Running Bases
Two shot. Lauren subs in for her brother's coed softball game. A certain brunette catches her eyes. Doccubus.
Lacing up my cleats, I run my hand softly over the grass feeling the dew from the night before. It still has a cool breeze out despite the July heat that's supposed to come. The chill outside had me digging through my closet to find an old beat up quarter length baseball shirt from back in the day. Defend Hawaii : US Air Force printed on the back of it. That weekend playing was the last time I enjoyed the tropical climate. Having a fighter plane's engine blow up next to me and only having hearing damage was extremely lucky. I just hope the shirt brings half as much luck as it did that day.
Getting a frantic call at 6 am from my brother about needing an extra player for his coed slow pitch softball team is not how I wanted to wake up. Apparently, it's the championship game and a big deal.
Last night had been a rough one. My ex-boyfriend saw me picking up dinner and met me at my house. He just doesn't seem to get the message that I don't want to be with him anymore. Our 6 months together was good, but I knew he wasn't for me. That spark just wasn't there. Telling that to him had been hard but it was for the best in the long run. I just hope he got the message last night. Him crying at my locked front door made me think he finally did.
For me, I didn't cry, just sipped on some crown until I passed out. It wasn't exactly ideal but I didn't know I had to try and be a human for an 8 am first game. Pumping myself full of Gatorade, I just hope I still have some athleticism in me.
"Hey there champ! Looking good!" Dyson, my teasing twin brother sits down next to me as I adjust my baseball cap. His wild curly hair is hidden underneath and Under Armor hat with a match logo tank top and shorts. The Get Some written on his shirt has me rolling my eyes. Still after 29 years, he's still such a man child. "Rough night?"
I groan and stand up, stretching my legs as I do so. "Doug stopped by last night. Needless to say, he didn't get the memo about us still being broken up. He tried to serenade me through my door while he was sobbing!" He laughs and I roll my eyes. "It's been weeks! You'd think he'd move on by now. Lord knows I have."
"No you haven't, Lauren. Besides, if you didn't like his singing, you could have just turned off your hearing aid." He lifts my hat to see the clear gadget in my left ear. That earns him a slap on his head.
"Maybe I should turn it off now." I mutter, but ironically, he doesn't hear me.
"Maybe after our game, I can help you out with that. Who knows, maybe we'll find you some dude for you to rebound with out here." Dyson stands and puts on his glove. "Come on, let's warm up before everyone gets here. I don't want you to embarrass me."
God, it feels good to throw a softball. After a few rough throws, I finally found my target. Not over Dyson's head. "So, where's everyone at?" It's about ten till, a lot more players showed up, but I'm still not sure who's on my team. Or where I'm playing for that matter.
"Oh, they'll be here. Our coach, Darren, had to pick up most of them. He didn't want anybody else to flake." An obnoxiously loud horn has us turning our heads, Dyson laughing and nods towards the parking lot. "And that's them."
The car must have been a huge van, because our entire team seemed to come out of it. We needed 10 players and we are all finally here. The rules state you need at least 4 girls and that's why I'm here. Apparently, one of the girls had a wedding to go to so this championship game was out of the question.
"Lauren Lewis... " The deep voice has me smiling wide as I turn to see a familiar face.
The thick and stocky man doesn't look all that different from high school, just thicker and has facial hair. With such a small town, I'm surprised I haven't ran into more people since I've been back. "Chongo, if I live and breathe!" I laugh at the groan he does. You don't get a nickname like that without a hilarious story behind it.
"I go by Tommy now, Lo. I'm a changed man." He winks at me and walks us to the visitor sides dugout.
I'm met with a few friends from way back in high school that ran with my brother's and mine circle of misfits. Well, misfit wasn't exactly true, most of them were very jockey. They were my own group of big brothers. "It's good to see you in one piece Lauren. I know you've been back for a bit, but welcome home." Spencer says with a quick hug.
Placing my bag behind the bench and my glove in front of it, next to Dyson's, I notice the three other women talking together. One standing out more so than the others. "Ladies, this is Lauren. She's helping us out, so be nice...Evony."
I bite my lip watching, who I assume the girl in question, flips Chongo off before grabbing her own glove. "Don't listen to him, I'm as sweet as pie." The other two women laugh at her as she rolls her eyes. "Whatever. I'm Evony, the redhead is Nikki, and the brunette is Bo. Welcome to the team, Blondie."
I give them each a quick nod, but Darren's voice cuts through. "Laur, looks like you'll be playing second, but we're up first. Did Dyson tell you the rules?"
