by Mary Smith
The guys greeted each other then broke into groups of five men in three groups. Somehow, Jackson ended up in Jarvis’s group, again. He did his best to avoid Jackson, but he seemed to be attached to Jarvis.
First, the guys jogged a few laps on the track to warm up their legs and get their blood pumping. Still in their groups, they started with weighted vests and relays. Jarvis considered this one of his strong suits. He even bragged about being the fastest runner on the team since Keaton was traded.
They all stood, waiting their turn, and watched Jackson bolt from the starting line down to the fifty-yard mark and back. All the men stood still on the field, with mouths dropped, when Jackson came to a halt. All eyes were on him.
“What the fuck was that?” Jarvis questioned loudly saying what everyone had been thinking.
Jackson furrowed his brow, glancing around, trying to figure out the answer to Jarvis’s question.
“Have you always been fast?” Dag asked.
“Yes,” Jackson answered nervously.
“So, you have been holding back on us,” Jarvis growled at him.
Taking a step back, Jackson nodded. “I did, but not anymore. I’ve changed,” he vowed to everyone.
“Yeah, right.” Jarvis scoffed.
“I mean it,” he said firmly. “I know I fucked up. I know I’m a fuck up. But not anymore. I’m a Bear. I promise.”
Jarvis shook his head, too angry to speak. All this time Jackson had been in Manchester, he has faked his true talent and speed. Jarvis blamed Jackson that the Bears were not playing in the championship series and he was right. It was Jackson’s fault.
“Bullshit.” Jarvis seethed, moving toward Jackson, but Shade grabbed his arm.
“I said I was sorry. I fucked up,” Jackson roared reiterating the previous statement. “I absolutely promise to make it up to all of you.”
A few teammates went to Jackson’s side, but Shade remained by him. Jarvis didn’t believe Jackson.
“Enough. Everyone.” Hamilton’s voice boomed even in the wide open field. “We’re a team. Let’s act like it.”
Having the utmost respect for Hamilton, Jarvis didn’t backtalk his captain.
“Line up again. We’ll start over.”
The guys hustled to their positions and started the relay again.
For the next several hours, the guys worked together with relays, pushing weights, and running with small parachutes strapped to their backs for resistance. By the time they finished, Jarvis couldn’t wait to get into a shower and air conditioning.
Joy was still at her therapy appointment when he arrived at the condo. After enjoying a cool shower and getting dressed in jeans and a polo, he texted Mikayla.
Jarvis: Lunch?
He knew she should be out of class and needed to finish her final project. However, she needed a break. At least he thought she did.
Mikayla: Sure. Come get me.
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he said aloud and headed out the door.
Jarvis parked at the curb and waited for Mikayla. He thought about last night and talking to Lakota. Closing his eyes, he remembered the strikes from Mikayla. Even though he felt as if he was Lakota’s trainee, it didn’t mean there wasn’t any enjoyment. He craved to feel the belt across him next.
His heart skipped a beat as his eyes landed on his girlfriend. Mikayla’s black hair shined under the sunlight. She wore a hot pink light sweater because Mother Nature hadn’t received the memo it was May. Her tight dark color jeans showed off her delectable thighs and ass.
When she slid into the passenger seat, Jarvis leaned over to kiss her, catching her cheek.
“Go to the park,” she commanded.
He felt her coldness as if it were a winter breeze. “What’s wrong?” he quickly questioned.
“Park,” she responded while staring ahead.
The drive over was tension filled silence. When he parked, Mikayla quickly got out and began traveling down the walking path. Jarvis rushed to catch her. Almost a half mile had passed under their feet before Mikayla stopped and turned to him.
“I love you, but we’re not connecting,” she announced.
Jarvis froze from her words. “What does that mean?”
“We’re not friends.”
“Friends?” He couldn’t quite understand what she was saying, and he considered himself fairly intelligent.
“I want to be your friend. But I also need to be your lover. I feel like we’re fuck buddies with text messages again. You used to send ‘hey, you horny?’ messages and now I receive your itinerary and heart emojis. That’s not romantic.”
And there was the word.
The dreaded word.
Romance.
Flashes popped in and out of his memories. He never romanced anyone. Females always fell to his feet, and he never worked for it. This didn’t mean he wouldn’t move heaven and earth to figure out how to fix it.
“I know Joy is number one in your life. She’s not only your sister, but she’s your best friend. If we want this to work, I have to feel there’s a place for me and not just in your bed. In your entire life.”
She didn’t say it out loud, but he finally realized what she was saying. “You want what your sister and Shade have.” She had told him more than once in the years he knew her.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
Taking a step forward he took her hands into his. “I love you. I’m new to all this, but I will get it. I don’t know if I’ll be good at it because I’ve never done it before., but I can tell you this, I don’t want to lose you. Yes, Joy is my sister and my only family, but you…” He choked up on the emotional overload bubbling through him. “You’re my everything. Give me a chance.”
Removing her right hand from his, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“I checked with Joy before booking this. The day of my last final we leave. No Wi-Fi. No work. Nothing but us two. Off the grid for three days,” she explained as Jarvis opened the paper. “Are you game?”
