The silence was broken by the driver, who apologetically intervened "I'm sorry Ms. Baker, shall we be going?"
She snapped out of the awkwardness, patting Mike by the shoulder "That is great news, you belong with the Padres. See you tomorrow, then!"
"You bet." was all he could say before she rushed into her car.
And he was left, wondering what had just happened and why did he just stand there as if struck by lightning.
Inside her car she was mentally hyperventilating, her mind going a hundred miles an hour, from "Oh, my god, oh my god, I almost kissed Mike Lawson" to "What the hell did I just do?", chastising herself both for daring to lean in, and for not going through with it. Mostly she felt worried that this could ruin everything she had worked so hard to achieve and make her look like a stupid schoolgirl in the process. She needed to pace, or throw stuff, or run, but she realised she couldn't run away from this one.
Mike soon got into his own car, still processing, just in a different way. He was deliberately slow in labelling the situation, almost willing himself to not make a big deal out of it. So, they had had a few drinks, a few laughs, and an almost goodbye. No big deal. Yet he knew full well why he had called her, to be close enough to be able to tell himself if what he thought he was feeling was really there. He also knew there was no fooling himself now - it was clear as day, he had fallen for his rookie. He just didn't know how to place his feelings for her in the context of their team relationship. Her youth, her innocence, and her tough front all made his heart shrink a little at how inappropriate he was for her. The contract falling through meant he would get to be around her, and that made him relieved somehow. But it also made him weary - when he had asked her if she knew why he was leaving, he almost thought she would guess - it was because being around her complicated things for him. It made him want things he knew he shouldn't. So now he had to face his certain feelings and her certain proximity. And he felt a tug of response from her, which made it even worse. Because it made it possible.