Has to bat boy/girl no matter what.
Four girls have to be playing at all times.
Start off with one ball and one strike. One to give.
50 minute games or 7 innings, whatever comes first.
Can't leave the base until the ball crosses the plate.
"Yeah, I think I got it. I'll try not to embarrass you." I say adjusting my hat. I can already feel the sun beating down and hope the breeze stays all day. Maybe I should have gone with a sleeveless shirt like the rest of the players.
"It's not you he's worried about." A peppy voice is whispered next to me. Luckily, it was on my good ear. Turning my head to the sound, my breath catches. Bo is standing there, fingers in the fence as she watches everyone warm up. You get used to seeing such attractive men and women these days, whether it be movie stars or musicians, but, just wow. I don't know if it's her stunning smile or energetic demeanor but Bo is absolutely gorgeous.
Bo turns her head towards me, effectively catching me staring at her but is polite enough to not mention it. Instead, she points at our team. "There's a reason our team name is Ice Cold Pitches. A lot of our team is younger and like to party. This 8 am championship game is going to be rough for us."
"Why is it at 8? We're the only game and you guys usually play at nights. And on Wednesday's at that." The umpire calls the first batter up and we watch as a skinny looking guy (Adam from the line up) moves sluggish to the plate. "They really couldn't wait until noon?"
Bo laughs and moves to my other side. I turn my head so I can hear her, even though I can read her full lips perfectly. "This game has been rescheduled so many times. Apparently, it's the time to get married and have babies. Between all of the weddings and baby showers, I'm surprised they didn't just cancel it. But either way, I am happy Dyson knew a girl willing to play at last minute."
We cheer in unison as Adam gets a hit, splitting third and short stop for a single. Nikki is already in the batter's box. "I haven't played ball in a while, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm excited. So I'm happy you guys needed an extra player." I smile wide at Bo before walking over to where the bats are lined up, testing them each out. "My brother pretty much begged me to play, but I was up and getting ready before her even muttered a please." I laugh and cringe as Nikki strikes out.
"Brother?" I almost missed Bo replying to me, but Chongo stands between us, grabbing his own bat at going out to the field. When I turn back to look at Bo, she's by the end of the dugout, talking to a handsome guy out of earshot. Turning back to the game, I try to focus on my team getting on base, and not why my stomach is feeling heavy at how close that guy is to Bo.
A double play has us out in the field ready to hold them. Spencer (first baseman) throws a few grounders to me, Bo (short stop), and Chongo (third) to give us a couple warm up throws. There's a lot of chatter and although I've adjusted for the past year, it's still difficult to sometimes catch what everyone is saying.
The first guy up crushes it to short stop, but in a blink of an eye, I watch enthralled as Bo stops it easily and guns it to first base, getting the guy out. "Whoa..."
Bo throws me a wink before getting back into position. I look to Spencer as their girl is up next. "Is she always so...intense?" My eyes drift to the brunette once more as I hear Spencer's response. "Oh yeah. Hot huh?"
"Ya damn right it is." She is I think to myself. He laughs at my response and calls for the ball that fly's high in the air and catches it with ease.
The opposite team seems to find a groove and has a two out rally, scoring four runs before we finally get a third out. Being only the first inning, I know we are going to need to step up our game and soon if we want to win. And looking at the rest of the team's eyes, I can tell they want this too.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" I ask after Bo easily hits a triple and Dyson too, but Dyson is just athletic. Bo laughs and takes a sip of her water. A few drops miss her mouth and I track its movements down her neck and chest. "I mean, obviously, you look athletic but like, damn!" Articulate as always.
She laughs it off and fans her face. "I played in college for two years before I decided on my major. I miss the game, but not the practices." She shrugs and fans her face with a smile. I'm surprised I haven't noticed that one dimple on her cheek sooner. "I got lucky finding this league."
Before I can ask how she became known to this league, or how she knows anyone from this team, Dyson hollers at me.
"You're on deck, Lo." Dyson nudges me and sits down next to Bo. He's sweating and I'm wholeheartedly regretting my choice of clothes. Without so much of a thought, I peel off my shirt, leaving me in a thin white beater and chuck it at Dyson. "Atta girl! Go get em sis!"
I'm nervous. I didn't realize this until I'm up to bat. Taking a breath, I roll my shoulders and try to relax. I'm not terrible at the game. But it feels like I have something to prove or to impress someone. My eyes find Bo's and I bite my lip...hard.
I swear, this growing crush of mine might be the death of me.
