the door, unable to move, likely looking like an idiot because I’m at a loss for words.

Why aren’t they out clubbing? It’s Friday night in Atlanta; going out is almost always a nonnegotiable.

The city never sleeps.

My eyes follow their relaxed movements throughout the house: King is in the kitchen getting popcorn and snacks ready, Tenley and Mack are turning the couch into a bed, Callaway is setting up a movie on the flatscreen, Kodi is shuffling from the hall closet with arms full of blankets, while Gus grabs a bucket of beers to sit on the ottoman for us, and Navy is…

Wait, where is Navy?

“Hey, catcher.” Mhm. There she is.

I spin around at the sound of her soft voice, and her bright green eyes catapult my heart rate. She’s stunning, standing before me in teal blue sweatpants and a matching hoodie with cheeseburger socks. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she looks so relaxed, like she’s ready to get cozy.

The best part is that she’s back in my space, and all is right in my pathetic world of hopeless longing.

If only she would take off her makeup and let me appreciate her natural beauty; that will always be my favorite version of her.

This version, however, is pretty damn close.

She’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

I can’t let her—or anyone—know that, but it doesn’t make it any less accurate.

I approach Navy, challenging her with my voice. “Finally decided to take me up on that room?”

Her light giggle stirs something in my chest.

“You trying to get me in your room, catcher?”

Jesus. I set myself up for that one. I smirk. “Been there, almost did that.”

She wasn’t expecting that. The shock that paints her face is too damn good for my ego; I’d love to snap a picture and keep it for blackmailing her in the future—mainly for the next time she claims I don’t affect her.

“Low blow. We both know that would never happen.”

God, it still hurts to hear her say things like that. I don’t know why I opened my stupid mouth, but it did me no favors. I made the most colossal fuckup of my life with her and set myself up for the roasting.

Fuckup for me, the right move for every other factor in my life.

I have to ignore her to shut the shameless flirting down. Navy barely has to bat an eyelash, and I’m swooning at her delicate feet. I can’t let my heart win on this one.

“I figured you finally realized a free place to crash was a great idea.” Feelings aside, I want her to be safe and have somewhere she feels comfortable.

Her cute little smirk is back. “Not a chance. Tenley’s condo has a doorman; you think I’d give that up to live in a house full of cocky ballplayers?”

A doorman? That’s oddly comforting. I wonder if Cal knows that, too.

She’s doing her best to be sarcastic, as if what happened between us never really hurt her. I can see it.

I don’t show her how satisfied I am as I continue questioning. “Then what brings you here? You made it clear the other day it wasn’t a good idea for us to be around each other.”

Navy doesn’t react like my question hurts her. Instead, she agrees and asks herself the same thing. “I came here as your friend.”

My friend? Why does my pride hate that so much?

I nod. “Right.”

It’s better to stop this conversation while we’re ahead. I have a house full of friends, Navy included, and I plan to make the most of it.

Things are weird between us now; I see it the more we’re around each other. We used to be close and reached a point in our friendship where we could confide in each other.

I’m not a fan of this weird limbo we’re floating in.

The silence between us is heavy despite the chaos going on around us.

I don’t realize I’m staring at my feet, waiting for her to speak, until she finally does. “I should probably go see if they need any help.”

My eyes lift. “Yeah, I guess you should.”

It’s as if I forgot how to be normal around her. It’s such an unfamiliar feeling. Navy is the most outgoing and passionate woman I’ve ever met. She lights up a room the second she enters, yet it’s starting to feel like that same light dims in her the second she sees me.

These are the moments when I wish I had a mom to give me some type of insight into the female brain—I’m useless.

I hate this, and I need to fix the tension.

I have no idea what that looks like, but it’s time to experiment and find out.