by Nella Tyler
Connie laughed, “You're not an idiot. You were happy; you can't blame yourself for that. Besides, Bennett is a big boy, he should have known better. Did he really expect a manager to snap him up with that behavior? It's just ridiculous for him to have done something like that.”
“Well, that's what brings me to today.”
“Seriously? It's connected? That can't be good.”
“Nope. So Bennett and I are finishing up some serious sexy time when there's a knock on the door.”
Connie is smiling as I tell her the story. “It's not just regular knocking, either. Someone is practically trying to punch down the door. So Bennett goes to answer it, and here is the weird thing, he tells me to stay put.”
Connie frowned. “Why?”
I shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe he had a feeling about who it was at the door and didn't want me involved. Anyways, I stay in his bedroom while he goes out. But I cracked open the door just a little so that I could hear what was going on.”
“Good girl,” Connie says while laughing.
“So, Bennett opens the door and in walks my dad with Bennett’s coach following right behind him.”
“Oh my God, no! What was your dad doing there in the first place?”
“Well, I guess my dad's in town to watch Bennett's game. Maybe he's seriously considering signing him up now. Either way, I don't know because I haven't talked to him yet.” I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. “I guess my dad randomly went to Bennett's practice yesterday to watch him and found out he wasn't there. What made matters worse is he went to talk to his coach and found out that he had missed the past four practices. He was steaming mad when he showed up at Bennett's place today. He practically yelled at Bennett the whole time about his priorities and telling him his talent meant nothing.”
Connie roared with laughter. “Oh my God, you must have wanted to die. How did Bennett take it?”
“Pretty well, considering, but what's he going to do? He has his idol standing before him telling him that he's a moron. He can't exactly argue the point. Anyways, Bennett gave him some BS excuse about why he missed and said it would never happen again.”
“Wow. That's intense.”
“Yeah, the best part was when my dad was leaving, he told Bennett not to worry about girls. That there were plenty in the big leagues when he got there.”
Connie's mouth dropped open before she started laughing again. “He didn't? Oh your dad is a keeper, for sure. He says the most priceless things.”
“Tell me about it. Wait until he finds out I have been the 'girl' this whole time. I almost wanted to walk out there and shame him on the spot, but I was afraid of getting hit with crossfire.”
“Oh, what are you going to do?”
“I have no idea but that's the least of my worries,” I said with a laugh.
“There's more?”
“Oh, I haven’t even got to the bad news yet. So, my dad leaves and Bennett comes back in the room. He has no idea I've been listening the entire time. I ask him what my father wanted, and he says that my dad was just checking in with him and wanted to see how he was doing.”
“What? He didn't tell you about the outburst? Did he assume you were deaf or something?”
I smiled. “No, he just gave me some BS reasons for my father being there and left out the whole argument. He basically lied to me about why my father was there. I gave him every opportunity I could to be honest with me and he just kept lying.”
“What the hell? I can't believe he would do that.”
“Neither can I.”
Connie took a sip of her wine, taking it all in. “Maybe we are drawing the wrong conclusions about the whole thing.”
“What are you talking about, Connie?”
“Maybe you shouldn't be too hard on him.”
My mouth fell open. “How can I not be? He lied to me. I'm a little surprised that you would say that.”
“I know. I'm just full of surprises.”
“Seriously, what are you thinking?” I took a large gulp of wine, finishing off my glass. Connie refilled it for me, which I was eternally grateful for.
“Work with me here. By the sounds of it, he was just trying to help you.”
“Come again? Where are you getting this from?”
“Look, I'm trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt and maybe you should, too. Let’s not forget the fact that he is crazy about you and has no history of being a douchebag.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Emma, it's obvious that Bennett needs to rearrange his priorities, I think he got that wake-up call this morning. Can we agree on that?” I nodded. “Okay, so he needs to get his head on straight and focus on what he needs to do to get back on track. Maybe being embarrassed was bad enough for him and he doesn't want to burden you with it all. Maybe he just wants to fix all this crap and have you be none the wiser to his fuck-ups.”
“Wow, nicely said.”
“What you also seem to forget was that he has to deal with your father. Imagine how embarrassed he would have been to have to explain to you that your father just came over to rip him a new one? That wouldn't have been easy for anyone to do. Men have a lot of pride; they don't want to be embarrassed in front of their girlfriend – especially by their girl’s father.”
I hadn't thought about it that way. Connie certainly had shed a new light on things. I would have to take what she said into consideration.
“I guess you are right. I never really thought about it that way.”
“Just wait it out and see what happens. You can always bail later on if you want to.”
I laughed. “I guess so. You want to go to the game?”
“Sure, let's go.”
We finished out wine and started to get ready to go.
