Ship to Wreck

3

I'll be there in five. Sorry, I had an unexpected student conference.

Christian smiled at the text – his heart speeding up a bit just reading a written message from her. He took a sip of coffee before typing out a response.

No problem. What do you want to drink?

If she was running behind, he knew he should at least be a gentleman and have a beverage waiting for her when she arrived.

Americano with coconut milk. I'm paying you back this time, though.

Christian chuckled at her insistence before getting up to place her order. Shortly after he returned to his table with her steaming drink in hand, he saw her making her way towards him. He couldn't help but smile, and he also couldn't will his heart rate to stabilize. "Hey," he greeted her, trying embarrassingly hard to sound as casual as possible.

"Hello," she said, returning his smile and sliding into a chair across from him; she made even the simplest actions look sophisticated somehow. "How was the gym?" she asked him while taking a sip of the coffee that awaited her.

"Good, good. It was leg day. Always pretty tough for me," he muttered and motioned toward his legs while he nervously tapped his fingers on the table.

She laughed and gave him a big smile, "Yeah, you're very tall, so I can only imagine how difficult it is to squat. Anyway, how much do I owe you? And thank you, by the way, I really needed the caffeine tonight."

Her tone was so friendly, and her voice was so sweet. He could feel himself blushing, and there was nothing to really blush about; why was he being like this? "What's it like working with teenagers all day?" he asked while avoiding her attempt at paying him back. He was genuinely interested in what she had to say about her job. He usually didn't spend time with women who had actual jobs . . .

Her infectious smile grew even bigger as she thought about the kids she taught. "Incredible. I mean, they can be obnoxious because everything is constantly changing for them, but they're so curious and open-minded. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. They're my favorite people."

"Wait, not your boyfriend? Parents? Siblings?" Christian challenged her with a laugh all while attempting to learn more about her.

"Well, Kyle is up there. We've been together a long time . . . Almost seven years now? But he's definitely neither curious nor open-minded. He's a cop and very stuck in his ways, actually."

Christian nodded,making a mental note that her boyfriend's name was Kyle. "Mad respect to him for being a cop. Law enforcement is important." He could have sworn he saw her cringe ever so slightly at his words. "I mean, I'm sure he's a great cop if you're dating him."

What was a cringe turned into a small smirk. "He works hard." She knew she needed to change the topic or else she'd go off on a tangent about the police. "So, I know you play baseball . . . But what other interests do you have besides baseball?" There has to be something, she thought to herself.

"Honestly, there's not much time for anything else when you're at this level. It's baseball and preparing to play baseball." He shrugged. "I mean, I like music and movies, but I'm not an expert on them or anything. I watch a lot of other sports," he attempted to make himself sound well-rounded. But he knew he wasn't. He knew the woman sitting in front of him was much more interesting than he was. Her hair. Her makeup. Her style. The cadence of her voice. Her mannerisms. They all told that story.

"I mean, it's good to have something to be passionate about," she said. "There's nothing wrong with baseball being your one true love."

Christian nodded. "What are you passionate about?"

"Lots of things. Education, art, politics, civil rights . . ." She shrugged.

"I'm not informed on most of those things, so I guess you'll have to teach me more about them."

"I can do that," she agreed with a nod and grin. Her lips.

"Did you know who I was when we literally ran into each other at Chipotle?" he changed the subject -- not quite ready to talk about politics with someone who was probably much more knowledgeable than him.

"Actually, no. You looked really familiar, but I couldn't make the connection. I don't have a lot of time to follow professional sports, but I grew up playing sports. I'm out of the loop on the Brewers, I hate to admit."

"You played softball, I'm guessing, since you coach at Rufus King?"

She smiled. "Yes! I played at UChicago, which is where I went to college. Shortstop."

"Good defense, huh?"

She nodded. "Better than my bat, but that wasn't horrible either," she sarcastically bragged.

Christian couldn't get enough of hearing her voice or looking into her bright, green eyes. He didn't care if her relationship status didn't permit him to make a move . . . Just being around her was enough right now. "You should show me in the cages sometime," he dared her.

"Is that a challenge?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"It is."

"If you can make that happen, I'm there," she said, legitimately excited at the thought.

"I can definitely make it happen." There was no way he'd waste an opportunity to spend more time with her.

When they parted ways for the evening after an hour of solid getting-to-know-you conversation, Christian laughed when she offered her hand for a parting handshake. "Is this how you say goodbye to all your friends?"

"I mean, yeah, I have to assert my dominance somehow, right?"

Christian laughed harder when he realized she had slipped a five-dollar bill into his hand during the shake. "You're really something else. Can I see you again soon?" Please say yes.

"Of course. You have to let me show you my insane softball skills, remember?"

"I don't think it's fair for me to give you that much of an advantage. I think I'm going to make you hit baseballs instead."

"It's a friend date, then," she agreed.

And it would be. She could use a new good friend, as all her friends were scattered across the country. She also needed someone to talk to outside of Kyle and coworkers . . .

And Christian's only friends were connected to baseball or women he used for sex.

They found each other for a reason.