Once Upon A Dream (Kris Bryant)

14- Leave Her Alone

Kris

"Okay. Would you rather have Clayton Kershaw or or Chris Sale against you on the mound with the tying run on third and only one out left in the game" Jayden asks as we sit on the couch and play this game where we ask impossible questions.

"I don't know because they're both left handed and they both love to strike people out. But I'll have to say Kershaw just because his stuff is nasty but Sale is down right disgusting" I admit.

"True enough" she admits.

We turn back to the movie we were watching and snack on some pop corn. We were watching Jurassic world and both kind of geeking out. We've bonded over a lot of things in our time together, and Jurassic Park was one of them. So we promised we would watch this movie together to experience it for the first time.

Since both of us were gaining popularity in our respective fields we found it was easier to just stay home. Don't get me wrong, we go out, but only when we needed to. And most days we didn't need to.

I grab a handful of popcorn from her lap and pop it in my mouth. A sudden wave of courage comes over me and instead of putting my arm down I wrap it around her shoulders. She scoots herself closer without ever taking her eyes off the tv. She rests her head on my shoulder and I wrap my fingers around her arm. She continues to watch the movie but I was watching her. It was so natural, being together like this. She acted like it was nothing so maybe it was...

"Hey Kris... I need to talk to you. Alone."

I turn and see Anthony standing there not looking too happy. I mentally groan and take my arm away from Jayden.

"Anthony" she begs.

"Not a word from you. Go to your room" he demands.

"I am twenty four years old, you can't just send me to my room" she insists.

"Go" he repeats.

"You guys are going to talk about me anyway, I might as well be here for-" she tries.

"Leave" he snaps and she sighs. She peels herself off the couch and marches to her room. She gives me on last sad look before slamming her door shut.

"Why do you do that to her" I ask. I really hated when he talked to her like she was his property or something. I know he's the brother figure is but the bottom line is he's not her brother.

"Why do you keep doing things I told you not to do" he counters.

"Answer my question first" I insist.

"I'm just protecting her" he defends.

"From what? Because I can't hurt her half as much as you have been this past month and a half" I claim.

"You definitely can. You don't know her like I do" he argues.

"Because you won't let me! I can barley even be friends with her without you threatening me or staring me down or interrupting."

"You're just not good for her!"

"I have no idea what I am for her because you won't let me find out. You keep saying you don't like her like that but as soon as someone else try's to show her any type of affection you turn into this prick who acts like shes your property. It's kind of insulting."

"She trusts me because I'm right about these things. It's the same reason she still isn't with you even if she wanted to be. I can be harsh sometimes, I get that. But it's tough love. She understands because she knows I'm right, she knows that a pretty boy like you can do some damage. Any guy can look at her and say they want to be with her. Any guy who gets to know her will like her. Don't think you're special."

"I know I'm not special. But she makes me feel special, that's the difference. And at this point I'm not even that upset that we aren't supposed to be together, not as much as I am upset that you aren't letting her be who should be. What she's doing is hard enough... without any help from you."

"I'm protecting her. Get that through your thick head. Her parents sent her here and I promised that I won't let anything happen to her. And getting her heart broken is on the top of my list."

"She's a adult and more than capable of handling a relationship."

"Don't you think if you were meant to be with her you would be by now? I don't see her making moves on you half as much as you do to her."

"It's because she loves you so much and she doesn't want you to be upset with her. For some reason she trusts you a whole of a lot more than I ever would. I love you like a brother Anthony, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. I know we're only fighting because it's about something we both care about. But I'm to the point that I don't know how much longer I can bite my tongue. I don't know how many more times I can pull away before we kiss and actually find out how we're really feeling. You can't tell me she doesn't feel anything towards me, I know she does. I hear it in her voice and I see it in her eyes. And the fact that you're denying her her right to express that is more painful than anything I could do to her"

"She's accepted the fact that you guys can't be together and I don't get why you don't get it. You just don't get it, you're not understanding how bad you can hurt her" he yells.

"Nothing hurts worse than wanting to be with someone and constantly be reminded that you can't" I whisper. I look out into his eyes and I can tell he wasn't expecting that. "I know what I'm capable of, I know the dangers of being in a relationship being a professional athlete. But none of that matters to me. Even if she really has started to believe that we can't be together I will never accept that. She's a great girl and deserves to be shown that. And somehow, someway she will see what I see in her" I promise.

"Leave her alone" he threatens.

"I think I know what your problem is" I claim and he scoffs.

"This should be good" he claims.

"I think you're afraid that her and I would be better than you and her" I accuse and he laughs.

"That would never happen" he insists.

"Not if you won't let us be together" I say and he stops.

For the first time he looked upset, like I hit a nerve in him. He looks me up and down before turning around. Without a word he walks out the door and slamming it behind him.

I let out a sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I didn't want that to happen but I'm not going to lie, it felt great to get that out.

I hear the door squeak open and little footsteps come down the hall. Jayden appears and she looks up to me like she just heard her mom and Dad fight for the first time.

"I hate conflict" she admits and I laugh.

"Yeah. Me too usually. But if I would have kept that in much longer it would have been way worse" I admit.

"Did you really mean that" she asks.

"Which part" I wonder. I meant all of it but I need to know what one she's referring to.

"The part when you said you're not going to give up on me" she reiterates.

"A hundred percent" I assure her and she smiles. She stands on her tip toes and places a kiss on my cheek before waking towards the door.

"Where are you going" I ask.

"I gotta go get my best friend. He might be a idiot, but he's my idiot" she says and I laugh. "Oh, and Kris" she says.

"Yeah Jay" I reply.

"Thank you" she smiles.