A silly grin crossed my face throughout the next day whenever I thought of Harris and the baseball game; well, really just Harris. I had never cared for baseball enough to understand it. I was even looking forward to a hot dog. I hurried home after work to shower and primp. It felt good to look good for someone else. I had spent so much time convincing myself that I didn't need to look a certain way for anyone. It was still valid, but there was a certain excitement about getting ready with someone in mind.

"Ready?" Stina said as she stood in my doorway.

"Sure am," I smiled before adding, "you look cute."

"What can I say? Sports casual suits me. You look cute too, by the way," she winked.

We had nearly identical outfits of jeans, tennis sneakers, and navy Yankee's caps. The only difference was my gray sweatshirt to her burgundy sweater.

"Was Matt jealous of your ticket?"

"He sure was," Stina let out a giggle.

The crowd's excitement carried us to our seats, but Stina stopped short as we approached them.

"Sadie, where did you get these seats?"

"Um, a friend," I winced.

"What friend?"

"Well, you know that guy Harris?"

"The stalker? Honestly, Sadie, he could be a serial killer!"

"Or, he could be the love of my life. It's a thin line!"

"This is not funny; it's dangerous!"

"Stina, we are at a baseball game with thousands of people, including security guards. If he is a stalker or worse, this is the best place to find out."

Stina looked over at our seats again. "Fine, at least his friend is cute."

"I looked up to check out Harris' friend and almost passed out when my eyes landed on him.

"Sadie, what is wrong?"

"Jay," I mumbled without taking my eyes off Stina's Jay.

"What?" Stina demanded as she gripped my arm.

"I'm sorry," I shook off the moment as I collected myself. "I said hey, but I don't think they heard me."

"Um, yeah, I don't think they did since we are ten yards away from them, and you whispered it," Stina chided.

"Right," I nodded as we moved down to our seats.

"Hey!" Harris greeted excitedly. "You made it!"

"Yeah, hey," I greeted back, still feeling awkward at Jay's presence. "You know Stina," I added.

"Yeah, of course. Hey, Stina. Nice to see you again. This is my friend Jay," Harris offered.

"Hello," Stina tentatively smiled. She was clearly trying to gauge if Jay was also a serial killer or not.

"So..." Harris added awkwardly, "ah, let's sit."

We settled in with Harris and me in the middle and Jay and Stina on the ends. After a few moments of awkward pleasantries, silence blanketed us. There were only a few murmurs between Jay and Harris and Stina and me.

"At least his friend is cute," Stina acknowledge in a whisper.

"He is, isn't he?" I eagerly agreed. Maybe true love would win out. "He seems nice."

"I wouldn't go that far. He's friends with a stalker."

"Will you stop!" I teased with a slap of her arm.

"Everything okay?" Harris' face dipped close to mine so he could speak into my ear. His warm breath course over my cheek, sending an enticing shiver down my spine.

"Yeah, everything is great," I smiled at him as I turned my face to meet his. We were just inches apart.

"You look cute tonight," he smiled. "The hat suits you," he added as he lifted a hand to glide over my visor.

"Thanks. I figured when in Rome...."

"Jay thinks your friend is cute," he added.

"Funny, she thinks your friend is cute, but she has terrible judgment."

Harris looked confused. "Why would you say that?"

"Because she thinks you are either a stalker or serial killer," I teased.

"Mmhmm, there is a thin line between suitor and stalker, but I assure you I'm not a serial killer."

"That's what I said!"

"Great minds think alike," Harris smiled.

"But fools seldom differ," I added.

"Wait, is that the end of that saying?"

"Sure is," I shrugged.

"Hm, let's pretend we're great and not fools."

"I hope we don't have to pretend," I countered.

"Is anyone hungry?" Jay asked from over Harris' shoulder.

"I could eat a hot dog," I excitedly bubbled, more enthusiastically than I should have been for a hot dog.

"Me too," Harris agreed.

"I'll go with you," Sadie announced as she stood. "I have to use the restroom."

"Are you sure?" I whispered to her.

"Yes," she said in a scolding tone, "as you said, we're at a baseball stadium with thousands of fans and security guards; what could happen on the way to the bathroom?"

"Stina seems to be less nervous now that Jay's around," Harris noted once we were alone.

"Mmhmm, they seem to have a connection." My mind spun through the year that they had spent together in the parallel universe that was starting to feel as dreamlike as my interactions with Shakespeare himself.

"Too bad he has a girl," Harris sighed.

"Yeah, Stina has a boyfriend too. They've been together since college, but I don't sense much love between them. I think they're just comfortable." My eye met Harris' and I realized I had been babbling intimate details about my best friend. "I'm sorry, that's not anything you need to know."

"No, it's okay. Jay is in the same boat. He's been with his girl since high school. She's a sweet girl, but, yeah, they feel more like friends than a great love affair."

"I was just saying to Stina, doesn't she want a love that will make her toes curl?"

"Make her toes curl?" A mischievous smile spread across Harris' face as one eyebrow popped up.

I felt my face flush at the gaze. "Yeah," I stammered, "you know, chemistry."

"Mmhmm, chemistry. Do you think we have chemistry?" He leaned in a bit closer as he spoke.

"I hope so," I admitted.

"And if we were to want to find out, what would you propose?"

"You're going to make me say it?" I flushed with further embarrassment.

"It's the only way I can maintain my gentlemanly shine. I wouldn't want to come across as a lech."

"True, we wouldn't want that," I agreed. "Well, scientifically speaking, I think our only option is to kiss."

"Hm, I suppose so, if we must."

His lips met mine in a burst of warmth as his peppermint-laden breath filled my nose. It was a tight, tentative kiss at first, but the sensations drew us to each other as our lips parted, and we leaned further into each other. His hand slipped to the back of my neck as our tongues began to explore each other, sending lightning through me and coiling my toes like a spring. As quickly as it began, our lips parted, and Harris rested his forehead on mine as he caught his breath.

"And the verdict?"

"Curled like a bow," I offered.

"Mine too," he agreed. "I guess that means I'll get to see you again; no more chance encounters of fate."

"Mmhmm, I believe you've earned my phone number," I smiled.

"Honestly, we were gone for ten minutes," Stina chided from above us.

"What are you, two teenagers? We're at a baseball game, not a drive-in," Jay added in his own scolding voice.

"That's it; you two separate. We're sitting in the middle," Stina demanded.

Harris and I shared the first of many giggly glances that night as we separated. I had a sneaking sensation that Stina was more interested in sitting next to Jay than parting Harris and me. She and Jay shared more than a few whispered comments and giggles. It was hard to ignore their chemistry.

"I had fun tonight," Harris whispered as we were about to part on the sidewalk.

His nearing proximity and the prospect of a goodnight kiss were causing my toes to twist.

"Me too," I shyly offered.

"So, I have your number," he added, inches from my face now.

"And I have yours," I agreed as our foreheads leaned against each other.

"So, I'll call you," after a brief pause, he added, "probably embarrassingly soon."

I let a laugh slip from my lips before whispering, "I'd like that."

Then our lips met again for a brief kiss, but one that still sent shockwaves through my body.

"Okay, you two, time to tear yourselves away," Stina shot from behind us.

I sighed and let Harris slip away from me.

"I'll call you," he promised as Stina and I slipped into a cab.