She walked in the almost empty bar, just happy to see him there. She felt his gaze size her up in her date outfit. An uncomfortable hot rush overcame her and she didn't even consider filtering her words when she asked about where the other guys were, and even went to explain the dress by mentioning her date.
"A date, huh…I'm sorry. But, in my defence, you said you were going out with your brother. So, out of curiosity, why did you say you were going out with your brother?"
Shoot, the ground should open and swallow her whole. She was racking her brain for excuses.
"In case you were going out with the guys, …I…I wanted to go out, too…and didn't want you to feel bad for interrupting a date" She even managed to hold her hands up, in way of supporting the credibility of her statement.
"Sure, yeah, let's go with that"
" We will go with that, that's the truth"
He was laughing. "Ok" He was not even trying to hide his smile over her clumsy lie.
She couldn't help squirming uncomfortably in her chair, brushing away the bead of sweat over her upper lip, frantically trying to appear calm even though she was obviously not.
She quickly changed the subject to a safer topic, the only topic on her mind - was he staying or going. It turned out he was going to be in Chicago tomorrow. A jab at her heart. "Wow." was the syllable she could muster, with a brave face.
"Do you know why I7m leaving?" he asked, in a serious voice.
She did, or at least she thought she did, but when he brought up the "we're all expendable" line, she had to defend the teammates - it was the only way of telling him she didn't want him to go. Suddeny she felt like a schoolgirl again, hiding a crush for her poster idol. But it somehow felt bigger than that.
He was not having the evasiveness. It was not why he had called her so sure she would come. He was not willing to let his last chance go away.
"What about you.", he demanded.
Her duckling self would not let him have the truth, so she span some believable sounding excuse for an answer about their mutual love of the game, and a part of her wanting him to go because of the trade talk distractions.
He could see right through her, it seemed, because he dismissed it out of hand, and simply said "I'm gonna miss the hell out of you, Baker"
"Really?" even though her tone was of grown up disbelief, her heart jumped at the thought, and it showed in her smile.
"Even if it's only been three months" he continued.
"You'll be back, you live here" she countered, making it sound unimportant, the fact he had just said he would miss her.
"You know what I mean" and he looked her straight on, serious. She had trouble swallowing at the thought of what he might mean.
And then he resumed the jokes and the bickering - this was nice, however awkward - being them, as they always were together. It felt good to be able to spend a few moments of laughs before everything would change. His backhanded compliments, his beard teasing, her old man jokes - all of it made them both feel closer to home. He genuinely smiled and she genuinely gave him her worshipping gaze.
The early flight came to his mind as a way of avoiding the pleading in her eyes.
They were going out on the street to wait for their ubers.
"I knew you wouldn't leave without saying goodbye"
"Why, who's saying goodbye"
Her car arrived. "Don'T get fat out the deep dish", was all she could jokingly say, to diminish the actual "goodbye" and all it entailed.
By the time it was really time to say it, he knew he couldn't.
"Ginny…"
Even she knew to call him on that one, it was so untypical of him to call her by her first name. Another awkward silence. He was struggling.
" I nailed your cleats." he had to see her smile again. They both laughed with relief.
"I knew you did. Bye." the laughter made it so much easier to reach out for the hug - this old comfortable feeling of being with her best friend, her home base.
She just wasn't prepared for the sadness and longing that engulfed her halfway through it. Oh, what she wouldn't give to be able to kiss him, just once, before it was too late. How he longed for the warmth of her, right next to him, perfectly snuggled to his body.
"You have an early flight" she reminded them, hoping nonetheless that he wouldn't care.
"Yeah" he breathed, recognising her hope in himself.
Their lips almost touching, the moment painful and sweet, seemed like a turning point both were willing to take.
And then his phone vibrated, waking them of their daze.
"It's Oskar" he said, his voice gruff. She encouraged him to answer it, always supportive, her destiny hanging in the balance, too.
"Yeah…are you serious?…Okay." her eyes following his through the entire short conversation.
He braced himself for what he was about to tell her.
"I'm not going anywhere. The trade fell through."
It was an entirely new level of uncomfortable.