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“What are you talking about?”
Cameron shakes his head. “She’s a fan of tight pants.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I think she’s messing with you. She’s a version of Peyton. Basha knows a lot of random facts about the game. Shit I didn’t even know.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “The last thing she said to me as she slapped my ass was ‘don’t forget to bend over for me.’”
I laugh so hard I swerve and almost hit the guardrail.
“Of course, if you kill us before the game, I won’t be under pressure to keep bending over in front of the stands.”
“Yeah, sorry man. She’s hilarious, and I think she likes teasing you.”
“Yeah,” he says with an exasperated sigh. “She’s funny all right.”
We make our way back into town, stopping at the mall first, which turns into a massive autograph session. As soon as some young boy sees us, he asks for a picture and then for us to sign his shirt, which we happily do. The only problem is when one sees you, the rest come in hoards, and they don’t stop. They follow you to the store and wait until you make eye contact with them before they ask.
By the time we get what we need and make it back to my truck, a thirty-minute jaunt to the mall has turned into three hours.
“Are you going to feed me?” Cameron asks.
“I’m not your bitch,” I tell him.
“True, but if it wasn’t for me, you would’ve had to touch Basha’s ass to get her into your truck and Kelsey would’ve found out and you’d be in more hot water. I saved your ass.”
“How’s Italian?”
“Sounds good to me.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
KELSEY
The day before I leave my parents, my mom throws me a goodbye party. I think this is her way of showing me how much she’ll miss me. Coming home has been cathartic. I needed the time away from Portland and away from Alex to really grasp what I want out of life.
Now I know.
It’s Portland. I fell in love with the city, my job, and my coworkers. I miss them.
It’s also Alex and even if he doesn’t want me, he’s the bonus that comes with being there. Are we the perfect couple? No, we’re not. We’re a work in progress that needs editing. But I’m willing to put in the time to get us to a place where we both want to be.
Tanner came over one last time to say goodbye and plead his case. He wants a second chance to make things right and I tell him he can do that by being my friend, and it would be unfair of me to be with him when my heart belongs to another.
Dalton drives me to the airport. He volunteered because then he can see his ex. He tells me they’re not getting back together, but then when I question why he’s letting this fling go on longer than it should, he doesn’t have a response. He hugs me when we arrive at security and tells me he’s going to try and come out for a visit. I think he’d like it out there.
I'm on a flight to San Diego to meet up with Basha for the writer’s conference and sit next to the window with the shade up most of the time, even though the sun is bright and shines through. It’s nice to see and I swear I feel the temperature shift when we reach the southwest corner of the country. They’re experiencing a winter heatwave which is such an oxymoron.
After landing, I work my way to baggage and the fee for the cart, wishing my brother was with me to do all of this for me. I glance at my arm and my highly decorated with signatures and doodles cast and groan. I’m ready for this thing to come off. My arm itches and I’m tired of wrapping it in plastic to take a shower.
With my luggage on the cart, I push it outside and get in line for a taxi. This has to be the worst part of traveling to a location where you don’t know anyone. Thankfully, the line moves rather quickly and before I know it, we’re speeding away. The closer we get to the hotel, the heavier the traffic becomes.
“Lots going on in town,” the driver says.
“Like what?”
“Many conventions. Football. Military celebration.”
Football. As much as I want to forget Alex and I are in the same city, I can’t. It’ll be odd, being here while he’s here, and not seeing him until I get back to Portland. We haven’t spoken since the day of my accident, aside from a couple of text messages to each other, and I didn’t want to be like “Hey, I’m in town, hook me up with tickets.”
