Page 29 of Totally Played
“So, Fort, can I get you a drink?” Rachel asks, and she links her arm in his and leads him over to the bar Tim and Lion have set up on the ledge overlooking the city.
“She doesn’t waste any time,” Calvin says about his sister fawning over Fort.
“She knows what she wants.”
“Must be nice,” he says, and I can’t help but sense a little jealousy in his tone.
“You don’t go after things you want?” I ask, and he turns, the string lights above illuminating his face in a golden glow that makes the tiny heart freckle below his left eye shine like it’s a tiny piece of glitter.
“I don’t think I know what I want.”
“You want to play baseball.”
“True, but beyond that, like a plan B. I have no idea what comes next.”
“Do you need to know?”
He shrugs. “Most of the guys do. It’s kind of the rule. Have a plan B, so that when your career ends, because it will end, you’ll have something else to fill your days, and your wallet.”
“But it’s not about the money, is it?”
“No. I’d play for nothing.”
“You can tell, you know. When you are out on the field, you can see how much you love it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think maybe stop looking for what comes next and just be happy with what you have right now.”
“And what is that?” he asks, his gaze moving for a moment to my lips, and fuck, it would be so easy to kiss him right now. But I can’t. He’s not the brother I’m supposed to be dating. Meeting. Whatever. The moment passes, and he turns to the side, surveying the group.
“I know what I want,” he declares, and I turn, too, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“I want to win game night.”
“What are we playing?”
“Heads up.”
“Never heard of it.”
“You’ll get the hang of it pretty fast. We’ll make sure we’re not up first.”
My stomach flips. Fuck. I was all being nice when I offered to pair up with Fort, but now I’m internally kicking myself.
“Umm… I actually already offered to be on the same team as Fort, sorry.”
“Looks like he won’t mind switching to Rachel,” Calvin says, nodding toward where Fort and Rachel are engrossed in conversation, with wide smiles and pink cheeks on both of them.
“Awesome. Let’s win this thing.”
***
Duckie and Ian go first, and Calvin wasn’t joking. Duckie is more than a little intense. He gets louder with every guess.
“Baaa, Baaa,” Ian says, and the table laugh at the theatrics.
