Bachelor Behavior - Pt. 02

I probably should have figured it out when so many more surveys were filled out than expected, but this was the first time it clicked in my head that the show was going to be A Thing.

"Hey, Haven --" Mike called, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Was that really your money you gave away?"

I shrugged and nodded. "Seemed like a good idea at the time." I got the laugh I was looking for and conversation moved on.

Another player sidled up to me, looking a bit embarrassed. He introduced himself as Curtis -- I knew of him more than actually knew him. "Hey, I know this is probably in bad taste, but do you think you could put in a good word for me with Mary, the pretty blonde that left during last night's episode. Or maybe even give her my number?"

I looked down at him for a moment, stunned. Here was a big, wealthy, good looking guy trying to meet a girl he saw on an internet show. Crazy. Also ballsy. Also too late -- Mary would probably be back home. Then I grinned, remembering Bill.

I pointed to the camera. "I wouldn't recommend giving out your number, but I'd guess there's a fair chance she's watching."

"Oh, shit," Curtis said with a grimace, having forgotten that everything we were doing was going out more or less live.

I patted him on the back. "Might as well go for broke, right?"

A grin fought its way through his embarrassment and Curtis stood up taller, then looked right into the camera, clearly a veteran of press conferences and post game interviews. "Hi, Mary. We haven't met yet. My name is Curtis Marshal and I play left field for the Cubs. If you're up for something a little bit crazy, give my friend here a call and he'll tell you how to get in touch with me." His composure faltered a little bit and he rubbed his neck self consciously. "I'm, uh, looking forward to meeting you." He finished with an awkward wave and the girls clapped, having moved closer to watch his appeal.

"That was so sweet," Amy-Lynn said, flashing her blue eyes at him, which caused the big tough athlete to blush.

"Listen," I said seriously, "Mary is an incredible woman. I hope you're not interested just because of her money."

Mike was the first to laugh, then others joined in; Curtis relaxed a moment later. "Asshole," he said without venom.

I shook his hand and smiled. "I hope she calls. And for what it's worth, she really is as special as you think she might be." He gave me a nod and a grin and made his way to the dugout, followed shortly afterward by the other players, except for Mike.

"Hey, uh, Kai. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." I remember being confused, because he'd been asking questions since he first showed up.

He dropped his voice low and leaned in, probably so the camera wouldn't pick it up; too bad I was wearing a mic. "Do you think maybe I could be the guy on the next season?" Caught off-guard again, I shrugged.

"I guess I can ask Gloria," I responded noncommittally.

He nodded and held out his fist for a bump, which I met, then he left in a hurry to get ready for the game, a little extra bounce in his step. It was everything I could do not to roll my eyes for the camera.

~ ~ ~

Sitting in the suite, two things occurred to me while trying to explain the rules of baseball to Kat with help from Red and Savannah.

The first is that baseball is a tremendously over-complicated game, especially when you consider the myriad unwritten rules that every player has to internalize as they move from level to level. After half an hour, we decided that understanding the nuances of the game wasn't so important for Kat to enjoy the day.

The second realization was drawn from one of Kat's observations, an innocent and yet rather unflattering comment comparing the physique of one of the first baseman to mine. There are quite a few professional ballplayers that aren't particularly athletic, and instead rely on a single highly developed, specialized skill -- like swinging a bat really fast. It was the first time I ever wondered if a designated hitter and a dart player were more alike than not, and I really didn't like that thought at all.

It's probably not surprising then that we didn't really pay much attention to the game. We sat around the high top tables, sipping drinks and talking -- I had opted for iced tea. It was still early when Amy-Lynn brought up the morning's activities in the weight room, giving me a hard time. Savannah seemed a little chagrined, but Kat was completely unapologetic. "I like Kai and I want him to like me, so I will show him how I feel."

This started a rather intense discussion about appropriate behavior, during which Bill and I were banished from the suite. Fortunately, we were able to step just outside and find a couple empty seats while we waited, but I was a bit confused why Bill had followed me. "Won't it be more interesting in there, listening to whatever it is they're discussing?"