Mikayla rented a cabin in the northern part of the state for the two of them. He fought to keep his bad-boy lifestyle for so long, he doubted himself, not her, for the briefest of seconds and almost said no. Then again, being locked away with her for days sounded like a dream. But the doubt sat in the front of his brain.
“Am I good for you?” He couldn’t be sure if he asked the question aloud or not.
“I believe so, but this will help us both figure it out.” Her low tone made him wonder if she meant it or was just trying to appease him.
“I’ll go to the moon if you ask me.” His love for her was absolutely true and genuine. He had no doubts. He’d do anything she asked.
“Then give me space until we leave.” This statement made him take a step back.
“Are…are we breaking up?”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I need to study, go to Jean’s this weekend to work, and then next Wednesday, you can pick me up on campus, and we’ll go to the cabin.”
Honestly, he thought he’d cry right there in the park. He couldn’t even coordinate his thoughts to give a reply.
“I love you, Jarvis. I truly do. To make this work, we’ll have to work at it together.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Please. Let’s see if this time apart will strengthen us or not.” She kissed his lips, sealing her promise.
He thought about it for several seconds. He didn’t want to do this. Being apart from her, even for a day, will drive him insane. But if she wanted it, then he’d do it. “Okay,” he simply said and rested his forehead on hers.
“Oh my God, stop being a little bitch,” Joy roared at Jarvis. “I have never, ever had the urge to break your nose, but you’re pushing it right now, asshole.”
Jarvis stood in the kitchen with his arms crossed. “I asked a simple favor.”
“No, you didn’t ask a simple favor.” She slammed the cupboard door shut. “You want me to reorganize the food to be in alp
habetical order. You don’t even know what food is in this house because you don’t cook.”
“I just—”
“Shut up.” Joy cut him off. “For a week and a half, you’ve moped around this place like a Twilight fangirl when Rob and Kristen broke up. I can’t wait for you to talk to Mikayla in…” She checked her Fitbit for the time. “Twenty-eight minutes because you need to stop all of this.” She waved her hands in front of him.
“This has noth—”
“Shhhhuuuuuttttt uuuuuuuupppppp!” Joy yelled again, storming passed him. He followed her as she entered his bedroom, grabbed his rolling suitcase and made her way past him for the second time. He kept up with her as she opened the front door and pushed the suitcase into the hallway. “Get out.”
“What?”
“Get. Out. Now.” She pointed out the door with each word. “I cannot stand you anymore. You’re making my life a living hell. You’re the most miserable person on this planet, and I can’t deal with it.”
“I still have—”
“I don’t care how long you have.” Again, she stopped him from finishing his sentence. “I don’t care if you stand outside the classroom with a stereo above your head like John Cusack. Just get out, fix whatever you need to fix with Mikayla and don’t come back until you’re happy.”
“You’re being unreasonable,” Jarvis countered.
“No, I’m a sister who sees her brother is heartbroken.” She took his hand. “If you love her as much as I know you do then grow a pair of balls and fight for her.”
Deep inside, Jarvis knew he hadn’t been easy to live with the last several days. He was in actual pain from not speaking or seeing Mikayla. First, he tried to pretend she was out of town with no cell service. That unrealistic idea lasted five seconds. Then he thought working out would help ease the emotions flowing through him. It only brought exhaustion, and it didn’t help. He tried watching movies, answering emails, he even tried to read a book…nothing worked.
This brought him full circle to cleaning the condo. He hated cleaning more than anything. It was one reason why he hired a cleaning service to come in, then he began bringing Joy into his cleaning frenzy. However, the condo was spotless.
Which now led to Joy kicking him out.
Stepping out to the hall, he turned to Joy. “For your information, I have a pair.”
“Great,” she said sarcastically. “Tell someone who cares.” She slammed the door shut. “Love you, meant it,” she called from the other side of the closed door.
“Love you,” he grumbled, jerking on his suitcase handle and moving toward the elevator.
Jarvis was actually nervous about seeing Mikayla. Would she have changed at all? Would he even recognize her? Shaking his head, he couldn’t understand why he had such ridiculous thoughts. Years hadn’t passed since they last laid eyes on each other. Although, it seemed as if it had. Mindlessly drumming his fingers against the steering wheel and listening to the cars drive by, he stared at the door of the building and silently begged for her to come out.
Then she did.
Carrying a large duffle bag, she strolled toward him. He couldn’t remember ever seeing anything as beautiful as her. He loved her. He knew it. He’d do anything to keep her. He got out of the car to help with the bag. Mikayla beamed as she handed it to him, and he put it in the trunk.
“You miss me?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered and shut the trunk. When he stepped back, she kissed him without warning. He moaned at their connection and pushed her against the car.
Laughing, she broke the kiss. “You’re not bending me over this car.” She wiggled out of his grasp and opened the door to get into the car.
Jarvis’s nervousness washed away after the kiss and he hopped into the driver’s seat. Mikayla had already punched in the address into the GPS.
“Are you ready for this?” she questioned.
