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k-evans-reads · 2 years

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On Deck

Chapter 4

Summary: Although they grew up in the same small town, Chris and Sam had both gone their separate ways a long time ago. Chris moved up to become a MLB star, one of the best in the business, while Sam stayed stuck in the same small town. But when multiple injuries ended the Red Sox prodigy’s career, he winds up back in the same small town he swore he’d never be back to. The past may not stay in the past any longer, as old wounds begin to creep back up.

Pairing: MLB!Chris Evans X OFC Samantha “Sam” Merrick

Word Count: 7,065

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: None

Previous | Main Masterlist | On Deck Masterlist

Chris slapped a hand against his chest, almost falling off the stool at the diner as he laughed wildly at the joke Sam had just told, loving that he now started most mornings this way. Something about seeing those dimples every morning seemed to completely change Chris’ outlook on being back in the small town. Because of that, it wasn’t unusual to see the retired baseball star at the counter and some of the residents were starting to take notice.

“Hi Lisa, I’ve got someone here you might know,” Sam smiled, straightening up from where she was leaning against the counter as she looked over Chris’ head at the doorway.

He turned, standing to hug his mother as she asked, “Chris, what are you doing here?”

“Having breakfast,” he shrugged as he pulled back, a little sheepish before he sat down at the counter again. “I didn’t know you were coming otherwise I would have come to pick you up.”

“I always come here for breakfast on Saturday,” she replied easily, sitting on the empty stool next to her eldest son, running a hand over his back as she passed him, Chris smiling easily at Sam before he dropped the smile as his mother sat down.

“Well I’ll have to start coming with you now,” he murmured, taking a sip of his coffee.

Sam smiled at Lisa, exchanging pleasantries with her quickly before she looked between the pair of Evanses, asking, “Do you guys both want your usuals?”

He smiled at her, nodding as he said, “Yeah, thanks Sammy.”

Sam nodded, smiling at him quickly before she went into the back, ringing in their order and taking care of her other tables. It was silent, Lisa looking around before she locked her eyes onto Chris as he took a sip of his coffee, brows raised as she sighed, “So…”

He put his mug on the counter, raising his brows and shaking his head confusedly, asking, “So what? Why are you looking at me weird?”

“You have a usual here?”

“Just a couple eggs, toast and coffee,” he shrugged, leaning back. “It’s not like there’s many places to eat around here.”

She tutted under his breath, Chris tensing instinctively as she shrugged innocently, “I just didn’t realize you came here that often.”

But before Chris could even think of a response, Sam came back over with a steaming coffee pot, a smile on her face as she refilled his mug. “Hey Chris, you’re pretty special. You get the first cup of coffee out of our brand new coffee pot.”

He laughed, a smile splitting his lips as he raised his brows and asked, “What? A new one? But how am I even going to recognize the coffee without it being burned from that old pot?”

“This might rock your world but it’s not even burned today. It’s even… dare I say… good?” Sam’s freckled nose scrunched up as she leaned in as if telling him a secret.

“No, I don’t believe it,” Chris shook his head decidedly.

“Take a drink and find out. I’ll come back to see what you think,” She called out with a smile as she turned to set the coffee pot down before hurrying off to where someone was calling her name.

Chris’ blue eyes followed her, watching her take another table’s order before she leaned her hip against it as she chatted with the table, Chris watching as she so effortlessly charmed them. He was so lost in the way her dimples showed up when she smiled and couldn’t seem to pry his eyes away from her.

“Now I know why you come here,” he heard his mother mutter.

“What do you mean?” Chris turned to look at her while sipping the coffee that he admitted was actually good.

“I mean Sam,” Lisa finally revealed, nodding toward the waitress who was whizzing around. “I saw the way you were looking at her.”

The chipped coffee cup that Chris held blocked his bearded face for a moment but when he put it down, that smirk of his was evident on his lips, making Lisa a little bit worried.

“Don’t mess with her Chris.”

“I won’t.”

“I mean it, Chris,” Lisa emphasized that she was serious, adding, “She’s been through a lot,”

“No, I actually like her. Like a lot,” There was nothing but honesty in his blue eyes.

