Tag Forever Mine

by Catherine Charles

  I nod my head as if she can see me. “Thanks Mom. I guess I needed to be reminded. Listen, I’ve got to go get ready for tonight’s game. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Love you, dear.”

  – Six Hours Later –

  The game ends, and as I make my way into the locker room coach yells out to meet him in his office after I get cleaned up. My mind races, wondering if I messed up somewhere, trying to think of any reason why I may be getting cut, trying to imagine the worst possible scenario so hopefully I’ll be relieved when it’s something else.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  “Take a seat, West.”

  Palms sweaty I move into his office.

  “Close the door.”

  I do as I’m instructed and take a seat in one of the worn green leather chairs seated in front of his desk, swallowing the tension building inside of me.

  “Good game today.” Well that’s a relief. “The powers that be like what they’re seeing, that’s good news for you. They’re moving you to fifth pitching position.”

  I’m shocked. “Thank you sir.”

  “Don’t thank me, I didn’t do anything. That was all you. You got a suitcase?”

  “Yea,” I say, slightly confused.

  “Good. Get it packed. You’re going on the road for the next three weeks. Stop by reception and Susan will give you a packing list.”

  I sit back in my chair. I should be excited about this opportunity, but all I can think about is Presley.

  “What’s wrong, West?”

  “Umm. It’s Presley.”

  “Something wrong at home I need to be concerned about?”

  “No. No sir. Nothing like that. She’s about to leave for school. Her time here is limited and the reason why I hadn’t pushed to move up.”

  “Do I need to remind you; you are by no means under contract here. Every day is an audition, and right now those with decision making authority like you. You’ll see her when you get back.”

  I nod, absorbing his words.

  “Be here by five thirty tomorrow morning. Bus leaves at six.”

  I nod my understanding and make my way back to the locker room to collect my things before heading out to the truck.

  I sit there in silence, replaying the last six hours, trying to find the right way to break Presley’s heart. Pulling my phone from my front pocket I dial Laura’s number. I know Presley’s gonna need a friend tomorrow, and well, Laura seems to be the only one she’s got at the moment. Her phone rings twice and she answers with an almost too bubbly tone.

  “Robert! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

  “Hey Laura. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind checking on Presley tomorrow. I just found out I’m going on the road, and I know she could use a friend.”

  “Say no more. I’ll make sure by the end of the day she’ll be saying, Robert who?”

  I chuckle a little, running a hand over my face.

  “Just joking…kind of.”

  “Thanks Laura. I owe you one.”

  “Just come over for dinner when you’re back in town and we’ll be even.”

  We say our goodbyes and I make the quick five-minute drive home. Pulling into my parking space in front of the apartment and just sit there. Our bedroom light is on, but the rest of the place is dark. I’m not ready to face her yet so I back out and turn down the main road. I have this nagging feeling of needing to do something to make tomorrow easier on her, show her how much I care.

  I stop at the corner store and browse the aisles looking for something, waiting for anything to jump out at me. On the bottom shelf of aisle twelve sits a white and fluffy stuffed dog. Eyes black as midnight with a nose to match. Its mouth is open with its pink tongue hanging out; I can't help but notice the resemblance to Kringle. God I miss that dog. I’m so damn happy Presley will get to see him soon. I don’t just miss him, but everyone, and now I’ll be gone when they’re in town. It will be Thanksgiving before I see them all again.

  I take the dog and head up to the checkout counter. Just before I pay, a single red rose catches my eye and I grab that as well. I hope she doesn’t think this is cheesy.

  I get back to the apartment, grab her birthday present from out of the glove box and write a short letter on a piece of notebook paper. Our bedroom light is still the only light on. Grabbing my duffle and her gifts, I take a deep breath and prepare myself to hurt her.

  – Present Time –

  Taking a seat in the last row, I sink down low, resting my head against the window as the team bus jerks out of park and into drive. We have a five-hour drive before we get to the next stadium, so I close my eyes hoping to get some rest. Between my time with Presley last night and worrying about sleeping through my alarm and missing my first road trip, I was exhausted.

  No sooner do I close my eyes am I awoken by the vibrations of my phone, alerting me of an incoming text message. I know exactly who it is and my heart races at the thought of her.

  Thank you so much for everything. The flower, the letter, my locket, and Peppermint.

  A picture of her wearing the locket and kissing the stuffed dog I got her comes through and I immediately save it to my photo gallery.

  Peppermint huh?

  Yep. I couldn’t really call him Kringle and K2 sounded weird.

  Ha ha. K2 sounds like a robot.

  She sends a smiley faced emoji.

  So are all our dogs gonna have Christmas names?

  They will if we keep getting them around Christmas.

  But it’s not Christmas.

  I know, but I miss him.

  I smile and I know I’ve done good.

  It’s a good thing I asked mom to bring him down with her then.

  I can almost hear her screams from miles away.

  Shut up! Are you being serious??

  I called her yesterday and asked her to bring him down.

  Aww babe.

  Appears on the screen followed by a heart eye emoji and a bunch of kissy faces.

