The Build Up (58)

“Of course.” She put her hand on my knee. Even through my jeans, I felt the warmth of her touch. I wanted it to stay there. Make a home there.

I parked the car in the massive stadium parking lot. Ari looked around, confused. “What are we doing here? Season’s over. There’s no game.”

“I know.”

Ari put on her warm down coat, pulling the hood over her curly poof, and I laughed because the hood and her hair made her look a little cone-headed. But she was still beautiful, regardless.

We walked toward the stadium, where my buddy Sean was standing outside.

“Dude. I’m sitting here freezing my ass off! I thought you’d never show up.” Sean was frail, pale, and a fiery redhead. Originally from Boston, he should have been used to the cold.

“Sean, when have I ever stood you up?” We hugged and shook hands. “Ari, this is Sean O’Malley. He helped build this stadium with his construction firm. We’ve worked on a lot of projects in the city together. Sean, this is Ari, my...” I hesitated, trying to find the right words, and settled on, “She’s my partner on the soccer stadium.”

Sean looked at me and smirked. He extended his hand toward Ari, and she shook it.

“And the girl who’s been to almost every classic stadium in the MLB. Impressive.”

Ari looked over at me. If it weren’t so cold and she wasn’t so brown, I’d have assumed she was blushing. She put her head down and smiled. “Porter told you that. Well, yes. All the classic ones.”

“Fenway? Astrodome? Wrigley?” asked Sean, playfully quizzing Ari.

Ari shook her head. “Of course. We even went over to Toronto to see the SkyDome after a trip to Shea Stadium.”

“Wow, Porter. Marry this one!” said Sean, his accent still thick even after all these years down south. “Even though you don’t know dick about baseball.”

I smiled and scratched my head. The thought of Ari as a bride flashed in my head for a millisecond. She’d be a beauty. I brushed it off.

“Ah, let’s just get inside, Sean. I’m freezing my nuts off.”

“Well. Porter tells me you haven’t had a chance to see Truist Park. You’re not one of those ‘Fuck Cobb’ enthusiasts, are you?” Sean asked Ari as we walked through the eerily quiet corridors.

“Well, I must admit,” Ari began, “maybe slightly. I mean, I grew up in the West End. The old stadium was a stone’s throw away. I was sad when it moved. Folks like me, and die-hard fans, didn’t get it.”

“I hear you,” said Sean. “But I hope this all-access private tour, courtesy of Porter, makes up for it. You can add Truist Park to your list of stadiums.” He winked at me.

Ari looked over at me and whispered, “When did you set this all up?”

I smiled. “A man has his secrets. Besides, this could be pretty good recon for our own stadium design, right?”

Ari took my hand in hers and squeezed it. I interlaced my fingers in hers and felt a pulsating rhythm between us. It felt as if my heart was literally in her hands.

“Hey! I heard that,” said Sean. “Don’t go stealing these designs for your fancy, Spanish-wine-drinking soccer fans.” We all laughed, the sound echoing in the empty lower atrium.

Sean gave us the grand tour. Ari got to sit in the owner’s private box. She got to see the home-and visiting-team locker rooms, and she squealed when she touched Ronald Acu?a’s locker. She looked up in amazement at the rows and rows of pennants the Braves had won. I laughed as she pulled out her cell phone and took a selfie with a 1995 World Series trophy encased in glass.

“May I?” Sean asked Ari for her phone, motioning me to join her for a few candid shots near the trophy, and then near the Hank Aaron statue. After posing for several shots, I watched as Ari stood in front of the bronze statue of Hank Aaron and stared in amazement.

“It’s really cool when the waterfalls are running,” whispered Sean, careful not to disrupt Ari’s admiration.

“Man, you all did an amazing job here. I never really admired the work before.”

Sean turned to me and smiled. “Thanks. And you’re doing an amazing job pretending that you’re not into this girl. ‘Colleague’ my left nut! Dude, whatever!”

I shushed him as Ari came closer to where we were standing.

“Gosh, if my daddy was here, he would love this!” Ari said, running her fingers across the large 755. She pivoted her head, trying to prevent me from seeing her wipe a tear from her eye. I walked over to Ari and placed my hand on top of hers. As she turned to face me, I tucked the lone curl that was on her forehead neatly back under her hood.

Ari’s mouth parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something. I focused on the fullness of her bottom lip, still berry stained from her lip gloss. Cupping my hand against her waist, I pulled her closer and felt her softness, even under her bubble coat. I leaned in, anticipating the feel of her lips.

Just then, I heard a cough. I had forgotten that Sean was standing there.

“Uh. Hey, guys. We got to make this quick, but I haven’t shown you the pièce de résistance!” he said.

I leaned away from Ari and scratched my head in embarrassment. Ari’s face was flushed with warmth. We looked like two caught teenagers as we followed Sean down a long corridor. There weren’t many lights on this part of the stadium. It was as if we were walking into the abyss. As we approached a nondescript door, Sean stopped us.