The One That Slipped Away

by LaShawn Vasser

  She walked closer toward him. “Why aren’t you dressed?” Harrison was only wearing a pair of basketball shorts.

  Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers. “I’m not going.”

  Her voice softened as she kneeled down in front of him. “What? Why not? I thought your physician said you were cleared for therapy?”

  “What difference does it make?”

  “It makes all the difference. You want back on the football field. Therapy is the only way to make that happen.”

  He raised his eyes to hers. “You should go.”

  “Why?”

  Harrison had never raised his voice at her until today. “Mia, who the hell are we kidding? I’ll never be the player I once was!”

  “You’re feeling sorry for yourself, and I won’t let you do it. You’ve sat on your ass for nine months. The doctor has released you. Now get up and let’s go. We’ve got way too much work to do.”

  “Why are you even here? I have no prospect of ever being in the NFL.”

  “I don’t care about that.”

  “I do!”

  “Harrison, I’m here because you’re one of my best friends, and I want to see you back on your feet doing what you love. Get up, put your shoes on, and let’s go.”

  Harrison was frustrated, beside himself. “Did you not hear me? I’ll never be able to . . . Look, I’m done with football.”

  “To what? And, no you’re not done with football unless you truly want to be. An injury can’t stop you.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “If it matters to you, it matters to me.”

  “Sometimes, I feel inadequate around you. It’s hard to measure up, you know? Football . . . when I’m on that field, I’m in control. I feel almost like we’re equals.” Pissed at how his dreams had gone up in smoke Harrison’s eyes hardened. He yelled, “Get out, Mia. Just GET OUT and let me be alone!”

  Mia stood. She put her hands on her hips and turned her head slightly. Almost as if she thought about leaving. Then, she faced him—determined. “It must be the medication that has you talking like an idiot. I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere! Yell, scream, I don’t care, but I love you too much to let you wallow in self-pity because the recovery process is hard.”

  She couldn’t believe the words came out of her mouth.

  Harrison wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly either. His eyes softened. “What did you say?”

  Mia cleared her throat but couldn’t look at him. “I said get off your ass and put some clothes on.”

  He frowned. “That’s not what you said. You’re resorting to saying things you don’t mean to get me to do whatever you want?”

  “First of all, football is what you want. I’m here to help you get back on the field.” Mia continued to stare at her shoes until finally looking into his questioning gaze. Her voice was low. “God, Harrison. You heard what I said.”

  “Just say it, Mia.” His voice was almost desperate. “Tell me.”

  Exasperated, Mia blurted it out. “Tell you what?! That I love you, and I’ve loved you for a really long time?”

  Harrison never thought he’d ever hear those words come from her. He was speechless.

  Mia chewed her bottom lip and shifted from side to side. His silence caused her eyes to get glassy. “Say something.”

  After a few moments, he responded. His voice was strangled. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  Mia blew out a breath. “Many reasons. First, when we met, you were dating Liberty. Then, after you two broke up, you were kind of all over the place.” She shrugged. “Maybe I was worried you didn’t feel the same way? Afraid maybe you did? I hate to admit it, but I was concerned about what people might think. But, more importantly, I didn’t say anything because we’re friends.” Mia looked up at the ceiling. “It’s pretty obvious you would rather be friends with me than anything else, and I would never want to jeopardize that.”

  “You pushed me away that night at your place.”

  Her eyes went to his. “You remembered that? I thought . . .”

  “I wasn’t too drunk to remember how you felt in my arms, but I didn’t think you meant what you said. I didn’t want it then nor do I ever want pity from you.”

  “You had just broken up with Liberty. Your emotions were all over the map, and I would never take advantage of you—ever.”

  Harrison slowly exhaled. “Mia, if I’m honest, you captured my heart the moment we met.” Harrison ran his fingers through his hair. “I just, I don’t know, you’re incredibly focused and driven. Your presence burns so hot that standing next to you, someone can get third-degree burns. I’m a fairly confident guy, but around you, I’ve just never felt like I was good enough.”