  Why aren’t you asleep?

  Cause I’m lonely.

  I’ll try to FaceTime you tonight after the game.

  How far away are you going?

  About five hours.

  Do you have a roommate?

  Not sure. Why?

  The only explanation I get is a winky face and I shake my head. She is an insatiable little monster.

  Presley?

  Hmmm.

  What are you thinking?

  You sure you want to know?

  Abso-fucking-lutly.

  I can hear her infectious giggle as it dances around in my brain. She’s probably turned beet red and buried her face in my pillow. Thank God I chose a seat in the back to myself if this is going where I think it’s about to go. I watch the three grey bubbles pop up on the screen and then disappear a handful of times as I hold my breath, eager to read what she’s thinking.

  I’m thinking about how good your dick would feel right about now.

  Fuck. I’m instantly sporting a raging boner and I am forced to readjust myself, angling my body towards the side wall. She went there. I don’t know whether to be proud of her or to be slightly worried she could very easily kill me in a very pleasurable but punishing way. My sweet, bashful, reserved Presley just took us to another level.

  Fuck Presley. Someone’s got a dirty mouth on her.

  I thought you liked my dirty little mouth, Robert.

  Oh I do baby girl. What else?

  I watch the little dots pop up and disappear again. Minutes of silence killing me slowly.

  I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing. I thought I would try to be this sexy little temptress, but I feel silly.

  There she is. The reason my heart was thumping loudly against my sternum. It was cute she tried, but this was the girl I was head over heels in love with and would do anything for.

  Do you want to do this P? Is this something you’re into?

  Would you think less of me if
I was? If I wanted to try it?

  I couldn’t help the Cheshire grin spread wide across my face, she was so unbelievably cute, this modest, little, unsuspecting mouse with the power to surprise me at any given moment.

  Where are you?

  In bed.

  Still naked?

  Ummm, my bottom half is.

  Send me a pic of what you’re wearing.

  I wait for a minute and then a picture of her in my high school baseball jersey pops up. Her hair is mussed in a halo around her, the top two buttons left undone as if she just pulled the shirt over her head. The top of my jersey clenched tightly in her fist as she held it close to her nose, the tiniest hint of a smile peeking out from behind her hand and those emerald green eyes did me in as they looked at me through her lashes.

  It still smells like you. I hope you don’t mind.

  You look perfect Presley. Definitely one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen you in.

  She sends me back a blush face emoji, not that I needed to see it to know how I caused a reaction in her. I stare out the window, the dark and vast Arizona desert passing outside my window. The majority of the bus was quiet. A few hushed mummers trickled their way to the back as I make myself as comfortable as possible.

  I want you to slide your free hand down your stomach and start to play with yourself. Don’t slide anything in until I tell you to. Do you understand me?

  Yes sir.

  I want you to imagine it’s my hand down there Presley.

  Okay.

  I give her a couple of minutes.

  Are you wet yet?

  For you…always.

  Now, I want you to slide a single finger in and work it in and out.

  I wait and give her a moment.

  Pres I need to know you’re doing what I ask. How do you feel?

  So good.

  Good girl.

  My cock strains against my jeans and I pray we’ll have enough down time in between our arrival and the game. Soon I’ll be able to take a cold shower.

  Now the next time you pull out I want you to slide a second finger in and curl them upwards. Hit that spot I know you like while your palm rubs against you.

  Oh God!

  That’s it, baby girl. Now imagine my tongue down on you. Sucking. Lapping. Cleaning you from the inside out.

  If I closed my eyes I could almost hear her pleasured moans. See her body arch from the bed. Feel her body move against mine. God I wanted to be there with her.

  I want you Robert.

  I want you too, baby girl. I want you to fucking ride your hand like you ride my cock. Squeeze down hard Presley. God please tell me you’re close. I’m about to lose it back here.

  I stare at screen and wait for her. Seconds, minutes, hours, time stands still until I can't take it any longer. Did you get it baby?

  She sends me a picture. The smile on her face says it all, flush chest and cheeks and drunken euphoric eyes.

  That good huh?

  Not as good as the real thing, but it will work…for now. I love you, Robert.

  I love you too, princess. Go back to sleep. I’ll call you when I can, and I want to hear all about your day.

  Try and get some rest.

  She sends me a kissy face emoji and I send one back to her and shove my phone into my duffle bag sitting next to me. I know she’s exhausted and so am I. There’s still another four hours or so of this bus ride. I close my eyes to the image of her pleasuring herself and pray for sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  I’m jostled awake by three violent knocks against the front door. My mind foggy as I roll over in an attempt to go back to sleep. Three more knocks and I look at my clock, eleven thirty-five. I whisper out a string of curses as I throw the blankets off of me, search for a pair of shorts to throw on under Robert’s jersey and make my way to the front door while haphazardly putting my hair in a messy bun. Robert’s going to kill me if he finds out I overslept and kept Laura waiting outside our apartment. Surely this won't have an effect on his placement on the team.

  This was baseball, not the military, where my poor judgment or a bad decision impacted my father. That may have been why I played everything safe my entire life. I was too worried about being a disappointment to him.

