“Well, obviously you said Fletcher…” I trail off.
He raises an eyebrow in challenge. “Did I?”
The way he asks tells me I didn’t give the correct answer. I try to think back on what he said that day.
I’m Ryan Fletcher. Most people call me Fletcher or Fletch though.
Huh. “You didn’t actually.”
“Didn’t what?” he prompts with a wider smile.
“Tell me what to call you. You gave me your name and saidmost peoplecall you Fletcher or Fletch.” I’m confused by how that’s any different though.
“You’re not most people to me,” he admits, a bit sheepish. “You can call me whatever you want. But if we’re being honest, I prefer Ryan from you.”
“Well, I guess I would be a pretty shitty friend to go against your wishes then, wouldn’t I?”
“The shittiest,” he confirms with a smirk. “Got any plans after this?” I raise an eyebrow that I hope conveys the warning that he better not be asking me out. “Don’t worry, firecracker. I’m not asking you on a date. Wanna hit In-N-Out? Gotta seal this friendship pact in the only way that makes sense for us.”
I laugh remembering that first night. “I truly have no idea what your obsession is with In-N-Out,” I say, shaking my head.
“Is that a no?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll go. We need to ‘seal this friendship pact’ as you put it.”
He makes a move like he’s about to… I don’t know actually. Hug me?Kissme? But something in my face must scare him off because he freezes in place and tugs on the back of his neck with his hand. “Great, I’ll uh, see you there then?”
“I’ll see you there, Ryan.”
His smile turns megawatt, and I can’t help but flash him one in return.
THIRTEEN
FOR LOVE OF THE GAME
RYAN
The past monthof games has flown by, and I’ve fallen into a new rhythm with Isa. A strictly friendly rhythm, but a guy can dream for more, right?
We’ve had two more away stretches of six games each where we would text or call each other during our free moments. And the times we have home games, we’ve kept up the tradition of hitting up In-N-Out, sharing dinner and more bits and pieces of ourselves.
She told me more about her younger brother, Nico, and how he’s currently playing baseball for his college. He’s looking to join the draft in the next year or two, and I can’t help but think how weird but fun it would be to play against him in the league—or even with him.
I got to tell her more about my family and growing up in New York. How my dad still calls me a traitor for playing in LA and not one of the many hometown teams—a fact that she got quite the kick out of.
I’ve also spent so many of our conversations trying to explain the sport to her so she can better understand it, but she’s stillcompletely lost every game. I even pull up the highlights after a game—the two of us huddling over my phone—and try to walk her through everything step by step, but no luck.
Which brings us to now. It’s the start of June and if we thought the heat in April and May was bad, it’s sweltering now. I was drenched in sweat after we beat St. Louis in game two of this home series after losing last night. The guys are in good spirits and it’s time for me to tap into another resource to see what I can do to get Isa to enjoy baseball. I mean I don’tneedher to enjoy the sport for us to continue to hang out, but it’s so much nicer when I know I can talk about it with someone and not have them completely brush it off. I like when they have enough of an interest that it’s another piece we can connect over. At the very least I want her to understand what I’m talking about.
I lean forward, elbows on my knees and hands clasped together, looking over the group of friends I’ve summoned for this conversation. “Alright guys. How can I get someone, with absolutely no clue about baseball, interested in the sport? Like what’s the secret? How can I get her to not just learn it, but also hopefully love it?”
Cooper and Hunter lock eyes, silently communicating something before they both look at me with eyebrows raised. Austin looks flat out confused, his blond brows furrowed and a frown on his face, which almost makes me burst out laughing.
Austin is the youngest of the group of us at twenty-five. This is only his second season with the Suns after he was called up from the farm team last year. He still has this wide-eyed novelty about finally being in the pros, but since he’s so focused on his performance, he’s a bit oblivious to the rest of what’s going on around him. His first day on the team he got stuck right in with Hunter who dragged him into the little friendship trio we had.
Cooper is the first to speak. “Is this because of that girl?”
“What girl?” Austin asks.
