“I’m not going to lose you, Gene,” I promised him. “Ever.”
“Well… thanks for all the help, all the same,” he said. He was always capable of sounding wiser beyond his years. “I’m really happy you’re my sis.”
I smiled, hugging him. “I’m having dinner at Bryant’s house. It’s a big one.”
“We should be the ones asking him to have dinner with us,” Eugene said.
I shrugged. “Our house is kinda small. I think four people is enough. Three is probably a lot more cozy, isn’t it?”
Eugene smiled. “Yeah, we’ve been having lots of fun since you’ve been gone. Totally forgot all about you, Mia.”
For those words, my brother got a playful swat across his chest. I gave him another hug and then went to my bedroom.
It was the same as it had always been. Nothing had changed. Bringing Bryant into this environment would have made me feel vulnerable, like this was something I wasn’t ready for yet.
That maybe wasn’t fair, but it was true all the same. I couldn’t expect him to just enter every part of my life, not even if he wanted me to.
But I was feeling a special sort of closeness to him now, after what he did for me here. He proved that he was the real deal, that he wanted more than just a regular hook-up. There was something real, and I was done doubting everything at this stage.
We would have to fly back to Florida at some point. I didn’t look forward to that flight. Going back to school felt like being jolted back to reality.
And knowing that Bryant was going to have to deal with lots of drama as a result of missing his game was bad news too.
It wasn’t fair for him to have to deal with consequences like that. I had always overheard from Marvin and the others about how uptight their coach was. If he found out the reason why Bryant ditched the game, he might freeze him from the team altogether.
Was that going to be on my conscience?
I napped for a little bit before I woke up to messages on my phone from Bryant. He had texted me saying that he would come pick me up around five.
It was four now, so I quickly took a shower and changed into my clothes — most of my best clothes I had taken with me to Florida, but I had a large enough wardrobe to look presentable.
My outfit for dinner was something polite but pretty. I didn’t know how formal things were for a guy who grew up the way Bryant did, so I picked something at least a little fancier than just a t-shirt and jeans.
I went with a casual dress with a pink and orange floral pattern. I wore this out all the time, and when I cinched the waist with a belt, it looked a little more fancy, too.
Glancing in the mirror, I looked at myself, realizing that I was picking clothes not just to be appropriate for dinner… but also because I wanted Bryant to look at me and think I was beautiful.
He always already gave me that look, but now I wanted him to say it over and over again.
And for one last accessory to complete this outfit, I rummaged through my things and found my old glasses.
The ones he used to point out and laugh and call me a nerd with glasses over. They weren’t so bad. I was glad I wore contacts now, or swapped with a more stylish designer piece.
But putting my glasses on, I felt like I stopped looking like the adult college girl I was, and started to reminisce being the annoyed little girl in school who hated that boy Bryant for making her days a living hell.
This shouldn’t be a memory I could smile to, but somehow, now… it was.
I was grateful for that.
Bryant arrived at five on the dot, driving a car that looked identical to his Mercedes he left in Florida.
I saw him park in our driveway, and I immediately started walking downstairs. I kissed my mom on the cheek. “Gonna be gone for the evening!”
“Are you coming back tonight?” she asked.
I just simply shrugged and walked right out of the house, greeting Bryant with my arms wide open in surprise.
“Did you have someone drive your car all the way here? I don’t get it!” I said, looking at his ride.
“No, actually… it’s my mom’s. She was the one who got me my car. Thinks it’s cute for us to have the exact same model. I don’t know, I kinda love it.”
“Well, that’s adorable,” I said.
He got out of the car, chivalrously opening the passenger door for me, so I could get in. “Speaking of adorable, you look adorable.”
“I was going for something else,” I smiled.
“Beautiful. But the glasses give it an extra edge. Wouldn’t be able to forget those glasses ever, I know them too well,” Bryant said. “Didn’t I, uh, once pretend I was going to smash them into little pieces?”
I sighed. “Yes, you did. I was so scared you would do that, you know. I’m glad you’ve grown up. You were such an asshole.”
Bryant slumped into his seat, pouting at me. “I’m sorry. I really was. Can I get a kiss?”
I leaned forward, pecking him on the lips with mine. It really felt like we had gone through a hell of a journey together, ending up where we were today, able to talk about our past and reminisce without feeling any more residual pain.
“Wow, so… I’m going to confess something. I love those glasses on you. I always have, you looked adorable. I just kept pointing them out to you because I liked how you got so mad when I did,” Bryant said as he drove.
I rolled my eyes. “Boys are so stupid. Tell me you won’t have to make fun of me now if there’s something about me you like.”
Bryant grinned. “I… can’t promise that. I might still want to tease you. But only in an appropriate way, I promise.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
His house wasn’t that far from mine, especially now since we had moved away from the childhood home I grew up in.
It was in a street where there were plenty of McMansions, all looking almost identical. At the far end was Bryant’s mother’s house, differentiated from the others by the greenery and a more tastefully-designed facade.
