Page 33 of Challenge Me

Remi

The mirror shatters, revealing a loathsome face;

Still I breathe, though breathing tastes like ash.

A man of anger, soldered out of dust,

Who dares to seek a gentler place.

As I watched Amir hit the ball, I took a long drink of my coffee. From what I’d seen in the past few days, he was a good batter.

Third baseman sounded like a boring position to me. Pitcher or catcher seemed ideal, but there would also be a horrible amount of pressure there. I didn’t think he’d like the expectations being so high, not that I really knew what he liked.

We’d been going back and forth asking each other questions, but it was all with a goal in mind. This ‘relationship’ had to be believable, because for some reason, he was obsessed with the idea of his reputation being squeaky clean. It was fun while we were out with people, but as soon as we were back at the apartment, it became stuffy. The questions were clinical and our interactions had no substance.

At least the rental was nice as hell. It was the definition of upscale, and Amir moved around it as if there was nothing unusual about being surrounded by opulence. He could’ve saved a whole lot of money by getting a motel while he was in Florida, but what did I know? I probably would’ve slept in the car and showered at the gym.

Pulling out my phone, I Googled him, not for the first time. I hadn’t wanted to dive into the nitty gritty, but I was too curious not to. He was in his sixth MLB season. His salary had jumped massively this year, to a number I couldn’t fathom. Though he wasn’t a huge star like Trav, he had a good position, despite my opinion about it. It was his batting record that put him a cut above the rest.

I glanced up and watched him sprint from third to home. He was a damn rocket, and after he slid across the plate, he rolled onto his back and laughed. Another player grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. After the hours of practice, he was filthy. The guys had become more raucous throughout their drills, and they were hardly sticking to any structure.

I hadn’t expected how familial they would be. They were competitive, but they also played around, joked, and teased each other.

He dives like he’s got worth to prove,

And dust applauds his every move.

I watch, too jaded to confess—

I’d trade my bar for half that mess.

I leaned back against the railing and continued to drink my coffee. The sugar went straight to the space where my soul should’ve been, and I imagined it like a spark that made me resemble something human.

Maybe not to Amir. He was annoyed by me more often than not, which was the way I wanted it.

“You ready to go?” he said from the field behind me.

I didn’t turn. “Just waiting on you.”

His footsteps faded, and not wanting to wait around in the stands, I headed for the parking lot. Some of the guys left without showering first, but Amir had more class than that. His car back in Connecticut was spotless, which should’ve been the natural way to exist in something so expensive, but clearly, not everybody agreed. I imagined his house was exactly the same. It was probably swathed in gold and emeralds.

I lifted myself onto the hood of the car and lay back, letting the sunshine bathe my skin in much-needed vitamin D. It wasn’t hot at this time of year, but it was warmer than New Haven. I’d probably even brave the ocean at some point.

“They’ve got some big insects out here,” Amir noted. “I might have a hard time scrubbing you off.”

I turned to smirk at him. “I’m an easy guy to scrub off.”

His nose wrinkled. Without saying anything else, he unlocked the car and sat down. If I stayed here, I wondered if he would start driving. I wanted to make a bet about how long I could keep myself from flying off the hood. It sounded like a very Florida Man thing to do.

He honked, and I jumped. While I walked to my door, I fixed him with a glare. As had been customary since we got to this state, he seemed torn between amusement and exasperation.

I shut the door behind me and leaned my seat all the way back.

“You tired?” he asked.

“Nah.”

“I’ve been dragging you out of the apartment early every day. You’re used to night shifts, right?”