Personal Foul: A Sports Office Standalone Romance

by Brooke O'Brien

  I refuse to let our pasts—his or mine—change where I want our future to go. I’m not going to let my own doubts or fears ruin my happiness.

  Joining everyone at our table, the rest of the night goes off without a hitch. Despite the minor hiccup, Colson manages to help me turn my mood around.

  The auction is a huge success. We were able to surpass last year’s donation by over twenty thousand dollars, which is incredible. It makes it even more exciting for me, knowing come Monday when I go back to my office, I’ll be able to oversee cutting the checks to all of the charities the Blaze organization will be donating to.

  It’s a great feeling knowing you had a hand in having such a positive impact on the community. I can’t complain either, I’m also excited over having watched Colson bid and win an all-expenses paid vacation to Maui.

  “You better be taking me with you,” I mutter under my breath.

  “Do you think I’d miss the chance to have you tease me in a swimsuit,” he whispers low against my ear.

  He pulls back, quirking his brow at me, before trying to cover his grin lining the edge of his mouth.

  “Never,” he mouths.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sydney

  Colson: What are you wearing right now?

  I grin, reading his text message knowing exactly where his mind is going. Instead I decide to play coy.

  Me: Same ‘ol, same ‘ol. Why do you ask?

  Colson: Sydney…

  Me: Yes, sir?

  I bite my lip, picturing his reaction while watching as the three dots on the screen dance as he starts typing, then disappear before starting again. It happens a few more times, and I throw my head back, laughing uncontrollably, knowing he will make me pay for teasing him in the most delicious way.

  Two knocks hit on my door, causing me to yelp and drop my phone on my desk.

  “You all right?” Mr. Bruner asks. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought I’d stop by quick and try to catch you before you head out for the night.”

  “Oh my gosh, you’re fine. You just caught me off guard and scared me.”

  He glances down at my phone, then back up to me. For a second, I wonder if he is imagining who I’m talking to and what our conversation could’ve been about.

  Heat spreads over my body. I picture how red my face must be, which doesn’t help matters, as my phone vibrates against my wood desk. I quickly grab it, hitting the button on the side to stop the vibration.

  “Please forgive me. I swear, I don’t normally let distractions get to me while I’m at work.”

  I attempt to shake myself from my nervousness, trying to keep it professional. The last thing I need or want to do is ruin my image with Mr. Bruner and end up fired.

  “Well, that doesn’t sound like any fun…” he jokes, stepping between the two chairs positioned in front of my desk, taking a seat.

  It takes me a second for his comment to click into place. I have a feeling he is implying I’ve been distracted by Colson, which led to our relationship, which I guess I have.

  I’m not sure how to respond to that, so instead I smile, trying to feel out where he’s going with this. It’s not like he’s a stranger to me. We talk, but he also doesn’t make it a habit to drop by my office either.

  “So, Colson Rush, huh?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I saw you two together at the gala. He’s a good man. Normally, it’s not something I’d endorse. I don’t want to have any issues between our staff and players or have to deal with the fall-out if things turned messy.”

  “I understand, you don’t have anything to worry about where that’s concerned though. I can assure you, Colson and I have spoken about our relationship interfering with our careers. We won’t let it ever get to that point.”

  He nods, glancing from me down to my phone again.

  “In that case, I think that covers everything then.” He smiles, resting his elbows on the armrests of the chair, steepling his fingers together in thought.

  “You did an excellent job putting together the gala. It turned out beautifully.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I’ve been impressed with you since you arrived. You have your father’s grit and work ethic.” He smiles, moving his hands to his knees as he stands. “I look forward to seeing what else you’re able to bring to the Blaze organization.”

  I thank him again, not expecting his praise, but appreciating it. I’m relieved he is seemingly letting go of any fears or worries my relationship could have on the organization or our careers.

  It feels like I’m holding my breath, watching him as he walks back toward the door. “You about out of here for the day?”

  “I am.” I nod, checking the time. It’s a few minutes after five. Colson should be getting out of practice in the next hour, and we made plans for him to come over for dinner.

  “You have a good night, Sydney.” He smiles. “Oh, and try to have some fun. Ya?”

  I laugh. “You got it!”

  “Good.” He chuckles, smacking his hand on the edge of the door frame, doing a quick wave before disappearing out of sight.

  I sigh, slouching back against my chair before turning my phone over from where it sits on my desk to check my text message from Colson.

  Colson: Are you teasing me?

  Me: Always, sir.

  I giggle, pulling out the drawer to my file cabinet and reaching for my purse. I toss my phone in my bag before locking up for the day.

  I take the long way around to the staff parking lot, wanting to stop by the practice gym to sneak a peek at the guys practicing. Immediately, my eyes find Colson. They must be scrimmaging, and he’s dressed in black shorts and a black jersey. What is it about his arm muscles flexing that’s so incredibly sexy? His back is to me but watching as he dribbles the ball before passing it to Jaxsen has me picturing his arms flexing when he’s above me.