“She’s a great girl,” his mother reminded him, shaking her head a bit as she remembered, “She was taking care of Riley when she was 14. Nobody should have to do that as a kid.”

“I know, she’s had a lot thrust on her and she’s just… really great,” he said quietly, frowning a little as he took a sip of his coffee.

He and Lisa quietly chatted, Lisa telling about a new job his brother had and Chris updating her on all the happenings of the baseball team and how the kids were doing. Sam had swung by, filling both their coffee cups and laughing at a dumb joke Chris told before a short man that Chris had only seen through the office window appear as he stormed toward the kitchen.

“Sam! Kitchen! Now!” He barked before Chris watched Sam put down the coffee pot and follow him into the kitchen. With the thin door that was near where they were sitting at the counter, it was easy to hear the anger in his voice from the diner owner as he shouted, “What the hell is this? An unpaid receipt?”

“I’m sorry, he said he forgot his wallet in his car and was running to get it,” was Sam’s response.

“Never let them out the door! I’ve told you this before! This is coming out of your paycheck.” The harshness in his voice married with his yelling was enough to get a good amount of the patrons attention, “And what is happening with all the dishes in the sink?”

“The dishwasher is broken again and I haven’t had time to-” Sam tried to explain.

“I don’t need your excuses Merrick, I just want to see your lazy ass doing something for once,” he barked right back. “Also don’t think I forgot about that tray of glasses you broke last week that you still haven’t paid me back for.”

“I slipped on the puddle from the sink that’s leaking, it was just an accident,” the frustration in Sam’s voice was evident.

“Accident or not, you better pay me back by the end of the week or I’m cutting your shifts next week,” the sharp tone rang out.

Chris could feel how furrowed his eyebrows were, deep in concentration as he listened to the voices that fell flat. He lifted his head in time to see the owner come storming out before stomping back to his office and closing the door. It was obvious that quite a few of the customers heard Sam getting chewed out during the morning rush and the embarrassment was obvious on Sam’s face, her freckled cheeks tinted pink. But what Chris noticed was the gloss over her eyes, seeing how hard she was trying to blink back tears and put a smile on her face as she rushed between all the tables.

“Why in the world does Sam put up with that?” Chris quietly said to his mother when Sam was busy across the diner, scribbling an order on her notepad.

“I don’t think she has a whole lot of options for employment, especially not ones that she can be home in the evenings with Riley,” Lisa knew that Sam was stuck here. “But it’s such a shame Ken treats anyone that way, especially Sam. She’s the only reason so many people come to this diner.”

Although he hadn’t been in town long, it was obvious that Sam was the draw to the diner. She knew everyone who came through the door, or if she didn’t, she made it a point to get to know them. She asked everyone about their families, how their favorite hobby was going, and all kinds of details only someone who really cared would remember. Sam really loved people and getting to know them and to see her treated so shabbily made anger flare inside of Chris, wanting to do nothing more than march into that office and tell Ken off.

Almost reading his mind, Lisa reminded him, “Chris, it’s not your place.”

“I know,” he sighed, shaking his head while staring down into his coffee cup. “It’s just so shitty.”

“It is, but let it go,” she reminded him before looking at her phone. “Oh shoot, I forgot the repair man was coming over to the house, I have to go.”

“I’ve got your meal, Ma,” Chris told her as she stood up and kissed his cheek, thanking him before she hurried off.

As Chris sat at the stool at the counter now alone, he kept wanting a moment to talk to Sam. He wanted to be able to see how she was feeling and be able to say something to make her let out that loud laugh that he’d come to love. He wanted to see those dimples when she smiled, rather than the straight line her mouth was fixed in at the moment but he didn’t get a chance. She barely had time to say more than one word when she dropped off his breakfast before hurrying between all the tables.

It was like he could see a visible weight on her shoulders as she tried to keep up with the busy Saturday by herself, attempting to keep that smile on her face even though Chris could recognize it wasn’t real. He had just finished eating his last piece of toast when he saw a couple standing at the register as they waited, Sam calling over she’d be right there.

