Copyright 2003 Frank Downey. All rights reserved. Any use other than personal archiving requires the permission of the author. Do not repost.

This story contains adult material. If this is illegal where you reside or if you are underage where you reside, begone.

I woke up Wednesday morning. I was a little disoriented, not used to waking up in someone else’s bed with my arms around said someone else—but I got my bearings quickly. I shot a glance at the clock. 6 AM. Callie said she was setting the alarm for 6:30. Why did I wake up?

Then, I realized why. The girl who was wrapped in my arms was crying.

"Callie?"

She sniffled. "Did I wake you? I’m sorry."

"It’s OK. What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything." She sobbed a bit. "It happened. I went to bed with you. I told you how I feel about you. I swore to myself this would never happen. And now that it happened, I can’t stop it."

"Why would you want to?"

"I’m so scared!"

I grabbed her and flipped her over, so that she was looking at me. I forced her head up so she’d have to look in my eyes. I could see the redness, and the tear-tracks. "Callie. I know you’re scared. You think I’m not? I haven’t exactly had good experiences either. But I’m willing to take a chance."

"I don’t have a choice, now," she sniffled. "I’m already in deep."

"Cal. It’s never going to work if you spend the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. I love you—and I’m not going to let you down."

She just kind of nodded, and sniffled again. I kissed her and held her a while. Not much more was said. We got up and I headed down to my room to change my clothes. Jack was there.

"Where the hell have you been? You don’t watch the last two games with us, you don’t come home last night? What gives?"

"I’ve been at Callie’s," I admitted.

"Last NIGHT?" I nodded. "What happened?"

"Not a good idea to talk about it right now, OK?"

"All right. But—good or bad?"

"Good, if she doesn’t freak, OK?"

"OK."

I met her for breakfast, and she seemed better. We went through our classes that morning. We both finished at 12:30, and our classes at that time were in the same building, so we met each other and walked towards the dining hall in the dorm. I reached out for her hand. Much to my delight, she eagerly took mine in hers.

It was extremely windy in Syracuse. Her hair was blowing all over the place. Her skirt kept blowing between her legs. She was talking about something that happened in class, and suddenly realized that I was staring at her.

"What?" she said.

"Do you know you’re beautiful?" I told her.

"Yeah right. This wind is killing my hair!"

"You look fantastic."

"You really are a goofball," she grinned at me, obviously pleased despite herself.

"Yup," I agreed—and grabbed and kissed her. She beamed at me. Hey, if that’s what I had to do to prove my steadfastness, I was willing!

We hit the dining hall and ate. Then we went to her room. We decided to get some studying done before the game started.

"You know, I could think of something other than studying to do right now," she grinned.

"No doubt. But if we study now, after the game....."

"Good plan!"

It got to be close to four, and she said, "We watching the game here? I’ll bet the gang misses us."

"You want to go watch it with them?"

"Yeah," she said definitively, looking right at me. I got it. She wanted me to prove something—she wanted to take ‘us’ public. I had no problem with that. She also probably wanted to rub it in Melanie’s face!

"That’s fine," I said. "Besides which, we should probably tell Tim that the bet is off!"

We went to my room, where the gang was gathering. We sad down on my bed—and wrapped our arms around one another. This wasn’t going to take long for anyone to figure out.

"Where you guys been for two days?" Tim asked.

"Working a few things out," Callie told him. "Oh, and, by the way—there’s no more bet."

"You canceled it?" Melanie snorted..

"No," Callie said. "I conceded. Forfeited. He won." Everyone looked at her. "Well, I decided that his prize was better than my prize! Sorry, Tim."

"I’ll live," Tim grinned. "So, you mean to say, you two....."

"Yeah," I said.

"You mean my little ploy worked?" Melanie gloated.

"Not hardly. Since I know you wanted him more than once. I hope you enjoyed it, it’ll be the last," Callie said with an evil little grin.

Melanie just glared at her in shock. Then the game started.

I didn’t have much hope. Burkett sucks, so we had to hope the bats woke up, and before Burkett’s gopher balls got us in an insurmountable hole. It didn’t start off well. Giambi hit a homer in the first, giving the Yankees an early lead.

"Thank you, John Burkett," Callie giggled.

"Ah, shaddap."

Burkett actually kept them to just that one run through two innings, miracle of miracles. Then, in the Red Sox half of the third, the bats woke up. Varitek hit a homer, tying the game. Damon walked, Walker got a single. Nomar choked again, but at least it was a fielder’s choice and not a double play. Manny walked, loading the bases. Then Ortiz hit a single! Two runs home. Millar—getting his first clutch hit of the playoffs—drove in another, and it was 4-1, good guys.

"That won’t last," Callie taunted. "Not with Burkett."

She was right. The Yankees got four runs in the fourth, as they nibbled Burkett to death. Of course, Nomar didn’t help by booting the potential inning-ending ground ball when it was still 4-3 Boston. The inning ended with the Yankees back on top 5-4, and Burkett out of the game. Posada hit a homer in the fifth, and it was 6-4. The Yankees took out Pettite, brought in Contreras—who’d been lights out all series—and I started to feel the encroachment of impending doom. The doom increased when the Yankees ended up with guys on second and third with only one out in the sixth.

Then it all turned around. The Sox brought Embree in to pitch in that second-and-third situation. Embree struck out Giambi and got Williams to ground out. End of inning.

And then, Nomar actually led the top of the seventh off with a triple. I almost fainted! Then Matsui through the ball away, and he scored! Manny hit a double. Contreras threw a wild pitch and Manny went to third. Ortiz hit an infield single, bringing Manny home, tying the game.

"Here come the Red Sox!" I yelped. Callie just hit me.

Mueller singled. Heredia came in, and promptly threw a wild pitch all his own. After Nixon struck out, they intentionally walked Varitek to load the bases, looking for the inning-ending double play. They didn’t get it. Heredia walked Damon on four pitches. 7-6, Red Sox.

"Never count the Sox out, baby!" I cheered.

"Unbelievable," Callie muttered.

"We need an insurance run or two," I said. We got two, top of the ninth, on a Trot Nixon home run. Williamson closed it out without a problem.

"Jesus," Callie said. "I really thought it would be all over today."

"Me, too, honestly," I told her.

"Well, if you think about it, this is the way it should end. Game seven. Pedro. Clemens. It’s fitting."

"Clemens better watch out, the bats woke up today," I teased.

"Pedro better watch out, he pitched game three like a seventy year old man."

"If he gets in trouble—Wakefield’s rested."

"Ah, shit."

"Plus," I said, putting my arms around her, "there’s this little matter of a side bet."

"Oh, yeah, there was, wasn’t there?" she grinned.

"Yup," I said, then I kissed her.

"Hey, get a room!" Tim yelled.

I broke the kiss. "This is my room."

"True, but remember me? Your roommate?" Jack grinned.

"Oh, yeah. Good thing you got a single," I said to Callie. We stood up and headed out, hand-in-hand. "See you all later."

Through the door, as we walked away, we heard Jack. "I do not believe those two finally got together!" Callie and I just laughed.

When we got to her room, she tackled me on the bed. "You’re in a better mood than this morning."

"Yeah," she said. "It’s done. We’re together. I love you. I can’t take any of that back. So, I decided not to obsess, and to just enjoy this while it lasts."

"If I get my way, it’s going to last for a very long time," I told her.

She looked up at me with love in her eyes and a heart-stopping smile. "I think I could get used to that."

"Good. Side bet for tomorrow?" I teased.

"What is the point?" she laughed.

--one more chapter coming. GO RED SOX!!!!!!!---