He took me straight into the house, and I was impressed by just how big it was. From the entrance it looked like there were rooms after rooms, like some kind of Beverly Hills mansion owned by a celebrity, where you had so many rooms you didn’t even really know what to do with all of them — so you’d have a little game room, a room to paint in, I imagined Bryant even had his own little NFL-themed locker room.
“We’re here!” he said.
“Oh, Bryant, great!” a woman a little older than him said. They looked similar, except instead of being six foot tall, she was a more svelte five foot seven or so. A little boy pushed past her legs, immediately clinging to Bryant.
“Uncle B!” he said.
“I never fail to feel super old when he calls me Uncle,” Bryant said, looking at me. He carried his nephew up, holding him against his chest. “Hey, little man, I want you to meet Mia Cowell. Mia Cowell, I am delighted to present to you my nephew, Carl Milford, son of Robert Milford and my sister, Sheryl Howard Milford.”
“Wow, you make us sound like royalty or something,” Bryant’s sister laughed, collecting her son from Bryant. She looked at me and smiled. “I’d give you a hug but my hands are kinda occupied. You look so sweet, Mia! Loving the print on your dress. Very fall. Very chic!”
I smiled, feeling grateful for the warm welcome. “Is your husband also here?”
“Oh yeah, Rob’s in the kitchen, helping mom. We’re making tacos and quesadillas tonight. With Bryant dressed so smart, you’d probably think we were the kind of people to have a ten-course meal or something. God, I hope not. I like things casual.”
It was interesting to see just how ordinary Sheryl and Carl were. They didn’t seem rich, not like how Bryant did sometimes. I realized that not everyone had to hold onto money the way Bryant’s father did, and when Sergio Howard divorced his wife, it probably changed the dynamic by a lot.
I imagined he was the kind of guy who liked having all that money
to dangle over someone as a threat, making them obey him because they needed the cash.
There was nothing I had heard about his father that I liked.
Bryant led me to the kitchen, where I saw a handsome bald guy mess around with some corn tortillas. Then there was an older woman who could only be Bryant’s mother.
“Hello,” I said, chiming as sunnily as I could. “I’m Mia. Thank you so much for having us here.”
“Aw, Mia,” his mom said. “Call me Rita. I’m so happy to see you. You know, Bryant’s never asked me to prepare a big dinner for all of us like this before.”
She perked up when she saw me, but I could see that she was a little sad for some reason. I didn’t register why that was. Was it because she wished the family was complete, that his father could also be here? Or was it sadness over her son growing up so quick, her one and only baby boy now bringing someone home?
But I soon found out, when she inhaled sharply, stood a little taller, and addressed Bryant. It was clear she was telling him bad news.
“Your father’s in town. He’s been here since he found out you bought flights to Indianapolis. And when he tracked the car, he made sure to invite himself to our dinner. He’s on the way now.”
Bryant sighed. “Why does he always do this?”
Rita looked as disappointed as he was. “Because he just wants to make everyone’s life terrible, because he’s a bully.”
I thought back about how Bryant had confronted the bullies this morning at our high school. It was a little rash to slap those kids around, and there was probably going to be consequences for him for that — banned from coming back, probably.
But he did it for the right reasons. And I knew deep down that he also did it because he wanted to prove to himself that he had changed, and that he wasn’t the bully he had always been before.
His father, however, seemed like the kind of guy who I felt could get to him, really get his nerves.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked Bryant, and then turned my question to Rita.
His brother-in-law Rob answered, “I think we can all handle Sergio together. He’s not a nice guy, no. But he’s here because he has a bone to pick against Bryant.”
“Be strong tonight, Bry,” Rita said. “I’d understand if you needed to leave early, but don’t… let him get the satisfaction of seeing that he’s hurt you.”
Bryant was silent, but after giving it some thought, he nodded. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
He hugged his mother, and I felt a twinge of pain in my own heart, watching this scene.
We all went to the dining table, and everyone’s mood was a little more subdued. Even Carl picked up on the low energy of the table, occupying himself with his mother’s iPhone instead.
Rob kept the conversation going, asking me about school. It turned out he was a media sales manager for a big advertising company that dealt with accounts in Chicago, so when I told him I was interested in becoming a journalist, he told me about all the interesting editors he had met in his time.
Bryant mostly had hushed conversations with his mom. Sheryl attended to her husband and her child, occasionally asking me a question about myself.
It didn’t feel as awkward as it could have been. If anything, it felt sweet… except for the shadow hanging over the table.
And as if on cue, Bryant’s dad arrived. I could hear the loud vroom of his sports car outside as he skidded to a stop, then marched inside. The door wasn’t locked, so he could just slam the door open.
“Well, well, well,” he said, looking amused at the scene as we all froze, anticipating his arrival in the dining room. “Bry, you’re back. What’s this? Already giving up on your football career, huh?”
Bryant said nothing.
“And I’ve watched enough YouTube to know that you’re the one and only Miss Mia Cowell,” he said, his smile baring teeth. “Well… you’re quite plain. Plainer than I thought. I’m surprised Bryant would go for a girl like you. The last one was far hotter.”
“Dad, shut up,” Bryant said, through gritted teeth.