He watched as a customer ruined Sam’s day even more, frozen in shock and not sure what would be overstepping as the man refused to pay for food, claiming it was burnt, despite eating all of it. Sam stood her ground, telling him that since he hadn’t complained earlier, giving her the chance to fix the issue, he still had to pay. He saw the toll that interaction took on her, knowing it was just the icing on the cake of an awful birthday, but could tell that intervening would only worsen her mood, and the situation.

He didn’t have an opportunity to say anything until Sam came over, not even looking at him while she dug through her apron pocket to look for his ticket. Although Chris knew he didn’t have her full attention, he couldn’t not acknowledge what had happened and said, “Sammy, I’m so sorry. It’s been a rough morning around here.”

She let out a humorless chuckle as she kept digging, her stinging eyes still staring down as she muttered, “Yeah, happy birthday to me.”

“Wait, it’s your birthday?” Chris couldn’t believe it, his blue eyes growing wide as he stared at her.

“Yep.” Was the only response she replied before putting his ticket on the counter and rushing off to another table.

It was at that moment that Chris realized although he and Sam grew up just miles apart, their lives couldn’t have been more different. As a kid, birthdays were a big deal around the Evans house. For both Chris and his siblings, Lisa always would make a huge cake and the table would be filled with presents. There always was a house full of their friends for a party filled with any kind of ice cream or treats they wanted. Their birthdays were full of celebration and a lot of that spilled over into adulthood.

Although it had been many years since he had lived at home, there still was always a celebration for his birthday. He always went out to some club or something with his teammates, his siblings and parents always called him and sent some thoughtful gifts. But it wasn’t just him. All of his teammates had just as much of an affair on their birthday, doing something to celebrate but on her birthday, Sam was here running back and forth across a sticky floor to bring out shitty breakfasts on chipped plates.

Her birthday wasn’t anything special, and in fact, it was less than. She was getting shouted at and demeaned left and right but she just had to take it. That was another difference between them, he supposed. If a coach or manager had treated him like that, he would have just gone to HR or if it was really bad he’d request a trade and go play for another team. Having money afforded him choices… choices that Sam didn’t have.

But right now he knew there wasn’t anything he could really do about it, and the helpless feeling that it left him with was something that he absolutely despised. Knowing he wouldn’t get a chance to talk to her, he left a pile of cash on the counter and sadly walked out of the diner, climbing into this car to head back home, killing some time before going out to the baseball field where all the kids started showing up.

Chris stood on the field, hands on his slim hips while he squinted from the sun that his Red Sox hat didn’t block, watching the boys run laps to get them warmed up before practice. He was able to keep his focus during practice but in the back of his head was Sam. He didn’t know how she seemed to linger there all the time but she did. Practice continued through the afternoon, running until the sun started to set when the team kept dropping balls left and right and Chris wanted them to work on it more. Chris called out to the team, telling them they were going to run through batting practice before finishing up for the day but while they all went to get lined up, Riley instead came jogging over to him.

He paused a few feet away from Chris, hands fidgeting nervously at his sides as he asked,“Hey Coach…”

“Yeah?”

“Um, hey I just kind of was wondering,” he paused, before he sighed and shrugged a little and met Chris’ eyes, “Well practice is running a little long and well, it’s Sam’s birthday…”

Chris shook his head, watching as Riley rambled, completely losing focus on what he was trying to say. “Just ask me what you want to ask me, Riley,” he quietly said, watching as the players across the field laughed at a joke.

“Can I leave practice to go take Sam out to dinner for her birthday? I have the car today so she’s waiting for me at the diner,” he finally spit out, eyes hopeful and wide as he looked up at Chris, an unconscious smile spreading across Chris’ lips at the sentiment.

He nodded, reaching out and placing his hand on Riley’s skinny shoulder. “Go up and do your batting practice then you can go,” he nodded, grinning as a wide grin spread across Riley’s lips before he turned, running back to the diamond. “Guys! Merrick is up first!”

Chris watched as Riley batted, hitting a couple of balls deep in the outfield before his turn was done. Seeing how much Riley adored his sister, who he had seen was more of a mom than sister, really touched him so deeply. He thought back to what he’d witnessed that morning and how Sam endured all of that for Riley. She stayed here in this town working a shitty job just so she could be there for Riley and give him the things he suspected she never did.

