Chapter 15: Batting Cages

Zain

Zain turned on the engine and listened as his truck roared to life, knowing he had to get out of there. He turned down the street, thinking of Jasmine. Even though he hadn’t told her that he loved her yet, he did. And somehow, he knew she felt the same.
But then again, he had just taught her how to kiss and had given her a taste of love. Zain knew she had a lot more firsts yet to go. He had dated and been with other women before her, but he wanted Jasmine to be his last. Although he was glad that he was the first man she kissed and the first man to give her an orgasm, he wanted to be her first with everything. But she was young and had a lot more life to experience before she settled down... and he didn’t want her to miss out on it because he had taken it from her... robbed her of it. He would never do that to her.
But no matter how she felt about him, he loved her, and he would wait until she was ready... if she wanted him.
As Zain drove toward the batting cages, he thought of asking Jasmine to go to USC to be with him, but that would be selfish. He was graduating at the end of the school year, and she would be finishing her Freshman year. Then he would be off to play in the Minor Leagues, waiting to be called up to the Majors while she finished college alone.
But after she graduated, he could marry her. With any luck, he would be settled into the Major Leagues by then and able to provide for them both. But to make it work, he would have to grant her the freedom to make her own choices. He wouldn’t rob her of that. In college, if she wanted to date other men, then he would wait for her… but he didn’t want to see it. It would kill him to see her with another man.
But he didn’t want to think of her being with anyone else or even dating another man right now. He wanted to be her first and her last. And in his mind, he already was.
Zain didn’t want to know about anything she did with anyone else. He just hoped he didn’t lose her to someone else in the process.
But he pushed all of that from his mind, determined to have this summer with her, if she would give it to him. Zain sighed, realizing that she already had.
Here it was her last summer with her family before going off to college, and she had spent all of it with him. This was the first day they had been apart since they met a month ago.
A month ago.
It seemed impossible that he had known her such a short time. Zain would never think it possible to fall in love with someone so completely in just one month, but he had.
Zain pulled into the parking lot, happy to hit some balls and work out his frustration in a positive way. What better way than to practice his swing? He slung his equipment bag over his shoulder and headed inside.
Zain looked around, and Raphael was already in a cage, hitting balls. They had played Little League together and had been best friends since. Even though his advice could be lame at times, Zain knew that Raphael always had his back, no matter what.
Listening to the sound of metal and wood bats hitting balls and crashing into the fences made Zain feel at home, relaxing him.
Raphael swung and connected with another ball, following it through when he saw Zain. “Well! It’s about time you got here!” He hit another ball. “Although I was surprised that you even called in the first place.” He left the cage and pulled him in for a manly hug. The machine spat out another baseball behind him.
“Sorry about that,” Zain replied, setting his equipment on a bench. “We’ll have to get together more often while I’m here for the summer.”
Raphael had taken a full-ride scholarship at the University of Miami but lived in the dorms, wanting to get away from home. But he usually came home on the weekends when he could since he was so close except when he had a test to study or had a hot date over the weekend.
Over the years, Zain had kept in touch with Raphael no matter where they were or what was happening in their lives. Zain always thought that out of everyone he knew, Raphael was the one who knew him the best. In fact, Zain could get into a lot of trouble if he ever decided to talk. Zain smiled, knowing he could easily turn the tables on Raphael, too. But their secrets were safe.
“So, get in there!” Raphael wiped the sweat off his face and neck with his hand towel. Then sat on the bench.
Zain shook his head as he unzipped his bag and pulled out his favorite practice bat. “No, you go ahead. It’s your turn.”
Raphael studied him. “No, man. I’ve been here for a while. Where were you, anyway?”
Zain sighed, heading for the cage. “You don’t want to know.” He took his stance and waited. The machine spat out a ball, and he destroyed it. It hit the cage and got stuck in the fence.
“Hey! Slow down, Superman!” Raphael laughed. “What’s wrong?”
Zain clobbered another ball, attracting the attention of other people at the cages. “What makes you think something’s wrong?” He hit another ball that would have been a home run if he hadn’t been in the cage.
Raphael headed over to the machine and turned it off.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” Zain yelled, his arms out at his side.
“Let’s go get a beer,” Raphael said. “Looks like you need to talk.”
Zain turned the machine back on and then hit a ball so hard that it would have wound up in the next county if he hadn’t been in the cage. “What gave you that idea?”
Raphael watched Zain for a moment and then waved his hand dismissively. “Go ahead until you get it out of your system. Then we’ll have a beer.”
Zain hit another ball, sending it to outer space. “Thanks, man. Let me know when you want a turn.”
“No, man. You go ahead. I’m good.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back, crossing his legs at the ankle.
Zain worked out for the next half hour, clobbering one ball after the other, working out his frustration.
Then Raphael turned the machine off, and Zain stood there looking at him.
“Zain, what’s wrong?” Raphael always knew when something was up.
Zain shook his head but said nothing.
“Is it your mom?” he asked.
Zain walked over to his bat bag, pulled out a hand towel, and swabbed it over his face and neck.
Raphael studied him for a moment. “It couldn’t be about a girl. You’ve never been serious about anyone since I’ve known you.”
“I started seeing a girl, and my mother had the nerve to tell me to stop seeing her... and she hasn’t even met her yet.” Zain threw the towel at his bat bag.
“Why?” Raphael was usually the voice of reason when he wanted to be. Other times, it could be debated.
Zain sighed. “She’s not Latina.”
Raphael’s eyebrows shot up. “So? See her! Have fun! Don’t worry about what your mom says!” Then he laughed. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“It’s not like that!” Zain wheeled on him.
“Whoa!” Raphael held his hands up in surrender. Then he froze as the realization dawned on him. “You really like this girl, don’t you?”
Zain let out a deep breath and nodded. “Raef, I’ve never met anyone like her before.”
Raphael grabbed his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Oh. My. God! You’re in love with her!”
“Get out of here!” Zain shrugged him off.
“You are!” Raphael slapped him on the back and held out his hand. “Let me be the first to congratulate you.”
Zain pushed his hand aside, not in the mood to be teased. “Stop it.” Zain shoved his bat and hand towel into his bag, zipped it up, slung it over his shoulder, and headed toward the exit.
Raphael was right behind him. “Hey! Slow down! I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Zain stopped short, and Raphael nearly ran into him.
“So? You’re in love with her.” Raphael shrugged. “Then marry her.”
Zain shook his head. “Can’t yet. She’s going to UT Knoxville.”
He shrugged. “Well, see if she’ll transfer.”
Zain didn’t want to tell him, but he knew he could tell Raphael anything. “She’s going into her Freshman year, and I’m graduating at the end of this year. Hopefully, I’ll be going into the minor leagues after that. It wouldn’t be fair to ask her to come to USC and then leave her there.”
Raphael’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “She just graduated high school?”
Zain sighed. “She’s eighteen, Raphael, so she’s legal. But it’s not like that.”
“Then tell me what it is like.” He gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Enlighten me. You’re not thinking of giving up baseball for her, are you?”
Zain looked at him as if he’d just lost his mind. “No! But I have no idea how it could work out.” He slung his bag into the bed of his truck and pointed to the passenger side door. “Hop in. Let’s get a beer, and I’ll bring you back for your car later.” As they drove to the local sports bar, Zain knew what he told Raphael was true. He had no idea how it could work out between Jasmine and him, but he knew it would somehow. After all, love conquers all, right?
Just One Weekend
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