  “Laura!” I announce over-enthusiastically as I swing open the front door, “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was after we got off the phone.”

  She not so subtly looks me over, silently judging my appearance. I’m a thrown together teenage mess, while she looks as though she’s never had an ugly day in her life. She could be a super model.

  “No worries dear. I completely understand.” How could she possibly understand why I was still asleep at almost noon, even I couldn’t understand it. I was a morning person. I was up with the sun every day of the week.

  “Come on in. I just need to put my shoes on, and I’ll be ready.”

  She steps foot into our little entry way and looks around the apartment. There’s no questioning it; I know she is silently judging me.

  “I—um—like what you’ve done with the place. How long have you two been here now?”

  “A little over two months. Our parents are coming down this week and they’ll help me decorate the rest of the place.”

  “Well that’s good.” I almost choke on a breath of air listening to her criticize our home. “A man can't relax if his home feels cold and unwelcoming dear.”

  I know Robert means well, but I’m already over this day and we haven’t even left the apartment yet. Laura and I are from two very different mind sets when it comes to what a man needs and what a woman should provide.

  I throw on my white converse with Robert’s high school jersey and jean shorts, apply a little lip gloss and blush and grab my purse. I don’t care I slept in his shirt for the last four hours. Today I just need to feel close to him and this was helping.

  “All ready,” I say, stepping out of our bedroom. Again, Laura eyes me up and down, but my ‘give a shit’ meter is broken today.

  “We’ll take my car.”

  “Great. Robert took the truck.”

  “You don’t have a car?” Her eyes wide in astonishment.

  “Not yet. My parents are bringing one down when they come to help me move.” There’s a thick moment of silence as she realizes her words a few weeks ago didn’t persuade me to stay in Surprise.

  “How do you get out and do stuff while Robert is at the field?”

  I feel like this woman is staring at me like I have two heads. Robert and I are eighteen and nineteen, just starting out.

  “It’s no issue. We’re fortunate enough there’s so much within walking distance and I’m usually at his practices and games.”

  She’s quiet for several minutes as I stare out the passenger window, thankful for a moment where I don’t feel as if I’m being judged for things out of my control.

  “I was thinking we could grab lunch and then go for mani-pedis,” she says quietly.

  I try to fain excitement when I tell her it sounds like fun.

  Laura and I have absolutely nothing in common and the whole afternoon is exhausting. I don’t know what she was expecting, but I highly doubt it was anything like what occurred.

  After our almost silent lunch I almost faked a stomachache just to go home, but Robert set this up for me and I at least wanted to try for him.

  “Thanks again for today Laura. It was actually kind of nice to get away from the stadium for a couple of hours.”

  “Absolutely. Maybe next time we can do lunch and a movie.” God she sounds so fake. “I heard there was a new comedy coming out.”

  “I’m actually heading down to Tucson in a couple of days. My parents are coming down to help me get moved into my dorm.”

  Her eyes open wide as she turns her head to look at me. “So you won't be here to greet Robert when he gets back?”

  I was already having moments of self-doubt, and dealing with the notion of let
ting him down, but now, with her declaration, I was beginning to struggle against the tears. All day long I have felt inadequate around this woman and I want nothing more than to retreat to the safety off our home, I could see it, I was a mere twenty-five feet away from the front door.

  “I don’t know Laura,” my tone harsher than I intended for it to be, but again my ‘give a shit’ meter was broken today, so I embraced my feelings and mustered all the strength I could while still attempting to be polite. “I’ll see. Our plan is for me to drive up on Fridays after class is over with, but it’s just going to depend on school. I’m taking eighteen hours this semester with the hopes of graduating in three years versus the usual four.”

  “So you’re still on attending school and actually going for a degree?”

  I feel completely defeated. It doesn’t matter what Robert and I have discussed about my future, to her I will come across as selfish and insensitive to Robert’s needs. The apartment didn’t feel homey enough and now I was focusing on myself and not him.

  “Yes I am, two degrees actually. Robert supports my dreams and I support his. This isn’t one or the other Laura. Thank you for today. I’ll see you around.”

  Before she can say another word I push open the door and retreat into my safe haven, not even bothering with a wave goodbye.

  As I close the door behind me, I allow the tears to freely fall. I slide down the door, and a mix of emotions washes over me, relief, regret, disappointment, guilt, freedom, all waging a futile war. Eventually I make my way over to the couch and turn the TV on, hopeful to see Robert pitch. It’s game one out of a three game series. He’s fifth on the roster so even if he takes the mound this afternoon it will be towards the end of the game.

  I watch the remaining five innings and there’s no sign of Robert tonight. My phone rings and pulls me from my depression.

  “What’s up, birthday girl!”

  “Hey Liv. It’s not my birthday.”

  “Yet. It’s not your birthday, yet. Why do you sound so depressed? What’s wrong? What did he do? Who do I need to kill?”

  I snicker for a moment. Somehow Olivia knows just what to say to lighten the mood. “Robert left today for three weeks. I’m just exhausted.”