When he finished, Riley jogged into the dugout, pulling his bags out before he jogged towards the gate and past Chris, throwing a wave his way. “Bye Coach, thanks!”

“Riley, c’mere,” he called, reaching in his pocket and slipping a few bills out, pressing them into Riley’s hand once he stopped in front of him. He dropped his voice down as he instructed, “Take Sam wherever she wants to go. She’s had a rough day.”

The beaming smile that erupted on Riley’s face was enough to make Chris’ day, loving that he could bring a little happiness as Riley profusely thanked him before running to his car, dust rising up behind him. Chris chuckled softly to himself before clapping his hands together and calling out, “Alright let’s go. Who’s up next?”

It wasn’t too much longer until practice was over, all the equipment was loaded up in his car and Chris was back in his nice apartment, laying on his comfortable bed. He wasn’t paying attention to what was on tv, his brain only thinking about Sam. The vision of those tears in her eyes flashed in his head and he hoped that as terrible as her day started, it maybe would end a little better with getting to spend time with Riley and not having to worry about money for once.

He knew he couldn’t change the way things were for her or take away all that had happened this morning, but he hoped he was part of maybe bringing just the smallest smile to her face, even if he wasn’t there to get to see it. Silently he pulled out his phone, doing the only thing he could think of and simply texting her, “Happy birthday, Sammy”.

Sam yawned in the backseat of Ify and Caleb’s car, smoothing a hand over her short dress as she watched the passing cars. It had already been a long day- Riley had a game early that morning, then they went back home, where she’d worked a short shift before getting ready for the night. Ify and Caleb were taking her out to a bar in the next town over for her birthday, giving her a much-needed night off from all of the responsibilities she shouldered.

She had been so excited for the evening in the larger town, she even went out and bought a dress just for the occasion, finding a cute one on the rack at Goodwill for only a few dollars, that she was getting to wear for the first time. She relaxed in the backseat, just loving to have a moment of not being at work or in the dingy apartment that always smelled like weed, while the trio chatted in the car until they pulled into the parking lot of a bar that looked much too fancy for her.

They headed inside, stopping to take a few pictures with their drinks in hand before they found a booth near the corner. Sam had to laugh when she sat down, commenting that, “This bar is so different from the one in town. I actually can slide across the booth and not stick to it.”

“Well it is for your birthday celebration, we had to go a little upscale,” Ify grinned as she slid onto the opposite cushion, glancing around the busy bar.

Sam shook her head, looking at the couple. “You guys didn’t need to do anything for me, but this is so sweet.”

But Ify simply shrugged, looking at her husband, Caleb, as she said, “We wanted to.”

“She has another surprise for you too,” Caleb quietly told Sam, a smirk spreading across his lips.

“What?”

Her best friend sighed, biting her lower lip. “Okay, don’t kill me…” she said, pausing before continuing, “But I invited Chris.”

“You what?!” Sam yelped, extremely caught off guard. “Why in the world would you invite him?” She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was supposed to be a fun, laid back night between the three friends, one where Sam could just be herself, not a surrogate mother, not a waitress, and not running around. But she’d felt on edge with Chris lately, not in a bad way, but enough that she was nervous around him in a way she’d never felt before.

“Well you two are friends,” Ify shrugged, interrupting her train of thought.

She rolled her eyes, leaning back against the cushioned booth. “Barely,” she muttered, shaking her head as she added, “He’s still a stuck up asshole.”

“Are you still trying to play that card?” Ify barked out a laugh, shaking her head incredulously as she looked at Sam. “C’mon Sam, don’t even act like you weren’t checking him out during the game this morning. I saw the way you eyed him when he was leaning against the fence.”

“Yeah you weren’t really hiding it that well, Sam,” Caleb interjected, trying to hide his smirk behind his hand, but failing.

