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“I’m just disappointed. I haven’t seen her other than through the screen of my phone in a month. That’s a long damn time when I’m used to laying my eyes on her every day.”
“Did you tell her that?”
“What’s with all the questions? You’re a Badger now, so you gotta take that shit to heart?”
“Fuck you.” His words have no heat behind them. “I refuse to apologize for trying to help you see that you fucked up.”
“What?” I whip my head around to look at him. “How did I fuck up? I didn’t tell her to go and get a boyfriend and meet his parents.”
“No, you didn’t. But you did tell her that you were better off as friends.”
“We are friends,” I say through gritted teeth.
“All right.” He holds his hands up in the air in defeat. “So, you ready for training camp?” he asks.
“Yeah, you?”
“Yes and no. I’m not looking forward to being away from Tessa that long, but that’s the career we chose. She’s supportive and knows that there’s no one in my life for me but her.”
“Yeah? When’s the big day?”
“She’s planning it. Probably next spring, after the season ends.”
“You making Tess do all the work?”
“I want it to be everything she’s ever dreamed of. I don’t care when, where, or how. I just want her to be my wife.”
“Look at you, all sappy and shit,” I say, moving to grab another beer out of the fridge.
“Takes one to know one.”
I roll my eyes. He’s never going to give up on this crusade he’s been on for years that Reese and I are more. He just doesn’t understand our connection. Lifelong friends, and then to be torn apart. Anyone would be saddened by that.
“Hey.” Tessa joins us on the patio and gives me a hug before Nixon pulls her into his arms. “I just talked to Reese. She said she texted you but didn’t get an answer.”
Setting my beer on the counter, I pat down my pockets to find my phone. I turn to look and see it on the counter. Picking it up, sure enough, I have a missed text from Reese. “I don’t know how I missed it,” I tell her, swiping my finger across the screen.
“Could be that when I found you in here all alone, you looked like your mind was a thousand miles away,” Nixon comments.
Not a thousand. Only about two hundred, give or take. I block him out and look at the message.Reese: Hey. Sorry I can’t be there today. I miss you.She misses me. The last two times I’ve spoken to her, he’s been there, and all I got was a “me too.” It’s not the same as hearing her sweet voice tell me, but I’ll take it.Me: I miss you too. I can’t wait to see you.Reese: Tessa tracked you down I see.Me: Yeah. Sorry, my phone was on the counter and I didn’t hear it.Reese: How’s the party?Me: Not the same without you. How about yours? Meet the parents yet?Reese: Yes, actually, and they’re very nice.Me: We still on for your visit in a couple of weeks?Reese: Definitely.Me: You coming alone?Reese: That’s the plan.Me: Good.Reese: I gotta go. We’re up for cornhole. I can’t wait to see you!Gazing out the window, I see one of the guys on the team and his wife, or fiancée. Though I think they’re married. Anyway, the two of them are playing cornhole with Dustin and his date. I hate that she’s not here. She should be playing cornhole in my yard. Not his. These next two and a half weeks are going to drag by. I knew I was going to miss her, but I never knew it would feel like this. Like there is a vise around my chest, squeezing painfully. It’s as if a piece of myself is missing, and I don’t for the life of me know how to get it back.
Gripping my phone in my hands, I want to call her. To hear her voice. See her smile. But she’s with him. The boyfriend, who seems like a decent guy, but I’m not there to make sure he treats her right. This is supposed to be an epic time for me. I’m a fucking professional football player. My first year in the league. This is what I’ve always wanted, but somehow, without Reese here with me, it just doesn’t feel as exciting as I thought it would be.Four days. Four more days until I get to see Reese. I’m going to hug the hell out of her, so I should probably warn her. It’s been too damn long. As the days drag by, I get even more excited. I don’t know how I’ve survived this long without seeing her. I’ve been surviving on phone calls, video chats, and text messages. That’s not enough. Not for me.
