Almost Lost, Never Forgotten

by T. L. Sieving

  “No hanky panky sir, I need to get to the stadium.”

  Chase laughs, “As much as I want to fool around with you, I have to save some energy for the ballgame.”

  You need to save energy?

  I very purposely put on a little strip show since he told me he wasn’t able to give me any of his energy. By the time we’re walking back to the car he has sworn on everyone and anything that he will absolutely never tell me he has to save his energy from me again.

  Although I’m not supposed to favor the Mustangs they are the team I’m working closer with so of course I’m a little biased. Being at the home games is always awesome for me. The atmosphere around the stadium is thrilling and I’m super excited to go meet J.R. Oxley to see if I can get an in-depth interview. My boss will freak if I do!

  I hear J.R. is a bit cocky and will ask me random questions about the game to try to stump me and I’m ready for him. I love baseball and I know almost everything, but I’ve been studying extra hard on every single one of the players from the team for any trivia he wants to send my way.

  There’s a sigh of relief when I actually meet him and he seems like a nice southern boy to me. He’s young, only in his early 30s, and has been playing in the majors for eight years. He has brown hair and stands about 5’10 tall. The ladies seem to love him, and since there’s an entourage around him I’m guessing he loves the ladies too.

  I’m shocked and jumping up and down (in my head, thankfully) that he agreed to a one-on-one interview after the game. I can’t wait to send this over to my boss tonight; he’s going to flip his shit.

  I’m on a high like no other. The only bad thing is that the Mustangs are down by three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. I’m spending a lot of time preparing for my interview after the game but still have my normal on air commentary.

  I send a text to Chase to let him know Dan will drive me back to the hotel after the interview since I don’t know how long it will take. Just as I hit send I have to throw my phone down and finish the commentary for the game, the Mustangs just scored and won the game!

  Thankfully Chase see’s me through the chaos of their win and comes right over. I love that he hugs and kisses me right away; it almost makes me want to forget the interview and head on back to the hotel with him.

  “Hey, I actually have to run; I have an interview with J.R. Oxley. I texted you but I’m glad I get to tell you in person. I called Dan and he will pick me up so you can head on out. Will I see you tonight?” I ask knowing that this sounds like a blow off, but I’m hoping he doesn’t take it that way.

  “Awesome, that’s great! I’ll wait for you and then we can head over to Burbanks for our normal Friday night games routine.”

  “I’ll have Dan take me to Burbanks and I’ll text you so you can meet me in the parking lot, ok? I don’t want you sitting around here waiting for me; I want you to have fun!”

  “Touché Lucy, touché. OK I’ll verify with Dan and see you soon. Good luck,” he tells me and gives me one final kiss.

  The interview with J.R. goes amazingly well. He teases me about how he wasn’t chosen for the Elite interviews I did and thankfully he was joking. I’ve had a few players say that to me and they weren’t that happy with me.

  I hope I didn’t violate Chase’s ‘routine’ at all but I told J.R. about the after game get together some of the guys on the Mustangs do. He said he’d probably show up. I say good-bye to him and walked to the car with Dan.

  It’s almost midnight so I’m glad I had Dan waiting for me and not Chase; I would have felt horrible if Chase was just standing around waiting for me. I text him before I left the stadium but when I get to Burbanks I’m a little nervous as I still haven’t heard from him. I sit in the car and send some emails before finally giving up waiting for him and decide to go into Burbanks with Dan.

  Luckily I see J.R. and some of the other players walking in so it’s not just Dan and I. I like Dan and all but he’s kind of scary. He’s my ‘driver,’ but he’s also an ex-Navy Seal and isn’t to be messed with. Of course that’s also why I love that he’s usually with me when Chase isn’t. I do feel very secure with him.

  When I walk in I finally see him and smile. I can’t believe he still takes my breath away. It’s like when I see him I have tunnel vision and all I see is him.

