the rookie | andrew benintendi

xxi | shattering

"Fuck, Andrew," Ari groaned, running her fingers through her hair, "What are we gonna do?"

Her hands were shaking as she held her phone, reading the headline over and over again.

Red Sox Romance? Stars Andrew Benintendi and Ari Rowe Caught Kissing During Team Event

She hadn't meant for it to happen; neither of them had. They had done so well while in public, managing to stay away from each other as much as possible because she was so terrified of what would happen. She'd been so careful, trying to hide the heart eyes she knew she gave him and making sure she wasn't too obvious. She knew that if anyone knew she so much as had feelings for him, she'd be screwed.

Maybe they'd gotten a little too drunk that night. Maybe she'd gotten a little too close. Maybe in their drunken state, she'd thought they were alone. Either way, it didn't change that fact that they been caught, and caught in a casino with fans around, at that. How could she had been so stupid?

Andrew sat next to her, rubbing her back as she hid her face in her hands. Sure, he was nervous about how this would all turn out, too, but he knew Ari was taking this 100 times harder than he was. Ari cared so, so much about what others thought of her, and sometimes Andrew wished that he could just take that away from her for a little while.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered, leaning his head on her shoulder as he reached over and clicked her phone off. He took it from her hands and set it on the table before leaning up to kiss her jaw.

They had only arrived at their home in St. Louis thirty minutes prior. They had spent the weekend in Connecticut for the team event, Winter Weekend, but still had a few weeks until they planned to fly down to Florida for spring training. Usually, Ari would have been excited about getting travel somewhere warm and play baseball again, but she was dreading it. Baseball meant media, which she was not looking forward to.

"When they allowed us to continue dating, I'm sure they were ready for this," Andrew continued, breaking the silence. "They'll know what to do."

"I know that," she mumbled in response, finally looking up at him, "but what about the fans?"

Andrew's gaze softened further and Ari turned in her chair to face him, leaning up against the kitchen island counter. "Please don't worry about that, Ari."

She sighed. "You know I can't just forget about it, Andrew. It's a reputation thing, y'know? I'm shattering it right now, I can tell."

"Listen, Ari," he began, placing a hand on her thigh. "I know you care, I really do, but what people think of you isn't everything. Who cares whether people like you or not? Are you happy with yourself? Because that's what truly matters. You're a star, Ari, and this isn't going to change that, no matter what people think of it. You can't hide who you love. People should be able to understand that."

Ari looked him in the eyes, taking in the sympathetic look in his eyes as he reached up, touching the side of her face. She hadn't even realized she had been crying until his thumb brushed against her cheek, wiping a warm tear away.

"You're right," she told him, attempting a shaky smile, "you're always right."

He smiled softly. "I know."

Their moment was interrupted when Ari's phone buzzed loudly against the countertop, signaling the both of them of a text. She looked over, reaching to pick it up as Andrew leaned up to kiss her temple. She smiled at the gesture, but that quickly faded as she saw the text. She flipped her phone around to show the text from her agent.

I thought I made myself clear.

"Fire her," Andrew said simply, and if she hadn't felt so overwhelmed with emotion, she would have laughed.

"I want to," she admitted softly, as Andrew's thumb brushed over her knuckles in a comforting manner. "I don't know who I'd hire, though."

"I could talk to my agent, Jason," he offered. "I'm not sure if he's looking for other players, but I could ask. I'm sure he'd at least consider you."

Ari thought for a moment before responding, "yeah. That'd be good."

"Alright," Andrew replied. "I'll see what I can do."

Silence fell between them for a few moments, both of them just taking in the moment. It was moments like this where Ari realized how lucky she really was. Andrew was everything she could have imagined and more. On the outside, Andrew was shy. He kept to himself, for the most part, doing his job like everyone expected him to. When they were alone, however, he was different in an almost indescribable way.

"I don't know how I'd get through this without you," she told him softly, smiling as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"You'd manage," he told her as he pulled away, "but I prefer that I'm here next to you and not someone else."

She grinned, chuckling as she hopped off her seat and walked into the bedroom. He followed her, making sure to flick the kitchen lights off first. By the time he walked into their bedroom she had hidden under the covers, curled up on what she had established as her side of the bed.

He chuckled, stripping himself of his shirt before climbing into bed next to her. He couldn't contain his grin when her head peeked out of the white sheets, her hair blocking her vision as she tried to see past it.

"Looking good, baby," he teased, his smile never faltering.

It was small moments like these when he realized how madly in love with her he was. Ariella Rowe was like no other woman that he'd ever met, and though it sounded cliche, he believed every word. She was a star. She shined in a sport that had been dominated by men for years, and on the field, she never faltered. She was so, so strong, even if she didn't believe it. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

"I love you," she mumbled, and Andrew briefly wondered if she was reading his mind.

He smiled, moving closer to her and wrapping his arms around her. "I love you, too, and no one's going to change that."

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12.16.17