ʀ ᴜ ᴍɪɴᴇ? - juan soto

2

lyra stepped into the one of the conference rooms  at yankees headquarters, immediately hit with the sense of nervous energy and tension. the walls were lined with memorabilia of yankees legends. it felt as if the posters were watching everyone there, a mickey mantle poster particularly staring lyra down as she entered.

at the center of the room stood juan soto and the yankees pr director she had been in contact with before, james johnson. juan leaned casually against a sleek glass table, dressed in an indigo yankees hoodie and some jeans while james stood next to him as he talked to juan, his body language telling her that he viewed what he was saying as important. juan didn't look like he was paying much attention to the man.

there was a crowd of his teammates, and many fellow journalists conversing in the room. they were decorated, experienced in this field that she had just made a splash in. despite this, she remained laser focused on soto. he demanded attention—not just as an athlete, but as a man who knew his presence could change the mood of any room.

when his eyes landed on lyra, the temperature of the room seemed to drop. she watched as james nudged juan to go talk to her, like a father would to a child. his lips curled into a smirk as he walked towards her, each step deliberate.

"so you're the one," he said, his voice smooth with a cutting edge. "new york's hardest hitting journalist. or should i say, professional nitpicker?"

she looked up at him, their height difference still apparent, even with heels on. from the sarcastic smile on his face to the way he stood, it was all laced in hostility, which she amused her as she studied him.

"hello?" he added condescendingly, "are you starstruck to see your muse in person?" his sarcasm was apparent, something she would write down later.

so we weren't even going to fake politeness. good. "and you must be baseball's most recent diva. pleasure to finally meet." she offered her hand to shake.

his smile faltered, only for a second, "diva? you're more bold than i thought." he returned the handshake, his hands calloused and warm against her icy and manicured hands.

"bold's my thing." she said. "you'd know that if you read my article," she jabbed, challenging him.

"oh, i read  the article. that part you said my ego was 'inflated as my paycheck' was especially creative."

"thank you." she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eye. "i try to keep it fresh."

"do you try to keep it fake too?" he replied bitterly.

the tension could be cut with a knife. many different people began to glance over and quiet down to listen to their exchange. james quickly noticed, rushing over and interjecting, "alright, alright," stepping between them with a forced smile. "ms. larosa, mr. soto, this is not the place for fireworks, we wouldn't want to  disrupt our professional environment, would we?"

"wouldn't dream of it." lyra quipped in mock sweetness paired with a thin lipped smile.

juan chuckled under his breath, his eyes never leaving hers, "yeah, wouldn't want to give her more to twist, would i?"

lyra shot him a look, "i'm a journalist, it's my job to tell the truth in a world full of lies. the only thing i'm sorry about is not calling you out sooner."

james cleared his throat, "let's sit down, everyone! ms. larosa, would you like a coffee?"

lyra politely declined and the two sat down at the oval conference table with everyone else as they began to settle down for the presentation. she deliberately sat across from juan, refusing to let him intimidate her, not after what she'd written—and not after what has been confirmed in her head now.

james droned on about the importance of the media and how it benefits players and journalists. lyra jotted down some notes absentmindedly, her true focus being on the man slouched across from her.

juan had leaned back in his chair, pen between his fingers. his expression was unreadable, with occasional glances her way that did not escape her notice. what was apparent to her in the moment was his lack of focus on james, which she couldn't really judge too hard for.

finally, james opened the floor for questions and lyra raised her hand, "will we be able to get off the record conversations, or are we limited to appearances and staged interviews?"

the question hung in the air like a challenge, and juan's sharp gaze locked onto her.

james cleared his throat, "we will strive for a balance, but—"

"let her ask what she wants," juan interrupted, his eyes not leaving her. he dared her to take the bait, "i've got nothing to hide."

lyra tilted her head. "that's generous. i hope you keep the same energy when the questions get hard."

the eyes of the people around them lingered, as she heard murmuring across the table, but lyra frankly didn't care. all she wanted to see was how juan would react.

he smiled, refusing to give her the satisfaction of genuine anger. his teeth were stupidly perfect, "try me."

✎ 𓂃

the journalists and players were released, and most of them left, besides lyra. she was watching, no, studying juan as he talked to a group of journalists. every time they finished a sentence, the men burst out into laughter, hanging on soto's every word. she couldn't understand how soto could charm the pants off of these people, then turn around and make haughty comments in press conferences with almost no pushback, and treat his teammates the way that he does. he was different from a player who used performance enhancing drugs or a business owner that exploited workers. this was more complex man that she wished she fully understood.

lyra's heart skipped a beat when his gaze, obviously frustrated and full of attitude, met hers. she panicked, looking up at poster of alex rodriguez above him, acting as if that was what had her attention. she felt a pang of shame to her chest as she crossed her arms awkwardly. why would she let juan scare her like that? he wasn't a criminal, couldn't take her job away, and definitely was not as scary as she just acted like was. 

"enjoy the show?"

lyra jumped as she found soto standing next to her, smirking. what the hell? his hands were shoved deep into his pockets, deceptively relaxed. she started to walk out of the room, but juan followed her.

"it was... enlightening." she replied, her tone remaining even. "but i wouldn't call this a show. not yet." the two were now walking side by side, lyra's speed heightening to lose him, but he matched her pace with ease, easily making long strides. she wasn't scared of him, she tried to tell herself,  just tired of him.

he turned to her, his eyes narrowing, "you've got a lot of opinions, larosa. but opinions aren't facts."

"and yet, the opinions and facts in my article seemed to bother you so much," she shot back, shrugging, "maybe you should unpack that."

juan stopped. despite her previous desire for solitude, she stopped too, giving him a confused look. for a moment, he said nothing, his expression unclear. then he smiled, a slow, deliberate curve of his lips sent a shiver down her spine.

"keep digging, journalist." he said quietly, leaning closer to her, "but be mindful, you might not like what you find."

he walked away before she could respond, leaving her standing in the empty hallway with her heart pounding. lyra clutched her notepad tight, her resolve hardening. if juan soto thought he could scare her off, he had no idea who he was dealing with.

this wasn't just a story anymore, it was a challenge. and lyra never backed down from a challenge.