  His smile falls when he realizes I’m walking in with J.R. and some of the players from the other team. He walks up and puts his arm around me and I introduce Chase to J.R. making sure I tell him Chase is my boyfriend.

  J.R. wasn’t flirting with me in the least and Chase has nothing to worry about, but I do know what it looks like when I walk in with another guy. I just wonder why he didn’t respond to my text.

  He tells Dan he will take me home and I smile; I love when he takes control like that.

  I’m so glad that the guys on each team are making an effort to get to know each other and seem to really be hitting it off. Burbanks is a small bar, so there wouldn’t have been much more room for J.R. and his team to hang out if the Mustangs shunned them. Everyone is laughing, drinking, and having a good time.

  “Hey, why didn’t you answer my texts?” I ask Chase.

  “You didn’t text me.”

  “I told you I would text you and I wouldn’t go back on my word, come on we’ve been through some major scary shit lately, I wouldn’t pull that,” I tell him.

  “You’re right, Lucy,” he says with some attitude, “But really my phone never beeped and I had it next to me all night, look.” He pulls out his phone and says, “What the fuck?!”

  “What is it?” I ask him.

  “This isn’t my phone… this shit needs to end now.”

  I lift my brows and ask him, “Whose phone is it?”

  He doesn’t answer me but pulls me toward Arianna, who I didn’t see until just now.

  “Arianna do you have my phone?” Chase asks her with pure anger in his voice.

  She isn’t bothered by his tone and looks in her purse before smiling, “Well I guess we accidently switched phones earlier,” she tells me with a smirk on her face.

  “Arianna there’s no way we accidently switched phones and you are crossing too many lines. I told you earlier to back off and I’m only going to tell you one more time, you need to back off. You aren’t just messing with me, you are messing with the girl I love and I won’t have it. Are we clear?”

  She looks as surprised as I feel and then turns into an uber bitch. “Chase how can you lie about us to her?”

  Before Chase answers I speak up, “Arianna, Chase could be having sex with you right here up against this pool table and I would walk up, stop it, and take him to the hospital thinking he was drugged. There’s nothing you could say or do to doubt the love and trust we have, ok?”

  She seems to understand where we stand and huffs before walking off.

  Chase grabs my hand and asks me if I’m ready or if I want to stay longer. I tell him it’s up to him and he decides we are leaving. We say our quick good-byes and walk out of the bar toward his car.

  I take my hand out of his and wrap it around his waist. “You ok, babe?”

  He wraps his arm around me and kisses my head, which is one of my favorite things he does to me, before telling me, “I’m ok.”

  We’re quiet on the car ride and I wonder what he’s thinking about. I want to be able to calm him down and make him happy but I don’t know how mad he is.

  Arianna is a real piece of work. I look at Chase and even in the darkness I can make out his features and see the sparkle in his eye. I know how she could have fallen in love with him because I’ve fallen in love with him before and all over again.

  Chapter 42

  I was right, my boss freaked when I sent him the video of my interview with J.R. Oxley. His response included my already booked flight information to NYC the next morning.

  I don’t know if I really calmed Chase down 100%. When we got back to his place he pulled me into his room and slowly and meticu
lously took off my clothes and made love to me over and over and over again. Three amazing times to be exact.

  I was already worn out from a very long day including two very hot sex escapades earlier in the day; but there was a shift in his eyes and he was devouring me like I was the last bit of chocolate in the entire universe.

  The next morning I was miserable on the 6am commercial flight back to NYC. Chase couldn’t come with me; he doesn’t have a game but they have a team meeting to prepare for their next series. They are in the playoffs now and it’s intense.

  Fall in New York is absolutely beautiful, but it’s tough being here alone knowing I could be in Detroit with Chase or Los Angeles with Ana and Sam.

  I’m a bit jealous when I talk to the girls each night knowing how much time they are spending together. Ana is working on the film with Sam and Jax and I feel a little left out.