Sam felt her face flush, remembering how she missed nearly an entire inning of gameplay because of where her eyes had trailed to. Chris was an extremely attractive individual, she could admit that, but admitting that she found him attractive, enough to have developed somewhat of a crush on him was hard to admit, especially given who he was to Riley. “Okay, so what? A lot of the women in the stands are doing the same thing. He’s not ugly, but it doesn’t mean anything more than that,” she shrugged, trying to play it off nonchalantly.

Ify looked at her, folding her arms on the wooden tabletop. “I just thought that you’d like Chris coming because you always smile when he comes to the diner,” she confessed, before a shrug appeared and she added, “Besides, I asked him where is a good place in this town since he comes here for his physical therapy. I couldn’t ask him and then not invite him.”

“Actually you could. Very easily,” Sam retorted, brows raising as she looked at her best friend.

“Well it’s too late now, he just walked in,” Caleb said, nodding over to the door as he raised a hand to get Chris’ attention.

Sam turned her head, looking to where Chris was walking over and she felt her breathing grow a little more shallow. Normally she was used to seeing him in some sort of Nike or Adidas sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, but tonight he looked a little different and it stirred things inside of her. His long legs strode with his long legs outlined in a pair of black jeans while a white tank top was on his chest, cut low enough to let her see the tops of some tattoos she’d never been able to see before along with a small peep of his dark chest hair and a silver necklace hanging on top. He had layered a red plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up to show those toned forearms and a Red Sox hat on top of his head, only bringing more attention to that gorgeous bearded face she’d come to love seeing. But even more than that, what really got her going was that look in his blue eyes. How he stared at her when he came to the table, no hesitation in his eye contact as he stared deep into her eyes, his low voice greeting her with, “Hi Sammy.”

She smiled, her cheeks heating up but before she could reply, he timidly said, “I heard there was a party for your birthday and I couldn’t miss out on that.”

Sam rolled her eyes fondly, shaking her head as she muttered, “Now you’re really stalking me now, aren’t you?”

Chris’ brow raised playfully, eyes twinkling while he asked her, “Well is it stalking if you have an invitation?”

“I just figured it was because you have nothing better to do in your retirement.”

“If that was a crack about my age, just remember you’re not far behind me now, Samantha. So you better keep that sass in check,” he grinned, reminding her that she was now twenty-eight, a mere year, until the middle of June, behind him.

She barked out a laugh, rolling her eyes again as her blush deepend. “Fat chance.”

Caleb slid out of the booth, slapping a hand on Chris’ shoulder as he grabbed his drink, saying, “C’mon Chris, let’s go get a drink. I want to get some more ice in mine.”

The men walked to the bar across the room, Sam’s eyes trailing them and lingering on Chris’ frame, clad in the tight jeans and flannel that hugged him just right. She saw the way he rested his forearms on the bar, bent forward and showing off that round backside of his, toned from his years of baseball. It was something she had noticed on more than one occasion and at this moment all she could think about was what it would feel like underneath the palms of her hands.

A shrill, dry tone cut through her thoughts, interrupting her suddenly as Ify asked, “So are you happy I invited Chris now?”

Sam shook her head, knowing she was in deep shit. “Ify, he’s fucking hot,” she muttered, taking a large swig of her drink as she felt her hands tremble slightly.

“I knew it. I knew you were into him,” Ify cheered, a warm grin sliding across her face as she looked at Sam excitedly.

“It’s not just his looks though Ify. I mean the man was a big shot professional baseball player and now he’s coaching kids and investing so much in them. You should hear the way Riley talks about him and how much he takes those boys under his wing,” Sam rambled, her heart skipping a beat as she was finally able to admit her feelings, trusting Ify to keep it a secret. “And then have you seen the way he looks at his mother? I mean, he adores that woman. But then when-”

“Okay I get it Sam, you’re into him,” Ify laughed, taking a sip of her drink before asking, “Why don’t you make a move?”

Sam rolled her eyes sarcastically, waving a hand in the air as she dryly said, “Oh yeah, like I have time to date.”

“You could if you wanted to.”

“Not really,” Sam pointed out, knowing the odds were against her. There was too much at stake to lose Chris’ presence in their lives. “Besides, it’d just be some fling and then he’ll be going back to Boston which would be fine but I don’t want to make things weird between us because of Riley. That kid needs a good male in his life and he looks up to Chris so much. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“I can understand that,” Ify nodded, before the smirk spread across her lips. “But you can at least enjoy the view.”

