Page 16 of Naked

I noted he also had a nice ass. But not as nice as Hunter’s.

Before I had time to fully process the flirting, Marissa, Ash’s girlfriend, and Emily, Joachim’s girlfriend, arrived, beers in hand, and smiles all around.

“Oh my god, she’s really here!” Marissa called.

“It’s been too long.” Emily kissed my cheek.

I liked both women. They were funny and kind, two of my required personality traits in friends. Marissa ran online marketing for a sportswear company, so she was able to travel fairly often. She loved to party and always got her nails done. These two things I didn’t understand, but since she also enjoyed movies, we got along just fine.

Emily was tall and blonde and very sweet. She was a songwriter that appeared on a reality singing competition show three years ago. She didn’t win and her singing career had never quite taken off fully, but the songs she wrote for other artists did very well. She had two Billboard 100 songs just since I left Tampa.

“Are you totally jet lagged?” Emily asked as she took a seat one row down from me, turning to look up.

“I have no idea what time it is and I don’t think I want to know.” I didn’t even put on my watch, which I normally always wore. I figured at this point the only time I needed to know was the start of the game.

“How’s your new job? And living in a different country?” Marissa asked between sips of beer.

I answered all their rapid fire questions, falling quickly back into familiar territory. It seems my abandonment of Hunter didn’t interfere with our own casual friendships.

“I noticed that you were listed as the writer on Travis Brantley’s new song…”

Emily lit up. “I still can’t believe it.”

Marissa bumped her shoulder. “It’s just the beginning. You’re going to be the hottest songwriter in the world soon.”

“The world?” Emily snorted. “I’ll be happy with making a living for the rest of my life doing something I love. I don’t need to be a big deal. In fact, I kind of like the idea of being under the radar.”

As we talked, the stadium began to fill up. Grounds crews performed final adjustments to the field. I got a little bit of a buzz from the beer.

Therefore I didn’t see the curveball coming. “So you and Hunter?” Marissa murmured over her cup. “What’s the deal?”

I froze.

Marissa smiled. It was a compassionate smile. “He was really tore up when you left.”

My chest ached.

Emily touched my arm. “We care about you both.”

My eyes darted between the women, taking in their expressions and the way they held their bodies. Their brows were both drawn down, their lips a line of concern, their eyes soft. They told the truth.

“What did he tell you?”

They traded a glance. “You two finally hooked up and then you left without saying goodbye and haven’t returned any of his calls.”

So...everything. I covered my face. “I’m sorry.” It was all I seemed to be able to say about it. “I ran and I was too afraid to look back. I just,” I made a chopping motion, “cut off my whole life and started over.”

“I know you never considered us friends, but it was abrupt how you cut all of us off,” Emily said quietly.

I turned over her words.I know you never considered us friends.I studied her quiet uncertainty and found I saw some of myself in her. “Hunter has pointed out that I may have a distorted view of the world. Perhaps that impacted my ability to be a good friend.”

“Look,” Marissa leaned forward and broke the awkwardness, “dating a ballplayer is hard. We get it. We understand why you probably had your doubts. But if you’re interested in Hunter for real...maybe let us help.”

As we watched the game I felt like I was sucked into another dimension. Instead of being at the game I was watching it, and me. Like an out of body experience, I saw rather than felt, the two women sitting beside me. They were both smart and accomplished in their own careers. They were also unquestioningly beautiful in their own special ways. Emily had that sweet willowy quality about her while Marissa was bold and loud. She wore more makeup than anyone else. She had hips and boobs, and a great shape to her face.

Neither woman was a model or a celebrity.

They were normal. Enthusiastic about their boyfriends and baseball, they drank beer and yelled at the players.

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