the rookie | andrew benintendi

xvi | eleven

Ari glanced over at Andrew, who for the first time in a long time was warming up before a game. She had been ecstatic when she had found out that he was starting for the first time since his injury.

"What?" Andrew questioned, noticing she was looking at him.

"Just thinking about how glad I am that you're back," she told him, smiling as she sat down in the outfield grass.

"So am I," he said before jogging away from her, which was part of his warm up. Ari stretched out before doing the same.

Ari was happy to have Andrew back on the field. Seeing him sitting in the dugout wasn't even close to having him defending behind her. Playing against the Yankees, Ari thought, made it a little more special.

What was not special, however, was the 5-2 deficit the Red Sox had found themselves in after the first few innings of the game. However, in the bottom of the ninth inning, they fought back to tie the game. So, with one on and two outs, Hanley Ramirez was up and both the players and fans were praying for something big to happen.

One swing of the bat and everyone knew the ball had been hit out of the park. Ari jumped up, jumping over the dugout fence, practically bouncing up and down as she ran towards home plate. Hanley ran around the bases as the players crowded around Ari. When he jumped on home plate the team surrounded him, jumping and cheering and celebrating the walk-off win again their division rivals.

In the crowd of players, Ari somehow found Andrew. She ran towards him, hugging him tightly.

"What a night to come back!" she yelled over the cheering crowd.

Andrew just smiled in response before the two walked back to the dugout. When Ari spotted a sideline reporter walking towards Hanley, she immediately sprinted to get a bucket of Gatorade. She grabbed one along with Christian Vazquez, who grinned at her as they carried the buckets of Gatorade onto the field. As Hanley talked the lifted the buckets, soaking him with the red drink. Ari clapped him on the back before moving to put the buckets away.

After meeting with the media, Ari and Andrew went straight home. They were both tired from the exciting win.

It was almost midnight when they arrived home. Ari tugged the hair bands out of her hair, which was still damp after having washed out the Gatorade that had somehow gotten in her hair. Andrew walked up behind her, grabbing a strand of hair and sniffing it before commenting, "Still smells like Gatorade," and continuing to walk into the living room.

Ari chuckled, rolling her eyes before following him. "I don't even understand how it got on me. I thought I perfected my form."

"Apparently not," Andrew teased as he leaned against the back of the couch. She walked up in front of him and he leaned down, kissing her hair.

She responded by kissing his cheek, mumbling, "I'm tired," before pulling away from him. He followed her into her bedroom and it quickly became clear what he wanted.

They had slept in the same bed only once before—twice, counting Ari's drunk incident— but Ari didn't mind. Andrew liked to cuddle and so did she.

She flopped down on her bed and Andrew chuckled, laying down next to her. He pulled the covers over them before wrapping an arm around her.

"Goodnight," he said, leaning up and kissing her forehead.

She smiled. "Goodnight."

-

Eleven.

Including the walk-off win against the Yankees, the Red Sox had won 11 straight games. Now, as Ari stood on the field at Yankee Stadium, she could barely hold in her excitement: due to the Orioles loss, the Red Sox were officially going to the postseason, no matter the outcome of the game.

However, that didn't mean it would be nearly as satisfying if they lost. Ari feared that that was going to happen, however, after the 3-0 lead had shifted to 3-1 and the bases were still loaded for Mark Teixeira.

Ari's heart sunk at the crack of the bat. She watched the ball fly, not even bothering to move; everyone knew the ball was gone. Though the Red Sox had won the division, the Yankees had hit a walk-off grand slam.

Ari glanced at Dustin, unsure of what to do or say as they walked off the field. She found Andrew in the crowd of players but stayed quiet as they walked back to the dugout. They each were given a postseason t-shirt and a pair of goggles. However, everyone seemed to be waiting for someone to give them permission to celebrate, almost.

That's where Farrell came in. He walked into the locker room, which was covered in plastic in preparation for the celebrating. He talked for a few moments, though Ari didn't listen. Bottle in hand, she was too excited to celebrate.

As soon as Farrell was done and the cheers from her teammates began, she turned and sprayed Andrew directly in the face. He ducked away from the champagne but she didn't back away, pouring almost the whole bottle onto him.

Once she was done he turned around and sprayed her back. She shrieked, curling away just like he had. It was what she deserved, she supposed, and she didn't exactly hate it. She had been waiting to celebrate like this for a long, long time.

For a while she wandered around, congratulating players and talking to a few various media members. By the end of the night, she was soaked head-to-toe in a mixture of champagne and beer and the strong smell had started to give her a headache.

She changed and washed her hair, attempting to mask the scent with perfume and strongly-scented shampoo. She still reeked of champagne, but she didn't have any choice but to wait, as she couldn't take a shower at the field—she would take one at the hotel, she decided.

Andrew and Ari were rooming together yet again. Ari stripped herself of her sweatshirt almost immediately after the door closed behind him. She quickly slipped her shoes off, grabbing clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Andrew just chuckled to himself as he flopped down on the right bed.

Twenty minutes later, Ari had joined him in bed—this had become a common occurrence since Andrew's first game back. She rested her head on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her hair, which was still damp.

Ari loved him. She really, really loved him, and it was moments like these where she realized that the most. She felt so lucky to even be close to him, let alone dating him. Even if they had to keep their relationship a secret when all Ari wanted to do was tell someone, she couldn't have been happier.

She was in love with him, and though he probably already knew that, she had never actually told him.

"I love you," she blurted, only half comprehending what she was saying. Andrew's hand stopped moving and he looked down at her, looking shocked.

"What?" he questioned, his voice almost a whisper.

She took a breath before looking up at him. "I love you," she repeated, looking him in the eyes.

It was silent for a moment as Andrew simply looked at her. Then, as if he had decided what to do, he leaned in, kissing her.

"I love you, too."

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yooooo they finally said it

i can't believe i was gonna hold off them getting together until now i'm so glad i changed it lmao

also not to be dramatic but that home run off verlander was the hottest thing i have ever seen

11.18.17