  Mia didn’t think about her actions. This time, she went with her heart and not her head. She stepped closer and caressed his cheek. “Once, you asked me why I didn’t have someone in my life. The real answer was because every time I pictured that person, I could only see you.”

  Harrison turned his head into the palm of her hand and kissed it. The electricity went up Mia’s arm and spread throughout her entire body. Tenderly, Harrison reached out and pulled Mia close. “I’ve wanted to kiss you without the baggage of everything else between us for a long time.” He traced her lips with his fingers.

  Mia backed away and slowly unbuttoned her shirt one button at a time while stepping out of her shoes. She eased the shirt off until it fell to the floor. Standing there in a sexy lacy bra and a pair of jeans, Mia was driving Harrison insane.

  He had dreamed about this moment for too long. Harrison reached for Mia and grabbed her by the waist. He unzipped her jeans and pulled them low enough for Mia to step out of them. In only a panty and bra, Mia stood for a moment before Harrison pulled her to him and fell backward on the bed with her on top. He buried his fingers in her hair and kissed her like his life depended on it.

  His kisses were like a drug. “TaMia Jamison, from this moment forward, you’re mine. No more games.” He unhooked her bra, and it went flying somewhere across the room.

  She nodded. “No more games.”

  Harrison managed to flip her so that she lay underneath him. “God, you’re beautiful.” He kissed her collarbone and continued to kiss every inch of her body until he came to her core. He placed his lips on the edge of her panties and breathed in the scent of her before tugging them down with his teeth.

  Mia spread her legs wide to give Harrison room to move and raised her hands above her head—watching. She tried to keep her eyes open because she didn’t want to miss a thing. No more dreaming about how he would feel. Tonight, they were going to finish what had been building between them for years.

  The silken caress of Harrison’s lips as they traveled the length of her body and back was driving her crazy. Her nerve endings were firing off and out of control.

  His head hovered over her lower lips for longer than Mia could take. She thought she would explode if he didn’t touch or kiss her there. “Ummm . . .” She moaned. Her voice was husky. “Pleasssse. Touch me.”

  Knowing that she was as eager to have him as he was to have her spurred him on. Harrison lowered his head to kiss her. He spread Mia open with his tongue and moved excruciatingly slow as he licked her from the top of her sex all the way down to her opening. The licks were long and slow.

  Mia almost came off of the bed. She dug her fingers into his hair and continued to squirm as Harrison repeated the same motion again, and again, and again. Mia was on the edge of an orgasm when he finally thrust his tongue inside of her.

  She squeezed her eyes shut while he continued to make love to her with his mouth. Her body clamped down around his tongue. A moment later, she exploded.

  A light sheen of perspiration covered her body.

  Harrison was more than ready. He had to have her. He removed his shorts, and his manhood jutted out in anticipation of being sheathed deeply within her.

  Mia’s eyes widened. She knew he was large, but he
was insanely huge. Her eyes flew to his, and Harrison tried to calm her. “It’ll fit. I promise.” He stroked his thick, hard length as he crawled up her body and positioned himself between her thighs.

  Being able to connect skin-to-skin was as close as he’d get to heaven. Mia still seemed a bit nervous, so Harrison reassured her with a kiss.

  She tasted herself on his lips, and it was the most erotic thing ever. Mia pulled her knees up to the sides of his hips laced her fingers with his.

  The head of his manhood briefly touched her opening, and she lifted her hips off the bed ready to be filled. She was slick with need. The fire in her stomach was raging. Harrison lined himself up. The wait was finally over. He plunged deeply into the tight confines of her body.

  Mia bit her bottom lip. She was already pulsing around him. Slowly, he pulled almost all the way out only to thrust back inside. The pleasure was made more intense because a wave of need and love crashed over both of them as he moved back and forth within her body.

