Housing A Dragon

"Damn!" Zeke muttered aloud.

A few minutes later, another pitcher named Brad Maller trotted from the locker room and out to the bullpen to begin throwing. Zeke was beside himself in anger and frustration. He stared at the pitcher in the bullpen in disbelief. Maller had been terrible so far and normally wasn't a starter. Zeke just couldn't understand it. What was it going to take before he became a starter? When the coach and manager came back, Zeke couldn't even look at them, looking in the opposite direction or down to his shoes.

When the game started, Maller was true to form, terrible. Hits ricocheted all over the field and the Dragons found themselves down 4-0 before he retired a hitter. When the next batter crushed one to the wall, the pitching coach yelled down to Zeke, "Monturo, get loose." Zeke nodded and ran down to the bullpen and began to throw.

His arm loosened quickly and soon, his pitches hit the catcher's mitt with a loud "Thwack". He mixed in some curves and change ups, all the while watching the game. Two more batters reached safely before the manager made the slow trip to the mound. He took the ball from his beleaguered pitcher and motioned for Zeke to come in. It was 5-0 by then and the bases were full. There was still only one out. Zeke trotted to the mound amid cheers from the fans. The manager gave him the ball without saying a word and headed back to the dugout.

Once he threw his allotted eight warm up pitches, Zeke exhaled deeply and eyed the batter stepping up to the plate. He was the lead off batter who had already had a base hit that inning. On the second pitch from Zeke, he hit a ground ball right back at him. Zeke fielded it, threw to the catcher for the force out at home before the catcher wheeled and threw to first base to complete the double play. The fans erupted in cheers as Zeke trotted off the mound and received congratulations from his teammates.

Zeke would pitch very well that day, pitching 4 2/3 innings with but 1 run and 3 hits given up. The Dragons would lose 7-4, but Zeke was happy with his performance nonetheless. He drove home humming to himself. He knew they couldn't keep ignoring what he was doing. Surely, the Reds would take notice and tell them to make him a starter. He still couldn't understand why the pitching coach and manager hadn't done it before, but he was sure it would have to happen soon. With one pitcher down to injury, they didn't have many choices left and Zeke was the most logical one.

He opened the door to the apartment and stepped in. He looked around and saw she wasn't home. Zeke then remembered her date. It felt weird not to have Keri there as she was home every night after a game. He liked her and thought she was a nice person, especially since she would have food for him after the game whether he had eaten or not. They were becoming friends and were more comfortable around each other. If she had any fears about him before, they had been quickly dashed. At times, she wondered why she even had that list of rules she discussed with him that first night. It had not been an issue and things had been very smooth between them.

Zeke was still hungry, so he looked in the fridge for something to eat. He found some chicken and rice and warmed it up in the microwave. After he ate, he washed his dishes and the few pieces that were in the sink. When he finished, it was almost midnight and he knew he needed to sleep. He found it odd that Keri wasn't home yet, but he figured she was having a good time. At least he could tell her about the game in the morning.

* * * * *

Keri unlocked and opened the door as quietly as possible as her friend was kissing the back of her neck. "Stop it, Brian," she giggled unconvincingly. They stumbled into the room and bumped into a table near the door. Both tried to stifle their giggles, but were unsuccessful.

"Shh, you'll wake my roommate," Keri said, a bit more seriously.

"That's okay," Brian slurred slightly, "she can join us if she wants. I wouldn't mind." He smiled wickedly.

"I don't think so," Keri whispered, keeping her thoughts in check. "Keep your voice down."

"Screw her, it's your apartment." Brian made no effort to be quiet.

"Come on." Keri took his hand and guided him across the dark apartment to her room. She opened the door, flipped on the light, and closed the door behind them.

Zeke woke when they first entered the apartment. He could hear the giggling and bumping into the furniture before they went into her room. Zeke tried to get back to sleep, but the rustling of clothes, the continued giggling, and then the bed gymnastics kept him awake for a few more minutes. Suddenly, and without warning, it became quiet. That was a quick one, he thought wryly, as he turned back onto his stomach in search of sleep once more. It certainly didn't bother him that Keri brought someone home. He just wished they were a little more sober and quiet about it.

