Counting Stars

Mike’s POV- February 2013
“Dude stop eating my food” I scolded Quickie.

He frowned and chewed on his…nope my food that he had stolen.

“Dude your girlfriend makes really good food. Like Jac makes good food but there’s something about your girlfriends”

I laughed and he took a spoonful of rice and ran away.

“Dude!” I called out.

He just laughed and I looked at Bernie. The French Canadian was a year older than Marisol and he loved expressing how into her he was. It was just to annoy me actually. He admitted it to her one day when he was drunk after we won the cup.

“It’s kinda true though man, she is way out of your league”

See what I mean? I looked at Penner and I rolled my eyes when I saw he was going to open his mouth. It wasn’t him who opened his mouth, but my best friend.

“She fell in love with his mug leave him alone”

I looked at Jeff.

“Gee thanks Jeff” I said.

He laughed and looked at me.

“Have you talked to her?”

“Nope” I said.

“Why not?”

“Cause she’s busy right now dude” I said.

“You and that word. You use it more than her now”

I laughed and he sat down. He tried to steal some of my food and I moved my tuperware away from him.

“Dude, don’t eat my food” I told him.

“But it’s good!”

“Well make your girlfriend make you your food” I told her.

“She does but yours makes it better”

“Don’t let the hear that” I said as I took the last bit of my meal.

Jeff frowned and looked at me.

“If you get anywhere near my fridge I will let Arnold eat you alive” I threatened him.

My phone began ringing and I looked at my phone.

“Hello” I said.

“Hi!”

I smiled and the guys instantly began making kissy faces at me.

“Hey, how’s London?” I asked her.

“It’s pretty cold right now. We just got back from walking around”

I heard an Aussie accent ask her if he could talk with her. She agreed and she turned her attention back to me. I heard a door close followed by heels clicking against the floor.

“That’s good. Isn’t it pretty late there?” I asked her.

“Well yes, but I wanted to wish you luck on your game”

I smiled.

“Thanks Mar” I told her.

I heard her laugh lightly.

“Mike hold up a bit…Kara…is he asleep?”

“Yea he is. Do I wake him? He hasn’t slept well, he looks adorable”

“Nah, you and I are bunking tonight. Who are you playing again Mike? I am trying to find a working link”

“Don’t stay up, it’s late over there. Just watch it tomorrow” I told her.

I heard her whine.

“I wanted to see you in black”

I laughed.

“Is that why you watch me play?” I asked her.

“I admit black is much nice than that orange you used to wear, but no. I like watching you play because you look happy out there doing what you do best”

I smiled at her.

“Dewey is challenging you to a pitching contest” I said as I read Drew’s horrible handwriting.

“I’ll annihilate him!”

“I know you will but it’s nice watching it” I said.

She laughed.

“I’ll let you go, it’s late and you need to sleep” I said.

[i[“Ok, did you like your dinner?”

“Yes your salmon and rice were really good. Quickie ate most of the rice, but the salmon was really good” I told her.

“That’s good. Tell Jon I’ll send Jac the recipe later on”

I looked around.

“Quickie!” I shouted.

He walked over.

“Marisol said she will send the recipe to your wife later on” I said.

He slipped out his phone and nodded.

“Thanks Mari!”

“You’re welcome!”

I smiled and took a sip of my water.

“What’d you eat?” I asked.

“I ate some pasta and chicken. The boys finished it though”

I laughed.

“One of them is there asleep?” I asked.

“Yes the youngest. The blond, he looks adorable”

I nodded slowly trying to remember who was who. The one with the lip ring and the tallest of the band she managed. He had called a few times saying he was sick and that he wanted to go home. I get the kid, he was like 15 or so and he had never left home like that before.

“Ok” I said.

“He is dead asleep as well. Kara just slipped his shoes off and he didn’t even move”

I laughed.

“He’s not a threat is he?” I asked jokingly.

“Shut it Penner!”

I laughed because Dustin just frowned at me.

“She’s good”

“She knows you” I said.

He shrugged and I looked down at my lap

“Nah he isn’t. He’s like a cat. A very long cat”

I laughed.

“You pet them and they are good”

I chuckled.

“I’ll let you go now” I said.

“Ok then, take care I love you”

“I love you too” I said.

“Bye!”

I heard a dial tone and I pursed my lips and looked around. Most of the guys were talking with their girlfriends on the phone. All of them ended with “I love you” I smiled and patted Carts back.

“She good?”

“Yea, she was eating” I said.

He nodded and smiled at me.

“You still can’t come over” I told him.

“I have a key!”

“I’ll change the locks” I said.

He frowned and I nodded.

“Leave my food alone” I told him.

He laughed because I was really protective over my food. I’m a man who needs his food of course I am. I leaned back and looked at Scuds who sat next to me.

“You ok?”

I nodded.

“Miss her already? She’ll be back”

“You know I keep waiting for that day where she will leave me. She’s way out of my league” I said.

He laughed.

“We all know that man, but that girl loves you. She adores you and she won’t leave you”

“She could find a British man who might actually be her age man” I said.

“Don’t worry about that. She loves you and she won’t leave you. You guys live together for gods sake. She could have chosen to live with her brother and his girlfriend but no she chose to live with you”

I nodded slowly and he patted my arm.

“4 years is nothing, quit worrying because didn’t she call you”

“We didn’t talk much though. She was busy” I said.

“You guys talked and she ended a call with an I love you because you got all flushed”

I rolled my eyes and he grinned.

“Don’t worry about her, she’s a big girl and she knows who she wants. She wants you, you said it yourself that Jeff went after her and she turned him down”

I nodded and he patted my arm.

“The girl loves you”

Willie made his way over grinning and he showed me a picture of my girlfriend and her brother. What did it say? London, UK. She was wearing black jeans and her tan boots along with a peacoat and a beanie. Her hair was down and she wore little to no make up. He showed me another picture and it had the 4 boys she managed and a couple of other people and what did it say? My family minus 25 others. She considered this team her family.

“Dawww your girlfriend is a sap”

I laughed and shrugged.

“She’ll be back in no time man”

My girlfriend was the famous Marisol Delgado. Yes THE Marisol Delgado the youngest member of the 2008 American Olympic Softball Team. She played softball her entire college 4 years and she had retired in 2011. Besides being an athlete my girlfriend was a composer/song writer. She wrote a lot of songs along with her brother in order to eat and survive. Marisol’s dad kicked her and her brother out on their 18th birthday after an argument they had with their dad. She hasn’t really spoken to her dad since that day and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t planning on speaking to him anytime soon. She’s a strong girl who was forced to grow up a little faster after her mom passed away when she was 7 years old. It hadn’t been a year and his dad had already remarried. It turns out that while her mom was dying of cancer the man was cheating on her. Marisol has two younger siblings; Tessa and Jacob. Jacob is her half brother though.. They live in Dallas, and apparently they are well off. Her dad is a well-known engineer where as the lady he married is a well-known Gynecologist.