“Yes. I am,” he told her honestly, taking her hand and brushing his lips against the back of it.
“Good, let’s go.” She smiled.
As he drove to the cabin, Mikayla told him what she’d done in their time apart. She and Jean were able to get a number of prototypes completed for production. Jarvis was happy hearing the pride in her voice. She told him there was still a lot they had to do, but they were making progress. She discussed her final project and final tests. She felt confident that she did well but not at the top like she hoped. Still pleased with herself and what she accomplished the past week and a half.
Jarvis commented here and there, adding questions as well. If it had been any other female next to him—talking for almost three straight hours—he wouldn’t care about one thing she said. With Mikayla, he hung on her every word, wanting more.
The cabin appeared to be smaller than the picture, and it sat far back into the woods. After driving up the driveway, Jarvis thought it would never end. Finally, they had arrived. He grabbed the bags from the trunk and carried them as Mikayla unlocked the door.
Stepping in, he thought this was not a typical cabin. The large living room was massive compared to what he’d thought. There was a fireplace and a high-end microfiber red sectional, glass coffee table, and an ivory rug. There were no wood walls. They were all white and bright. The open design led them quickly into the kitchen. There was a four person glass table with an iron frame. All the appliances were brand new and stainless steel and matched the granite counters.
He followed Mikayla to the back of the cabin, passing a bathroom no bigger than the average hotel one and into a bedroom. Like the living room, the bedroom was large. A king size sleigh bed sat in the middle of the room with matching end tables on either side. On each side of the room against the wall were tall dressers. Mikayla opened a closet door, but it didn’t seem to fit the room. It was tiny.
Jarvis placed the bags onto the bed, and he opened his. “Which side of the bed do you want?”
“By the window,” she answered moving to the other side, pulling her bag across the bed and unzipping it.
They unpacked their items and then moved to the living room. “We’re going to have to run to town and get food,” Mikayla announced.
The town they passed through reminded Jarvis of one from a movie. A store, a bank, a church, and a post office lined the main street, but no other businesses existed in the picture perfect town. Farm style houses surrounded the area and when he pulled into the parking lot, his Mercedes stood out from the older model cars and large trucks.
Mikayla pushed the cart up and down the aisles directing Jarvis on which items to grab. He even picked up some she hadn’t asked for, but he needed to. As they stood in line of the only register, Jarvis glanced at everything in the cart.
“Do you plan on cooking the whole time?” he questioned.
“I don’t see many take out places to summon a Grub Hub from do you?” She smirked at her comment.
“True,” he conceded.
“And yes to answer your question. I’m not the greatest cook, but I do well enough for us to survive the next few days.” She moved the cart forward in line.
After Jarvis paid and loaded the food bags into the trunk, he drove them back to the cabin in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, he was just taking in the area. When they arrived back at the cabin, Mikayla organized everything in the cabinets and fridge as Jarvis sat at the table and watched her every move.
She brought over a glass of ice for each of them and split a bottle of water between them. She sat across from him and folded her hands.
“Okay,” Jarvis started, clearing his throat. “What’s next?”
“I have no idea.” She giggled. “I thought I knew exactly what to say, but now…nothing.” She sipped from her glass.
“You wanted to make sure we had a true connection, which I believe we had. You also said something about us being friends, which I get. Friends should know everything about each other, so let’s start from the beginning.”
Mikayla sat back and crossed her a
rms. “Good point. Do you want to start?”
“Sure.” Jarvis leaned his elbows onto the table and decided to literally start from the beginning. “I was born in Seattle but didn’t live there long.”
“Your parents moved a lot, right? I remember Joy telling me that one time,” Mikayla inquired.
“My parents were blue-collar, I guess you can say. But in truth, they just were running from people they owed. We lived in Vegas the longest, but nonetheless, we moved a lot there as well.”
“Joy was born in Las Vegas,” Mikayla interjected.
Jarvis nodded. “She was a perfect baby, but it isn’t a good place for parents with no money.”
“Gambling?” she questioned.
“Gambling,” Jarvis confirmed. “My father was the worst. There were times my mother tried to keep a job and tried to be a good provider, but…” He shrugged, trailing off, unable to finish it. He knew she attempted many times through his childhood, but it would never last more than a month.
“It never lasted,” she finished it for him, causing him to nod.
“I started hockey as something just to get away from the house, but it’s an expensive sport. Although somehow, I always came up with the money.”
“How?” she inquired.
“Odd jobs. Yard work, paper route, house cleaning—”
“Which you hate.” She smirked.
“Correct.” He returned the smile. “But soon hockey became more than just something to keep me from home. It became a way out for Joy and me.” He thought back to the day of his epiphany. Joy had been toddling around the room. His mother and father were…out, and he tried to find something to feed them.
“Then what happened,” she asked.
“We moved to Chicago when I was in high school as much as I didn’t want to. In hindsight, it helped my career,” he told her about joining the high school hockey team, winning the state championship, all of which led him to Boston for college and then being drafted by Maine.
“You had to leave Joy behind.” Mikayla’s pained tone reflected on how he felt that day he left.
