In Between the Lines

Chapter 15: Bird in a Cage (Part 1)

As we walked inside, my stomach filled to the brim with incessant flutters—like the thrill of being at the very top of a rollercoaster right before taking that first electrifying plunge. The excitement rose until I wanted nothing more than that sensational fall to come, to see the look on everyone's faces as Desmond Warren walked in with the girl they'd thrown bets on to spite him.

With each step we took to the cages, my desire to help Dez get those jealous idiots off his back became more and more demanding. My confidence boosted as my reservations inhibited, and it felt . . . it felt like a fragment of who I used to be was coming back, even if just for the night.

I wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing.

Before we entered the hall that led to the batting cages, I squeezed Dez's arm lightly, pulling him back to stop. "Wait."

He half-grinned. "Change your mind already, Peacock?"

"No. It's just, we should probably set some ground rules first, shouldn't we?"

"Rules . . . " Dez hummed the word, considering.

"Limits to how we're going to act tonight. What we're comfortable with and what we're not."

"Yeah, I got that." He gave a small laugh. "Sure, why not? Did you have any rules in mind?"

"Well, no." I bit my lip, thinking it over. "What about pet names? Do you usually call girls by their names or are you a 'babe' and 'baby' type of guy?"

Dez gave me a sidelong glance. "If this is some ploy to get me to stop calling you Peacock, I won't do it."

It wasn't. But I still said, "Why not?"

His eyes narrowed. "Because I'm not going to belittle you by calling you something completely characterless, even if it's for pretend. You can call just about anyone 'babe' or 'baby' and it doesn't have to mean anything." He added firmly, almost demanding, "But you're my Peacock."

I brushed off the leap in my chest as I said, my tone forcibly dull, "I didn't realize Peacock was a term of endearment now."

Dez lifted a shoulder, neither confirming nor denying it.

"Okay . . . then what should I call you?"

"Whatever your heart desires." He wiggled his brows. "Stud, Hunk, Dreamy . . . the possibilities are pretty endless."

"I think I'll stick to prick."

"Only if you promise not to call anyone else that." He winked.

I shook my head. "Only you would think that being called a prick is special."

Dez laughed. "Alright, alright. So pet names are flexible. But I actually thought of a rule—obviously we have to stay quiet about this being a pretend date, right? So no mention of it even after today. "

"What about Hannah and Lewis?"

"What about them?"

"Shouldn't they know what we're up to? So they can vouch for us if need be."

"Good point." Dez pursed his lips. "Fine. Hannah and Lewis can know, but no one else."

"Sounds good to me." It would be easier to explain to Hannah why I was going to be around Dez all night if I didn't have to hide it from her.

"Anything else to add before we go in?" he said.

I glanced at the ceiling, running through ideas until I looked back at Dez, the way a corner of his lips rose as my gaze somehow landed right on them. And then almost without realizing it, I said, "Kissing."