Home Runs and Heart Beats

Chapter Seventeen

TW: Swear words

Katie unlocked the door, pushing it open for Ella to walk through.

Ella immediately bolted to her dresser, pulling out a few articles of clothing before making a beeline for the bathroom. "I'll be back in bit," she called over her shoulder, sprinting down the hall before she could hear Katie's response.

Once she was in the girls room, she threw her clothes onto one of the shower cubicle benches and locked the door.

She pulled out her phone and stared at the blank message draft. Connor's name taunting her. She knew she should probably text him and explain why she ran off but she something was holding her back.

Probably embarrassment.

Definitely embarrassment

Geez, what kind of pyscho just runs off after kissing the guy who likes you—and who you probably like back. You look like a lunatic. She shook her head. Just text him back, come on Ella.

She drafted out a message, starting out with an an apology and than diving into how great he was at game. She frowned. She already told him he did a great job at the game in person, would it be too much to bring that up again. She cleared the message.

She started off with an apology again, profusely apologizing for running off after kissing him out of nowhere—wait no, she kind of sounds like she's about to tell him it didn't mean anything. She cleared the message, again.

She stared off with an apolog—damn it, typo.

Message cleared.

Ella promptly closed out the messaging app and set her phone down. Maybe, she'd text him after a shower.

She quickly turned on the water, shedding her clothes. She stepped into the warm stream of water, her body quickly relaxing. Yes, this is exactly what she needed. Once she was done with her shower, her mind would be clear and she'd be able to type out this message with no problem.

Once Ella was finished with her shower, she grabbed her towel to dry off and slid into her pajamas. She shivered against the cool air. Ella would never get used to the cold in Nebraska. It was almost too much. Especially, at night.  She shivered again, her wet hair dripping onto the cold tile. She groaned. She'd completely forgotten her hair dryer in the dorm room. She'd have to go back to her room to blow dry her hair.

She draped the towel around her shoulders and slipped her shoes on. Gathering her clothes in her hands, she quickly exited the bathroom.

And of course, since the world is absolutely praying on her downfall, she ran straight into the one man she'd been thinking about all night.

Connor Tucker.

"Wha—" she stared at him in surprise. "How—aren't you supposed to be celebrating with your teammates?"

Connor chuckled. "I was," he crossed his arms, causing his forearms to flex slightly. She glanced away. "But somebody decided to kiss me than run away, so I wasn't really in a celebrating mood."

A tell-tale burn began to rise in her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she babbled. "I shouldn't have—"

"Please don't say you shouldn't have kissed me."

"What?" She turned toward him in alarm. He stared backed, clearly dejected. "No, I was not going to say that." She took a deep breath. "I was going to say I'm sorry for running off like that. I guess I was just kinda embarrassed."

"Embarrassed of what?"

"Um, kissing you out of nowhere." She glanced up, he was clearly confused. "And for kissing you in front of your teammates and all those people."

Connor frowned. "You were embarrassed?"

She nodded.

"Why would you be embarrassed? Isn't that what couples do?"

"Well yeah but it's kind of rude to just kiss your partner without perm—wait what?"

She felt her jaw drop. She quickly closed it. "Couples?"

Connor shrugged. "Well, I know we're not officially a couple but we've been kinda talking* for a while now, so I thought you kissing me was just solidifying our relationship."

"We've been talking?"

She watched as Connor shifted uncomfortably, almost as if he was unsure of himself. "I mean, you gave me your number, we text a pretty decent amount, I walk you to the library and back, we do stuff together. Is that not...talking?"

"I mean—"

"Plus, you came to my game tonight, and my party—which I swear you almost kissed me there as well."

"Uhh—"

"So naturally," he twiddled his hands bashfully. "I thought we were talking"

Well...shit.

Talking*= slang term for getting to know someone usually the stage right before deciding if you want to call someone your partner.