~*~ Chapter 23 ~*~
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Kirstin and Tom’s Loft – Jan. 11th, 2002 – Friday
Kirstin dropped her car keys on the small table by the door. She called out Tom’s name. No answer. She then headed for the shower.
With the water running over her body, she was thinking about a lot of things. That night, she had to go to Luna with Tom. A lot of important people were going to be at the bar because of a charity baseball game that was gonna happen and the bar was one of the sponsors. But that wasn’t what was disturbing her the most. For the last 15 days, since she left Redding, the kiss she and Ashley shared hadn’t left her mind. Ashley said it wasn’t a big deal, but, for her, it was. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ashley’s lips on hers. Some times, when she was lying on her bed trying to sleep, she’d close her eyes and think of the kiss. She didn’t know if that meant something. It was a nice, sweet kiss, but was that bringing back some feelings for Ashley? She washed those thoughts out of her mind and got out of the shower.
When she was getting out of the bathroom with a towel over her body, the phone rang. She ran to the nightstand beside her bed and picked up the cordless phone.
“Hello.”
“Hey, baby.”
“Oh, hey Tom. Where are you?” she sat on the bed.
“I’m stuck at Luna’s.”
“But it’s…” Kirstin looked at the clock on her nightstand “9:30 p.m. already. When are you coming?”
“So, that’s why I’m calling you. I won’t be able to go pick you up. My boss asked me to stay here because the bar is packed. So I can’t leave.”
“Oh…”
“Do you think it would be ok if you’d come by yourself?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Kirstin didn’t sound too happy. She hated going out alone.
“Don’t be mad at me, it’s really not my fault.” Tom tried to apologize to his fiancée. He could sense she didn’t like it.
“Yeah, I know.” she smiled. She knew it wasn’t his fault.
“Listen, why don’t you bring Grace? So you don’t have to get here by yourself.”
“Can I really bring her?” Kirstin got happier.
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll put her name on the list.”
“Cool! Then, ok. What time do you want me to get there?”
“Just as soon as possible. I really miss you.”
“Aw, I miss you too, baby.”
“Good. Come running then.”
“Ok.” Kirstin giggled “I’m just gonna call G and we’re going.”
“Ok. Then see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Kirstin smiled at the phone before turning it off. When she was going to put the phone back on the phone base, it rang again. She knew it was Tom.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Are we this close already?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought… Hi.” Kirstin felt embarrassed. She knew who it was on the other side of the phone and it wasn’t Tom.
“Hey. Thought it was Tom?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Nah, I figured. So, how are you?” he asked her kindly.
“I’m fine. How are you, Ash?”
“Good.”
“Thought you’d never call.” she said, sitting on her bed.
“Well, I was working a lot.”
“I see.” nothing was said for a while.
“I’m coming to New York.” Ashley broke the silence.
“Really? When?” Kirstin asked enthusiastic.
“Tomorrow morning. Some charity baseball game.”
“No! Luna’s sponsoring the game and I’m going there now, because theyare having this party.”
“Yeah. I know. But we couldn’t go for the party, so we are just going for the game.”
“Too bad.”
“Yeah… Well, do you think we could meet up?”
“Yeah, sure. When?”
“Well, the game ends at 4 p.m. We could meet afterwards.”
“Ok. Where are you staying?”
“At the Ritz. I’ll call you when I get back from the game.”
“Ok. I’ll be waiting then.”
“Good. I miss you, K.” Ashley didn’t know if that a proper thing to say, but he said it anyway.
“Yeah...” Kirstin smiled and it was all she said. Ashley smiled too.
“Well, let me go now. We’ll talk tomorrow, alright?”
“Yeah, alright.”
“Bye then.”
“Bye.” Kirstin hung up the phone. She looked at it serious. She put it back to the base and finished getting ready.
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Club Luna
Grace and Kirstin arrived at Luna. They headed straight up to the VIP area. When they got there, Kirstin scanned the place looking for Tom. Grace, on the other side, was going through the baseball players at the bar.
“Oh my God! Look! It’s Derek Jeter. I know you think he’s ugly, but look! He’s freaking gorgeous in person!” Grace pointed out to him. He was just some feet away from them.
“Nah, he’s still too damn ugly.”