A short time later, he woke to the sound of her door opening and closing again. Footsteps came toward his room, but stopped and went to the bathroom where that door was closed. A few minutes later, the toilet was flushed and the footsteps came out of the bathroom and towards his door. They stopped, turned around and walked back down the hall. Zeke listened for her door to open, but he heard nothing. He waited for the front door to open, thinking maybe her date was leaving, but that didn't happen, either. Not hearing anything else, Zeke tried once again to get to sleep. As he started to flip onto his stomach, he thought he heard something. It was muffled and barely audible, but he was sure he heard it. He pushed off the covers and quietly went to his door. He put his ear to it and listened.

Zeke heard it now, the unmistakable sound of Keri crying. "Damn!" he hissed to no one in particular. What was he going to do now? He didn't know her very well at all, but he couldn't just act as if he didn't hear her. Maybe something was really wrong. He pulled on his sweat pants and a tee shirt and quietly went to the living room.

Keri heard him coming and tried to wipe her eyes with her hands. Angry at herself for waking him, she looked away as he stood in front of her. Zeke could barely make out her form on the sofa, her silhouette showing through the open blinds of the moonlit window.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice choked and barely audible. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to."

"That's okay. Want to talk about it?" He moved around her as if to sit down.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"So," he said slowly, "you brought a guy home, he's in your bed and you're out here crying and there's nothing to talk about?" He sat down next to her. He could smell the faint scent of alcohol on her along with her perfume. Zeke wrinkled his nose at the combination, but said nothing.

"I wasn't crying," she sniffed. "I just needed to think. What do you care, anyway?"

"It's after three o'clock in the morning. What do you need to think about?"

Zeke felt the shaking of the cushions before he actually heard her begin to cry once more. Her face fell forward into her hands as she began to sob. "I thought he was different," she hissed between tears, "but he's like everyone else." Zeke looked at her helplessly, not knowing what to say or do.

"How so?"

Keri pulled her face away from her hands and wiped her eyes once more. "You must think I'm a whore. My boyfriend cuts out and I have another guy in my bed on our second date."

"Not at all." He could see the shininess of the tears against her face as they started to erupt once more. "It just seems like you could use some kindness in your life."

Keri didn't bother looking away or try to brush them aside. She just let them run down her face and fall where they wanted to. She didn't care if he saw her crying. She didn't care about anything anymore.

Tentatively, Zeke reached behind her and started to rub her back gently with the palm of his hand, much like he had done when one of his sisters had a rough date or a bad day at school. His hand passed over the soft material of her short, satin gown and back to her bare skin. Keri felt the anger and frustration drain out of her slowly and her crying subsided after a minute or two. She then realized that someone did actually care about her. Sighing heavily, she moved her head to the right until she found his shoulder and rested against him. "I'm such a mess," she murmured.

Zeke continued to rub her back slowly and deliberately, waiting for her to continue, but all he heard was her shaky breathing as if she were still gamely fighting her emotions.

This continued for a few more minutes before she sat up. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked softly.

"I thought you might need someone to talk to." He stopped rubbing her back and put his hand at his side.

Keri pouted slightly. His hand had felt very reassuring against her skin, soothing and comforting. Slowly, she placed her head against his shoulder once more and sighed. "I do need to talk to someone," she admitted.

For the next ten or fifteen minutes, she poured out her heart to him, telling him her troubles and her problems with men in general. Without going into graphic detail, she told him how Brian just screwed her for barely a minute before finishing and falling asleep. No foreplay, no tenderness, just in and out, and then falling asleep.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected more," she said. "I mean, Brian's a nice enough guy, but he's not someone I'm looking for in the long run. Do you know what I mean? I just thought somehow it would be better with him, I don't know, nicer maybe. Instead, I was just another girl to screw."

Keri yawned as sleepiness and the alcohol were starting to overtake her. His shoulder felt good to her and he hadn't made any move to show her he wanted her to leave. She shivered from the coolness coming from the air conditioner as bumps appeared on her exposed skin. In the dark, Zeke remembered there being an afghan behind their heads. He reached behind him and pulled it down for her. After he draped it around her shoulders, he pulled her close to him and held her. Keri was surprised by this move, but she didn't rebel against it. She merely accepted it as a friend comforting a friend. It was truly the nicest thing a man had done for her within the past few hours.