"Strike!"
"Fuck." I curse under my breath and take another practice swing. The outfielders rush to where the grass ends and the dirt begins. And I smirk. The pitcher throws it high in the air and more outside. I patiently wait until it's level with me before I swing.
The ball connects perfectly, sailing it over the first baseman's head and past the right fielder. I'm already rounding second before they even think about throwing it. A stand up triple. Not bad for my first hit.
"Looks like you're joining the club!" Of course, Bo ran across the field to coach me on third base. Because I'm not having a hard enough time dealing with these unknown feelings for her, that she had to be right here, congratulating me. "Sweet hit Lo! Looks like those arms aren't just for show."
Her hand smacking my ass has my body reacting against my will. Thinking quickly to hide my blush, I lift my tank top up to wipe the sweat off of my face, easily hiding it from this woman.
"Look alive, stud." Her soft but strong hand is on my bare hip before I can even process it. Her fingers making my abs twitch on their own accord. "Tommy is up, get ready to run home." She says and her short nails draft faintly across my skin.
When I look back at her, her eyes are down as she walks backwards away from the base. I can't describe the look on her face, and unfortunately, I don't have time to before Chongo gets a hit and I'm running home for the score.
Bo continues to coach third base until the other team gets three outs, leaving me in the dugout without her company.
As the game continues, both our teams going back and forth on runs and a few players start to get a little heated. And not just from the sun. "Does this happen often?" I as when there's a timeout since two guys are having a screaming match over god knows what.
"Unfortunately." Evony replies, looking at her phone next to me. Bo has kept to herself after my first hit, only giving high fives here and there and commenting on batters from her short stop position. She's pretty much talking to everyone except me. "At least no one's drinking, like usual."
"Not yet!" Dyson sits on my other side and grins over at us. "I guess Bo's parents invited everyone over after for a BBQ." He sighs dreamily and rubs his stomach. "Jack and Aife are really amazing on the grill."
My frustration grows towards my brother. I've been trying to talk to him about Bo all damn game and he couldn't be less helpful. But here he is, knowing names of the woman parents that I've been secretly obsessing over all game.
"Can I talk to you?" I growl out and drag Dyson out of the dug out and under a shady spot near a small tree. I make sure our team is still occupied, but the umpire looks at wits end with the two players arguing. And Bo is waiting by home plate waiting to hit, but more off talking to that same guy through the dugout fence, her bat resting along her shoulders.
"What is your problem?" Dyson asks angrily and I pull my eyes away from the field. "You're being so fucking weird right now!" He laughs at the scowl on my face, but before I can say anything else, the umpire calls batter up. Guess he got tired of the huffing and puffing.
A few more innings go by, the game coming close to the end. Nothing exciting besides the endless runs our team seem s to keep getting, but I notice a young raven haired girl, no older than 10 years, walking with a lounge chair with an older couple. What made me smile was the way the girl threw her hands in the air and began making sighs with her hands. I immediately pick up the language, having been deaf for a few months I kind of had to find a way to communicate just in case my surgery was unsuccessful.
What surprised me more was who she was signing to.
Bo quickly signed, "You got it, sister!" And immediately was ready to hit. I watch Bo, mesmerized by the way she hits the ball with ease and stretch a single hit to a double. I'm on my feet when she slides head first to second. The umpire calls her safe, but all I saw was a huge cloud of dirt being pushed up into the, before seeing Bo pop up laughing.
I let out a breath seeing as she is alright and leans against the fence. "I still can't believe he's still here." Evony's voice is hushed to Darren. "Like there isn't enough tension as is." I chance a glance to see who they are talking about and my eyes drift to the guy Bo was talking to earlier.
"You would think he'd take a hint. Bo deserves so much better than that dickhead." Darren agrees easily.
"Who is that guy?" I watch him as the little deaf girl (I'm assuming) is on the fence behind home plate cheering wildly near him. I don't like how he stands closer to her. It's not in a creepy way, but he acts as if it's a chore to be next to her.
"That's Bo's ex. He sticks around and scares off anyone that tries to talk to Bo." Darren laughs and stands next to me, but continues to glare at the man. "I remember when your brother tried to ask her out, he threatened him. After that, Dy didn't think she was worth the hassle."
God my brother can be a sissy la la. He has many redeeming qualities, that's for sure, but flawed. So very flawed. Bo runs home and grabs the bat from the previous batter as she does. "...get in our dug out. The game is almost over." Bo signs to the little girl. I didn't understand the first hand movement, but I assumed it was the little girl's name.