  Harrison stretched Mia to her limits as he drilled into her. He thrust hard and deep. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her toes curled.

  Her moans were the most potent aphrodisiacs he’d ever experienced. Harrison had had sex before, but he’d never made love, and it was powerful.

  Mia arched her back as she met him thrust for powerful thrust. She thrashed her head from side to side.

  Both their bodies were now dripping with sweat. She was close to another release. He felt her start to spasm around him, and it spurred him on. His cock pounded into Mia causing the headboard to bang into the wall and the mattress to squeak. She took it all.

  Mia screamed with joy and pain as they came together, and he filled her with his seed.

  Harrison didn’t want to move, but he didn’t want to crush her either. So, he rolled off onto his side and pulled her into his body in a spooning position. They were both breathing heavy, and their hearts were racing as they attempted to come down from the high of making love.

  Mia wasn’t going to let anything taint this moment. For now, it was just them and their love and desire for each other.

  *****

  Mia couldn’t stop grinning. Her naked body was curled up next to Harrison’s as he held her in the crook of his arms. If there was such a thing as an afterglow, she was sure she had it.

  He held her hand in his and kissed each one of her fingers. “What did you mean about worrying what people would say about us being together?”

  She squirmed. “Harrison, it’s hard to explain.”

  “Are you afraid that people will question your blackness by dating me?”

  “No. Yes. I . . .” Mia took a deep breath. “People have questioned my blackness for as long as I can remember. To say it hasn’t bothered me would be a lie. Who doesn’t want to fit in? When I was younger, I was always so shy, and I didn’t have many friends. People would mistake my shyness for being stuck up or something. I was the girl who was too black for the whites and too white for the blacks. Anyway, the few friends I did have were usually the people I went to school with and mostly white.

  “Holidays with my family were really hard because I was the cousin who always got picked on and accused of trying to be something I wasn’t. I only knew how to be one way, and that was me. I’m sure they didn’t realize how hurtful it was.

  “I was always the one accused of trying to act white. I’d like to know how one does that. I guess that’s why Sheena and I were so close. She accepted me just the way I was and would kick somebody’s ass if they were mean to me. I admire her so much. It’s easy for her to be around anybody. Me, not so much. I wanted to be down. I even went through a phase in high school where I immersed myself in black culture. I read everything I could get my hands on. I even tried to speak differently. Nothing helped. I just came across as inauthentic.

  “I’m learning to love myself better. My blackness is not defined by what other people think of me. It’s defined simply by the color of my skin, and how I feel about myself.

  “I’ll never be the coolest person, and maybe I like a little more rock than R & B and—“

  Harrison interrupted. “And now that you have a white boyfriend, on a black college campus, think you can handle it?”

  “So, you’re my boyfriend?”

  “I want to be. Remember, no more games.”

  Mia whispered softly. “I want you to be, and yes, I can handle it.”

  “Then, it’s settled. I don’t care about the rest of it; I just want you. You could be purple or polka dot. You’re the only woman who has ever made me feel like I can do anything.” His lips grazed hers.

  “Anything?”

  “Anything.”

  She bit her lip. “Then, tomorrow, we go to therapy?”

  Harrison sighed. “You know I’m already wrapped around your fingers. Yeah, we’ll go tomorrow.”

  Chapter 12

  Junior Year

  “Did you get the blankets, Thomas?” Despite being bundled up from head to toe in Burma coats, knit caps, winter boots, and thick gloves, Catherine Haughton couldn’t help but ask her husband, as he stood behind the car leaned over inside the trunk. In her mind, it would have been worse than the apocalypse if they forgot the blankets in this weather.

  “Got them.” Thomas Haughton shut the trunk and walked around to the front of the car to meet up with his wife. “You’ve asked me a million and one times not to forget the blankets. I won’t forget the blankets.”

  Catherine snuck in a smile. “It’s cold out here, and it’s a long walk from the parking lot to the bleachers. It’ll be even colder in those bleachers.” She could barely contain her excitement. “Harrison is going to be so surprised to see us. Too bad Liberty couldn’t come.”