Soon, she was warm, but made no effort to move away from him. She felt safe and secure in his arms and didn't wish to leave. Zeke didn't know what to think. He didn't mind helping her out and listening to her problems, but he had an early practice at ten o'clock and he wanted to get some sleep beforehand. He did admit to himself he liked having Keri in his arms, but it wasn't under the exact sort of circumstances he would want or envision. Sure, he liked her and would help her, but he really needed some sleep.

A few minutes passed before she realized she was dozing off. She sat up abruptly and the afghan fell from her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I've bothered you way too much with my problems."

"It's okay," he replied tiredly. He was almost sorry to let her go.

She reached down and found his hand. Keri touched it briefly. "Thanks for listening."

"No problem."

They both stood up slowly and headed for their rooms, the clock chiming three-thirty as they went. Keri turned the knob of her door as Zeke entered his room. Once the door opened, she sighed heavily. "Shit."

"What's up?" Zeke asked from his room. From the lighting in her room, he noticed her in her nightgown and was impressed. It was plum colored, barely came down past her butt, and looked very nice on her. She did have a nice figure, he thought.

"Look at him," she said.

Zeke walked down the hall, came around her and looked at the naked male on her bed. He was sprawled corner to corner, snoring loudly, and effectively taking up the whole bed. "Do you want me to move him?" he asked.

"No," she sighed, "I really don't want to sleep with him." She sighed again. "I'll just take the couch."

"You don't have to. You can have my bed and I'll take the couch."

"No, no, you won't," she retorted.

"Keri, I've slept on many couches in my life. It's no big deal." He turned off the light and closed the door. He took her lightly by the hand and began to guide her to his room.

"No, I can't let you do this," she protested.

"Don't argue with me," he replied. "I don't mind. Compared to that bus, the couch will feel like feathers."

"No, I couldn't..."

"No more arguing." He pulled her more urgently towards the door. "Come on." She obediently followed this time.

"Oh, Zeke..." she said shaking her head. "How can I ever repay you for this?"

"How about a big breakfast before I go to practice?" he suggested.

"You've got it," she said, producing a small smile, "but I owe you a lot more than that."

"No you don't."

"I do, so don't argue with me." She looked down at her bare feet before looking at his sleepy blue eyes once more. "I was beginning to hate all men, thinking there wasn't a decent one left in this world. You've shown me otherwise and now I know there's hope for the male species after all."

"I'm certainly glad of that," he laughed softly.

"I'm not joking," she said seriously. She moved away from him and entered the room. Looking at him, she said quietly, "You're a sweetheart." Keri leaned forward and gave him friendly peck on his cheek. Slowly, she closed the door, leaving him a bit bewildered and dumbfounded at the same time.

* * * * *

"Hey, what's someone got to do to get something to eat around here?" Brian said loudly as he exited Keri's room. Keri was in the bathroom and Zeke was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

"Maybe you should find a restaurant somewhere," Zeke said quietly.

Brian jumped slightly as he wasn't expecting a male voice to answer. He moved into the living room to have a look. When he saw Zeke, he said, "Who are you?"

"Keri's roommate," Zeke answered.

"I thought her roommate was a girl."

"You thought wrong, man."

Brian laughed lightly and moved back towards the hallway. "Hey Keri, how about fixing me something to eat?" he yelled towards the closed bathroom door. Sitting on the toilet, Keri was silent and seething.

"You might want to keep your voice down, this is an apartment building, you know," Zeke said quietly.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?"

"I'm just asking you to quiet down a bit, that's all. There's no need to get upset about it." Zeke looked at him with no anger or malice, but he still thought Brian was a jerk.

"I'll talk the way I want to talk," Brian replied. "Hey, come on, Keri, I'm hungry," he whined.

"Man, why don't you just leave?" Zeke said. "She obviously doesn't want to talk to you and from what she says, you're not all that like you think you are. How long did you last, anyway? Five, ten seconds?"

Brian's face went crimson in anger. "Is that what she told you?" he demanded.

