The Bridesmaid

47|The First Goodbye

The day had finally come for Spring Training to start. It was a bitter sweet feeling for Anthony for the first time. He had never been the guy who left someone back home. He was always just alone, so when the day finally came to leave Natalia, it was hard. He wanted to be excited about playing baseball with his best friends and teammates, and he was. He just wasn't as excited as he normally was.

It was equally as bitter sweet for Natalia as she watched him pack. She wished that she could travel with him, the way Jessie did with Kris, but ultimately couldn't because of school. Yet even though it was sad to see him go for a few weeks, she refused to let it show. After all, one of them had to be the strong one and hold it together.

Natalia's train of thought was interrupted when her phone rang in her purse. She got up from her spot on Anthony's bed, and into the kitchen where her purse sat on the counter.

"Hello," she asked as she answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Why the hell am I looking at your ear," came Adriana's voice as she soon erupted into a fit of giggles.

Natalia was confused until she moved the phone and realized it was a FaceTime call. She moved the phone from her ear to her face as she held it up in front of her and sat down on one of the stools surrounding the counter.

"What's going on, Dri," she asked.

"What are you doing today?"

"I have to go pick up Kris and Jess, and then take them and Anthony to the airport," Natalia shrugged as she went through all the things on her agenda. "I'm just going to study for midterms after that. Probably order in. Maybe Chinese? I don't know, we'll see."

"Well, aside from midterms, count me in," Adriana beamed. "Kylie's at some clinical thing tonight, and I really don't want to be alone." She paused as she lowered her voice and said, "Plus I think you don't want to be alone tonight either."

Natalia laughed at the look on Adriana's face as she nodded slightly. "I guess you're right. You, me, Chinese food, and Fuller House?"

"Not the new one though," Adriana said with a scowl on her face. "The original is way better."

"Alright, I got it," Natalia laughed as she looked at the time displayed in the center of her screen. "I'll talk to you later tonight, Ade. It's getting late, and I still have to pick up KB and Jess."

"Go do your thing," Adriana smiled as she blew a kiss and then the screen went blank.

Natalia sighed lightly as she put her phone back into her purse and walked back into Anthony's room only to meet him halfway as he walked out with his bags.

"We're ready to go," Natalia asked as she tried to keep the dismay from her voice. She knew he felt bad enough already, and didn't want to make him feel worse.

"Yeah," Anthony absentmindedly nodded. "Let's just call KB and Jess when we get to the car."

Natalia nodded as she turned back down the way she came and grabbed her purse from the kitchen. She grabbed the keys Anthony had given her and added them to her normal key ring.

Neither one of them said a word as Natalia walked out and handed Anthony the keys to his apartment to lock the door. It was silent as they made their way to the elevator, and neither of them moved a muscle until an older woman got on the elevator. Natalia sent her a brief smile, but then went back to ignoring the world as the elevator made its journey to the lobby.

After what felt like an eternity, the two made it to the lobby, and got off after the older woman. Natalia sent a small smile at the doorman as they passed and walked out to her Range Rover.