“Well, the last one looked a lot like you too, just… sluttier. Probably a good thing that you’re not her, then,” Sergio Howard said. “Aren’t I invited to join this dinner?”
Rita closed her eyes, sighing. “Do you always have to do things like this, Serge?”
He laughed. “I think I have the right to do whatever I want in a home I still own.”
Bryant stood up. “I don’t want you threatening Mom like that. I’m sick of this shit coming from you, Dad. And I’m sick of you trying to ruin everyone’s lives like this. Don’t you have better things to do?”
His father paused, stepping closer to Bryant. He orbited around him, circling him, looking at him icily. Rob also stood up, ready to intervene, but he wasn’t a big guy built the way Bryant and Sergio were.
“Son,” Bryant’s dad said, “I want you to tell me you’re finished with school, finished with football. There’s no point. Sure, you managed to luck out for a couple of games. But last year you were struggling, you were a backup with no prospects at all. I got reports from my people that you weren’t even getting good feedback from your coaching team. Now I’ve spoken to Liam Frost, and I told him that you’re back on a personal — that means family — matter. I told him not to keep his hopes up. That before the end of the season, you’ll be coming to New York, so you can work with me.”
“Nobody works with you,” Bryant said. “You’re only interested in people working for you.”
I kept my gaze fixed on the vengeful father. He caught me staring at him. “What’s your problem?” he asked.
“My problem is that you’re making a very pleasant evening very unpleasant with your presence,” I said, as ice-cold as he had been.
Bryant didn’t have to face his jerk of a father alone.
I could sense the pride radiating from him, as he watched Sergio reel with anger.
“I won’t be talked to like this by some random little slut who’s riding my son’s dick. One of many, I’m sure,” he said.
“Dad, how fucking dare you,” Bryant said, blinking tears of anger back. “We’re getting out of here. This is ugly. You’re a toxic old man. I hope you come to realize this some day. Come on, Mia. We’re going.”
I didn’t know where it was we could go, but Bryant was right. This was a toxic environment.
I just followed after him.
We got into his mother’s car and I immediately reached over to hold him. He was struggling not to cry.
I had never seen him this vulnerable.
“Let’s just go somewhere, okay?” I suggested. “Drive to a hotel. Let’s just be there together. Me and you. And I’ll pay, so your dad won’t be able to track you.”
Bryant finally nodded. “I know a place.”
I was expecting it to be a five star hotel, but it ended up being a cute little motel owned by a Korean couple, closer to downtown but still not too far from my house.
“This is the kind of place that you go to on prom night when a long-standing high school couple wants to finally have sex together,” I giggled. “Is that why we’re here? Have you done that before?”
Bryant laughed along. “No, but you’re kinda right. It’s that vibe, isn’t it? But hey, I just want to spend Friday night with someone who won’t make me feel like a total piece of shit — and lucky for me, that person is you. So it doesn’t matter how fancy things are. I don’t need a presidential suite with a bathtub facing the White River or the zoo. I just want you.”
We could barely contain our giggles as we went to the counter, getting a mid-sized room. I paid in cash, because I had taken a lot with me to pay for the flight last night.
“A bathtub would actually be pretty nice,” I said. “I didn’t really get a chance to really sleep. Just nap.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Bryant said. “I didn’t know my dad knew I was here, though. That really sucked. And I’m sorry you had to see all that. I’
m really sorry.”
I shushed him with a finger to his lips as we entered our room.
It smelled a little funky, but that somehow just added to the charm. For a moment, I could just imagine the kind of people who stayed at places like these… and yes, most of them were probably high school couples celebrating and hoping they could get away with some beers and some first-time sex.
Well, in a way, I was glad I had lost my virginity in a college dorm room… even if that dorm room wasn’t mine.
“Come here,” I murmured, taking him into my hands, pulling him to me. I wanted to take him to bed. He was always such a strong guy, but I really just wanted to show him how much I appreciated him.
Bryant had come into my life at a time when I wasn’t expecting anything like this, and now that he was here, I could feel just how right it felt.
I wanted him to be here with me, forever.
Forever in the motel room, forever in business class seats, forever reminiscing about our high school days as we walked through the halls we had spent years in.
I kissed him, and told him everything was okay.
He didn’t have to put on a show for me, give some athletic performance the way I always felt he did, when sex was not just an act of intimacy, but something more — him showing off just how good he was.
I already knew he was good. I already knew how good he was for me.
Now was all about us showing each other how much we needed one another.
I had to show Bryant that I cared for him, that everything he had done for me was special to me.
I wanted him to forget everything his father had said. Of course there was no way Bryant was going to give his college football career up. I wouldn’t let him. He was so passionate about that, and the last thing I ever wanted for him was to have to sacrifice something he truly loved.
He sat up in bed, his back against the wall, his legs spread open. We got naked very quickly, and this time I told him to just relax, that I was going to give him everything he needed.
I kissed his body all over, appreciating the sculpted physicality that the quarterback worked hard for. I got wet just thinking about how rock-hard his abs were, long before I ended up kissing there. I could feel his cock stir, throbbing for me to give him attention.
Hating Him Wanting Him : A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 32
