28. Maggie

That night was the crosstown rivals game. The Cougars would be playing the Eagles, and the city was alive with energy. The rivalry ran deep between the north side and the south side. Every year when this game happened, families would draw the line of family members that were fans of the team they were cheering for and those that weren't. Social media was on fire with fans debating who would win that night or who was the better team.

As the team bus drove across town, I watched people dressed in both teams' jerseys walking the streets as they went in and out of bars near the Eagles' stadium. The team was bouncing with nervous excitement. They had been waiting for this game on their calendar, wanting to take back the title. Last year, the Eagles had slaughtered them in a brutal outing. The energy on the bus was pointing toward a night of payback. The only thing I wanted to see tonight was a smile on Tommy's face by the end of it. He deserved to be able to revel in the good moments when his parents came and not have to worry about whether his performance had been good enough.

Olivia sidled up next to me as we followed the team through the stadium and to the field. She hadn't texted me to ask about the ESPYS yet, and I knew that was because the interrogation would be done in person.

"That dress was stunning," she told me. "Please tell me that Tommy lost his mind."

I stayed quiet as I tried to keep a smile off my face. Olivia studied me for a moment before her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.

"No!" she exclaimed. "Was it mind-blowing? It was mind-blowing, wasn't it?"

My eyes slid over to Tommy, who was walking with Adam and Jamil toward the back of the group. It was like he could feel my eyes on him because he glanced back over his shoulder and gave me a small smile.

"Oh my God," Olivia hissed as she watched the interaction.

I pressed my lips together as she stared between the two of us.

"Tommy Mikals is smitten. Like, completely smitten over my best friend."

Just the thought of that being true made my insides feel like a big bowl of soup. "I'm not sure he's smitten, necessarily."

"Are you kidding, Maggie?" Olivia asked me incredulously. "He would be insane not to be."

The two of us continued toward the tunnel that would take us out onto the field while the team dove into the locker room to change for the game. Tommy was the last to go in, and as we passed by the door, his hand reached out to brush against mine before he disappeared after his teammates.

"Totally smitten," Olivia told me smugly.

Part of me wished that Tommy and I could teleport back to the hotel in Los Angeles for a few more stolen moments together.

The energy in the stadium grew as the game drew longer. It was tied going into the top of the seventh as the Cougars went up to bat. Tommy was leading the team in runs batted in and hits. He was having a phenomenal night. But even with his performance, I watched him scan the crowd with a strained face and heavy shoulders. My eyes followed his line of sight to see what he was looking at. His parents were sitting behind the visitors' dugout.

I knew in my gut that even if Tommy had the best night of his career, it would mean nothing if his dad wasn't proud of his performance. I looked between Olivia, Tommy, and Tommy's parents. Olivia was in the dugout with me and had barely moved her camera from her face all night. Tommy was busy putting on his batting gloves and preparing for his at bat that was coming up. I debated for a couple of seconds if what I was about to do was out of line, but something in me told me to do it anyway.

A stadium worker was standing in front of the gate that blocked off our dugout from the rest of the stadium. He pulled the gate open as he saw me approaching. I gave him a quick nod before I dove into the busy stadium, angling toward Tommy's parents. His mom wore a shirt with his number on it, and his dad wore a Cougars sweatshirt with a hat pulled down over his eyes. The two watched Jamil's at bat with anxious eyes, just as invested in the game as any diehard fan. I stayed back for a moment longer as I watched the pair. It was clear how much this win meant to them too. I could practically imagine them in the stands at Tommy's games when he was younger, cheering loudly for him as he got a hit.

His father shouted out encouragement for Tommy as he approached the plate for his at bat. Jamil had gotten a double, giving Tommy the perfect opportunity to give the Cougars the lead. I watched as his dad sat forward in his seat, wringing his hands together as he watched his son take the first pitch. With the crack of the bat on the next pitch, Tommy's dad was on his feet as the ball sailed toward right center, nowhere near an outfielder. It was the perfect hit for Jamil to score. As Tommy slid safely into second and Jamil had crossed home, Scott's hands lifted above his head triumphantly.

