Chapter 4

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"Tequila," she demanded. "I need a shot of tequila."

My eyes shoot up in surprise. Since when does Lexi drink tequila? She had a shot of it one time at our baseball party and she swore in that moment that she never would again. I guess a lot does change in five years.

I look at her friend before back at her. "If that's what you want." I say slowly, turning towards the bar and signaling the bartender. Lexi sets her jaw then steps forward to rest her hands on the bar. The bartender comes over quickly once he spots me with Lexi and says, "What can I get you?"

"Um... two Budlights, bottle is fine. A shot of tequila and uh.." I stop and look at her friend to see what she wants, but she shakes her head and continues to stare at me like I'm not real. "That'll be all." I finish.

"Do you want a lime and salt to chase the tequila?" he asks, reaching for the beers under the bar.

"No. Not necessary." Lexi says before I can respond.

Okay then.

I hand over my card as the bartender brings over the shot and watch Lexi down it in one gulp. Clearly, she wasn't expecting to see me here tonight and isn't thrilled about it.

Great.

I sign my name on the receipt then hand the other beer to Nate, my bodyguard. I didn't need a bodyguard until last year when I couldn't even go to the grocery store without getting flocked by fans. Nate has given me back a sense of privacy, keeping mostly screaming girls away as I do mundane tasks like laundry. Even though I'm paying him, I always get his tab at bars and restaurants. It's the least I can do for him since he has to deal with the crazies.

"What the fuck are you doing here." Lexi says, turning towards me after shoving her glass towards the end of the bar. Her blues eyes are fiery but they're just as stunning as I remember.

"I had a game tonight." I say, taking a swig of my beer, knowing I'll need some liquid courage to talk to her. I'm sure she still hates me from that night in July but I'm determined to make it up to her, again.

"No you didn't. The Dodgers played the Giants, you play for the Rays in Tampa Bay in Florida." she says, swaying a little. Her friend steadies her and whisper something I can't hear in her ear.

"Uh... Actually I play for the Giants."

Her expression goes blank as she soaks in that new information. "Since when."

"Since always. They drafted me."

Her mouth falls open as she hurls the next accusation. "But Tampa Bay was your dream."

"Dreams change." I say, staring into her eyes. She's beyond drunk with red bloodshot eyes that look like they're swimming. "We should talk. Privately."

She laughs darkly before waving her hand dismissing me.

"Lexi," her friend says, "Don't be rude."

"Trust me, his ego can handle it."

"Hi I'm Brooke. I work with Lexi at Timeless Publishing Music Group." She says, sticking her hand out to shake mine. I shake hers back and give her a once over. She's a short blonde with a slim body that my teammates would love but she doesn't hold a flame next to my girl.

"Nice to meet you." I say, never taking my eyes off of Lexi. She scoffs and starts to turn but miss I'm-not-drunk trips over her own two feet and crashes into Brooke. I reach out and grab both of them before they fall.

"I think it's time to go home." Brooke announces, reaching into her purse for her phone.

I nod as if this isn't fucking obvious. Lexi is beyond trashed and Brooke can't handle her by herself. She looks at least four inches shorter than Lexi and that's being generous. 

"I'm not ready to leave." Lexi whines and eyes the bar again.

"I think you've had enough." I say, instantly regretting it.

"Who asked you?" She growls, eyes blazing again. 

If pissing off your girl was an award, I'd win every damn time. 

"I can stay with her if you want to go home." I say, directing my attention to Brooke. "I'll make sure she gets home safe."

Brooke hesitates before looking between Lexi and I and asks Lexi what she wants to do. Lexi shrugs and I can sense her mad drunken state is about to be replaced with her emotional one. I finish off my beer before giving Nate the 'let's go' signal. He chugs it, throws it on the bar, and begins to inform the bouncers of my departure. They nod and begin to surround the front doors. 

Brooke whispers something to Lexi, her brown eyes flickering to me runs back to her before pulling her in for a hug and making her promise to text her when she gets home. She walks over to me and hugs me before whispering, "hurt her and I'll kill you" in my ear. The threat was expected but her hug was not. I hope she doesn't think we're going to be BFFS and hug it out every time one of us leaves. 

Once she's gone, Lexi looks at me and sighs. "You can go too." She says, pulling her wallet out of her purse.

Her jersey is falling off her shoulder and I finally let myself check her out. Her hips are curvier than I remember and I swear her ass got tighter the way it's barely being contained in those tiny black shorts. Her breasts are begging to pop out of that little white top that stops just above the curve of her obliques. She's even hotter than she was in college but her defenses are still on high alert.

"Do you really think I'm going to leave you drunk off your ass at a bar in Los Angeles?" I ask, peering down at her.

She smirks. "You act like I haven't lived here the last few years." 

"You're right. Maybe you should show me around your city." I say, putting an arm around her waist and directing her towards the door. 

Her breath hitches when I touch her and heat flows through my body. I've missed this. Touching her, watching her, just being near her is overbearing. And as much as she doesn't want to feel it, she does. I can see it in how flustered I've made her over the past hour.

"Let me at least get you home safely, please." I plead. Hopefully being nice will get me somewhere with her.

She peers up at me with an innocent look in her eyes, the same kind that attracted me to her in the first place. All of the feelings I thought buried are resurfacing and I know I'm in deep shit. 

Finally, she nods and agrees to let me take her home. I pull out my phone to order an Uber when I remember that she doesn't realize that I know where she lives. I sneak a quick peek at her to check her drunk status to see if she'll remember this tomorrow. Her eyes widen then reset to a normal size and she shakes her head, while swaying on her heels. When she catches me staring, she smiles and looks at me like I'm best person in the world. You would never know she was just yelling at me five minutes ago. 

I press confirm then place my arm around her waist, bringing her closer. She sighs and lays her head on my chest, matching her breathing to my heartbeat. Her long waves tumble down her back and over my arm, tickling my skin with every breathe. 

I've thought about her for every second we've been apart that it doesn't feel like this moment is real. That she is really in my arms again. Granted, she's drunk, but still. She's here in person with me. Being without her is like struggling to keep your head above water when your dad throws you in the pool for first time. You keep paddling thinking if you can just make it the last few meters to the wall, the water will stop threatening to pull you under. As the years passed by and she never reached out, I felt the water pulling me under more each day. 

But seeing her tonight feels like I finally made it to the wall. 

My lips brush the top of her head, breathing in her familiar strawberry vanilla scent. "I still love you." I murmur. 

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