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The two of them come to a stop a few steps away.
“Hey, Gabi.”
The sound of Bishop’s voice wraps around my chest, around my throat, making it impossible to breathe, let alone respond. It’s exactly what happened earlier this week when he appeared out of nowhere in front of the hardware store.
“Good to see you,” he continues. “It’s been a while.”
We stand there silently for longer than is comfortable before Sam finally speaks.
“Well that answers the question of whether you’ll be happy to see each other,” he says, chuckling awkwardly. “I’ll let you two chat.” He turns to Bishop. “See you tomorrow, coach,” he says before giving me a nod and leaving us alone.
I feel like I should have been prepared for another bump-in, but again, I feel completely blindsided by his presence. It doesn’t feel like there’s any earthly reason why he would be at the high school at 4:30pm on a random Thursday. He should be…anywhere else. Anywhere else but here.
It’s incredibly rude of Bishop to continue showing up in places where I don’t expect him.
“How’ve you been?”
God, that voice. Like the rest of him, it has only gotten better with age. It’s familiar, and yet new, somehow. A bit gruffer. A bit deeper.
“Good. Fine.” I pause. “You?”
He chuckles and points a finger at his injured arm. “I’ve been better. Back in town for the off-season to rehab this thing.”
I grit my teeth and nod. “Well…good luck with that.”
Turning, I begin to walk away, headed in the direction of the parking lot, but I hear him speak again.
“Hey, I’ll walk with you.”
Then he’s at my side, that infuriating smile on his face, the easygoing, friendly one I always envied. I’ve never had a smile like that, one that instantly puts people at ease. I’m more of a ‘resting bitch face’ type, though it’s less ‘resting’ and more ‘intentional’.
“I didn’t realize you were doing stuff at the school,” he says once we reach the top of the stairs and begin the walk across the quad, weaving our way through the handful of students still wandering around doing afterschool activities. “You teaching?”
“Yeah. Ceramics.”
“That’s awesome. You like it?”
I shrug. “It’s alright.”
We continue walking in silence, though eventually Bishop breaks it, much to my frustration.
“I’m helping Rush with Fall Ball,” he offers. “Mostly just acting as a batting coach for a while. Keeping myself busy so I’m not just moping around waiting to get my cast off, you know?”
I just give him a pinched look and say nothing, hoping he’ll take the hint and stay quiet. It’s bad enough that he’s walking with me. I don’t need to also hear about anything to do with his plans while he’s in town. It’s easier to just pretend he’s not here.
But then I sigh, realizing if he’s helping with Fall Ball, he’s not just visiting campus today. He’ll be on campus every day. Which is when I remember what Sam said as he left the two of us behind. See you tomorrow, coach.
“I don’t remember you being this quiet,” Bishop says, chuckling slightly as we come up on the double doors that lead into the main building.
I come to a stop and let out a huff. “Maybe I just don’t have anything to say to you.”
He blinks in surprise then rubs his chest with his good hand. “Ouch.”
Growling, I shove through the doors and down a long hallway, hoping he takes the hint and lets me go.
He doesn’t.
“Woah, Gabi…hold up,” Bishop says, catching up and then gently wrapping his hand around my wrist. “Just wait for a second.”