“You’re right about that,” Sam nodded, raising her glass before she took another sip.

The guys came back quickly, Sam shooting Ify a look to get her to stop laughing. Chris slid into the booth next to Sam, his body language relaxed in a way she’d never seen before. They quickly fell into conversation, Chris laughing and exchanging stories with Ify and Caleb from his days in high school, Sam groaning whenever she was mentioned.

Sam picked at the large pretzel they’d ordered, shaking her head as she told Chris, “I can’t believe you mentioned me. I didn’t know you knew I existed in high school.”

“Trust me, I knew you existed,” he laughed, his hand coming to rest on her bare thigh and squeezing it. Sam felt her heart skip a beat at the easy touch, she knew Chris was an extremely tactile person, had seen it over the years as kids, but she’d never been on the receiving end of it. And she kind of loved it. “But I think that’s enough of me telling stories. I want to hear some embarrassing ones about Sam.”

“Absolutely not,” Sam quickly said, shaking her head as Ify and Caleb burst into laughter.

He raised a hand in the air, waving her off before the same hand picked up his beer. “C’mon, I know there has to be a million of them,” he begged, his eyebrows raising hopefully as he looked at them.

“Excuse me, I thought this was supposed to be celebrating my birthday?”

“It is, it’s research of getting to know you more,” he smirked, his gaze turning to her and lingering for several long moments, hand squeezing Sam’s thigh, before he turned his attention to the other side of the booth, looking at the pair. “C’mon Ify, tell me some good stories about this one.”

“Well I can think of one involving a boyfriend and the prep table,”

“Ooh okay here’s something I want to know. What’s Sammy’s type?” He asked, leaning forward and raising a hand to cover his chin, but leaving his right hand on her thigh.

Sam laughed, dipping a piece of the soft pretzel in the cup of caramel. “Basically the exact opposite of you,” she deadpanned, fighting a smirk as she met Ify’s eyes and heard Chris’ loud laughter.

“Oh so your type is not smooth, awkward, and unlikeable,” he drawled back, picking his hand up off of her thigh and listing things off as he counted on his fingers, a smirk on his lips.

“And you wonder why I think you’re full of yourself?”

He barked out another laugh, the others joining in. The subject soon changed, the four of them sitting in that booth for another hour, exchanging random stories, talking, and laughing until they were red in the face. They stayed that way until nearly ten thirty, when Caleb sighed as he glanced at his watch.

“Well we probably need to get home and relieve the sitter,” he sighed, glancing towards Ify as she nodded, finishing the last of her drink and grabbing her purse from where it rested next to her on the booth.

Sam looked between them, nodding as well as she reached for her glass. “Okay, I’ll finish my drink really quick.”

Chris sat up next to Sam, tilting his head to look at her. “You can come home with me,” Chris offered, before his face turned a deep shade of red, shaking his head as he rephrased his offer. “Wait no, no, I meant that I can take you home.”

“Chris you don’t-”

“Sammy,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Just let me take you home. That way Ify and Caleb can go and you can finish your drink. Your place is on the way home anyway.”

“Well, I kind of want to finish my drink. It’s so expensive I can’t let it go to waste,” she laughed, reaching for the drink as Chris smiled, his eyes crinkling happily in a way that made her heart skip a beat. They said goodbye to Ify and Caleb, exchanging hugs before they were left alone for the first time all night.

It was silent for a moment, Chris tapping his fingers on the table before he finally asked, “So what is this story about a boyfriend and a prep table?”

“Shut up! It’s not what Ify made it sound like!”

He roared with laughter, shaking his head as he insisted, “I still think I want to hear it.”

“You’d have to get more than just two drinks in me for that to happen,” she replied, raising a single eyebrow with a slight smirk.

“Okay, can we get another-”

“Chris!” She laughed, shaking her head as she lightly smacked his firm chest. “You’re terrible.”

“Yeah I know,” he replied, smiling at her and looking her up and down, barely hiding the flirtatious edge in his eyes. “It’s different for me seeing you out of those black diner tee shirts.”

