Smile (Kris Bryant)

Chapter Nineteen| Guys Like You

Kris

I sit in my hotel room waiting for Alex to get done training with David over at the Great American Ball Park. He didn't catch today and wanted to get work in so he'll be ready for his next game. He needed the work. The only bad thing about this situation I am in is the fact I have to share my girlfriend with forty some dudes.

To pass the time I go through my phone catching up on other games and standings and  stuff like that. The door between mine and Anthony's opens and he heads straight to the fridge. It was then I questioned why I alway room next to him.

"Sure, come on in" I laugh and he finds whatever he was looking for. He sits next to me with a Gatorade and a apple and just looks at me.

"Why are you just sitting in silence" he asks. I had no lights or tv on so it was a but gloomy in here. I guess I never got around to it.

"I'm waiting for Alex to get back from work to do something" I shrug.

"You know, sometimes you sound more like her dad than her boyfriend. You wait in her hand and foot and it's kind of weird. You don't have to watch over her like all the time" he says and I sigh. He knows some of the things that's happened but not all of that. Still he should know why we were so close.

"I kind of do" I defend.

"She's 23, she can hold her own" he claims.

"It's not that simple" I try.

"How? You love her and she loves you. That's more than what most couples have" he claims.

"It's more than that though. It's... it's... I don't have to explain this to you" I sigh.

"I'm just saying man. You shouldn't waiting on her like a puppy, that doesn't sound like a good relationship. You guys are moving pretty fast and I don't want you doing something stupid" he claims. I slowly turn to him and squint my eyes.

"You don't know what you're talking about" I claim.

"I only know what I know. And I know that you two were almost a thing while she was engaged. I know that as soon as she called that off she moved in with you and you guys got together. I know that all you talk about is her, if she's okay or she's happy. What do you expect me to think" he asks.

"That we are decent enough of people that have a relationship not based off of messing around or pure infatuation. That I care about her not because she can't take care of herself but that I like looking over her even if she doesn't need me to. You know what her ex did to her" I nearly yell.

"I do. And I know that you helped her out afterwards. But this all seems like more than you getting her better. It's you not knowing boundaries when someone has a ring in their finger. It's her mysteriously moving in with you as soon as she breaks it off with her fiancé of four years. It's like you can't function unless she is near you" he insists.

"Well you're wrong. I can do things on my own but I know they're better when I do them with her by my side. That's love, and that's what our relationship is based off of.

You really want to know why I worry about her so much? Because while you and everyone else watched this happen to her I was the only one who actually did something."

"Yeah, because you liked her. Even though she was engaged..."

"He put that ring on her finger and threatened to hurt her and whoever got involved if she took it off. And she believed him because she watched him beat her shitless every day for years if she said something, cutting off any ties to anyone who could possibly help her. And when she finally got enough courage to get the ring off she threw it at his head. You can't possibly believe that I'm doing all of this just because she's pretty and because I like her."