by Kira Blakely
I rolled my eyes, but in a way that wasn’t visible to anyone else. I couldn’t let them think that it’d gotten to me. It hadn’t, after all. At least, not in that way.
The only thing it did was make me think about him all over again, which was stupid, or at least, felt stupid.
As I struggled to find another pen since mine was running out of ink, a small purple airplane landed on my notebook.
The wing had writing on it, but I could only make out the letter “L” by the way that it was folded.
I looked around confused, my breath in my throat.
Who the hell had thrown this?
When I unfolded it, it said in big, bold letters, “I LOVE YOU.”
I looked up again. “Who the he–” as the words flowed from my mouth, my eyes saw him standing there.
“I’m so sorry, but I need to prove something to you. I told my dad about it – about me lying that night. I told my dad that we weren’t together, really – not at that point – but that I felt something special for you. I only told him that you weren’t my girlfriend in the moment. I was trying to defuse the situation that was already going to shit. He was pissed I missed practice.” He took a deep, unsteady, and clearly nervous breath. “After the huge blow up we had on the field, I went to his house and I talked to him about you. Really talked to him about you.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “I told him you weren’t like all the other girls. I told him that you made me realize that this life I was leading, wasn’t what I wanted. People were looking at me like a dumb jock; an asshole. That’s not who I am, and you helped me realize. I don’t give a shit what all of these people think. You’re beautiful, and I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’ve never felt this intensely about anyone ever before. I care about you. I love you. And I don’t care who knows it.” He pulled me up and kissed me right in front of the crowded library – and in front of the assholes who had just been mocking me.
I didn’t know what came over me, but there was something about the way he’d explained himself – the glint in his hazel eyes, the way that he was looking at me and smiling at me with that adorable dimple showing in his cheek.
It seemed genuine.
It seemed real.
And for the first time in weeks, I let myself feel.
I let myself fall right into his arms, as he enveloped me into the most passionate kiss of my life.
This one surpassed the pleasured kisses of sex and any other kiss in existence. It was real. It was loving. It was tender. It was emotional.
It was everything a kiss was supposed to be, and it was with Devon.
I smiled, finally understanding for the first time. I wasn’t just in college to learn.
I was there to experience and, with any luck, experience it all with Devon.
The End
Played
A Sports Romance Short Story
KIRA BLAKELY
Prologue
“You are an asshole.”
Nicole didn’t have the energy to be nice, not after the horrible night she was subjected to. Her big brother, Jason, had told her that he had someone he’d like her to meet, and that he was one hundred percent sure she was going to like him.
She should’ve checked what he’d been smoking that day.
“Look, I’m sorry if you didn’t have fun, but you managed to get back at me for that,” Nicole’s date, Chad Stephens, pointed out.
He wasn’t kidding. He brought her to Wingnuts because there was a game on, and he thought having some Buffalo wings and beer would be an acceptable dinner for a date. He thought it was a brilliant idea – a beautiful girl as company, great food, great drinks, and he could watch the game on satellite TV.
But instead of the great night he had envisioned, she was hell-bent on making it as miserable for him as it was for her. She insisted on blocking his view of the TV at every opportunity and was particularly successful during touchdowns. Then, whenever he ordered a drink, she’d go right ahead and tell the bartender and the servers that he couldn’t drink, for one reason or the other, or she simply took the glass and drank it all herself.
They were in relative silence during the ride home, both thinking of the nasty monster they were with and why they ever agreed to go on this blind date in the first place.
“My brother told me I was going to enjoy myself with a very nice man. Clearly he doesn’t know you well enough,” she said, and Chad scoffed at her remark.
“Well, he told me I was going to be meeting one of the nicest and most beautiful women I will ever have the pleasure of meeting. I still can’t see it,” he fired back. Nicole raised one eyebrow at him.
“The nicest, or the most beautiful?” she asked.
“Take your pick,” Chad said, and she gasped, appalled.
They stared at each other for a few moments before Nicole’s face cracked into a smile, and suddenly, they were both laughing hysterically inside Chad’s car. Chad wiped a tear on his face and took a deep breath to settle down.
“I’m sorry I ruined your night,” he apologized sincerely, and Nicole smiled, wrinkling her nose.
“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “We could try to go out again sometime, say...Tuesday?” Nicole tried. Chad winced, scratching the back of his head.
“Yeah…can you take a rain check? I’m sort of going to meet up with your brother then. We’re going to talk about my chances of getting drafted to his team,” he said, and Nicole nodded in understanding. It was football season, after all, and judging from the way Jason had described him, Chad was sure to be a first-round draft pick in the NFL. ‘A hell of an arm,’ was how he described him. Her brother was good enough to be picked first as well, being the fastest wide receiver ever.
“You know, despite everything, I had fun in the end,” Chad admitted, and Nicole kissed him on the cheek.
“Me too,” she smiled.
They never got around to that rain check, but that night was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Chapter One
Two years later…
“Plie before easing into the port de bras, ladies, remember this,” Madame Prince said, watching all of the dancers with a critical eye as she walked across the room.