Sam rolled her eyes, muttering, “Well I’m happy to not be wearing that tee shirt at least for one day, even if I just traded it in for a four dollar goodwill dress.”

“You make it look like a million bucks though,” he grinned before he nodded once, reaching and placing a hand over her own. “It’s a good thing you still have your hair up in a bun. That’s one way I can always recognize you at the diner. It lets me see those dimples and your freckles from a mile away.”

“At least I wore enough makeup to cover most of the freckles tonight.”

“Yeah and I don’t like it. They’re fuckin’ cute,” he whispered, Sam straining to hear him over the noise of the bar, Chris pausing before he lifted a hand, teasingly pulling a strand of hair from her bun as he murmured, “You know what else I don’t like? That your bun is so perfect. I like it when all those little pieces are falling out of the back.”

She jerked away with a grin, smacking his hand. “Christopher! Leave my hair alone!”

“Why? It’s a lot cuter this way,”

“I think we better get going before you completely destroy my hair,” she shook her head, shooting him a small smirk as he laughed quietly.

“Alright, I’m going to go take care of the tab, I’ll be right back,” he said, pushing himself out of the booth and walking across the room.

Sam’s eyes followed him as he waltzed to the counter, leaning over it while pulling out his wallet, her eyes dropping to his ass for a moment. She saw him patiently waiting for the bartender to come over but in the meantime, Sam saw a woman approaching him. It was obvious what she wanted right away with the way she leaned her body into his and rubbed a hand up and down his arm. She felt a flare of jealousy inside of her and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to see Chris pull back immediately and say he wasn’t interested… but that wasn’t what she saw.

Although he didn’t reciprocate her advances, she saw the two of them talking and that was just enough of a reality check for her. Chris had girls throwing themselves at him, he always had, but she knew it only had increased over the years with his notoriety and his good looks. She felt a sour mood come over her, pulling the rug out from underneath all their flirting and lingering looks of the night and by the time Chris had come back to the table, Sam was grabbing her purse and climbing out of the booth without even looking at him.

She shook her head as he paused in his steps, avoiding his eyes as she said, “Chris, I can get home on my own.”

“What? Sammy, what are you talking about?”

“It looked like you made a friend over there,” she jerked her head towards where the girl was ordering a drink from the bartender, Sam shaking her head again as she pulled out her phone to figure out a ride home. “You can take her home. I can get home by myself.”

“She was just some Red Sox fan,” he said quickly, Sam finally meeting his eyes as a small look of surprise crossed his face. “Wait a minute, are you a little jealous?”

“Yeah right. You just want to believe I am to stroke your ego, Evans,” she rolled her eyes, but stopped and put her phone back in her bag.

“Well then I guess it’s good you’re here, you can keep me in check,” he chuckled, reaching for her arm and guiding her to the door.

They crossed the dark parking lot until they reached the shiny black Audi the Sam knew cost more than she’d ever dream of making in a year. Chris opened the passenger door for her, letting her climb in before he went around to the drivers side to start the journey home. Sam thought the 45 minute drive seemed to go by in just mere moments, the entire ride filled with easy conversation and loud laughter, both of them also somehow finding a way to often reach over and touch one another easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Chris had just pulled onto the street that the rundown apartment was on, making her want to bring up the other day, Sam clearing her throat and saying, “Chris, I’ve been meaning to mention the money you gave Riley the other day-”

“Before you tell me you want to pay me back or some dumb shit like that, just let me say that it was a birthday present, okay?”

She shook her head, turning in her seat to look at him fully as he parked the car. “I was just going to say thank you,” she smiled, watching as a tiny, almost secretive grin crossed his face.

“You’re welcome, Sammy,” he replied quietly, turning off the car and turning to look at her for a moment, silent before he said, “Let me walk you up to your apartment.”

“It’s alright, you don’t need to,” she shook her head before she unbuckled her seat belt, a tiny smirk crossing her face as she added, “I do know how to walk, you know?”

He sighed, undoing his seat belt and opening his door. “Alright smartass, I’m coming anyway.”