  Jax called me this morning and I was surprised to hear from him. He wanted to know if I’ve been talking to Sam and I told him what we’ve talked about; he seemed concerned about something but was extremely vague about it. I told him about my work and how everything was going but he seemed a little disconnected. I hope it’s just the stress of his job. I can’t ask Sam because I don’t want her to know that he was checking up on her.

  I worked all weekend and the hours were very long; so long that even my boss asked me if I wanted a replacement for the next few games. Hell no!

  Waking up and going to bed alone sucks; I’ve gotten used to being with him every day so being by myself in the large townhome is lonely.

  Luke and James are happy to have me back in New York; sadly I look forward to my times with the driver and security more than any sort of social life, which is pretty non-existent here.

  I’m in the office and checking my phone every few minutes. I’m booked on the 3pm flight to go back to Michigan. Thankfully the Renaults are flying me this time; commercial flights are just not my cup of tea anymore with all the new attention I am getting.

  My boss Patrick walks into my office with a huge smile on his face, “Lucy, guess what?” Before I can ask what he tells me, “ESPN just bought the interview that you did with J.R. Oxley!”

  “Oh my God, they did?” I knew they were interested in the special, Up and Coming Baseball Legions that I did, but NBC was not letting that one go. For them to pick up an un-planned interview I did is just amazing.

  I’m on cloud 9 until he tells me, “They want to meet with you to go over notes so you aren’t going to be able to head back to Detroit tonight; we’re going to have someone else fill in the game.”

  I sink into my chair; I should be on a complete high right now, but how can I miss the World Series playoff game? More than wanting to cover it for my career I want to be there for my boyfriend.

  I call Chase and he completely understands. I try not to let him know how disappointed I am. He sounds so excited for me so I try not to feel sorry for myself. After a few minutes on the phone with him I’m smiling again. He’s so supportive of me, it’s incredible.

  When we get off the phone I decide to text him:

  2:01pm

  Me: So, how about a little game. For every base you get on tonight it’s the amount of times we’ll have sex the next time I see you.

  2:03pm

  Chase: Stop it! Now I’m hard and I need to get ready, did you forget I have a big game tonight?

  2:04pm

  Me: So sorry, I won’t distract you if you don’t have time or ‘energy’ for me.

  I tease him knowing how much he still thinks of that strip show I gave him when he told me he needed to save his energy after I told him no hanky panky.

  2:05pm

  Chase: Whoa, not what I meant! How about this, I score tonight and you stop getting hotel rooms when you’re in Detroit.

  It doesn’t take me very long to think about what he’s asking me.

  2:07pm

  Me: How about this, simply text me back and I’ll stop staying in hotels.

  Within seconds I have his response.

  2:07pm

  Chase: Done deal. I miss you Lucy.

  2:08pm

  Me: I miss you too. xoxo

  I put my phone down and curse my career. I would give it up in a second and follow him to every game making sure it was my hug that sent him into a game and my kisses that brought him out.

  I throw myself back into work now that I’m not leaving in an hour to go to Chase’s game.

  I make sure I’m home at 7:05pm and in front of my TV as I watch every single play they show. The first time Chase went up to bat I thought I saw him doing something with his fingers, but the second time he was up I definitely knew what he was doing.

  When we were younger he used to show me a sign that he was thinking of me. It didn’t matter if he was up to bat, on a base, or sitting around in an everyday normal situation, he’d signal to me using his fingers an X and an O.

  If I didn’t have a 7am meeting with ESPN in the morning I’d be on a flight to Detroit right now; I just can’t get there and back in time and I’m not about to call the Renaults.

  The game ends at 11:08pm and Chase calls me at exactly midnight, “Hey, babe.”

  He laughs, “Isn’t that what I usually say to you?”

  “Ha, aren’t you supposed to be going to Burbanks?” I ask him, “Isn’t that your normal routine?”

  He’s quiet for a minute, “No, you are my new normal and without you here I’d rather be at home.”

