Overtime

by Eden Rose

  Wyatt

  I’m lying in my bed and I’m trying to control my breathing after the work out that I had just completed. I can’t believe that I worked out so hard but I needed it to keep my mind off of Keeley. I don’t know what she’s doing or how she’s doing and it’s killing me.

  My shorts are sticking to my thighs and my shirt is stuck to my torso with sweat.

  Yeah, I’m going to be feeling this tomorrow.

  There’s something about her messages to me that makes me wonder how she is really doing. I don’t know why, but they seemed off.

  About thirty minutes of me staring at the ceiling asking for some strength so I don’t call her, my phone rings. My ab muscles scream at me as I move to fast and then I flop back down in order to ease the ache. My fingers reach for the phone and I barely get my fingers on it when it hits the last ring.

  “Hello?” I ask and then place my left hand under my head to ease the pain radiating through my whole body.

  “Hi…”

  It’s Keeley! Thank goodness she just called me because I was about to break and call her. “What are you doing, baby?”

  I hear a sniffle on the other side of the line and my body tightens more than before. I honestly don’t give a fuck that my body is screaming at me from moving like that. “What happened?”

  Jerry’s going to be a problem, I know it. If he gave my Keeley problems from being out with me all night, I’m going to set him straight. He already tried paying off my sister and she’s so stupid that she accepted the money.

  “I don’t know what else to do… Wyatt, he’s saying such hurtful things and it’s killing me. How can he say such things about you and me like this? I don’t understand. However, I do understand because he’s a hurtful person.”

  Her voice is sad and she sounds as if she’s crying which is a world of difference from when she left me. Of course I knew she was upset when I kissed her goodbye but I was as well and that’s only because I don’t know when we can be like that again. When is the next time that we can just be together, I have no idea and it’s killing me. I never realized how much I could need another person until the day that I met Keeley and fell in love with her.

  “Cupcake, tell me what he said.” I’m asking her nicely but I’m fucking worried about the things that Jerry could have dug up. There’s a possibility that he could have found out what happened all of those years ago in Los Angeles and if that’s the case, then I’m fucked. Truly fucked. Someone as pure as Keeley doesn’t need to be with a monster that had done all of the shit I have done.

  She takes a deep breath and then sniffles her nose a little. “I don’t believe it or anything. He said you were in a gang and some gang war broke out.”

  I let out a sigh of relief when she says that she doesn’t believe it. The guilt begins to ebb in my gut at the fact that I’m about to lie to her completely. “That’s crazy. What about this gang war?”

  Keeley’s sweet voice fills the line and I can instantly sense that she’s feeling better now that I had cleared that up for her. God damn, guilt.

  “Something about a Jose Moses.”

  My eyes squeeze close and I try to control my own breathing as the memories play in my mind’s eye. The horrible things that he had done are flashing before me and I can’t help but feel tears prick the sides of my eyes.

  “Wyatt, are you all right?”

  No, I’m the opposite of all right. That name is a name that I haven’t heard in a few years and I wish to never hear it again. That name is a name of a monster who had single handedly hurt my sister.

  “Yeah, baby, I’m fine,” I lie to her and squeeze my eyes even tighter. There is no way that I’m going to tell her about all of the shit that I had done over the phone. She doesn’t need to be touched by the horror of what I had lived through and how I worked to escape from it. No way in hell is Keeley going to have to worry about it. I won’t let her have this.

  Keeley’s mumbling to herself about something and I can’t take her insecurities so I do the only thing that I can think of. “When we win tomorrow, we are going to the play offs. They are either going to be in Miami or Houston. Do you want to come with me for a few nights?”

  My fingers are crossed as she deliberates on this and I’m hoping that she says yes. The thought of leaving the state and not knowing what’s going to happen, just kills me.

  “Awfully cocky, aren’t you?”

  I chuckle and feel relaxed at her attempt to crack a joke. “Not cocky. Confident. Will you be sitting there with the other basketball wives cheering us on?”

  The sharp intake of her breath tells me that she picked up on the gravity of my statement. “Did I hear you right?” Her voice is soft and barely audible but I’m hoping that she’s not freaked out about this.

  I feel like a god that I’m able to get those sad words out of her mouth and get her to focus on something else. I know what Jerry knows and it’s only a matter of time before Keeley knows as well. If I had my way, I would have buried that past and life when I left California.

  “After all of this time that I have been chasing after you, do you honestly think that I’m going to let you just be with him? Keeley, you are mine and the quicker you realize that, the quicker we can get to phone sex.”

  “Oh my god! I can’t believe you just said that!” She squeals into the line.

  My smile cracks open across my face and I can’t help but feel as if I hang the moon. I love when she squeals like that because of me. “Watch for the halftime shout out. I will give you a little something.”

  Keeley

  “Are you fucking kidding me!” Olivia shouts at the big screen television in her living room. She jumps out of her seat with her beer in her hand and her other hand is holding the remote.

  She is being ridiculous!

  We are sat around her sofa in the living room of her basement watching the game. I don’t know who is more nervous, them or myself. We all have different things riding on this game. You all know what mine is but Olivia is a gambler and she has money on this game.