I knew that it wasn't that Scott wasn't proud of his son. It was that he did a terrible job of showing that he was proud for his son to see. The seat next to Scott was open, and I dodged around cheering fans to slide into it.

"Maggie!" Linda exclaimed when she saw me. "It's so good to see you."

She reached over to squeeze my hands.

"That was awesome," I told them, sharing in the joy they were feeling for their son.

"Yes, it was," Scott agreed, his eyes still glued on Tommy standing on second. "He's had a great night."

I hesitated as the words I wanted to say weighed heavily on the tip of my tongue. The moment they left my mouth, I could ruin any chance of a relationship with Tommy's father depending on if he took what I said poorly. But my feelings for Tommy and how much I cared about him outweighed the risks.

"You should tell him that."

Scott turned to look at me, his eyebrows pulled together. "I'm sorry?"

"You should tell him," I repeated. "I've watched your son stress about his performance this season because he wants to make you proud. This game was all he could think about on our plane ride home this morning. I don't want to cross any boundaries. I just want you to know that I think it would do Tommy wonders to hear it."

Linda's eyes shone as she watched the interaction between me and Scott. She wasn't appalled by my gall. Instead, she looked thankful that I was brave enough to express what her son needed from them.

Scott looked back toward Tommy, who was now standing on third after his teammate had moved him. My body felt tense as I waited for his response. The last thing I wanted was for this to worsen Tommy's relationship with his dad. But Scott surprised me when he turned back to look at me.

"Okay."

My eyes found Linda's, shocked at Scott's simple response. Her eyebrows were raised in surprise, mirroring my own emotions. But it didn't seem that Scott was going to supply an explanation for his quick agreement.

I excused myself back to the dugout as another Cougars player punched a ball past the infielders, bringing Tommy safely home. The two of us entered the dugout at the same time. Tommy's teammates offered him high fives, and he made his way down the dugout toward me, returning every high five that was offered to him.

He stopped right in front of me with the biggest grin on his face, one that I couldn't help but return. Without any hesitation, he bent down and wrapped his arms around my legs, right under my butt, and lifted me into the air. A surprised laugh pushed out of me as he spun me in a circle before setting me down on the ground. It was almost intoxicating to see that kind of joy on his face.

"Wait for me after the game." His mouth was inches from my ear and sent shivers down my spine. "We have to celebrate."

All I could do was nod because I was sure that if I spoke, no sound would come out anyway. He turned away from me to put his helmet and batting gloves away, leaving me breathless as I watched him retreat. My eyes caught on Olivia who was looking at me knowingly.

Smitten, she mouthed. I rolled my eyes at her, but a small part of me was desperately hoping she was right. Because I was past the point of telling myself that hoping was dangerous. I had firmly jumped right off the deep end of my feelings for Tommy. With every second that passed, I was sinking farther toward the bottom and becoming more enveloped within the sensations of him.

After the game, I waited outside the locker room for Tommy. The team was slowly trickling out and walking toward the buses that would take us back across town. Olivia had left me to board the bus, but not after wiggling her eyebrows at me suggestively and telling me that I better not be sleeping alone tonight. I waved her off dismissively, trying to hide the fact that I was hoping for the same thing.

Tommy was the last to leave the locker room, as per usual. He looked like he had taken a quick shower. Water droplets fell off the ends of his hair as he turned to look at me. The smile that had been on his face in the dugout was still there, lighting him up. The Cougars had managed to hold on to the lead that Tommy had given them, securing a win against their crosstown rival. The media team had named him the game's MVP, which was rightfully deserved.