"She seems more than worth it to me." I smile at Bo as she makes it back to us. I'm happy when she returns it. "Great hit."
She smirks and waves the raven haired girl over. "You keep saying that."
"I keep meaning it. You're kind of amazing to watch, Bo." She just raises an eyebrow at me, a faint smile tugging on her lips.
"Only kind of?" She counters, eyes locked on mine and it's difficult to not break it. Her warm brown eyes are so welcoming. It's hard to not get lost in them.
"Ball game!" The umpire signals and tosses a cardboard box towards our team. I didn't even realize that another player started arguing with him again. Looks like the umpire was fed up with them. Poor suckers still had their last ups too.
Nikki is quick to retrieve it and carry it carefully to us. It's filled with bright red shirts that say champions on it. She also holds up a small plaque. It's nothing special, but everyone is cheering nonetheless. Including me. The other team doesn't stick around to issue us a congrats or a good game. Sportsmanship isn't really a thing in a recreational league, I assume.
"You're coming right?" Bo ask as she sits down next to me. We settled underneath one of the biggest trees by the field. The sun sizzling down on us has all of us happy for the much needed shade. "It's kind of tradition, Lauren." She nudges my shoulder against my own when I shake my head debating.
"Are you sure your parents would be ok with that? I mean, I'm basically a stranger." I ask but before she can answer, two older people join us.
The woman, now that I see her up close, is a spitting image of Bo. Only older, but just as beautiful. "Would it make it easier if we weren't strangers?" The woman lifts a hand to me. "I'm Aife and this is my husband, Jack."
"I'm Lauren Lewis, ma'am. Sir." I look at the little girl clinging to Bo and she catches my eye. "Hey... I'm L-A-U-R-E-N." I sign to her.
The little girl's eyes light up and she begins to sign frantically to me. "Oh my gosh! You can sign? That is so cool nobody knows how! Well except my family but that's all! This is crazy! I'm K-E-N-Z-I by the way. Yay! That means you have to come to my parent's house and swim with me! And the food is amazing! Please! Please! Plea-"
"Easy kid!" I laugh and I look up at the other three adults before turning back to Kenzi. "Of course, I'll go." I catch Bo's eyes and smile. "Its tradition, after all."
Jack wraps his arm around Aife's shoulder and grips the lawn chairs and pull the to his other. "I'm glad that's settled. Bo here will give you the address. We'll see you guys soon." He gives me a smirk that matches the one Bo threw at me awhile ago. Before I know it, they are up the hill and in the parking lot.
Bo turns to me and her eyes staring so intensely at me makes the back of my neck sweat. "You know how to sign?"
I shrug my shoulders and drop my bag on the ground again. Stepping closer, I lift my hat up and move my blonde hair out of the way to show her my hearing aid. "I kind of had to. I'm permanently deaf in one ear, but this thing saved what little hearing I have."
Her finger traces the shell of my ear delicately. I'm blushing hard, not used to someone being so...soft towards me. Meeting her eyes though, I see her blushing as well, dropping her hand and gripping her bag tighter now. Before I can ask her, well anything, we get interrupted.
"Lo!" Dyson runs down the small hill and looks at us. "I'm going to leave my car here and get it tomorrow." He smiles shyly and we all know it's because he wants to drink. I don't blame him, a beer does sound really good right about now. "Did you want to catch a ride with us too?"
Before I can answer Bo steps in. "Umm, I can ride with Lauren to my parents to show her where it is." I look a little confused, stunned but still confused. "That way, if you drink, you could just Uber home or get a taxi?"
Spending some alone time with Bo sounds perfect to me. I smile and shoulder my bag, fisting my keys tightly out of nerves. "Sounds like a plan."
Dyson looks a little worried and looks between both of us. "Umm, Lo can I talk to you for a second?" He shifts from side to side and scratches the back of his neck. I give him a look that says what's your deal? But he just shakes his head.
Before things get weird I hand Bo the keys to my car. "Go ahead and put your stuff in the back and get the A/C started?" I give her a soft smile. "I'll be there in a second."
She does so wordlessly and we wait until she is up the hill and out of sight. I cringe forgetting to tell her exactly which vehicle is mine, but I'm sure she'll figure it out. "So what's up, D?"
He seems to have a battle inside of his head before deciding on the bling question. "What are you doing with her?"
"Umm... going back to her parent's house for a celebratory BBQ...?" I look at him a little confused. "Aren't you going too?"
