As the game rolled on, neither team had gotten a run, so the tension in the stadium climbed inning by inning. I tried to create another opportunity to talk to Hinds so we could get to the part of that conversation I still needed to have with him, but he was fully absorbed in the game, and Kate was too close.
By the seventh inning, the score was still zero to zero, but the Cubs had runners on base, waiting to finally break the dry spell. The stadium vibrated with noise, thousands of fans on their feet, chanting and clapping in a rolling wave that set my blood on fire.
I stood with them, shouting toward the field. “Come on! Bring it home!”
Beside me, Kate sprang to her feet, nearly slamming her shoulder into mine. Her hair brushed my jaw when she turned, that damn scent invading my nostrils all over again.
“Strike him out! Send them home tonight crying!” she shouted.
I shouted over her, much louder than necessary. This was the only place where I ever got loud and I refused to dial it down for her.
She shoved me, her palm landing square against my chest. “You’re hurting my ears.”
Hinds laughed, a deep, genuine sound that made it seem like he was delighted by our bickering. The next pitch sailed in, and the crack of the bat split the air. The ball rocketed into left field and the stadium erupted as a runner rounded third.
“Yes!” I roared, pumping my fist. The runner slid home safe and everyone went wild.
Except Kate, who groaned and threw her hands up. “That was luck.”
“That was skill,” I said loudly, leaning closer so she could hear me over the crowd.
She scoffed. “It was blind luck.”
“Keep telling yourself that, but if you’ll just take a quick peek at the scoreboard, you’ll find it disagrees. Boom. In your face!”
She turned toward me, her eyes flashing and her cheeks rosy from shouting, or maybe from standing so close to me, but I refused to consider that an actual possibility. “If the Yankees were on their own turf?—”
“They’d still lose,” I cut in.
She scoffed again, but she didn’t step away, her shoulder still pressed against mine as the crowd shifted around us. By the ninth inning, the Cubs clung to their one-run lead. My voice had gone rough from yelling and the adrenaline buzzing under my skin.
I barely recognized myself when games got this close, loud and unfiltered with every nerve exposed. Kate matched me shout for shout, taunting every Cubs error and cheering every Yankees highlight replay that flashed across the big screen like it might somehow change the score retroactively.
Every time she leaned forward, her arm brushed mine, but neither of us moved to stop it from happening. When the final out landed squarely in the first baseman’s glove, Wrigley detonated into celebration. I threw both arms into the air, pure triumph surging through me.
“Yes! That’s how you close it out!”
Kate groaned dramatically, dropping back into her seat. “Disgusting.”
“Glorious,” I countered, grinning before I could stop myself.
Hinds looked slowly between us, amusement gleaming in his eyes. “You two are remarkable together. If you ever agreed on anything, you’d be a perfect team.”
I winced and turned away, my chest suddenly feeling like it was closing up. Kate’s gaze darted toward me before she quickly looked away like she’d been caught thinking something she didn’t want to share with the rest of the class.
The post-game crowd surged through the exits in a noisy tide. We moved with it, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, Kate’s sleeve occasionally brushing mine as we were pushed forward. Once we were outside the stadium, Hinds slowed near a curb where a sleek black car idled.
He turned to me, extending his hand. “Thank you for tonight. I enjoyed it more than I expected to.”
I shook his hand firmly. “Anytime you want to catch a game here, let me know.”
“I’ve got a flight to catch.” He held my grip a second longer, eyes intent on mine. “I look forward to hearing what your family decides. Let me know. Keep well, Nate.”
I stiffened slightly. “I’m sure we’ll be in touch very soon.”
Kate’s head snapped toward me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Before I could answer, the crowd pressed in around us, funneling Kate and me to the street and separating us from Hinds as he slid into the waiting car. The door shut and the vehicle disappeared into traffic.