They crossed the parking lot silently, Sam unlocking the front door with her key and heading for the stairs, Chris following her. “Can you even climb all these stairs, old man?” She asked, glancing at him over her shoulder with a laugh.

“Remember what I said earlier, you better be careful with that old shit. Now you’re getting up there yourself,” he shook his head with a smile, easily following her.

“Still younger than you.”

“Yeah yeah whatever, just keep walking.”

They were silent, in the hallway of Sam’s floor when she fell into Chris’ pace and quietly said, “Thanks for coming tonight, it was really fun.”

He turned to look at her with a small smirk, eyes mischievous as he rhetorically asked, “Are you admitting that you actually had fun with me?”

“Only because Ify and Caleb were there.”

She watched Chris overdramatically roll his eyes in response before they came to look right at her, the pair pausing as they reached her door. There was a silence between them that seemed to hold so much, neither one knowing how to delve into it but both were well aware that it existed. Sam suddenly was hyper aware of how close he was standing to her, the way the warmth of his body radiated off of him and the smell of his cologne in her nose. With the heels she had on, she was closer to his height and she was able to easily see the way his blue eyes were staring at her from underneath those long lashes as his tongue came out to lick his lips softly before he reached a hand up to rub over his bearded chin, a nervous tick he’d had for a long time. Sam saw the way he took half a step closer before his low voice rumbled, “Happy birthday, Sammy.”

And in that moment she felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up as he put one of his big hands on her cheek, holding her still while he leaned in to kiss her cheek softly. The mix of feeling his gentle lips along with the prickle of his beard on top of all the flirting and touches that night was enough to make Sam snap and before Chris could move away, she grabbed the back of his neck and crashed her lips against his.

It didn’t even take an entire second for Chris to start kissing her right back. He didn’t even lose a beat, giving Sam the confidence that he was already thinking about this just like she was. Chris pressed his body against her, pushing her back until she was against the wooden door, keeping her caged in. She didn’t even register the muffled sounds of her neighbors, or the smell of burnt food from across the hall as Chris pushed his tongue against hers, swallowing a gasp from Sam as she raked a hand through his thick hair.

She wrapped a leg around his before Sam felt Chris’ warm hand slide down the side of her body until it reached the smooth skin of her thigh that her dress didn’t cover. He grasped it tightly while pushing her a little more firmly into the door and Sam wanted to melt from feeling his weight against her while their lips stayed firmly connected. Neither could hardly breathe as their tongues tangled together, both so caught up in the moment nothing else seemed to matter. It wasn’t until Sam felt Chris reach behind her to blindly try to find the doorknob which made her pull away from the searing kiss.

Sam pulled away from his lips with a pop, her head resting against the door and stared into his lust-blown eyes, shaking her head as she whispered, “Chris, Riley’s home.”

He deflated a bit, nodding and dropping his hand from her leg, flushing as he replied, “Oh….right.”

“I uh…I guess we both had a little too much to drink tonight,” she laughed awkwardly, knowing it was a lie. They’d both paced themselves, neither having more than two drinks all night, but it seemed like the easiest out for them both in this awkward situation. She’d almost fucked everything up, not only for herself, but for Riley, and she’d never forgive herself if it had gone further than just this one encounter.

“Yeah for sure,” he agreed easily, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. “It obviously got in our system.”

“It’s so weird what a few drinks can do to you, right?”

“It really is,” he chuckled, body tensing awkwardly in a way she hadn’t seen in weeks.

“So um, practice is at 4 tomorrow?” She asked, avoiding his eyes as she dug in her bag for her keys, turning to unlock the door. “I’m picking Riley up so I want to make sure I get the time right.”

“Yep. So I guess I’ll see you after,” she heard him say, listening as he stepped back carefully.

She unlocked the door, turning to look at him as she stepped inside. “See you tomorrow,” she smiled awkwardly, watching as he nodded with a small frown as she shut the door quickly.

A/N: We're starting a new story soon and would love some input! Click here to vote on some things for us to consider. Poll closes late on Monday night (EST/PST) or early Tuesday, so get them in! See you all next week. Send us any thoughts or reactions, we'd love to hear them! 😜

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