  I force myself to move my feet, needing to get out of here, cooking up another plan of how I can tease him again when he comes over.

  The staff parking lot is full, but still relatively empty in that no one is around. My heels click on the cement, walking to my parked car on the edge of the lot.

  Rounding the last row of cars, my footsteps stutter when I spot Molly walking toward me. She’s looking right at me. I’m only a few feet away from my car when she shouts my name, urging me to stop.

  “Can I help you? If you’re looking for Colson, he’s in practice right now.”

  She looks different from the other night. Despite looking the same with her platinum blonde hair, orange tanned skin, and pearly whites, she’s dressed down in a pair of black yoga pants and a bright pink T-shirt. The stark contrast between the two of us is still clear in my mind.

  I’m not sure who she is to him, but I’m wondering if I’m not his type or if she falls outside the mold.

  “I wasn’t looking for him per se, but also wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  “I work here. What are you doing here?”

  She scoffs, a mixture of laughter and surprise. “Of course, you do.” She chuckles. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m curious, after the other night at the gala, did Colson happen to tell you who I am?”

  “It wasn’t something we gave another second of time.”

  Direct hit. One point for me.

  She sneers, her lip curling up. “I’m not sure you’d feel that way if you knew the full story.”

  “Enlighten me then.”

  She grins, and I brace myself for whatever is about to come.

  “I’m Colson’s fiancée,” she states matter-of-factly.

  “Uh, excuse me. What did you say?”

  “I’m Molly Straiten. I’m Colson’s fiancée.”

  She continues talking, but everything after the word fiancée is like trying to listen to someone with my head underwater. Colson is engaged? She can’t possibly be for real right now. She saw u
s together at the gala. I watched as he told her he didn’t want to see her again before she left. How could she possibly stand here and tell me they are together and engaged to be married?

  “You’re going to have to give me a second. I’m sorry, but this doesn’t make a lick of sense to me right now. You show up here and expect me to believe some bullshit about you being engaged? Are you kidding me?”

  “There’s nothing to explain, Sydney,” she retorts, mocking me as she repeats my name before she presses buttons on her phone, then shoves the screen in front of me. “See.”

  She holds up a picture of them together, his arm wrapped around her waist. Immediately my mind flashes back to us taking pictures on the red carpet before the gala and how Colson held me the same way in those photos.

  I knew there was some sort of past between the two of them; that much is clear looking at that photo now.

  “Well, you’re clearly not together anymore. What do you want, Molly?”

  “I want you to back off and stay away from Colson.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. You couldn’t possibly think this was going to last. You were there for him while I was back in Chicago waiting until I could move down here to be with him, but now I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  Tears prick my eyes, but I refuse to let her see me break. I don’t know what she’s up to or what her plan is, but I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s hurting me.

  Even though I can feel the weight of her words crushing my heart.

  “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not as special as you seem to think you are. Colson has a history of wanting women he can’t have. It’s the thrill of the chase for him. I was his assistant before we were together and his girlfriend before me was the sister of his biggest rival.”

  “If that’s the case then, Molly, you can have him,” I bark out, shouldering past her to round the back of my car. My fingers fumble as I reach into my purse, pulling out my keys, and punching the unlock button.

  I glance into the rearview mirror, half expecting to see her still standing there with a smug-ass grin on her face, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Reaching into my purse, I feel around for my phone. A text message from Colson highlights the screen, as I swipe to read it.

  Colson: I’m going to love getting you back for that one.

  My heart clenches at his choice of words, although knowing he meant it in a different context. I don’t know what to say to him, despite wanting to respond demanding answers.

  Needing some distance between us right now, I decide against it and I drop my phone into my purse. Shoving the key into the ignition, I hit the gas and get out of there, not seeing Molly again as I do.

  Once I pull out of the parking lot and I’m a few streets away, I finally feel like I have space and privacy, and in those moments, the tears fall. My mind flashes back to the night of the gala and the words Colson whispered in my ear when she left.

  He assured me I had nothing to worry about, and it was me he loved. Despite knowing that, it’s like all the time we’ve spent together is now fluttering through my mind causing me to overthink everything. He was there for me, he opened up to me, and he let me think I could trust him.

  I hate feeling like he’s made me out to be such a fool and a coward for believing he could ever be different than everyone else who’s disappointed me.

  He let me believe he saw a future with me, he wanted to be with me, and we’d have a family together. I actually started to picture our lives together. If there’s anything life has taught me, it’s not to get your hopes up or let your walls down for people. The second you do will be the moment when your entire world can get flipped on its head.

  The tears don’t stop streaming until I pull into the garage and turn off my car. I look over to where my phone and purse sit next to me on the empty seat, and my mind flashes back to the time he was with me after the charity event when we almost got caught by the police officer.

  It’s the thrill of the chase for him.

  You’re not as special as you think you are.