Nicole closed her eyes and let the music sway her to the right moves, her feet touching the floor lightly as she transitioned from one move to the next. She twirled once before taking a leap, her hands raised as she threw her legs in a jeté. She was about to do a pirouette when Britney Spear’s robotic voice rang out, overpowering Chopin and startling the dancers out of their positions, including Nicole. She turned beet red as Madam Prince walked over to her bag and prodded it with her foot, her face splitting to a snarl.
Oh boy, she’s in trouble.
“Which one of you forgot to turn their phone off?” Madame Prince cried, pissed off. Nicole tiptoed swiftly to her bag and picked it up, giving Madam Prince a huge, toothy smile as she skipped out of the classroom.
As soon as she was out of Madame Prince’s sight, Nicole dropped her smile and glared at her phone, knowing exactly who was to blame. She had set the ringtone to match the caller, after all. She slid the button on her screen to ‘Accept’ and took a deep breath, readying herself to scream at the caller.
“Hey, Swan Lake, listen–” the caller greeted.
“Chad, what the hell were you thinking? I was in my dance class, you asshole!” she cried loudly. She could almost imagine the poor bastard wincing as he got an earful from her, which he rightfully deserved, in her opinion.
From the other end of the line, Chad was looking at his phone like it tried to kill him. He put the phone back in his ear and spoke.
“What the? What did I do now?” he asked incredulously. His ear was still ringing from her shrill attack.
“You–” she cried, before covering her mouth with her palm, looking around her and finding an empty corner to settle in. She sighed heavily as she sat down, most of her anger already leaving her as she realized
that explaining to Chad about something that happened to her was like speaking through a pipe – in one end then out the other. “What do you want?” she groaned, rolling her eyes to the heavens.
Chad smiled widely. He knew his best friend could never get mad at him for long.
“Come here to Bon Chon’s. This place is the shit,” Chad said.
Nicole shook her head. “Which is your other way of saying you’ve got girls hanging all over you,” she said. “And I believe I already told you I’m still in class? I don’t think this is an emergency,”
Chad’s smile dropped and he quickly got down to business. “Okay, okay, you’re right. I’m with these two girls and–”
“Only two? You’re off your game today,” she interrupted.
“Would you let me finish? So yes, there are two girls with me, a blonde and a brunette; I think that if I get a little one-on-one time with the blonde, I could get her number, maybe take her home, you know?”
“Uh huh. And where do I fit in all of this?” she asked.
“I’m getting to that,” Chad said, gritting his teeth as his frustration grew over her constant interruptions. “Her brunette friend? Not so hot and I can totally sense some psychotic, bat-shit crazy vibes from her, and she’s been eyeing me like I’m some sort of prime real estate. Which is true and all, but I don’t want her obsessing all over me, you get it?”
“So you want me to distract her while you make a play for her friend,” Nicole said, nodding as she finally understood what he wanted from her.
“See? I always believed you were smart,” Chad said, hoping to butter her up with compliments so she’d help him. Nicole shook her head as she smiled at his antics.
“Well, what are we to do? I’ve still got class and you calling me earlier probably earned a lecture from Madame Prince,” she hummed, pretending to sound like she was a child in a bind. Chad scoffed at the mention of her teacher’s name.
“Screw your class! That old bag isn’t cut out to teach anyway. Ditch it,” he said. Nicole bit her lip, still thinking about what to do when his voice went low and pleading. “Come on, Nikki. Please? I need my wing-woman.”
Nicole sighed.
She was pretty sure he didn’t need her to get that blonde’s number, with convincing skills like that.
Chapter Two
Nicole pushed open the doors of the fast-food place and looked around for her friend. He spotted her first, and he stood up and waved at her from the booth he was in. She was able to spot the tops of the girls’ heads from their seats before Chad slid out of the booth and walked over to her.
“Okay, you came just in time,” Chad said, making Nicole raise her eyebrows at him.
“Hello, Chad. I’m fine, too. How about yourself?” she mocked and he smirked at her.
“Peachy. Now, the crazy one is getting restless and if she fusses anymore, the blonde one is going to give in to her demands, and then they’re going to leave, and I won’t score. It’s imperative I score,” Chad said.
“You know the word ‘imperative’? Wow, Chad. Have you been studying?” Nicole said, faking awe.
“Ha. Very funny. Now, come on already and do your thing,” he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the booth where she finally got a good look at his prospect and her target. After she finished scoping out the threat and taking note of the almost panting way the brunette looked at her best friend, she decided that the bitch mode was the way to go.
The brunette smiled at her widely.
Probably thinking of scoring some points off of me, Nicole thought. She smiled condescendingly, and the brunette’s smile slipped off a little bit.
Nicole made sure to keep the brunette occupied with her and at the same time, formed a sort of block between the blonde and them so she wouldn’t notice her tearing the brunette a new one.
