“Thanks, Josie, but I should go to bed. I gotta be up really early.” My voice is hoarse and every part of me is sweating.
“Oh, yeah.” She quickly gets up and hands me back my phone. “I got your cup.” She eyes my empty mug, and I’d clean up after myself, but this is the one time I won’t.
“Thanks.” I’m up and turning around, making sure she can’t see how hard I am. With my back to her, I say, “Good night, Josie,” and rush up the stairs.
25
DANIEL
Slowly,I sink into the cold tub, my muscles tense, and I hold my breath until the frigid water sits right below my chest. Exhaling a breath, my body goes slack, my eyes flutter closed, and my head lolls back.
“I know that’s right,” Kai softly groans as he sinks into the tub next to me followed by Angel, Gray, and Noah. “Jesus Christ,” he sighs, body sagging.
Practices are already brutal, but because we’re about two weeks away from Opening Day, they have intensified times ten.
“They must hate us because what the hell? My arms.” Gray tips his head back and shifts in the water, trying to get comfortable.
“Stop moving,” Noah grumbles, muttering something in Portuguese under his breath.
Our Brazilian friend likes to do that to spite us because he can occasionally be a dick, and it brings him great joy knowing we have no idea what he’s saying. He didn’t voice that or smile about it, but I can see the elation in his eyes when he sees the frustration on Kai’s and Gray’s faces.
For Angel and me, our dialect may be different, but we can semi-ish pick up a word or two.
“Don’t act like you’re not sore, Sosa.” Kai muffles his groan, his voice and body drained from today’s demanding schedule.
He doesn’t reply because he knows he’d be lying. We’re all tired and no amount of lying can hide how spent our bodies are.
“That’s what I thought,” Kai loftily retorts before his gaze skids in my direction. “So…Danny…” His lips stretch into a sly grin.
I should’ve gone home. I’ve been able to avoid their inquisition all week, but I know it was inevitable and their questions were bound to be asked. But that doesn’t mean I have to answer, and I’m not. I have six minutes in the tub. Just six more.
“Yeah…so Danny boy. Where have you been,papi?” Angel cocks his head to the side, observantly watching me just like the other guys are. Even Noah is staring at me, waiting for an answer. “You’ve not slept over since Monday. That’s four days now. Today’s Friday. Are we going to five?”
I abstain from laughing because they’re all staring at me curiously.
“Why are you guys keeping tabs on me?” I avoid the question, asking my own.
“Who is she?” Gray all too eagerly asks.
“I’ve been staying over to work on my swing.”
I’m not lying. I’ve been staying over and working on a few things. But then again, I guess the reason I’ve been spending extra time in the batting cages is because of Josie.
After she sat on me on Monday, I realized that I may be a little sexually frustrated. Maybea littleis an understatement because every day this week, I may have…ugh…even admitting this to myself is pathetic, but I’ve been fucking my own hand.
It’s not Josie’s fault my dick can’t seem to calm down every time I’m alone and thinking of her.
I hate myself because it’s wrong. She’s allowing me to stay in her house and I’m taking advantage by thinking of her when I come. I’ve also overstayed my welcome because she didn’t say I could move in. Only said I could go over whenever I needed space from the guys. She hasn’t said anything, not that I’ve seen her much this week. We’ve been so busy, I didn’t get to see her Wednesday because I had a meeting with my coaches.
Still, I want to stay despite the slight awkwardness on my end Monday night. I actually plan to bring it up tonight, that is, if she’s awake. I know she has swimming lessons tomorrow, so she might be asleep but if she’s not, I’m going to talk to her about me potentially making it official and moving in.
Maybe it’s too fast, too soon, but I hate that she’s alone and maybe she prefers that and I’ll respect her decision if she does, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
“But you’re not coming home,” Kai pointedly inserts.
“Okay and?” I lift a shoulder in an indifferent shrug and unlock my phone. I peruse Instagram, blatantly ignoring all their questions until a message at the top shuts them out.
Josie: Hey. I need to talk to you
