the rookie | andrew benintendi

iv | l.a.

"'Morning, sleeping beauty," Ari teased from her spot on her bed, looking over to where Andrew was rolling over to face her.

"What time is it?" he questioned, reaching for his phone to answer his own question. He squinted slightly at the brightness of his phone, reading the time. It was almost 11 AM on Friday, the day of game one of a three game series against the Dodgers.

"I'm going to get breakfast in a bit if you want to join me," Ari offered. Andrew sat up, the blanket falling to reveal his bare chest. She had to force herself to look down at her phone.

"Let me shower first," he said, picking up his shirt from the floor and throwing it on. Ari just hummed in response, laying back down while she scrolled through Instagram, liking various photos and commenting on one of Brock's posts.

Luckily, Andrew was fully clothed when he left the bathroom. Ari went in after him, styling her hair into two braids before pulling her favorite Bruins hat over her head. She had worn it so often it no longer worked as a good disguise when she was in Boston; it had become a signature thing outside of the ballpark.

By the time she left the bathroom, Andrew had dried his hair and covered it with a hat, which he wore backward. She took a long moment to appreciate his outfit: a pair of light blue jeans and a gray t-shirt. It was simple, but it looked good on him.

Soon after, the two headed out. They had found a local place to eat that was close to the hotel, as they didn't have any other mode of transport besides walking. Besides, Ari enjoyed walking. It allowed her to take in the city scenery.

"I had never been to L.A. before getting called up, but it's gorgeous," she said as they walked. "I never traveled to cities much, mostly because of my parents." She chuckled. "They hated cities. They only travel if they're coming to see me play."

"I don't think my parents minded it. They were used to it, though." Andrew said. " I've always enjoyed the city."

"I guess being in the city made me think of finally being in the majors. It made me wonder what it would be like to live there. I was so lucky to be drafted by Boston. I've been a fan since I've been able to breathe," she joked.

"Boston is a really nice place to be," he said.

"Yeah, it is," she agreed as he opened the door to the building. A bell rang as the walked in, signaling the woman at the counter of their presence.

"Good morning," she greeted with a smile.

"'Morning," Ari responded, walking towards the counter as she looked up at the menu.

She quickly decided what she wanted before ordering. Andrew, who had taken a little longer to decide his order, did the same. After they had both received their food, they took a seat at one of the two person tables in the shop.

As they sat down, Ari could see the woman at the counter eyeing Andrew. She ignored this, however. She didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing. Besides, who was she to stop her? It would be inappropriate and unprofessional to do anything about it.

However, that wasn't going to stop her from pointing it out to Andrew.

"Did you noー"

"Yep," he said, trying to suppress a smile. Neither of them were able to, however, because they both started laughing.

Ari teased, "I bet you're used to it."

He grinned. "Yeah, just a little bit."

-

"Corey!" Ari called, flipping her braided hair behind her back as she jogged towards one of their opponents; Corey Seager. Andrew followed closely behind her, as she had told him to follow her.

"Hey, Ari," he greeted with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm great, how are you?" she questioned

"Great," he said, looking over at Andrew. He looked at him for a moment before sticking his hand out. "Andrew, right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, shaking Corey's hand.

"Corey Seager. Nice to meet you."

"Ari!"

She looked over to see Joc Pederson running towards her. She grinned as he ran into her, wrapping an arm around her.

"How's it going, Joc?" she asked, craning her neck awkwardly to look at him.

"Great," he said, moving his arm off of her. "I've been waiting to play you again!"

"Yeah, me too," she said. "I wish we were in the same division. We would get to see each other way more often."

"Or in the same league," Corey added.

Realizing that Andrew was probably wondering what was going on, Ari looking over at him. "I met these two during the All-Star Game these past two years. We've kept in touch."

"Sure wasn't easy. You're really popular, Ari!" Joc said.

She laughed. "The All-Star Game was a little overwhelming."

"We should go hit," Andrew said, tapping her on the arm.

"Oh, right," she said. "See you guys later!"

"See ya!" Joc said, waving along with Corey as Ari and Andrew walked back to the dugout.

"Those guys are great. Near the top of the list of nicest people in the league, that's for sure," Ari said.

"You have a list?" Andrew questioned.

She looked away. "No." He laughed. "You gotta figure out who to be around, y'know?"

"Yeah, I understand."

Andrew didn't start that day but Ari did, though she was subbed out in the 7th. By that time, the Red Sox already had a 4-0 lead, and she didn't feel too bad about being subbed out. Besides, it allowed her to talk to Andrew.

Ari took a seat next to Andrew. Noticing that he was leaning against the fence, she did the same, her arm touching his. He glanced over at her but didn't say anything. It was an instinctive action; she hadn't meant to touch him. She just felt so drawn towards him in a way she had never felt before, and it was confusing her. She hated it, but she couldn't stop herself.

Andrew was subbed in during the 8th inning, leaving Ari to talk with Jackie Bradly Jr., who Andrew had been subbed in for. They ended up winning the game 9-0, cruising to the win behind Steven Wright's shutout performance.

Ari washed her hair before changing into a Washington State t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. She braided her hair again before slipping a black Red Sox hat, which a family member had given her, onto her head.

She opened the curtain that sectioned her off from the rest of the team, walking over to sit on one of the couches. She talked with some of the players, joking around with them. They all seemed to be in a good mood after a good win.

"So, Ari, you meet any guys lately?" Brock questioned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ari raised an eyebrow at him. "No? If I did, you would be the first to know, Brock."

"True. I am your best friend," he said.

"Then why'd you ask?" she questioned.

He ignored the question, turning to talk with the others. She shook her head; he was obnoxious sometimes.

She made the connection later that night while they were on the bus, as Brock leaned over to Andrew and asked him the same question. Andrew's answer was no, but the realization she had resonated more than his answer: Brock was trying to set her up with Andrew.

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i was supposed to update this a few days ago whoops

09.03.17