His eyes expand at my confession.
He’s not used to being anyone’s number one, but I’m changing that.
“Your person?” he asks faintly, like he doesn’t want to burst the bubble if untrue. We’d called each other “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” before, but he seems to understand I’m expressing something deeper.
“One hundred percent. If you want to be, of course.”
“Oh, yeah, I do. It’s just hard to believe it’s all real sometimes.”
I know what he means. We’ve both had so much happen since that late April day at the gym.
“Well, I promise, Rawley,” I say as I lean over to kiss him, “there’s nothing fake about any of this.”
EPILOGUE
RAWLEY - NOVEMBER (WAVES BYE WEEK - FIVE WEEKS LATER)
“Rawley, Avery, this is your five-month anniversary, I believe?”
The Orlando Morning Sunshine radio host looks at us expectantly, waiting for an answer.
Avery glances at me, barely hiding a sly smile. “Why don’t you take this one, Rawley?”
Fine. “It’s five months since I came to one of her games for the first time. Since our first initial appearance together.” Not a lie.
“It’s been quite a ride watching our two newest Orlando sports stars fall in love.”
Also not a lie.Anymore.
“Just imagine living it,” Avery jokes to the host, then looks at me with unmasked affection.
I pick up her hand and clasp it in between mine. “It’s definitely been a once-in-a-lifetime situation.”
“And, Avery, I hate to pry, but since the playoffs ended, there’s been some photos of you with a new tattoo. There’s a lot of speculation online about what it means.”
Avery holds up her free arm, showing off the small cursive tattoo on her wrist to the host, even though the radio listeners can’t see it.
“Yes, it says ‘a bet is a bet.’”
“Oh, does that have any special meaning?”
We make eye contact before she responds.
“It does, but I’m not sharing it,” Avery says with a grin.
The host gives a small laugh in return, and then changes the topic.
“So are you two doing anything during this bye week for the Waves? Taking a vacation together?”
I take this answer. “We do have plans, but nothing as relaxing as a trip. We’re moving Avery into her new place.”
“Oh, congratulations!”
“Yeah, I’m excited.” She’d ended up jumping on a house two streets down from Sarah’s when it came up for sale. All-cash offer, thirty-day close, and BOOM—the house was now hers.
I love seeing her happiness at the progress in her goals. “We’re off to do that after this interview actually.”
“Well, good luck with the moving process! I’m grateful you made this interview happen.”