  I smile and wish more than anything I was there with him. “Well, that is just about the sweetest thing you have said to me.”

  “Really? Didn’t I ask you to move in with me today?”

  Yeah, I guess he did. He goes on to tell me how he’s wanted to ask me to move in with him for awhile but thought it would scare me away. When will he realize I can’t be scared away?

  I have no idea what time I fell asleep but I’m still holding my phone when my alarm goes off at 4am. I don’t dare call or text Chase at that hour to say good-night or good-morning. I get on with my normal workout routine.

  I take a deep breath, well a couple deep breaths, when I walk into the ESPN office in Times Square. It’s my dream to work here and be a part of the ESPN brand.

  This morning on my treadmill I was watching ESPN and saw that Chase did a quick interview last night with an analyst. He said, “The game felt solid I’m proud of the team and what we accomplished. I was definitely missing my good luck charm tonight, though.” I about melted on the treadmill, but I think it actually pushed me to run a little harder. I have to be in shape to keep up with his body.

  I’m sitting in a conference room in New York City and the meeting is just getting started. Three men in their 30s-40s, all in crisp suits, come in and introduce themselves to me; one is the head of all the analysts, one is a head of industry trends, and one is head of HR. I can’t remember any names right now because I’m so damn excited to be here.

  They play the interview and I smile fondly remembering that night. The interview itself is excellent and the hours I spent making sure I researched and knew everything about him and the team really paid off.

  Mark, who is the head of the analysts, asks me how I was able to get J.R to do the interview. The edge to his tone is not going un-noticed by me, but the other two suits seem un-phased. They bought the interview and have 100% control of it being shown or not so I don’t understand his snarky tone.

  I’m never one to really put up with attitude or people like this, so I give it right back to him. “I’m not sure what you mean Mark, I asked him for the interview and he obliged.”

  “Oh I get it, don’t worry sweetheart, that’s how most of you ladies get the interviews,” he says and I know what he’s insinuating. I can’t believe this bullshit!

  “Excuse me Mark, make no mistake about this. I asked him for an interview while on the field and he said yes. I completed the interview with PR from his team and it was completely professional. I, for one, don�
��t appreciate your tone or what you are silently accusing me of. If you have any questions about the interview or need to know anything else I’m happy to help over email. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

  I leave the conference table and I think they are stunned. I don’t need or appreciate this nonsense and I wouldn’t have missed Chase’s playoff game if I knew this is what they wanted to discuss.

  As soon as I walk out I get my phone out and call my boss Patrick to tell him about the asshole Mark I just met with. He’s outraged and says he will call Mark himself. I try to talk him out of it but he seems just as pissed as I am about the situation.

  The next thing I do is buy a ticket on a 10am commercial flight back to Michigan. It’s in less than an hour and I can get to the airport and on that flight faster than asking the Renaults to use their plane.

  I can’t remember the last time I was this mad. I don’t even want to think about it because I have a feeling I’m bright red with anger. Maybe this is what it’s like working in the sports world, but I will not be thought of that way and I will never work with a prick like Mark.

  I text Chase telling him what flight I’m on and ask him to either pick me up or have Dan there. I turn off my phone and get ready for takeoff.

  Chapter 43

  After my meeting with ESPN I remained in a bad mood, even after I landed in Detroit. I walked through the airport in a total sulk until I got down to arrivals and saw him.

  Every time I see him something happens and it’s as if we’re the only two people on the planet. I run into his arms and start to cry.

  I tell him about my meeting with Mark the major asshole and he is outraged. He wants to call J.R. and have them both raise hell about it, but I told him he can’t fight my battles; I need him to understand that I will deal with this.

  Chase says the entire Mustangs team will be shy around ESPN for the rest of the playoffs, and that makes me feel better.

  When I left ESPN I texted Chase and then immediately turned my phone off and when I turned it on I saw that was probably a good idea. My phone was off for 4 hours and I had 102 missed texts and 42 missed phone calls.