  The call in question, is a bad carrying call or something like that. One of the players on our team was dribbling but not fast enough for the refs, I guess. Or so I’m told. I don’t really follow basketball nor do I know too much about it so to me, I didn’t see anything wrong.

  Sit where all the other basketball wives sit.

  Yes, please!

  I ignored Jerry all last night or maybe he ignored me. I’m not sure which one of us did the most to avoid each other, but I did take some of my stuff out of our master and brought it into the guest room. The guest room’s bed isn’t as comfortable as the one in the master, but it will work for the time being. Meaning, until I get out of there.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Shana yells at the television and then I giggle.

  “You don’t know the first thing about basketball,” I say to her.

  She rolls her eyes and then paces the living room. My eyes widen when one of the players from the purple team (I already had forgotten what they are called) elbows Wyatt in the chest. Wyatt grunts and rubs his chest with his left hand. I don’t miss when he winks at the camera almost as if he was looking for me.

  My cheeks blush and Olivia plops down next to me. “Girl, that man has it bad for you.”

  “The feeling is mutual,” I admit.

  “We know!”

  I try to ignore both of them but then they sit on each side of me and throw their arms around my neck. “We know that things are tough for you, but we love you,” Shana says to me and kisses my forehead.

  Olivia kisses the other side of my forehead and hums her agreement. “This asshole isn’t going to beat you at this. We are going to take him for everything that he has and then make him suffer.”

  “And now, for our halftime show!” The announcer on the game calls out and the audience goes crazy. I must admit that I’m pretty excited as well at the chance of seeing what Wyatt is going to do.

 
All three of us giggle and wait to see what’s going to happen together and when nothing is said for fifteen seconds, I look at the announcer who’s smiling at something on the side.

  “Looks like our player of the game is… Wyatt Thorne! We are so happy to have him here with us and we have a fresh exclusive for you.”

  Wyatt steps up towards the announcer and his face is dripping in sweat. “Hey, Jim. Thanks for having me here.” His deliciously lean body is covered in thick layers of sweat. I can see the muscles of his amazing chiseled chest rise and fall from breathing as heavy as he is.

  I wish he were here with me. The pit in my stomach that proves how much I miss him is getting larger and deeper at the sight of him.

  “Well, Wyatt, we have here that you are single. Is that true?”

  My heart beats faster and faster at the thought of him answering this question how I want him to answer it. However, is there really a right answer?

  He smiles that half smile and then winks at the camera. It’s almost as if his eyes immediately sought out my own because our eyes are holding each other through the television. “No, I’m with someone very special right now. She couldn’t be here tonight, but you will be seeing her shortly.”

  “What are you doing after your game?” The announcer asks him and thrusts the mic in front of his face.

  “I’m going to eat cupcakes.”

  My whole body feels as if it’s been caught on fire and I can’t help but feel giddy.

  “Holy shit!” All three of us say afterwards.

  “He didn’t just say that, did he?” I ask as my face turns bright red. Holy fuck. I don’t believe that he said that to me like that especially on television.

  The announcer chuckles and then claps him on the back after taking the microphone out of his face. “Well, you certainly deserve it after the great game that you played today. I can’t wait to see more from you.”

  Wyatt winks at the camera and then strolls back to the main line where all of his other teammates are.

  “Is it normal for a man to make me turn six shades of different reds and he’s not even in here?” I ask my friends.

  Olivia starts giggling and so does Shana. “That man, he’s totally the right one for you. How big is his dick?” Shana asks me and ducks when I throw a pillow at her.

  “Huge! King Kong sized!” I stick my hands out, thumbs out like I’m doing the $5 Sub thing, and hold them so there’s a great amount of space between my hands. They should be able to get the picture. I might as well put them out of the misery. He does have a big dick.

  The rest of the game is a close one. Our team is down two points by the final countdown and I’m sure we are about to lose. Olivia elbows me in the side and I take my hands down from my eyes to take a look at the television. Wyatt just made the winning shot.

  “We won!” I yell and jump up and down like a cheerleader would at a game.

  The audience goes crazy at seeing that we won and the announcers are happy that it was Wyatt who won the game. I’m happy that he won because now that means I can get out of this state during the playoffs.

  The announcer is yelling about something and then when I look up, everyone is hooting and hollering. “The winner from the other prequalifying game is… Miami Florida!”

  All three of us jump up and down like a bunch of clowns at the mentioning of the Miami. Myself, because I’m going to go with Wyatt and the girls… Well, they are just happy that they have something to obsess about.

  Imagine my surprise when my phone rang about thirty minutes after the game had ended. I had just brushed my teeth and was about to crawl into Olivia’s guest room when it rang. I take a brisk walk to my phone and smile through my whole my body when I see his name.

  “Hey, baby,” I say into the phone. I’m not one for pet names, but I think that Wyatt likes it.

  His deep and sexy voice filters through the line and I swoon all over again. “We did it, cupcake.”

  At the mentioning of his pet name for me, I blush completely and feel like I’m about to die from being so happy. “You did! I’m so proud of you!”

  “Where are you?” He asks me.