Chapter Two
The game was thrilling; I loved baseball, and I was even more excited that Connie had decided to come with me. She wasn't a fan of the game in general, so I was really impressed that she had decided to come along. The crowd was going wild as usual and there was a good vibe. It was easy to feed into the energy and get yourself in a great mood after a bad day. That was what I loved about live sports – the energy in the crowds was amazing. We got ourselves a beer and some nachos and settled into our seats. From where we were sitting, I could practically see the sweat glistening on Bennett's brow. The team was winning, as usual. Bennett was holding the team together with his pitching, and Connie and I were cheering them on. I cheered as if there was nothing bad going on between Bennett and me. I just wanted him to do well and win, prove my father wrong. Show him that he could do just about anything that he wanted to do.
Bennett was pitching a nearly perfect game and my throat was becoming hoarse with all the screaming I was doing. The other team wasn't even coming close to making a big win. I knew that Bennett would win, and he would probably be celebrating all night.
We were finishing our third beers when the last run came in; Bennett's team won by a landslide.
I stood up to clap, beaming with pride. I couldn't have been happier for Bennett; he did so well, despite his missed practices.
Not only was I proud of his game and talent, but also I was proud to be his girlfriend. He had done amazing that night and I was his girl. It made me smile that much broader. He was so professional when he was out on the field. It didn't matter that he had made some mistakes, he always put his all in when he was playing a game and in the end, I think that was what was most important. I had been to hundreds of games throughout my life and I had seen many great players come and go, but I knew that Bennett was something special. I had no doubt in my mind that Bennett was on his way to the major leagues.
Chapter Three
Connie and I headed down to the field to talk with Bennett. I was still jazzed about Bennett's win and couldn't wait to congratulate him about it. I didn't want things to be weird between us anymore, I just wanted tonight to be great. I was happy for him because he deserved a great c
areer in baseball. I walked up to him when he was amongst his teammates and he saw me approaching.
“Hey, babe, how are you?” He was smiling at me.
I smiled back at him. I ran to him and hugged him hard. I went to him and kissed his mouth. He tasted amazing and it made me think about the last night we were together. Maybe we could have a reunion tonight. It would be a great way to celebrate his win.
He smiled, but there was something off about his smile. It made me feel weird, and I had a hard time reading him. He was certainly affectionate with me, but something was a little off with him. He was holding my hand as we talked, and it was still warm from his pitching. I looked up at him and his gaze wavered. He didn't seem to be his normal self and I wondered if he was still worried about what had happened earlier that morning. He shouldn't be, he played a great game and if my father was watching, he would have been very pleased. Speaking of my father, why hadn't I heard from him? Had he intended on coming to town just for Bennett and didn't bother to contact me at all? That was just as weird, but maybe he had been too busy to get together with me. I wish he would have called, though. I could have talked to him and maybe grabbed a coffee with him. But I wasn't going to worry about my father just then.
“That was a great game, Bennett. I don't see too many of them, but it's obviously this is where you should be. I really liked it, so congratulations.” Connie was beaming at him.
“Thanks, Connie.” He walked over and hugged her.
“Yeah, I agree. You did awesome, baby. You should be very proud.” I rubbed his back and started thinking once again about being with Bennett that night. I could certainly help his sore muscles.
“Thanks, Emmi. I always am.”
“Do you want to go out with us? Go and do something?”
He paused for a moment. “I actually think I'm going to pass.”
“Really? You aren't going to go out and celebrate at all? We don't have to go out. Maybe we can just stay in and watch a movie. That would be fun.” I was surprised that he seemed so uninterested in doing anything with me. I hoped that he wasn't still upset about what my father said to him. My father could be harsh sometimes – he was often right, but he could still be harsh.
“No. I think I need to go and catch up on some sleep. Have a good night, ladies.” He kissed me on the cheek and headed off with his friends. I stared after him, unsure of what to say or do. His behavior seemed strange, but what could I do about it? He didn't seem to want to do anything. He always wanted to hang out with me, so what was wrong? Had my dad really got to him in regards to dating while playing baseball? I hoped not. I was genuinely worried about Bennett and my relationship with him.
I turned to Connie. “Do you think everything is okay?” She could see the look of concern on my face.
She shrugged. “Who knows? He seemed a little off, but like I said, maybe he needs some time to get his head straight. Remember what I said before?”
“Well, I hope he does it fast.”
“Don't read too much into it. I'm sure everything is going to be all right. He probably has a lot on his mind. Do you blame him? He had a shitty morning. Don't worry about it until you have to.”
I nodded. Connie was always right.
Chapter Four
The next couple of weeks were really confusing for me. Things were not any better between Bennett and I, and I really couldn't figure it out. I worried that he was still hung up on things with my dad, but why wasn't he talking to me about it?
Bennett appeared to be pulling away from me more and more each day, and I didn't know why. I had been more than supportive the past few weeks, and I didn't bring up the fight he had with my dad. He just seemed to be losing interest in the relationship and it was heartbreaking to watch. I wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong.