"It's what I heard." Zeke stood up and let Brian see all of his 6'3" and 235 pounds of muscle. "Now, why don't you go?"

As Brian turned and went back to the room to collect his things, Keri was wiping herself and flushing the toilet. She came out of the bathroom with Zeke's bathrobe wrapped around her.

"Well, well, you are here," Brian said sarcastically. "Well, honey," he said as he brushed by her, "I don't know what you told him, but you weren't exactly the best lay, either."

"Get out of here," she hissed. She saw Zeke move around the table, but she waved him back.

Brian laughed. "All right, all right, I'll leave. Believe me, I don't want to piss off the incredible hulk here." Zeke looked on warily. Brian opened the door and was almost out the door when Keri stopped him.

"Hey Brian?" she asked. He looked back. "Next time, let a girl know when you're in them. It's hard to tell the difference between you and air."

Brian frowned, shaking his head. "God, you're such a bitch." He walked away and went down the stairs.

Keri shut the door and stood with her back against it, breathing heavily. She glanced at Zeke and smiled. "I think it's about time I started to fix you that breakfast."

* * * * *

After the meal was completed and the dishes done, Keri went back to bed for more sleep. Unfortunately, Zeke didn't have that luxury and left for the ballpark for his practice. Since he had pitched so much the night before, he wasn't required to do any throwing, but took part in batting and fielding practice. After practice, the pitching coach pulled him to the side and gave him the news he had been waiting for. He was going to be placed in the starting rotation for the rest of the season. He went on to explain why they waited so long, but Zeke heard none of it. He didn't want to hear why, all he wanted to do was pitch the way he was supposed to. He did thank him for the news when their conference ended, and then he left to take a shower. Zeke couldn't help but wonder if the newspaper had anything to do with the change. The beat writer for the team openly chastised the Dragons' manager for keeping Zeke in the bullpen and wondered why he was dragging his heels when it was quite apparent Zeke was the best pitcher on the staff. Whatever it was that got him the promotion, he simply didn't care.

He rushed back to the apartment to tell Keri the good news. When he got there, he didn't see her in the living room, dining room, or kitchen. When he went to the hall, he looked towards her room and got a surprise he wasn't expecting. Her door was open and Keri was laying on her back, asleep on the bed with one leg bent in an "L" under the other. His bathrobe was neatly folded at the foot of the bed and she was still wearing her short nightgown, but it was bunched up near the top of her thighs. He stood there transfixed as he could see her slit and her fuzzy pubic mound partially covered by the satin material. His heart leapt and he had the same feeling as when he accidently walked in on his sister when she was naked; aroused, yet embarrassed.

Zeke couldn't move and didn't wish to. This was different than seeing his beloved sister in her all together. Although she had been marvelous to look at, she had covered up quickly without shrieking and he was gone before she knew it. When they talked about it later, she wasn't upset with him and joked with him about not sneaking any more looks at her. That had been the previous summer and nothing had happened since. They were as close as they had ever been and she joked about it from time to time. Yes, this was quite different.

It had been over a year since he had been in bed with a woman and the sight of Keri got him hard and horny very quickly. He never thought he would ever think of her in that way. He still didn't think she was as pretty as girls he had previously dated, but why was he now attracted to her? Was it only because she was partially unclothed? He didn't know for sure although he felt they were now friends. That went unspoken during their breakfast together. But, friends weren't supposed to see each other naked and he knew his thoughts for her had changed. He didn't know if he would be able to look her in the face now. Maybe he should tell her about it when she woke. He truthfully didn't know what he was going to do or how he was going to handle it. Zeke looked at her for a few more seconds before he closed her door quietly.

* * * * *

For the next few days, Keri noticed something amiss with Zeke, but she couldn't place her finger on it. He seemed nervous and fidgety around her from time to time and whenever she asked him about it, he would say he was fine and she would let it go at that. She felt as if he was more formal with her than before, that their friendship had somehow taken a step backward. But, by the time he departed for their next road trip, he seemed back to where he was that early Saturday morning. His first starting assignment would be in Lansing against the Lugnuts and Keri was unhappy she would not be there to see it. She was even more upset to find out she would be missing his second start in South Bend, too.