“Man, you’re messed up. If that guy is ugly, I
don’t know who is not.”
Grace left her gaze on Derek Jeter and searched for more hotties. The place
was packed with those. Kirstin was still looking for Tom.
“Let’s go to the bar. Maybe he’s there.” Kirstin said dragging Grace by her wrist with her.
It took a while for the girls to get to the bar. The place was really packed. When they got there, Kirstin turned her back to the crowd to talk to the bartender, while Grace was checking the baseball players come and go.
“Oh, my! Look! Look!” Grace said pinching Kirstin “It’s Mark Mulder and Barry Zito! They are so hot!”
“G, you know I don't know a lot about baseball. So I have no idea who half of these guys are. In fact, I don´t think I know any of them.”
“That’s not a problem. They are hotties and that’s all you gotta know.” Kirstin wasn’t paying attention to her friend because she was asking for the bartender to inform Tom she was already there “Oh my God. Mark is…”
“What?” Kirstin turned to look at her friend.
“Mark… oh, he’s coming here. With Zito.”
“What?” when Kirstin turned to see where Grace was looking at, she saw two guys standing right in front of them with big smiles upon their faces.
“Hey.” Mark Mulder greeted looking at both of the girls. Mark was tall at 6'6'' and with the tight shirt he was wearing, you could see he was pretty well-built. His eyes were crystal blue and could not be missed. His lips were thin, he had a light-skin, light brown hair worn in hats and shaved beard.
“Hey.” Grace greeted back with a huge smile and Kirstin just smiled slightly. Mark was totally Grace’s type. 100% jock.
“So, you two have names?” Mark was doing all the talking. The other one was just smiling and looking directly at Kirstin.
“I’m Grace Dawson. And this is Kirstin Addams.” the smile was never leaving Grace’s face.
“Well, I’m Mark Mulder and this is Barry Zito.” Mark introduced them and gave both girls kisses on the cheek. The quiet one, Barry Zito, did the same and when he backed away from Kirstin, he smiled into her eyes. Barry was standing at 6'4'' and weighing 205 pounds. His dark brown eyes sparkled every time the light hit them and his skin was the perfect color of tan. Barry's bed-head hairstyle was medium brown and complimented with just the right amount of highlights. His goatee was trimmed to perfection. But was Barry Zito flirting with Kirstin? She was feeling good getting flirted, especially by a guy like Barry. He was totally her type of guy. He had this boyish look she was so attracted to. It had been a while since Kirstin got hit on because every time she’d go out, it would be with Tom and she wouldn’t get hit on with a 6’3’’ muscular man by her side. She missed that. Going out with Grace to get guys. So she was feeling pretty good. That moment was bringing back some good memories from her single days. She was being cold with Barry earlier, but now she felt like talking and being nicer to the guys. Like she had forgotten Tom would be there by any second.
“So, what do you guys do?” Kirstin asked and Mark plus Grace laughed. Barry just grinned sweetly “What?” Kirstin didn’t understand it.
“You gotta forgive my friend. She knows nothing about baseball.” Grace said to the guys.
“That’s fine.” Barry said through a smile. When he smiled, his precious dimples were revealed “Well, we are professional baseball players.”
“Oh, yeah?” Kirstin asked and got a nod and another melting smile from Barry “Nice. And what team do you play for?”
“The Oakland A’s.” he answered her.
“Oh, nice. And I guess you’re playing tomorrow then.”
“Yes. Are you coming to the game?” he got a little excited.
“No, but a friend of mine is.”
“Why aren’t you coming then?”
“Hm, no tickets?” she smiled “I guess it’s an invitation only game.”
“Yes, but if you want, I can talk to my manager and I think I can get you tickets.”
“I… I don’t know…” Kirstin didn’t know how to react to his invitation, but she was paying attention to every detail on his face. That nose...that cute, narrow, slim, petite nose, the one that fit his face perfectly.
“Oh, come one! You gotta come!”
“But I don’t even know how the game works.” his cheekbones, highlighting his smile, defining his jaw.
“Well, I can teach you that.”
“I don’t think you’d be enough patient, because a lot of people had tried to teach me that, but I just don’t get it.” those eyes... those caramel colored eyes. Sugary sweet and tempting, just like caramel.
