A ground ball later, Eric took the mound again with renewed confidence. It might not be obvious to the throngs around Andi, but she could see it. His fear was gone; only anticipation remained.
He threw the ball with an explosive ease, putting away the lead man on five pitches and drawing a weak fly ball from the second. With two out, Eric didn't play cute. He pounded the strike zone with two straight heaters, both swung at but in no danger of being hit.
With a two strike count and a five run lead, the moment seemed suspended in time for Andi. She stared at Eric. He stood on the mound, waiting for the Cardinal hitter to return to the box, impatient to throw the next pitch. Andi looked over at the dugout, at Brad bouncing in anticipation of rushing the field. As she thought about what Jay David told her of Eric's failure ten years ago, about what this moment could mean to him, Andi felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Finally, the batter was ready. Eric pulled back and fired. There was a loud crack of impact. For a moment, Andi panicked, remembering Eric's history and forgetting that this time, there was a five run lead, not a one run lead. Then, she noticed the shortstop and the third baseman yelling to each other, saw the third baseman yield, and the shortstop prepare to snag the final out. She looked back to the mound to witness Eric's moment of glory. But instead of following the ball, she found his eyes on her. There was a glistening in their corners and she watched in slow motion shock as a single tear escaped. Her surprise grew as Eric mouthed words he'd told Andi he would never say to a woman. "I love you." There was a soft plunk in the silence of expectation as the shortstop caught the ball, followed by a roar of exultation from the crowd. A split second later, Eric was bowled over by his catcher, and the team came screaming out of the dugout. Brad and Eric hugged and rolled on the ground amidst a pile of their teammates, and all around her fifty-year-old tough guys wept openly with joy. In the midst of the celebration, Andrea Spring's heart was breaking.
EPILOGUE
In a city thrumming with long-lost hope, Andi couldn't shake her despair. She lifted the cardboard cup to her lips, wincing to discover the favorite coffee indulgence void of both heat and flavor. The corner of her office boasted a six foot ficus decorated with Cubs streamers, delivered earlier that morning courtesy of Jay David. Intended to brighten her day, it instead served as a reminder of the painful sacrifice on her horizon.
Three enormous vases of flowers lined her credenza, each bearing some sentiment of gratitude. Two also bore additional messages— messages that she hoped would never arrive but, after yesterday's events, knew they eventually would. She studied the cards arrayed on the desk in front of her, rubbing a weary hand across her forehead.
No matter how she approached the dilemma, she could find only one way to resolve it. Running her fingertips over their words, Andi sighed. She could—and would—wait until the end of the season, not more than six weeks away. She considered it her parting gift, and it would cost her more than they'd ever know, more than she'd ever allow them to know.
~ ~ ~
About the Authors
Alessia Brio is the ultra sexy, erotica-writing alter ego of an Appalachian soccer mom. She is "sensual, succulent, and satisfying" even when her creator feels like a hairy warthog. Her debut book, a single-author anthology of erotica & poetry entitled fine flickering hungers, won the 2007 EPPIE Award for Best Erotica.
Alessia is primarily published electronically, which she prefers over the dead tree variety. She strives to bring a print-level of respectability to ebooks, to promote diversity, and to maintain an altruistic focus in all her efforts. To that end, she is the driving force behind the Coming Together anthologies.
Nominated in 2004 as Literotica's Most Influential Poet and in both 2005 & 2006 as its Most Influential Writer, her work also appears online at Oysters & Chocolate, Tit-Elation, Ruthie's Club, The Shadow Sacrament, and Desdmona, where she received honorable mentions in both the Stiletto Flash & Titillating Tattoo erotic writing contests.
When she's not writing, editing, designing covers, or researching, Ms. Brio is performing her domestic duties as a work-from-home mom, kicking ass (or kissing it) as a civil rights advocate, or wasting time in cyberspace.
Ms. Brio lives in the mountains near Pittsburgh and is barefoot as much as life allows. She has developed an obsessive aversion to "to be" verbs in her prose and gets aroused by creative enjambment in her poetry. Her fetishes include SuDoku, stainless steel, and office supplies. Readers can visit her online at alessiabrio.com.
Will Belegon began writing erotica as an exploration of his more primal side. He found the combination of his overactive imagination with his love of poetry and prose to be a good fit for the genre. Throw in his love of moonlit beaches and first kisses, and words began to flow.
The validation came when other people liked what he wrote. So he wrote more, and found that he enjoyed the attention. When someone suggested he might actually get paid to write, the notion seemed too wild to consider. Yet fortune is said to favor the bold.
Will has also contributed both stories and poetry to the Coming Together anthology series, the proceeds of which are donated to charitable and free speech organizations.
Readers can visit him online at http://willbelegon.blogspot.com
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