Page 51 of Tagging Bases

“Why didn’t you?”

I shrug. “Fear, mostly. Fear of disappointing my parents, fear of failing.”

Harrison nods, his eyes still fixed on the skyline. “Poor Danny.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “Poor me. But you, Harrison, you were able to do what I couldn’t. You deviated from your parents’ plan without a second thought.”

He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “You think this is easy for me, Hollingsworth? Defying my parents at every turn, living in a shithole loft, and scraping by on a part-time job?”

I blink, surprised by his candor and the vehemence in his tone.“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant?—”

“What? That I have it easier than you because I had the balls to go after what I wanted?” Harrison pushes off the wall and paces around the balcony. His hands clench into tight fistsat his sides. “You have no idea what my life has been like, Hollingsworth. No fucking clue.”

I hold up my hands in a placating gesture. I want to defuse the tension crackling in the air before it threatens to explode. “You’re right; I don’t. I’m sorry if I trivialized your struggles. That wasn’t my intention at all.”

Harrison stops pacing and levels me with a glare that could melt steel. His blue eyes, normally inviting, flash with a mixture of anger and what appears to be…loneliness. My heart nearly splits in two. Gone is the boy, so sure of himself, and in his place is a boy who simply wants to be loved.

My parents, for all their flaws and grand ambitions for my future, have never made me doubt their love. They want me to build a career on Wall Street instead of the diamond, not because they look down their noses at sports, but because they want what’s best for me.

It’s like what Harrison’s mom said—all it takes is one moment for it to all go tits up. If I don’t have stability, a backup plan, where will that leave me? My parents won’t be around forever to help me out. There will come a time when I’ll be on my own.

But Harrison’s parents? From the little I’ve gleaned, they view him more as an accessory. The thought makes my stomach churn.

I reach out tentatively, my fingers grazing Harrison’s shoulder. He stiffens at the contact but doesn’t pull away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or make light of what you’ve been through. I…I admire your courage.”

Harrison’s gaze flicks to mine, guarded but curious. “You do?”

“Absolutely. You’re brave, talented, passionate. Everything I wish I could be.”

He smiles ruefully. “Careful there, Hollingsworth. Keep talking like that, and I might start to think you actually like me.”

I chuckle softly, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze beforeletting my hand fall away. “Would that be so bad? Us being friends?”

Harrison studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh, he turns back to the glittering cityscape. “I don’t know. Friendship isn’t exactly my forte.”

“Well, maybe it’s time to try something new.” I bump his shoulder with mine playfully. “I promise I don’t bite. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, hanging in the air between us. My face heats up, and I’m suddenly grateful for the cover of darkness. What the hell was I thinking, flirting with him like that? Did I just ruin something before it even began?

But to my surprise and relief, Harrison laughs. A genuine, unguarded laugh that makes him snort. “You’re something else, you know that?”

I grin, emboldened by his response. “So I’ve been told. Usually right before I’m kicked out of bed.”

Harrison snorts again, and a slow smile spreads across my face as an idea takes shape. It’s a crazy idea, and it should have me running for the hills, but if anything, it has my heart racing in anticipation. Not fear.

“Do you trust me?” I ask Harrison as I make myself at home in his personal space.

His eyes widen imperceptibly as I lean into him. “Do I…trust you?” He bites his lip, and if I were a betting man, I’d say that his answer is going to beyes.But if it’s a no, that’s okay too. I would never push anyone to do anything they didn’t want to do.

I stand there, watching as his breathing changes—from slow and deep to fast and shallow—and his pupils dilate under the moonlight. But I still want him to say it. Ineedto hear him say it.

“Yes, Hollingsworth. I trust you. I think…I think I always have. Is that crazy?”

“Totally crazy. You wanna know something crazier?”

“Yes,” he breathes out.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

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