“Well, you’ll be taught by a pro now. That might make a difference.”
“You may be right about that.” then the smiling, red, plump, perfect, kissable lips. The ones you've dreamed of being pulled to forever. She grinned at him. Was she flirting back with him?
“So, are you’re coming to the game tomorrow?”
“I really don’t think it’s such a good idea.” she had to fight it back. She had such a terrible time fighting back her feelings for Ashley, why would she give in to a guy she didn’t even now?
“Oh, just say you’ll come. You and your friend.”
“Well…” Kirstin turned to look at Grace, but she was no longer there. She spotted her in a corner, making out with Mark Mulder “Well, it seems like my friend is definitely coming.”
“I’d say she definitely will.” Barry smiled looking at Grace and Mark.
“So, maybe I’ll come, but I have a…”
“No buts. Give me your phone number so I can call you tomorrow when I have the tickets.”
“I… I still don’t think it’s…”
“Please? Please, please?” he put both his hands together like he was praying.
“Alright.” she didn’t have another choice. She was enjoying being hit by a baseball guy, that gorgeous baseball guy “Alright, alright. All for my love for baseball.” she smiled and gave him her card.
“Oh, you’re important! You have a card and everything!”
“Yeah, well…” she knew it was pretty stupid her having a card, she was nobody. But oh, well. She smiled weakly.
“Well, Kirstin…” he checked the card and continued “Addams. I’ll definitely call you tomorrow.”
“Ok. I’ll be waiting then.”
Barry got closer to her and kissed her softly on the cheek.
“Bye.” he smiled to her eyes once again, before turning his back and leaving.
“Oh my God!” Kirstin said to herself, rolling her eyes. Had she just given her number to a total stranger? What was that? Why wasn’t she able to refuse his invitation, to refuse to give her number or to flirt back? She wasn’t able to resist those sweet eyes and shy attitude and that cute face. Then she felt someone grab her from behind and she literally jumped.
“Did I scare you, baby?”
“Yeah!”
“Sorry.”
“That’s ok, Tommy.” she turned and hugged him tight. She put more pressure to their hug.
“Are you alright?” Tom sensed a weird vibe.
“Yes.” she answered shyly. Tom pulled her back from their hug gently. They stared at each other and she grinned. Tom kissed her softly on the lips “I missed you.” she said and was feeling guilty somehow “Where were you?”
“Oh, tonight’s crazy! My boss is driving me insane!”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“That’s ok. But I think I am gonna have to leave you alone for a while. Where’s Grace, actually?”
“Oh, kissing a baseball player.”
“No? Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Which one?”
“Mark… Mulder, I think it is.”
“From the A’s?” Kirstin nodded. Tom was a baseball fanatic “Wow! She gotta introduce me! What if we get to be friends? That’d be so cool!” Kirstin just smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. He looked like a little child hoping to meet Santa “Anyway, as she’s not coming back soon, if you wanna go home, I’ll understand.”
“Nah, I can’t. Grace’s with me. I can’t leave her here. I’ll just hang for a while.”
“Ok, but I gotta get back. Are you sure you’ll be ok here alone? Won’t these jocks disturb you?”
“I…” she smiled weakly “I don’t think so.”
“If they do, call me and I’ll come punch them right away.”
“No, you won’t. They are your heroes.”
“But not even my heroes can mess with my girl.” he kissed her hard on the lips and grabbed her ass.
“Don’t worry. I can manage it.”
“Good. So catch you later. If you need me, send a message to my cell, alright?”
“Yeah, ok.” Tom kissed her again and disappeared.
Kirstin looked at the corner and Grace was still there with the baseball guy. She smiled and decided to go to the bathroom. Leaving it, she got a nice surprise waiting for her by the door.
“Hey.” he greeted her.
“Hey!” she got excited. But then she thought of Tom and her smiled faded.
“So, I saw you coming in, thought of waiting for you. Your friend is still with my friend, huh?”
“Yeah…” they stared at each other’s eyes.
“Let me buy you a drink.”
“Ok.” she smiled and headed to the bar with him.
* Thanx Taryn and Stacie for reviewing and correcting the grammar errors *
~*~ Chapter 22 ~*~
~*~ Chapter 24 ~*~
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