I knew he had been going through a lot the past few months and I didn't want to be that girlfriend that always nagged him, but something was really wrong. I tried to remember what Connie had said about Bennett needing to get his head straight and prioritize his life. I was totally okay with that – I wanted whatever was best for him. It just hadn’t occurred to me that when he prioritized his life, I may be something he let go of. The thought of it drove me nuts because I couldn't understand why he would make a decision like that. But it was the only way to describe his current behavior.
He never missed a practice again, which I never doubted he would after my father showed up at his place. The problem was, lately he seemed to cancel our dates for extra practices. I was all for Bennett going to his practices, but I didn't believe for a minute that he was the type of player that needed additional practice. He had talent, after all, so I couldn't figure out why he was busting his balls. I couldn't help but take it personally. The other boys weren't even in on these extra practices for the most part, which made it all that much stranger. He would just go into the field on his own time and use a machine to pitch.
It hurt my feelings when he did this. I tried to understand, but I could only see it as something bad for our relationship. I wasn't sure we were going to survive it.
I tried to deal with it as best I could in the beginning because I knew he was a little stressed after being caught missing practices. That was totally understandable. But I had expected him to just go back to doing normal practices and that was it. He was now killing himself on the field, and I thought it was totally unnecessary. I was starting to worry that my dad had really got in his head. What was next? Would he break up with me to focus solely on the game? After all, there were plenty of girls in the big leagues. Right, Dad?
I wanted him to do his best, and I tried to support him as best I could, but as the days turned to weeks, I was finding it hard to stick by him. He had left me feeling abandoned, and I didn't think I deserved it. I had stood by Bennett even though he had lied to me because I believed in our relationship, and now it seemed like it was all for nothing.
I thought Bennett was different from the men I had dated before, but it wasn't looking that way. The feeling of being abandoned reminded me of how lonely I had felt with the other men I dated. I had vowed I would never put myself in that position again, I wouldn't date another guy like that, and there I was doing just that. I didn't know how I had managed to do it all over again, but there I was, seemingly being dropped by another guy I cared about.
Sadly, the only time I saw him lately was when I needed to get a quote for the paper. I was still covering the team and submitting articles.
I had to consider the fact that Bennett was taking my father’s advice, he just hadn't got around to cluing me in yet. I wanted him to be happy and I was gladly willing to support him, but I didn't want to lose him in that process, either. The best thing I could do right now was to support him as much as possible in the hopes that I could prevent him from pulling away from me completely. I was determined to support him, but at the same time, I was losing my heart. My heart just wasn't in it anymore.
Chapter Five
Connie and I sipped on some delicious white wine as she straightened my hair with the flat iron. I had to admit I looked rather fetching. I loved when Connie did my hair for me. It was the first real date that I was going to have with Bennett in weeks and I was overly excited. I rarely did my hair because it took more effort than I was willing to spend on it. I normally dressed conservatively with a casual air. Connie was doing my hair and makeup and it was more than I could have asked for. I wondered if Bennett would even recognize me in my racy attire.
When Connie finished putting the finishing touches on my makeup, I turned to look in the mirror. I had smoky-eyed makeup with red lipstick. I was astounded with how well it all looked with my blonde hair.
“My God, you should do this professionally.” I couldn't believe how great I looked – I was like some model out of a magazine.
“Don't be silly, you're a knockout. You just don't use what has been given to women to emphasize what we already have. Believe me, Bennett is going to go nuts looking at you
.”
“He's certainly in for a surprise...”
“Emmi, you are going to knock his socks off and if you're lucky, you can get him back on track with you.”
“Well, I appreciate your help here. I would have been lost without you. So what am I going to wear?”
“Well, I dug something out of my closet, and I don't want any arguments.”
When I walked out of the bathroom Connie gasped, “Oh my God, girl, you look so hot.”
“Yes, but I can barely breathe.”
“That is the torturous life of a female, after all. I'm afraid you will have to deal with it. Don't act like you have never been in a dress before.”
“Well I have, but you don't think this is a little too short?”
“Look, I think you have been living life in the sporty world for too long. No, it's a cocktail dress, not club wear. You will be fine. You want that to get Bennett's attention, don't you? Remind him what a hottie you are.”
“Don't start, okay? God, Connie, I miss him so much. I feel like it's all falling apart.”
“Yes, I know. I don't know what's going on with that boy, but you are going to stoke his fire in that dress.”
I laughed. “Oh, hell yeah.”
“Come on, Emmi. As soon as you open the door, his mouth is going to drop. Don't sell yourself short. Just because you have brains doesn't mean you can't look hot, too.”
I beamed at her. “Now you better get out of here before my date arrives.”
We hugged and she left. I finished my wine while I waited for Bennett.
It wasn't long before I heard a knock on the door and I let Bennett in. He produced a dozen yellow roses that lit me up inside. Wow, how long had it been since I received roses from him? And yellow, how unusual. I couldn't help but grin, the gesture alone sent chills up my spine.