  Just like that, everything I had been waiting for ended with the snap of two fingers.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Rush

  After practice, I opt to hang out at the gym for a little bit longer to shower and get cleaned up knowing Sydney and I have plans for dinner at her place tonight. We decided to order takeout, giving us both the night off from cooking, and instead spending time with each other.

  Tomorrow morning, the team will be hitting the road to Dallas. Sydney will be staying back in Miami, which means I won’t see her for two days until we get back home on Saturday morning.

  Jairo is waiting for me outside when I exit out the side door from the practice gym. Opening the door, I climb into the back of the SUV and shove my bag on the seat next to me.

  Disappointment settles over me when I open my phone, hoping to see an unread text message from Sydney but nothing. She hasn’t even read my last message I sent her earlier.

  Not bothering with texting her again, I click on her name and press the call button, holding the phone against my ear. It rings once before going straight to voice mail.

  “What the hell?” I mutter to myself.

  It’s weird for her to not respond back to my message from two hours ago, when I know she was off work and heading home. Then, for her to let her phone ring once and go to voice mail when she’s expecting me to come over is even more concerning.

  Hitting the call button again, I hold the phone to my ear and wait on bated breath as the phone rings. This time it rings four times before she finally answers.

  “Hello.” Her voice is muffled, sounding groggy.

  “Sydney,” I blurt out. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “I’m fine.” She hesitates for a moment.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, I’m… I don’t feel well.”

  “Okay. We don’t have to order Chinese if you don’t want. I can have Jairo stop off and I can pick you up some soup instead, if you prefer.”

  For a second, I think I hear her sniffle, and I wonder if she’s crying before she assures me it’s okay, not to worry about it.

  “You should probably go home. I don’t want you to end up sick, especially when you have a game tomorrow.”

  Something about her feels so off right now.

  “I don’t care if I end up sick.”

  The sound of rustling filters through the phone, and I picture her lying on her bed, curled up with a blanket over her, and her moving to get comfortable. I wish I could be there with her, lying with my arms around her.

  “Please,” I say, peering up knowing Jairo is likely hearing me beg Sydney to let me come see her. I don’t give a shit about any of it right now. I just need to be near her.

  “No.” Her response is pointed, causing my brows to furrow. “I’m not feeling up for it right now,” she sighs. “I need some rest. Okay?”

  I hate everything about this, but I guess she’s right. If she isn’t feeling well, she needs to rest and kick whatever this is quick.

  “All right, fine. At least let me stop by tomorrow morning on my way out the door to see you before I go. Deal?”

  I can practically hear the wheels turning in her brain now, but after a quiet moment, she whispers back, “Okay.”

  It feels like a small victory, and for whatever reason, I take it. I don’t question or push her anymore, even though I feel like there’s something more she isn’t saying.

  “If you need anything… soup, 7-Up, or a back rub, you know who to call. I’ll be there before I even hang up the phone.”

  For a second, I almost think she’s about to give in before she mutters out another quiet, “Okay.”

  She quickly wraps up the call, saying she needs to use the restroom, but she’ll text me later. I tell her goodnight, and before the words are even out of my mouth, the line clicks, disconnecting.
>
  I’m like dead weight walking through the lobby of the apartment building, hating the moment when I inevitably pass by her door. I stop outside, staring at her peephole, wondering what she’s doing on the other side.

  It takes what feels like forever before I’m able to fall asleep that night. Maybe it’s the way things were left on the phone, or the fact she’s not asleep next to me. Maybe it’s that I won’t really get to see her now until tomorrow morning, but I’m restless all night, tossing and turning.

  I packed my bag before I crawled into bed so I wouldn’t have to worry about it before I left. Not like I had anything else to be doing anyway.

  Waking up, I find an unread text message on my phone. Immediately, my thoughts move to Sydney as I swipe my screen and click on my messages.

  Molly: We need to talk before I leave town, Colson. Quit ignoring me.

  Quit ignoring me, much like the last three messages she’s sent me that have gone un-responded to. I have no interest in talking to Molly about anything left unresolved between the two of us. The past is in the past, and for me, it’s going to stay there.

  I delete the text from my phone, wanting to forget Molly and this conversation ever happened. Opening up the thread with Sydney, I scroll through our messages from the day before landing on the selfie she snapped yesterday morning.

  She was standing in front of the mirror in her bathroom. Looking at the reflection behind her, it’s clear she wasn’t wearing anything. The angle of the phone and the counter behind her hid anything risqué from being seen.

  Always teasing me.

  I type out a quick text to her and quickly hit send before I have a chance to second-guess it.

  She told me last night I could see her before I took off. It’s just before eight in the morning, there’s a possibility she could still be asleep, so I opt to text her, not wanting to wake her if she still is.

  I toss my phone on my bed, deciding to jump in the shower to help wake me up, instead of staring holes into my screen waiting for a response. The warm water feels good against my aching body.

  Basketball has been getting more and more stressful the further into the season we get. The combination of ice baths after practice and massages are the only thing making it any easier on me, that and ending my nights with Sydney in my arms.