  I look around the room that I’m staying in tonight and shrug more so to myself than to him. Well, obviously because he can’t see me shrugging. “I’m staying at Olivia’s for the night.”

  The breathing on the other end of the phone gets heavier and I can just imagine him thinking something bad happened. Before he could work himself up, I put him out of his misery. “No, nothing happened. Jerry and I have been ignoring each other. And I’m just here for the night.”

  “I just want to make sure that I don’t need to come get you. I will totally do that. Baby, you don’t deserve the amount the shit that he is giving you. You will let me know if I need to take care of this.”

  It’s not a request.

  I can’t see his face but I can only assume that he’s got his jaw fixed and he’s using his “smolder” look that he has when he’s talking about something very important. I love that look. He looks defined and sexy like that.

  “I will.”

  We talk on the phone for about twenty more minutes and within that twenty minutes, I know I made the right choice by going with him. Wyatt is so sweet and thoughtful towards me and it’s amazing to know that he cares so much for me.

  Wyatt

  The fact that I couldn’t bring Keeley with me on the plane to Miami, really bothers me. I wanted to bring her with me but it’s for the team only.

  I looked through her email on her phone and found her confirmation ticket email and I upgraded her to first class. The woman carries around a very expensive purse but doesn’t spring for first class. She’s insane.

  The team and I land in a popular airport in Miami and then are shuttled off of the bus. The airport is filled with fans and they are yelling out some of our names. I duck my head so they don’t pay attention to me. Our hotel that we are staying at is actually an all exclusive resort and I’m more than happy to share it with Keeley.

  Little does she know that we are staying here for an extra week and I have that blue box that I didn’t give her at the hotel in Dearborn. This place would be more romantic for me to tell her how I feel about everything.

  Especially about her leaving Jerry and coming to live with me. I have more than enough room in my house for her as well. However, I do worry about how she will feel with seeing Luke all of the time. And Ruth.

  The sting of that betrayal might affect her choices with coming to live with me.

  Fuck.

  “Yo, Thorne!”

  I break out of my thoughts and turn to see my team mate, John, waving his hand at me in the lobby of a beautiful hotel. “What?”

  The man is one of the shortest players on the team but he’s an excellent player. I once saw him do a slam dunk and break the back board. “Coach wants to see you before we check in.”

  I jog over to where the coaches are by the front desk with a handful of room keys for all of us. One of my favorite coaches, Joe, spins with room keys in his hands and hands me one.

  “You wanted to see me?” I ask him as I tower over him with my height. I’m so much taller than him but Joe is a good coach. One of the best in the league.

  The five foot seven coach gives me a key and a stern look on his face. “Normally we don’t allow spouses to be in the player’s room. But since you fuckin’ dominated in the game, we are making an exception. Your room was upgraded and everything you requested has been completed.”

  I smile and then thank him. I walk to the other side to get my room keys and take my bag through the hall towards the rooms. My room is towards the back of the resort and I can’t tell you how happy I am for that. The fact that I get to have Keeley all to myself, is amazing.

  My eyes take in the soft lighting around the hotel and the fact that the hotel has the other side of the hallways completely open so the outside can peek in.

  Keeley is going to love it.

 
; After turning a few more hallways, I finally found my room and shoved my key into the slot. The ding signifies it being unlocked and I swing the door open. The smell of fresh water and fresh air hit my nose before I even get a good look inside.

  Everything is perfect.

  I place the little blue box that I got for her that I didn’t give her at the other hotel, in a special drawer off to the side. I want to make sure she’s surprised when she gets it.

  After a thorough look around the room, I decide it’s going to get as good as it’s going to get and there is not much more I can do.

  Damn it.

  I feel like I’m missing something. Do I light some candles and play some light music? Is that too corny? I don’t want her to think that I’m trying too hard ever though I am. After these few days, I’m laying everything out there.

  I’m not going to take the waiting game anymore and I need her to know that she’s as serious as I am. I can’t handle this much more of a wait until I lose my mind. I love her and she says that she loves me too. Why can’t we move on?

  Jerry is going to be a problem and I’m going to have to figure out a way to settle it. It’s obvious that it needs to be more forceful than waiting for the legal system to pick it up.

  Well that and the fact that he already knows I was in a gang. Might as well use some of the shit that I learned from being in one to prove to him that he doesn’t know who he’s messing with.

  Keeley

  What does one pack to go on a romantic vacation with their boyfriend? I don’t even know. Do I just pack lingerie? Probably not. I don’t want it to seem as if I’m trying too hard to get him to like me.

  Even though he says that he loves me. I don’t know what the hell I’m packing but my suitcase is full.

  I look around the guest room of my house where I have moved all of my things, and I can’t help but feel guilty for not being sad. Aren’t I supposed to be feeling like I’m doing something wrong? The only thing I feel wrong about is the fact that I don’t feel wrong about it.

  I know it makes no sense.

  Going through airport security was a breeze and so was the flight. I had the whole row to myself in first class so I didn’t have to talk to anyone. One trip I took, I sat next to a grandmother who insisted on telling me about how her grandson was single and we would make pretty babies.