Page 24 of Chasing Elliott
bickering between them and their dominant personalities in the future.
“I should go shower and change,” I interrupted, causing all three of them to turn and look
at me. “I’ll meet you guys at the party?”
“We can wait for you,” Elliott replied instantly as she looked up at me and shrugged.
“We don’t mind. Makes more sense to carpool, right?”
I smiled and bent down, pressing a kiss to her forehead before I slipped out of her grasp
and disappeared back down the stairs into the dugout.
I think that was the quickest shower I had ever taken in my life.
We pulled up to the baseball house and could already hear the loud music. Elliott and Kara didn’t bring a spare change of clothes but that was fine with me; I loved seeing Elliott in my game jersey.
As we climbed out of the car, Kara and Benjamin headed straight for the door, hand in hand, but Elliott hung back a bit. I turned to her with a reassuring smile and reached for her hand, giving it a small squeeze.
“Want to go somewhere else? We can go grab some half price appetizers somewhere if you’d rather,” I told her, but she shook her head as she rubbed my arm with her free hand beforeglancing up at me.
“As much as I would love to eat, that’s not my problem for once,” she responded with a laugh. “Friends or not, I’ve never actually shown up to a party with a guy before. Always manage to leave with one, though.”
I tensed up slightly at that, hating to hear about her past, but all I could do was hope that I’d somehow be her future. “Well, at least you know you’re leaving with the same guy you showed up with this time.”
“Someone’s optimistic,” she teased before she started to drag me towards the door. “Come on.”
Elliott and I walked hand in hand up to the door where we were greeted by one of my teammates, Jeremiah, who was already pretty drunk.
“Hey man,” he said as he slapped my shoulder. “Great game tonight. This your girl or something?”
“Or something.” Elliott pulled me past him and into the party.
Making our way into the kitchen, I poured her a vodka cranberry before I went into thefridge and grabbed myself a beer. Reaching for her hand once more, I led her out of the crowded house and into the backyard. Finding two empty chairs close to the beer-pong tables, we both took a seat.
“Ever play beer-pong?” I asked her as she sipped her drink.
“Not with beer,” Elliott answered quickly as she made a disgusted face. “I can’t stand beer.”
“Noted,” I responded with a smile as I took a sip of my own drink.
Kara suddenly appeared and fell into Elliott’s lap, causing her to laugh loudly as she tried her best not to spill her drink. Kara wrapped her arms around her friend’s neck and giggled, twirling her hair around her finger.
“I need to pee,” Kara informed her as she basically fell off her lap and onto the concrete before she jumped to her feet and reached for Elliott’s hands. “Come with me.”
“Are you already drunk?” Elliott asked, trying to stifle her laughter.
Benjamin suddenly appeared and rested a hand on the back of my chair as he looked over at Elliott. “She may have already taken four shots.”
“Between here and the door?” Elliott exasperated as she climbed to her feet, helping Karastand upright. “Jesus, Kay. Let’s go find a restroom.”
Elliott linked her hand with Kara’s and pulled her back towards the house. As they started to walk past us, she hesitated and leaned down to whisper into my ear.
“I’ll be back. Don’t miss me too much,” Elliott teased.
“I’ll try not to,” I told her as I pushed a quick kiss to her cheek. Smiling as they walked away, Benjamin fell into the lawn chair that Elliott was previously in.
He sighed, leaning back as he took a sip from his beer, and I couldn’t help it as I raised abrow at him. “I know that sigh. What’s up?”
