The Baseball Player and Me

3|

Caroline

"I LOVE THIS SONG!"

I grabbed my best friend's hand and pulled, away from the chairs we were seated at with a group of friends and towards the center of the living room. A song by some band I was unsure of was playing a Top 20 hit, and my hips began to move to the beat.

Cassidy nodded and moved along with me, shimmying her shoulders and holding her drink above her head as she danced. "Who sings this?" she shouted over the music.

"No idea!" I yelled back, backing up to the guy behind me, dancing against him playfully while he stood motionless, a drink in his hand. He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled, turned around and began to dance with me. I recognized him from Honors English, but didn't know his name.

We were at a house party. Courtney's boyfriend, Jace, and her brother, Carter, played baseball with the guy—Ty Something. We tagged along, and drank along, and were having a good time.

The living room was becoming more and more crowded as the song continued to play, and when someone bumped into Cassidy, she subsequently spilled her drink, all over her, my white top that she wore, and the guy dancing behind her.

"What the fuck, dude?" the broad-shouldered, dark-haired guy said, loud enough to be heard over the music. He turned around to tower over Cassidy, all five foot two inches of her. She was nearly in tears as she looked down at my stained top, and I protectively pulled away from the guy I was dancing with and put my hand on her forearm, letting her know I wasn't worried about my shirt, and ready to defend her from this obviously upset guy.

As he turned our way, I realized his features looked familiar... dark hair, light eyes, cute smile. This was the guy from the coffee shop a few weeks ago. This was Rhett Ryan.

His reaction adjusted as our eyes met.

"I'm so sorry!" Cassidy slurred, standing on her tiptoes and placing her hands on Rhett's chest. She was very drunk.

"It's okay..." he trailed, talking to Cassidy, his eyes still locked on mine.

Cassidy looked at him and then at me, removing her hands from his chest and stepping back.

"Hey, it's Caroline, right?" he smirked.

"Right. Rhett." I answered, meeting his grin.

"I owe you a drink!" Cassidy stood on her tiptoes so that Rhett could hear her.

He looked her way and raised his eyebrows.

"Let me get it for him," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the crowd.

**

Rhett

Caroline's hand molded right into mine as she led me through the the house, quite similar to the way her body molded perfectly into that tight black skirt she wore. It accentuated her curves perfectly, and I only looked away once, turning to see her friend, the one who had spilled the drink, dancing her way to a group of people.

Caroline squeezed her way down the hall and into the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty. She dropped my hand as she made her way to the refrigerator, bending at her back to look inside.

I just watched, enjoying the view.

"What do you want? Whiskey and Coke? Vodka and Sprite? Beer?" she called out to me.

I stood beside her, and bent down to her level. "You look hot," I drunkenly muttered into her ear.

She revealed a small smile and stood upright. "What do you want?" she asked, hip bumping me. We stared into the refrigerator.