The Hitting Zone

Kyle was the first one in the shower after getting home from practice. He hurried through, stumbling around as he got dressed.

"Wow." Dave, his twin, commented while watching him put on dress pants and a dress shirt. "You're getting a bit fancy for a beach trip. And even more so for an escape room. What else are you planning on doing."

Kyle paused in his rush. He gave a side smile to his twin.

Dave sat up right. "What is it? What are you planning?"

Kyle gave a small shrug. "We'll see how it goes. I'll tell you afterwards if it goes well."

Dave squinted at him. "And if it doesn't go well?"

Kyle finished getting dressed and started to comb his hair. "I don't know. I haven't given it much thought on what can go wrong."

"Taking the optimist route, I see." Dave laughed.

Kyle grabbed his wallet and keys, then hurried out of the room and down the stairs.

"Have fun. Be safe." Mom called out after him.

Kyle waved his hand and jumped into the driver's seat of the family car. On his way to Marie's house, he did a quick clean up job on the front passenger seat. It had accumulated some dirt and grass from the baseball field.

He had barely put the car in park when Marie came jogging out in a mint green floral dressed. She put her small black purse and cardigan in her lap after getting into the front seat. "Get me out of here. My parents are driving me nuts."

Kyle smiled. "Your wish is my command." He put the car in drive and headed west for the coast. He glanced at her. "You look good in that dress."

Marie smirked. "I look good in every dress."

He laughed. "Why not wear them more often?"

"Too much of a hassle with school then practice. Better to save on laundry too by wearing a t-shirt that I can also practice in." Marie explained. She looked Kyle up and down. "You look good in what you're wearing, but I doubt you'll be wearing it to school every day."

"Touché."

The pair talked about their respective practices before Kyle pulled into a small parking lot across the street from the beach. "Okay, we're here."

"The beach?" Marie looked skeptical. "Isn't it a bit too cold? And it's going to get dark soon."

Kyle pointed at the ice cream shop nearby. "This is just the appetizer. Let's grab an ice cream and walk on the pier. To the end and back."

They went in, got a single scoop on a cone, and crossed the street. The pair weren't the only ones to walk the pier on Valentine's Day, on a Friday night. It was moderately busy with some couples holding hands, others were stopped near the railing.

Kyle switched hands to hold his ice cream, and used the free hand to hold Marie's.

Marie smiled up at him. "Not a bad start."

The pair walked to the end of the pier over the ocean, watching the sun starting to sink.

"I'm going to miss this." Marie said out of nowhere after finishing her ice cream. She pulled her hand back from Kyle's. She pretended to take a picture of the sunset with her fingers.

"It's not going anywhere." Kyle put his hands in his pockets.

Marie leaned on the rail and looked up at him. "But you are. The draft is in four months. Who knows where you'll be." She sighed. "My parents want me to commit to a college and all, but what if there's a better choice? Somewhere closer to you? I don't want to end up on different ends of the country."

Kyle subtly brought out a small box of his left pocket. "You should do what's best for you, like how I'm doing the best for me." He pulled her closer to his side with his right arm around her shoulders. "Even if we ended up on different sides of the world, I would still only date you."

Marie rolled her eyes and laughed while leaning into him. "You have to say that. We're still dating. I'm sure after you get drafted, things will change. They always do with distance."

Kyle lifted his left hand and held out the small box to Marie. "Here."

"What's this?" Marie flipped open the box and revealed a ring. Two tiny hearts, two different colors, touching one another. A name on either side. Kyle. Marie. "Kyle-"

"It's a promise ring of sorts. I promise my feelings won't change. Not with distance and not with time." Kyle said with confidence. "I faltered once last year and I know I messed up. You're insecure about it and that's why you won't commit to your college."

"I am NOT insecure." Marie refuted, still caressing the ring.

"Stop putting off your commitment then. Go to the best college, play for the best coach, and become the best softball player." Kyle held onto her wrist. "Don't put your life on hold. Let's grow together."

She pursed her lips. "You know, if we break up again, I'm not giving you this ring back. No matter how expensive it might be."

Kyle laughed. "It's just some birthday and Christmas money. I couldn't afford the best of the best. Just getting our names on it was 80% of the cost." He smiled at her. "So? Are you going to put it on?"

Marie blushed, picked the ring out of the box and tried it on her middle finger. "Perfect."

Kyle frowned and leaned in. "Shouldn't it be on the ring finger? I thought I got the size right for that finger."

Marie slapped her hand on his chest. "I'll wait for a real engagement ring. For now, this is perfect." She leaned up and in, planting a light kiss on his lips. She hesitated before whispering, "Can I wear it to school?"

Kyle was bewildered. "Yea. Why wouldn't you?"

She gave a small shrug, a little self-conscious. "I don't know. It's like announcing that we plan to stay together after high school. It's engraved for goodness sake's."

Kyle laughed. "Yea. That's the point." He hugged her close and went in for a longer kiss. After awhile, he looked out at the horizon. "We should get going. The sun is about done with us."

She nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked arm in arm, leaning close to one another.

"Are you still leaning towards UCLA?" Kyle asked about her college decision.

"Yea. It's just got everything. Location. Athletic prestige. I would get charged in-state tuition and the scholarship would cover it all."

"What if they take back the scholarship offer since you took so long?"

"Then I'll go to their competitors to spite them. Arizona State." She said righteously, pretending to flex her free arm. "I would pitch against them every time we faced them to show them what they're missing."

"Will you call the coach tomorrow?" Kyle asked.

Marie shrugged, leaning into him. "I don't know. Maybe. It's the weekend though. Maybe they'll be playing a game."

"Send an email when we're at dinner then." Kyle suggested.

Marie looked up at him. "Why do you sound like you're more in a hurry than I am? I already said my backup plan."

Kyle gave her a tight side hug. "I know, but it's your top choice. I don't want you to miss out just for a moment's hesitation."

"Okay, I know." She nodded.

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