14. Cat

14

CAT

I tapped my finger against my phone as I looked over my brother's backyard. The house was quiet, his kids at school; Dan and his wife at work. But the silence wouldn't last long, the kids were already on their way home and Meredith wouldn't be far behind.

Flipping my phone over, I peeked at the screen. Still nothing.

It had been just over twenty-four hours since I saw Cleo at the bookstore and they still hadn't texted me. Maybe they did forget my number.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I placed my phone, face down, on the balcony railing. A cool chill hung in the breeze as the seasons started to change. There was a crisp sound to the wind as the leaves started to dry out.

I closed my eyes, listening to the light rustle and the chirping birds. If I had any chance at getting back on a softball field, I needed to find a way to recenter myself when this anxiety took over that wasn't grabbing a bottle of tequila.

Just as my breathing started to slow, the phone started to vibrate on the balcony railing.

"Shit." I panicked as I flipped the phone over and saw their number. A part of me thought I should have deleted it years ago, but now I was glad I hadn't.

Before I could doubt myself, I swiped right on the call and held the hunk of metal to my ear. "Hey."

"Eager much?" Their voice sounded through the speaker.

With a shrug, I answered, "Maybe."

There was a pause as Cleo thought for a moment. Even through the phone, I could hear them trying to calm their smile. "We should talk more about this."

"Agreed. When?" I tried not to sound panicked or nervous, clenching my jaw as I waited for their response.

Cleo thought for a moment. "Can you meet me at Bear Mountain in an hour?"

"Yes." The words left my mouth before I could think about it too hard.

"Cool, see you then." Before waiting for my reply, Cleo hung up the phone.

I swallowed hard as I lowered the phone. Looking down at my clothes, I realized I needed to change.

Hustling inside, I ran to the guest room where my suitcase was sprawled open on the floor. A volcano of clothes spilled out onto the hardwood.

The loose, green sweatpants I already had on might be okay for a short hike but my shirt was an old, boxy t-shirt from college; one I'd picked up from a club fair for free and never tossed.

I hunted for a sports bra, still zipped away with the rest of my delicates. I'd been wearing boxers for weeks, not bothering to wear any of the sexier panties I had in my suitcase.

I pulled out the black bra and slipped it on. Looking in the mirror, I shrugged. It was kind of a shame I couldn't just wear this because I looked kind of good. The sweatpants were casual but showed off my ass and the sports bra was sporty but would give Cleo a peek.

But that wasn't what this was about. This was about making things right, with Cleo and my career.

Shaking the thought, I grabbed a flannel and buttoned it halfway up. I don't need to be a prude.

Once I was dressed, I grabbed my car keys and headed for the kitchen. I took a water bottle from the fridge on my way to the front door, locking it behind me.

In my car, I rolled down the windows and tossed my hair up into a bun. It wasn't a long drive to Bear Mountain but if I knew anything about Cleo, they would be early and annoyed if I was on time.

I started the car and made my way out of New Winford's small suburbs and into the mountain. My Benz, although nice, was not built for the curvy, steep roads of the ridge. But she made it up anyway.

The sun was streaming in through my windows, making it impossible to notice just how lovely of a day it was.

By the time I was turning down the gravel path toward the Bear Mountain parking lot, I was about fifteen minutes early. As the nearly empty lot came into view, I spotted an older Corolla with a familiar figure leaning against its hood.

My throat tightened at the sight of Cleo. They were in most ways entirely the same. But looking at them from this distance, I could see their age. When I blinked, I could see the years passing before me. They turned from a twenty-three-year-old still figuring it out into a grown adult with a path forward.

I felt my chest tighten at the loss. But I shook off the feeling as I parked next to their car.

As soon as I turned off the ignition and hopped out, Cleo rolled their eyes. "When did you become punctual?"

Before I could think about the words, I quipped, "When I realized you thought it was a competition."

I rounded the back of my car, standing just a few feet from them now. We both stood there, frozen. A part of me wanted to hug them, to wrap my arms around their body and feel their warmth. Another – maybe larger – part knew that I couldn't ever do that again if I ever wanted to leave New Winford and go back to my career.

"Ready?" Cleo asked as they swallowed their nerves.

With a nod, I walked toward the trailhead where a rusted gate stopped cars and ATVs from driving down the dirt path.

I buried my hands in my pockets as we walked in silence. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, the change to fall really beginning to set in now. A part of me thought the quiet between us should have felt more strange.

But there was a warmth in it that I had forgotten about.

Clearing my throat, I killed it. "So, what's new?"

Cleo rolled their eyes, trying not to laugh at my timing.

Were they thinking the same thing I was?

"Like you care."

I whipped my head around to glare at them. "What is that supposed to mean? Of course, I care."

Scoffing, Cleo crossed their arms. I watched the lean muscle of their arms tense as they tried to keep to themself. Despite having quit pro softball nearly a decade ago, they were still in amazing shape. Clearly, the rec league was far more serious than I had anticipated.

They took a minute to dial back their attitude. "I just assumed this was about you." Meeting my eyes, Cleo bit the inside of their cheek.

"I mean part of it is." I let my right hand leave my pocket to rub the back of my neck. "But we were best friends before…"

"Right." Cleo nodded.

The same silence took back over the forest as we trekked uphill, toward the cliffside. This time, it wasn't nearly as comfortable. Instead, all of the unspoken endings lingered in the air like a leaf that refused to fall.

Making their own attempt to squish the awkwardness, Cleo shrugged. "So what is this plan of yours? You went on a crazy bender for two years post-injury and suddenly, you're ready to get back out there?"

"Something like that." I took my other hand out of my pockets, wiping the clammy sweat onto my sweatpants.

The trees started to thin out as the path turned into large, flat rocks.

I shrugged. "I got tired of living in a pit of despair. And the last time I felt like I had direction was here." Hesitating, I swallowed the lump in my throat. "With you."

Maybe it was just the hike, but Cleo's chest rose and fell rapidly. "Because I was such a good co-star and coach?"

"Right." I put my head down as I watched my step.

Before I could say anything else, the tree line stopped completely and opened instead to a stone clearing that overlooked a steep cliffside and a sprawling valley.

"Wow," I muttered, awestruck by the view.

Raising an eyebrow at me, Cleo laughed. "It's been that long since you've seen a view like this? I assumed you'd done plenty of traveling as a pro."

My shoulders dropped as I looked out. "I saw the inside of more luxury hotels than stunning views." Peeking over at them, I tried to pretend like I was taking in the sights. But really, I just wanted an excuse to take them in.

I didn't get a good look at them when I was chasing them down in the store. But here, the warm sun lit up their face. The slightly yellow leaves cast a gorgeous golden hue through their deep brown hair.

In light like this, it was obvious that their hair wasn't black. But the dark locks looked almost jet black in any other lighting.

"Luxury hotels sound nice." Their voice shook me from my trance, forcing me back to my aching body. The cold wind sent an ache through my shoulder.

Looking away, I walked a few feet from the cliff's edge. As I approached the steep drop, my chest tightened.

Cleo watched from a few feet away. "You know, if I do this, I'm not going to take it easy on you."

A smirk took over my face as I met their green eyes. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And you know that it isn't going to just be about the practices right?"

My forehead wrinkled, my stomach dropping into my ass. "What do you mean?"