Melting On Ice

"What time is it?" I mumbled to myself as the sun blinded me through the curtains. I sat up in my bed and I suddenly realized I didn't remember going to sleep last night. I walked out into the main part of my apartment to see Patrick leaning over the kitchen table reading something. "Patrick? What are you doing here?"

He glanced up from whatever he was looking at briefly, "You fell asleep in my car last night and Miranda wasn't here. I know how you don't like to be alone so," He gestured over to my couch that had a pillow and blanket on it where I assumed he had slept.

"Oh, thanks." He nodded and went back to reading whatever was on the table. I must've been really tired because it wasn't even that long of a ride. "What are you looking at?"

He gently tossed it across the table like I had just not seen him studying it like his life depended on it. "Nothing. Something came for you." He walked over to the couch as he scratched his head quickly before folding up my blanket.

I curiously walked over to the table to find a bouquet of roses. I picked up a little note that was attached. "Good morning, beautiful. Wanted to surprise you this morning. Hope you like baseball. Love you, Derek." I smiled as I breathed in the sent of the roses and examined the ticket for the Chicago Cubs game that he had left me.

"Who are those from?" Patrick asked, trying way to hard to be nonchalant.

"Derek." I walked over and started searching the cabinets for a vase to put the flowers in. "He's taking me to the Cubs game today."

"Oh" he said indifferently as he piled the pillow on top of the sloppily folded blanket.

I glanced over to the refrigerator to see a sticky note from Miranda on it. I looked at Patrick sitting on the couch to make sure he wasn't watching me before reading it. "Hey Em, I went to my parents for the night so you and Patrick could be alone. Just thought that I'd tell you cause I know that you'd be worried sick about me." I rolled my eyes at the piece of paper. "Thank me later :) Love ya, Miranda" I felt myself blushing as I read the note.

"Well," I heard Patrick enter the kitchen. "I should get going so that you can get ready."

I nodded slightly as I waved to him. "Thanks again Patrick."

He half smiled at me. "That's what friends are for."

* * *

"Bobby Crosby totally rhymes," I insisted as his name flashed on the screen when he came up to bat again. The Cubs were playing the Pirates and the score was tied 1-1.

"Your crazy, it does not." Derek rolled his eyes as he laughed at me. "If that rhymes then that guys name rhymes."

I slapped him lightly on the arm as Andrew McCutchen's name appeared up on the screen. "No need to mock me."

"Hey kids!" I heard an all too familiar voice from behind me and was afraid to turn around.

"Please don't tell me that who I think it is, is really behind me." I whispered through my teeth to Derek.

"It depends on who your expecting." By his facial expression I could tell that he was less then pleased.

I felt Versteeg's hand as it lightly squeezed my shoulder. "Fancy seeing you guys here."

"Yes, what a coincidence." I said sarcastically as I slowly turned around in my chair to see that he was accompanied by Tazer and Patrick. "You'd better explain everything." I threatened Jon as he sat down next to me.

"There's nothing to explain." He shrugged. "Kaner just called and asked if I wanted to come to the game with him."

"Oh, so this was Patrick's idea," I leaned over to scowl at him from where he was sitting on the end. "You guys just happen to get the seats right next to us?" I asked skeptically.

"No, we had to do a little negotiating for these special seats." Versteeg winked at me and laughed when my response was a glare.

"Don't let them ruin your time." Derek whispered in my ear as I leaned back, arms crossed, in my chair. I nodded angrily as he kissed me gently on the cheek. He rested his arm on the back of my chair at the same moment that Jon did, creating an awkward moment for them before Derek removed his arm. I rewarded Jon for his victory with a scowl.

"Wow, look at how fast that guy can pitch!" Derek said, to distract me. I looked up as they showed Andrew Cashner's pitch clocked at over 100 mph. "Don't you pitch?"

I nodded. "Yeah, on my college team."

"Did you ever take lessons?" He gently brushed a piece of hair out of my face and I caught Jon rolling his eyes at the gesture.

"Only one or two because the lady that taught me was such a jerk that I just quit." We started clapping as the Cubs got the last out and they went in for their turn to bat.

He smiled down at me. "You like to try a lot of things for only one day, don't you?" We all stood up to cheer as Derek Lee started the inning off with a double.

"Yeah, she's not very good at commitment." I opened my mouth in disbelief at Patrick as we sat down.

"Why don't we go get a snack?" Derek pulled on my hand, forcing me up from my seat.

"Can you believe them?" I asked as Derek handed me the ice cream in a baseball cap that he had purchased for us. "They have got a lot of nerve, let me tell you."

"Em, it's okay." He squeezed the back of my neck gently to relax me. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the game." I sighed to myself before nodding and letting him lead me back to our seats.

When we came back, the team was doing a kiss cam as a crowd pleaser thing. I sat down just in time to see me and Jon flash up on the screen. My heart raced as he looked over at me awkwardly. He quickly kissed me on the cheek, gaining several boo's from the crowd, since it wasn't a real kiss. The cameraman kept the view on us and I knew that we weren't going to get away with just that. I lightly pecked him on the lips, satisfying the half-drunken crowd. To my relief, the cameraman moved on the the next unsuspecting couple.

I relaxed back in my chair, my face flushed from embarrassment. "Well that was weird." I looked over at Derek who had his arms crossed as he looked in the other direction. "Derek?" He moved his arm away as I reached out to touch it. "You can't seriously be mad. It's just a joke." I looked over to Jon for help who was purposely avoiding my eyes.

We sat there awkwardly in silence for the rest of the game.

* * *

"Derek, please say something." I begged. We were all walking back to our cars through the crowd. "I mean, you can't think that that kiss meant anything. It was just for the fans!"

He turned around to face me. "It's not just that. It's the whole team."

I looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He looked at me in frustration. "No matter what I do, they will always come first!" I was about to say something but he cut me off. "Don't even protest it. If they had a game the same day that we had scheduled a date, which one would you go to?" When I didn't respond, he continued. "That's exactly what I thought."

"Derek wait!" I pulled him out of the crowd as he started to get lost in the wave of blue and red in front of me. I leaned him against the wall and felt Jon, Patrick, and Versteeg staring at me. "I'm sorry. I know that this is hard for you." I looked up at him, looking out into the distance. "And I'm sorry if you feel like I have been putting you second." I caught him by surprised as I leaned up and started kissing him passionately. When I pulled away I asked him, "forgive me?" He half smiled and nodded as he leaned down to kiss me again.

Before we separated from the boys to go to our own car, Patrick hissed in my ear, "you are such a tease."