He huffs, a classic Dyson move. "No Laur, not that. I mean, she...you..." He stops and takes a breath and I stare at him. "You're straight."
I wait for him to continue but he never does. "O-Okay..."
"So is Bo." He takes a step closer to me and I put my hands to his chest, stopping him from coming closer. It's too hot outside to be doing this here. "Something is going on between you two. We all noticed it right away. But Bo has baggage and I don't want you to get hurt because of it. Because of her."
I don't know why he's being like this. In the back of my mind, I briefly wonder if it's because he's interested in Bo, but wouldn't he had set claim or at least try to pursue her? Maybe it's because we shared a womb but I know I'm attracted to Bo and am willing to go after her. I'm still not sure if these are romantic feelings or just friendship but I'm assuming it's the latter.
"We all noticed?" I ask exasperated. "There was just a little of 20 people here!" I sigh and close my eyes tight to regain some composure. I hate fighting with him. "Look. I don't know. Honest to God, I don't know. What I do know, is that I like her. Plain and simple. It doesn't have to be anything more than a crush. Like you said, she's straight. I'm straight."
I can tell that he wants to argue. That he wants to do the big brother spiel even though we're twins. "Listen Dyson," I begin again since he seems to be content to just stand there. "I am a big girl, though. If I want to pursue Bo, then I will. I don't care what anyone has to say. Not you, not her ex." He opens his mouth but I hold up my hand, effectively stopping him. "I like who I like, Dy. And I'm not afraid to fight or chase after them. You just gotta let me though."
"Fine." A sad smile appears on his face as he stands next to me looking up to where Bo went. "Just be careful, sis."
Spencer waves at us, or rather Dyson. A big van appearing behind him, signals their ride trying to leave with the rest of the team. "Go on, I'll be right behind you guys." I wave off my brother and for once he listens.
He's long gone by the time I get up the hill, along with most of the cars. My 1976 VW navy blue and white bus sitting alongside a black mustang. My eyebrows knit together when I see Bo being hounded by her ex.
The man isn't very tall, or well built up close, but he is enough to have Bo somewhat pinned to my van without much of an escape. I summon u the courage to job over to them, trying to be nonchalant about it, but failing miserable in my flip flops. "Ready to head out, Bo?"
"Absolutely. Bye Roman." Her voice is sharp, but from the looks of it he isn't getting her message. Or just doesn't care, since he isn't moving away from her.
I really don't like confrontation. I always believe talking can solve most problems. I'm also pretty level headed about things. Patience is my virtue. But right now, the way Roman is trying to keep Bo trapped, that right there pushes sensible Lauren to the side.
"She said goodbye. That means, you leave. Now." I tell him in a voice I don't even recognize. My hand is firm as I lightly, but forcefully shove him back by his shoulder. Just because I'm an Air Force mechanic, doesn't mean I didn't train and learn how to defend myself against worse people than Roman. And I am more than confident in my hand to hand combat.
He looks stunned that I touched him, but does eventually back off. "I'll see you later, Bo."
"I'd rather you didn't, Roman. I've moved on. I think it's time you did too." A weird sense of Deja vu hits me, remembering what I had told my ex multiple times. My only hope is that Bo was fibbing on the moving on part too.
I get my answer, when I feel Bo's soft hand curl around my hip and her body pressed tightly behind me. Her sports bra doing very little to hide her stiff peaks poking into my back. "I mean it. We're done. For good." It's hard to suppress the shivers when her warm breath caressed my neck.
Roman storms off quickly after that, leaving us alone in the parking lot and softball complex. The air is thick when Bo moves away from my body. "I guess we should get going, huh?" Her laugh is uncertain, almost strained. Like she's embarrassed.
"We should." I turn around to face her, but neither of us make a move for the door. We stand there, just looking at each other. My eyes greedily take in Bo and her sweaty black tank to and matching shorts. The way her legs are muscular and how they seem to shine in the afternoon sun.
The way she bites her lip while her eyes travel down my body.
I smirk when she sees me watching her, her face heating up once again. "We," she clears her raspy voice. "We should probably get going, huh?" She walks around my bus muttering to herself.
I smile knowingly, happy that this thing I'm feeling for this woman is definitely mutual. Whatever it is, I'm interested to see how it develops at the BBQ. There are too many things I want to know about her, but there is one thing that I have to know.
I have to know how sweet those sinful lips taste.
AN: Two shot remember? Second one is almost done, as is a certain sequel. Let me know what you think and thanks for those still reading!
Twitter: thelabcoat13
