I glowered at her as I passed a carton of eggs over. She knew I hated when people interrupted me, which wasn’t fair, because I tended to interrupt people nonstop. No one said people had to make perfect sense. “Anyway, a few weeks ago, when I got locked out, he told me all these stories about his best friendand his sister. They’re married, and they have kids, and he loves them and their kids. Like his eyes just lit up when he was talking about them. Then, when we were in Portland, we all went out to this bar, and I made him come sit with me, Liam, and Jonesy, and by the end of the night, he had me rolling with some of his stories of going out with the Foxes back when he played for them.”
I took a deep breath, and Aunt Ethel took that as an invitation to speak again. “And now you have a little bit of a crush on him?”
“No!” I exclaimed. The speed at which I shouted it told me that it was a lie. It was that old saying about people protesting too much. I was protesting too much. I sighed and started putting away the canned goods. “Maybe. A little. But I mean, we’re teamma—”
“So are Liam and Jonesy,” Aunt Ethel interrupted again, “and no one seems to mind them.” I hated when Aunt Ethel got all logical. “Do you think he likes you?”
I thought back to all my interactions with Rowan. He was nice to me, but he also had a tendency to look annoyed when I talked too much. I’d see little flashes like I’d seen that night in the gym when he’d snapped at me. He’d never given me any indication that he thought of me as anything other than a slightly annoying teammate. Maybe, begrudgingly, a friend. I shook my head. “No.”
Aunt Ethel started gathering the empty grocery bags and crumbling them into one. “Well, then, it sounds like maybe you’ll just have to settle for being his friend and teammate.” I already knew that. “But then again, I’ve known you your whole life. You never have been good at picking up on things. Remember that neighbor boy from when you first moved in with me and Annie, after your folks?” I nodded. “He was over the moon for you, but instead of paying him any mind, you went for that horrible Henry boy. Remember him? Annie hated him.”
I never knew that Aunt Annabelle had hated Henry. He’d been my first serious boyfriend when I was sixteen. I’d thought the sun rose and fell on him, but he’d just been the first in a very long line of horrible men I’d dated. Aunt Ethel was wrong about the neighbor boy though. I’d had a crush on him before I met Henry, and he’d never made any moves.
“You know what I think,” Aunt Ethel said as she stuffed the empty bags under the kitchen sink. She didn’t wait for me to answer before straightening her spine as much as she could, trying to draw herself back up to her former height of 5’3 and falling short. “I think you need your auntie Ethel to meet him. Get a read on him. I’ll tell you if he likes you, because you’re not too bright when it comes to things like that.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Oh, you know I’m right. Remember Andrew?”
“We arenottalking about Andrew.” Talk about disaster ex-boyfriends. I’d almost given up on dating after Andrew. Aunt Ethel opened her mouth like she was not going to let the Andrew topic drop, and I knew she needed to be distracted. “What did you have in mind?”
I was going to regret this.
Notes
Yes, I know ALF players travel back the same night after a game, but I think bar and hotel shenanigans are a lot more fun than loading them onto planes. No one said fan fiction had to be 100% grounded in reality.
7
Notes
I’m so sorry for leaving you hanging for two weeks. I was in the hospital. Before you ask, yes, I’m okay. It was just a minor car accident, and I had a bit of a concussion. I had to stay overnight, and then being near screens for too long was a pain in the ass. I also had to buy a new car. But I’m back, and I’ve got the next chapter mostly written, so I may have a second update this week to make up for it. Fingers crossed!
Rowan
The sound of someone knocking on my condo door pulled me out of my book.
I didn’t know who it could be. The only people who visited me were Troy, Raina, or my other siblings, and they were on the other side of the country. Impromptu pop-ins from my nearest and dearest went away when I got traded to the Scorpions. The only person I talked to in the building was Milo, but I’d overheard him talking to Jonesy and Liam after practice about dinner plans. I didn’t know who all was invited, just that I doubted it would be Milo unless he was coming to drag me out of my condo.
The thought had me tempted to ignore the knocking, but I didn’t. It most likely wasn’t Milo, and I was curious as to who it was.
I put my book down on the obnoxious glass coffee table that took up most of my living room and went to discover the source of the incessant knocking.
When I opened the door, I saw a tiny old woman with silver gray hair and deep wrinkles looking up at me. Her face cracked into a smile and her blue eyes shined out from her wizened face. She didn’t say anything as she stepped past me and went right into my unit as if she owned the place.
Was she confused? Did she think that this was her apartment or that I was someone she knew? I had to assume she lived somewhere in the building as you needed a key to get in, but that didn’t tell me anything about the ancient intruder or where she belonged.
I watched as she toddled to the couch and sat down. She looked expectantly at me. “Are you going to have a seat?”
She was acting as if we had a standing appointment and I was being rude by not taking a seat. Had I forgotten some plans I’d made? Doubtful, as I didn’t know this woman from Eve.
I didn’t move closer to the couch. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down at her. “Who are you?”
“Oh, gracious, I didn’t introduce myself.” Her voice was so animated. It reminded me of someone. “Do not tell Milo I forgot to introduce myself.” Milo. That’s who her voice reminded me of, if Milo was an elderly woman instead of a football player in his young twenties. “I’m Ethel, Milo’s aunt.”
So, this was the infamous Aunt Ethel. I’d heard stories about her, and I knew she lived on our floor, but I’d never expected that my first encounter with her would be her barging into my apartment.
At least she wasn’t some deranged fan or confused little old lady. I took a few tentative steps toward the couch. “May I help you?”