"Probably, but Rick told me to stay with you. And besides, they probably put a couple cameras and mics in there anyway."

I nodded and we watched a few innings roll by, discussing pitching mechanics and whatnot, until Amy-Lynn finally came out of the suite to invite us in again.

The looks in the room were pretty intense and nobody looked particularly happy. I called attention to it immediately, determined to get whatever it was out in the open.

"None of us know how to do this," Amy-Lynn said, apparently designated speaker. "There's no privacy, so there's going to be hurt feelings. And probably a lot of jealousy." Kat folded her arms, clearly disagreeing with something in the statement, but didn't say anything.

I nodded, looking from lady to lady. "I understand and you're probably right, but transparency is really important to me. I don't ever want to be in a position where you feel like I'm lying or being deceitful. But just as important, I don't want this to turn into some game that you're trying to win."

"We know, Kai," Amy-Lynn replied. "It's why we decided that we need to just go along as best we can."

"Alright, but what does that mean?"

She slipped off her seat and walked over to me. "It means that we treat you like we would if we were dating back home, and you do the same."

I shook my head. "I still don't understand."

Rather than responding, she closed the last bit of distance and reached up to my shoulders, pulling me down to plant a lovely little kiss on my lips. "It means don't worry about cattiness or anything like that, but be honest with us and don't string us along." Amy-Lynn looked at me seriously, then pulled me down for another kiss, this one a little longer and with more feeling, then walked back to her seat.

My head was honestly reeling, both from the kiss and what she had said. "This is what you want?" I asked the room.

Kat immediately stood and stalked across to me, then pulled me down into a much more intense kiss while squeezing my thighs tightly.

"Come on," Savannah objected in exasperation, "we're still on a first date."

She broke the kiss. "If you weren't here, I would already be naked," she retorted without turning around.

"Patience," I urged, looking down into her eyes. "We have time to get to know each other." She bit her lip and let me know without speaking that she disagreed, then nodded anyway and walked back to her chair.

It was all a bit intense for me -- again -- and I let out a long sigh. Mandy and Savannah were looking at each other, like they were trying to figure out whose turn was next. I'm sure I rolled my eyes as I rose and walked over to the room's sole recliner, an oversized deal covered in soft leather. Knowing it would be much too small, I sat down anyway and leaned back as much as I could, then gestured for both women to follow. In a few moments, I had Savannah on my right side and Red on my left, both snuggled up into my chest, but far enough apart that it wasn't too awkward. "This isn't so bad, right?"

"S'okay," Savannah muttered, snuggling in, while Mandy practically purred.

Toward the end of the game the other two teamed up and asked to switch, which wasn't nearly as strange as I would have expected, and I soon had Amy-Lynn and Kat pulled close.

~ ~ ~

"So how was the group date?" Stephanie asked, her smirk making it clear she had watched whatever went out to the masses.

"A bit up and down, but I really enjoyed spending time with the women."

"Have you watched the conversation they had about you?"

I shook my head. "No, and I don't think I will. They asked me to give them privacy, and that should extend to whatever was recorded. Besides, I think we have the start of an understanding on how we'll go forward."

"So no regrets about the show format?"

"Time will tell. It all sounded good when we were sitting around a table a couple months ago..." I shrugged. "I --"

There was a knock on my apartment door and I shot a questioning look to Stephanie, but she shook her head, as surprised as me. I walked out of the studio and through the apartment, then opened the door. Out in the hallway was Red, wearing flannel pants and fuzzy duck slippers, holding a bag of microwave popcorn. "Netflix and chill?"

"It's almost eleven," I answered, immediately feeling very old. "And besides, do people even still say that?"

Shrugging, Mandy slid past me and into the living room, plopped herself onto the couch, and grabbed the remote. I turned to Steph. "I guess we're watching a movie. Do you want to stay?"

She laughed. "Are you requesting that I be your chaperone?"

"Not sure."

"Goodnight, Kai," she said, stepping through the door.