"Congratulations," I told him. He dropped his travel bag from his shoulder and scooped me up, like he did in the dugout. My body sizzled as he twirled me around. Before we had made our fake relationship a very real one, it was like my body wanted to avoid feeling anything that Tommy's touch made me feel. But now there was nothing to stop my body from experiencing an entire fireworks show.

"What a night," Tommy breathed as he set me down. His eyes immediately flickered down to my lips, and without any hesitation, he covered my lips with his own.

I wasn't sure I would ever get used to kissing Tommy this way, without cameras and with each and every kiss meaning something. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him, his strength keeping me from melting on to the floor at his feet. Too soon, though, the kiss ended and Tommy slowly pulled away from me. His arms stayed around my waist as he looked down at me with a softer smile.

"Want to come over to my place when we get back?"

"I'd love to." I tried making my response seem casual, because I had been hoping that Tommy would invite me over to his place to extend our time together after Los Angeles.

"Maybe we can go for another few rounds," Tommy whispered in my ear as the two of us started to walk back through the stadium to where the bus would be waiting for us.

I was too busy ducking my head to hide my blush to see who was in front of us to make Tommy stop in his tracks. When I glanced up, I saw Linda and Scott waiting by the bus. Linda waved excitedly when she saw us, and I was surprised to see a smile break out across Scott's face when he saw his son. But Tommy stayed rooted to the spot.

"Come on." I gave his arm a gentle tug and was relieved when he followed me toward his parents. It was clear that Tommy was worried about being around his father. He didn't want to hear any judgment from Scott tonight. I could tell that all Tommy wanted to do was revel in the performance he had delivered tonight.

"Tommy!" Scott's voice boomed. "What a game."

Scott reached out and wrapped Tommy in his arms. I could see the look of shock on Tommy's face as he stared at nothing in particular over his father's shoulder. But after another moment passed, he wrapped his arms around his dad. I wasn't sure if Scott was going to take my advice and tell Tommy how proud he was of him tonight, but even if he didn't, that hug seemed to shave some of the hurt and tension from Tommy's shoulders.

"I am so proud of you." Scott pushed away from Tommy and held him at arm's length, making sure that he was looking his son in the eyes as he said the words. My own heart seemed to feel lighter watching the interaction. I caught a glance of Linda's eyes and they looked like glass as she watched her husband and son. She peered over at me, gratitude all over her face.

Thank you, she mouthed. I nodded at her in return.

I knew this was something she had been hoping to see for a while, both her husband and son happy together again. But all that mattered to me in that moment was watching the smile that broke out on Tommy's face. He reached out and offered his father his hand. His father took it, before pulling his son in for one more hug.

I wasn't sure what came over me—maybe it was the fact that I didn't want this moment to end for Tommy—but I found myself saying, "Tommy and I are going to go back to his place to cook dinner after we get back to the field. Maybe you guys can meet us there?"

The part about cooking dinner may have been a little bit of a fabrication, but I wasn't about to tell Tommy's parents what we really had planned on doing, and the look on Tommy's face was all I needed to know that my suggestion was welcomed by him.

"You guys haven't seen it yet," Tommy added. "I have stuff to make pasta and homemade garlic bread. That was one of my favorite meals you used to make me as a kid," he told his mom.

"We would love that." Linda looped her arm through Scott's and began to steer him toward the parking lot.

"I'll text you the address," Tommy called after them.

The two of us filed onto the bus, the last people to get on. We found an empty seat together toward the front, and once we were both situated, Tommy turned toward me.

"Why do I have the oddest feeling that was your doing?"

All I could do was give him a smirk and a quick shrug of my shoulders. "A true mastermind never reveals her ways."

"You're amazing," Tommy breathed, his hand wrapping around mine as a quick squeeze was the only thing that wouldn't draw any attention from his teammates around us.

It was weird that we had gone from making sure we were seen holding hands by someone to not wanting anyone to see. These small moments felt even more special than anything the two of us had done before, like they were too important to share with anyone else.