"He's away for work again?" Robert asked his good friend Elise when she showed up to softball without her boyfriend.
"Yeah," she said with a minimally audible sigh. "The calibrations were off again or something like that. He left a couple days ago. Thankfully it's a short trip, so he should be back before the weekend."
"Sweet! Do you have any plans?" Robert asked enthusiastically.
Elise smiled at her friend. "We're going on a wine-tasting weekend. You?"
"Sam and I are going to Wasaga. At least I'm hoping so."
"You're not sure if she's coming down?"
"Well, her son's been sick for the past few days and she's not sure if he'll be well enough to be on his own."
Elise patted Robert's arm and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Here's hoping it'll all work out, then."
"Yeah," Robert said gamely. He didn't tell her that he had doubts about Sam's ability to make it down. She cared for her son very deeply and would not chance leaving him alone if she felt he might need her in any way. Despite the occasional challenges they encountered in their scheduling, he really respected her devotion to her child. It was part of her that made her so special, what made him fall in love with her so deeply. Putting the potential disappointment aside, he focused on warming up for the game. The weather was perfect for softball; one of those timeless summer evenings made for being outside: warm air with a slight breeze to cut the humidity and keep the bugs under control.
Their team was up against one of the division leaders, so while they did not expect to do well, the first few innings game Robert the thought that they just might win, which would be a fabulous boost to their team confidence. Toward the middle of the game, Elise was up to bat and Robert cheered her on as she gave huge swing at the bright yellow ball, smacking it way out into left field. Robert watched as she pumped her fleshy legs toward first base. She wasn't a sprinter by any stretch of the imagination. Nonetheless, her power made up for her lack of speed, so she made it to first base with a few moments to spare. The steam was missing a player in its rotation, so Robert was up after her, managing a triple, mostly due to an outfield error. It meant that Elise was able to get home and score a run for their team.
Unfortunately Robert was stranded on third when the player after him struck out, ending the inning. Robert trotted back to the bench where Elise was waiting for him with his glove and a water bottle. He grabbed his glove and slid in on his hand and took a drink from his bottle. While he was hydrating, Elise wrapped her arms around him and gave him an appreciative hug.
"Thanks for bringing me home!" Elise enthused. Robert hugged her back.
"My pleasure," he said. He could feel her generous breasts against his chest, and wondered for the first time in his life why he hadn't noticed them before. Thinking perhaps she was wearing a new type of bra or something, he didn't dwell on it any longer. The game ended after an infield fly-ball and two strike-outs by their pitcher finished the other team off, giving them the victory. Once again he found himself unexpectedly thinking of Elise's zaftig body while the team members congratulated each other.
More than her breasts caught his attention when she came up unexpectedly behind him to give him a rough-and-tumble bear hug, bouncing her soft body into his back as the rest of the team gathered their stuff. He somehow noticed the smell of her short auburn hair, fruity and a bit spicy from whatever shampoo she had used earlier that morning. The whiff of her hair didn't last long, just a just a transient scent lasting no longer than their proximity. But it inexplicably pierced through to his deeper awareness, stirring up yearnings in his belly. He pushed those thoughts away though, keeping foremost in his mind the fact that they were both in committed relationships, albeit ones that left the two of them keeping each other company during the week.
Kate, the team captain was gathering up the folks for the post-game social at the nearby sports-pub.
"Beers Rob?" she asked.
"Elise, you going gonna hit the pub?" Robert queried over his shoulder before giving his answer.
"Sure Robert, that'll fill the hours until Chris gets back to hotel," said Elise as she finally got around to packing up her own gear up.
"Then it's a yes," agreed Robert nodding to Kate. She gave him a quick smile.
"Checking with the Missus, eh?"
Robert laughed, moving back to Elise, putting his arm playfully around her. "I wish!" he fervently voiced. "Have you tasted her meatloaf?"
"Oh Robert, you can have my meatloaf whenever you want!" Elise teased.
Robert turned to his good friend and gave her a startlingly direct look. "Name the time and I'll be there," he promised. Elise didn't say anything; just looked back at him, her blue eyes holding his gaze for a second or two.
"Let's go already, I'm starving!" Keith, their pitcher, called out, breaking the moment. Robert looked over to his teammate and waved assent. Without another word, he grabbed his glove, water and jacket and plodded off to his car, thoughts of Elise warring in his mind with thoughts of Samantha.
He dumped his stuff in the trunk and then sat in his car a moment, shaking off the odd feelings, and texted a quick love note to Samantha, far away in space, but never far in his thoughts or heart. He waited to see if she was able to respond before he pulled out of his spot. She did send back a quick heart, but that was it. Nonetheless warmed at her little greeting, he felt at least a bit more grounded than he'd been feeling all during the game.