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Left some ibuprofen and water for you. Lock up whenever you leave. See you after the game.
Chase
I don’t know what to make of his note. It’s sweet that he left me water and painkillers, but the note is generic and could have been left for anyone. There’s certainly nothing romantic about it.
Maybe I came on too strong last night. Maybe drunk Twyla was too much for him. Chase doesn’t like drama, and getting into a bar fight with three guys in the place he goes to find peace definitely counts as drama.
Shit.I owe him an apology.
The ibuprofen and water are on the bedside table on my side. I slug them back because I do have a dull headache that I know from experience will only get worse if I don’t tend to it. Then I get out of bed and find my phone near my jeans on the floor, where it probably fell out of my back pocket.
It’s 10:13 a.m., which explains where Chase is. He’ll already be at the stadium.
Unsure whether I’m dreading or looking forward to seeing Chase, I make sure Zeus has food and water before I return to my apartment to get ready. I have to get a move on if I’m going to make kickoff.
I end up arriving ten minutes into the first quarter, after picking up the ticket my brother left for me at will call. I’m seated with some of the other wives and girlfriends of team members and make small talk with the ones I recognize before excusing myself to go to the concession stand.
My phone buzzes, and I pull it out to find a text from Violet.
Violet: Are you here at the game? I’m in the owner’s box with Theo and Brady’s parents if you want to join us.
She’s sweet for thinking of me. Normally I would join her, but after last night, I kind of prefer to sit with the women I don’t know as well and keep to myself. Violet will probably be able to tell that I’m a riot of emotions as soon as she sees me, and she’ll want to know what’s up.
Me: I’m here! Thanks so much but I think I’ll stay down here in the action today. I’ll see you after though!
Violet: All right. See you then.
My brother left me a pass that will get me past security so I can see him and the guys afterward. He mentioned that some of them might go out and celebrate with a nice steak dinner if they win, and of course I’m hoping that will include Chase.
If my drunken memories are to be believed, something shifted last night, and I’m no longer content to wait and see what happens.
I grab my popcorn and drink and head back to my seat. Chase is on the field, looking fierce in his football gear, and I cannot take my eyes off him the entire game. It’s as though my brain is primed to find number seventeen on the field or the sidelines, no matter what.
Maybe it’s time to face the fact that I have it bad for the man and stop pretending otherwise.
When the game is over and some of the fans have cleared out, I head past security to wait by the locker rooms for my brother and his friends. I’ve just walked past the pressroom where the players and coaches do their after-game interviews when I hear my name. I turn to find a freshly showered Chase exiting the pressroom. He must have just finished his interview.
“Hey.” I smile, but I’m not sure it reaches my eyes. I need to get this over with. “Can we talk for a second?”
The line between his eyebrows deepens. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Well, first… I owe you an apology. I’m sorry I threw myself at you last night.”
Chase looks over my head, presumably to make sure no one is around, then takes me by the upper arm and leads me to another hallway, a little more out of the main area. He looks down at me with drawn brows. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I do. You clearly weren’t interested, and I kept pushing it.” My cheeks heat in embarrassment at the foggy memory of me undressing unprovoked once we were in his bedroom.
“Twyla, I was very interested. Don’t mistake my wanting to show you respect and make sure you were making the best decision for yourself for disinterest. Do you know how hard it was to keep my mind on the game today and not fixate on how you looked in that bra and underwear set last night?” He pushes a hand through his damp hair.
“Really?” Some of the tension in my neck eases.
“Really. But it was an emotional day for you, and you’d had a lot to drink. If you decide you want to do that with me, I want to know you’re not going to regret it.”
“I do want to do that. I won’t regret it,” I say boldly and step closer to him.
His nostrils flare and his eyelids dip down. I’d love to know what he’s thinking right now, but he simply nods. “What was the other thing?”
“Huh?”