  “No, he won’t. I called this morning to tell him we would be here. Did you forget he and Liberty broke up almost a year ago?”

  Catherine stopped dead in her tracks. “Why would you do that? I thought we were going to surprise him? Furthermore, those two kids break up all the time. They’ll find their way back to each other even if we have to nudge them a little.”

  Thomas stopped walking too then turned around. “I told you trying to surprise him was a bad idea when you suggested it. Ethan is not a little boy anymore. He’s a young man who can make his own decisions even about his love life. We have no idea what he might have planned for this weekend, and I thought we should give him a heads up.”

  Catherine’s eyes narrowed. “What does he have planned? What did he tell you?”

  “Cat, relax. C’mon let’s go take our seats before we’re late. It’s not often we get a chance to get up here to see our son play.”

  Catherine knew Thomas was hiding something but could see from the firm set of his jaw that he wasn’t going to give up any information. She mumbled. “I hate when you two gang up on me. I’m not a difficult woman, why you can’t just tell me is ridiculous.”

  “You . . . difficult? Noooo. No one would ever accuse you of that.” Thomas grinned as he wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her on the side of her knit cap-covered head.

  *****

  Mia sat nervously in the stands with Sheena, bobbing her knee up and down, and holding on to a cup of hot chocolate like her life depended on it. Sheena placed a calming hand on her knee.

  “Oh. I guess I’m just a little anxious.”

  Laughing, Sheena nodded. “Ya think? It’s going to be fine, Mia.”

  “I hope you’re right. Meeting the parents is always so gut-wrenching, and I didn’t have much time to get prepared. Harrison called this morning to tell me his parents were coming for the game.”

  “Girl, you don’t have to worry. You are a prize. I’m sure his parents will recognize it immediately just like the rest of us. Then, it’ll be your turn to introduce him to your parents. That’s the one you should be nervous about.”

  Mia nudged her in the shoulder with her own. “That’s not funny. I can’t even think about doing this again w
ith my parents.”

  Sheena smirked then took a sip of her hot chocolate. “I wasn’t kidding. I’m even scared of your mom and dad.”

  Mia faced the football field. “You’re such a confidence booster. For the next few hours, I’m just going to sit here, try to clear my mind, and watch the game.”

  It was the first game Harrison started since he’d gotten injured, and he’d had the game of his college career. He’d led his team to a victory with three touchdown passes and one he’d run into the end zone himself.

  *****

  After the game, Harrison went into the locker room to change. He was just getting out of the shower when he was approached by a few of his teammates. “Aye . . . Harrison. We’re heading out to celebrate. You and Big Tony coming?”

  Of course, Big Tony’s answer was always the same. “Hell yeah.”

  Harrison shook his head, no. “Not tonight. Parents came up for the game. Mia and I are hanging out with them.”

  “This dude stays winning—games and Mia.”

  Harrison pointed his finger at the linebacker. Half-jokingly he responded. “Yeah, you remember that the next time I catch you looking at her. Mia’s my girl.”

  Dude put his hand up and laughed. “Message received. After the way you knocked ol’ boy on his ass a couple of weeks ago for flirtin’. . . I don’t think there’s any question about that.”

  Harrison smirked. “That was my point. I just hope I don’t have to do it again. Anyway, I’m out. Catch you at practice on Monday.”

  *****

  Mia stood in the field house outside the locker room waiting for Harrison to emerge. There were the usual people standing around—the friends, family members, hangers-on, and of course, the groupies.

  “That’s Mia Jamison right there.” Her ears perked up when she heard her name mentioned by a group of girls. She turned slightly to see who was talking about her.

  Some girl she’d seen around campus was eye-balling her. She wasn’t even trying to keep her voice down. She wanted Mia to hear her. “Should have known. All these black guys on campus, and she chose the white one.”