Bab 9: Small Victories (2)

After the game, the sun was beginning to set behind the trees, casting long shadows over the field. Linus, still feeling the adrenaline from his first real experience with baseball, walked across the field with Liam beside him. His sister Klara waited just beyond the dugout, tapping her foot and checking her phone. As soon as she spotted them, she put it away, her lips curling into a smile.

"Well, well," Klara greeted them, her tone light but teasing. "Thanks for lending us your brother for this game," Liam said, flashing a grateful smile at Klara. "Hope it didn't take up too much of your time."

Klara waved it off, her grin widening. "No problem at all. Though," she added, letting her voice drop into a playful pout, "I had hoped he'd embarrass himself a little more. You know, just for fun."

Linus sighed heavily, exasperated that she wasn't even pretending to hide her mischief. "Seriously?" he muttered, shaking his head.

Liam chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Nah, he did better than I thought he would, honestly," Liam said, nudging Linus with his elbow. "Especially with that hit, even if it was... uh, a bit ugly."

Linus smirked, a sarcastic edge creeping into his voice. "Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty amazing, right?"

Klara burst into laughter at his response, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her brother. "I hope you had some fun at least," she asked, a little more sincerity apparent in her voice now.

Linus paused, glancing back at the field, the now distant sounds of bats clinking and players shouting still lingering in his mind. "Yeah, I had fun," he admitted. "Even though I didn't understand most of what was going on." He turned to Liam, grateful for the support. "Thanks for helping me the whole time. I would've been totally lost out there."

Liam shrugged casually, brushing it off. "Don't mention it. You're the one who helped us by filling in. We would've been short a player otherwise."

Klara stretched her arms over her head, clearly satisfied with how the evening had gone. "Well, we should probably get going," she announced, glancing at her phone. "We've stayed longer than we thought. Thanks, Liam." Then, with a grin and a light punch to Linus' arm, she added, "Who knows? Maybe this guy will actually get interested in baseball now."

Linus rolled his eyes, rubbing his arm where Klara had punched him. "How would I even start playing? I don't think there are any baseball teams in Sweden."

Liam grinned, turning to face Linus with a confident look. "Well, if you do get interested, feel free to ask me if you ever need help. I'd be happy to give you some tips." He held out his hand, a friendly gesture that seemed to signify something more—a connection, maybe, or a potential future. "Liam Henriksson."

Linus stared at the hand for a second, a strange sense of warmth spreading through him as he took it. "Linus Edberg."

Klara watched the exchange with raised eyebrows, clearly amused by how serious they both looked. "Well, this is adorable," she teased, nudging Linus again. "Maybe I should be worried you're planning to ditch me for a new best friend."

Linus scoffed, shaking his head. "You're just mad I didn't embarrass myself enough for you."

"Oh, trust me," Klara smirked. "There will be plenty more chances."

They began walking toward the parking lot, the field now quiet and empty behind them. Linus couldn't help but glance back one last time, a strange pull still drawing his attention to the diamond. It was a simple field, and nothing special about it.

***

The Next Morning

The next morning arrived quietly. Linus woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window and the distant clinking of dishes from the kitchen. He stretched, yawning as the memories of yesterday began to resurface. Their parents had gotten home late from their trip to the Grand Canyon, so they hadn't talked much before everyone went to bed.

As Linus headed down to the breakfast table, he found his mom and dad already sitting with Klara, who was scrolling through her phone as usual. Their dad, Mats, greeted him with a wave, while their mom, Marie, offered a warm smile as she set a plate down on the table.

"So," Klara said, turning her attention from her phone to their parents, "How was your trip? Did you get to see everything you wanted?"

Mats grinned, his eyes lighting up as he recalled their adventure. "Oh, it was incredible, thanks to your mom's planning, of course. The view of the Grand Canyon was breathtaking—nothing like it." He launched into a vivid description of the vast canyon, the layers of rock stretching out endlessly, and the surreal feeling of standing on the edge of something so ancient and immense.

Marie walked behind him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed, a soft smile on her face. "It was romantic, too," she added, taking her seat with her own plate of food. "Just the two of us, alone for once. It was nice."

Linus grimaced, making a face like he didn't want to hear any more about his parents' romantic getaway. "Ugh, gross," he muttered, causing Klara to snicker.

Marie raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, focusing on buttering her toast. Then, as she took a sip of her coffee, she glanced at her children with a curious smile. "So, how was your day yesterday? Did you two stay out of trouble?"

Klara was all too happy to chime in. "Oh, we had a great time," she said cheerfully. "Spent most of the day at the park, and I even got Linus to play in a baseball game!"

Mats nearly choked on his coffee. "Wait, what? Linus played baseball?"

Marie, sitting beside him, gave Klara a disapproving look. "You didn't bully your brother into it, did you?"

Klara laughed, waving off the concern. "No, no, nothing like that. I just thought it would be fun. You know, maybe he'd embarrass himself a little." She winked at Linus, who rolled his eyes.

"Well, it sounds like an interesting day," Mats remarked, still looking mildly shocked that Linus had willingly participated in a sport like baseball.

Linus shrugged, as he reached for a piece of toast. "Yeah, it wasn't bad."

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