Despite what she was doing, Nicole wasn’t necessarily heartless. She was just doing what her best friend wanted her to do, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel sorry for it. She didn’t like playing the bitch card, but this girl looked too desperate; she was not going to take no for an answer.
She had the makings of a Swimfan kind of girl, and no one wants that, especially Chad.
When the brunette excused herself to use the bathroom and the blonde elected to stay and talk to Chad, Nicole knew she had accomplished her mission. She took the time to look Chad over with the corner of her eye, admiring his profile. He couldn’t blame the brunette either for wanting to jump Chad’s bones. He was one sexy individual.
His hair was cut into a military buzz fade, accentuating his angular jaw and thick lips. His gunmetal grey eyes were framed by long eyelashes that Nicole often thought were wasted on men. And despite the hoodie he was wearing, it didn’t hide his muscular form, but rather they were accentuated because the fabric clung to his arms like second skin. He was already built when they had met two years ago, before he got drafted into the NFL and joined her brother’s team. But now he looked better than ever.
She watched him laugh over something the blonde said and tucked her hair behind her ear. She felt that all too familiar twinge at the bottom of her heart. She hadn't expected to feel this way for Chad Stephens. But after becoming friends with him and knowing what kind of person he really was, she couldn't help it. She had hoped he would take her up again on that rain check, but he never did. And when she asked him out of the blue if he thought about dating her…
That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
“Nicole? Are you still with us?” Chad waved his hand over Nicole’s face and she blinked, snapping out from her reverie.
“What?” Nicole asked dumbly.
“You were going off in your own little world over there,” Chad pointed out, and the girls laughed at her. “Emily and her friend were just leaving,” he repeated.
“Oh. Then, goodbye,” she said. The girls waved and wiggled out of the booth, the blonde giving Chad a flirtatious smile before walking away. Chad smirked and leaned back into the chair with his hands behind his head, raising his legs so his feet were resting on the other seat. Nicole looked at him sideways. “I’m assuming you got what you wanted?” she asked.
“Please, Nikki. It’s me we’re talking about. Of course I got what I wanted.” He showed her the paper napkin the blonde used to write her number with and Nicole scoffed, shaking her head.
“Not without my help. You owe me, Stephens.” She said. Chad blew a raspberry at her and Nicole scrunched her face in disgust. They got out of the booth and walked out of the fast-food place. Chad placed his arm around Nicole and shaking her lightly.
“You need to chill, Nikki. You should release all that tension. Better yet, find someone to release that for you,” he jeered. Nicole tried to swat him but he moved away easily, years of experience turning him into an expert of evasion when it comes to Nicole’s violent tendencies to his person. “Seriously, Nikki. You gotta try to date sometime! You know, explore your sexuality, explore other’s sexuality, experiment with other women… Please let me watch when you experiment,” he said, looking at her seriously. Nicole rolled his eyes at him.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m straight as a board,” she said, completely deadpan.
“How about I set you up with someone? Hold on, hear me out,” Chad said, raising his hands in front of him. Nicole waited for him to continue, her patience wearing thin. “I scope out some guys I think would meet your standards and mine, then I’ll have you two meet up. If you don’t like him, feel free to ditch him. If you like him, then it’s up to you how you want that to progress. What do you say? Good deal?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
Nicole considered his offer thoughtfully. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to go out once in a while, and he did say it would be on her terms. And maybe she’d luck out with the guy and she’ll forget all about being in love with her best friend.
It was a worth a shot, she decided. She did have one question, though.
“Why does he have t
o meet your standards, too?” Nicole asked, putting her eyebrows together in confusion. Chad flicked his nose and gave her that confident smirk of his that was both equal parts annoying and adorable.
“I’m your best friend: I’ve got to like him, too, if he wants any chance with you,” he said simply, and Nicole laughed at him.
Chapter Three
Nicole stood in front of her closet, unsure of what to wear for her date. A week after Chad made his offer, he called her up and told her to wear something nice and to come to this swanky restaurant by the beach to meet the one he chose.
“This better not be one of your pranks, Chad,” Nicole said, slightly worried that this may not be a good idea.
“It’s going to be fine, Nikki! Just trust me on this one. I promise you’re going to enjoy yourself. Just please don’t have sex with him on the first date,” he threatened, and it instantly made her feel a whole lot better after that crazy remark.
She gave up and chose a medium-length dress with a soft and flowing material, the color peach complimenting her skin tone and making her look fairer. She put on some light make up to match her dress and put her hair up in a slightly messy bun, pinning it together with butterfly clasps. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and wondered if her blind date would like it, which lead her to think about whether Chad would like how she looked all dressed up.
Nicole vehemently shook her head, slapping her cheeks lightly with both palms. She shouldn’t be thinking about him tonight, not when she was meeting another guy. She should be thinking about using this opportunity to rid herself of her feelings for him, and giving her heart a chance to fall for someone else.
“Pull yourself together, Nicole. This is the right thing to do,” she whispered to herself. She walked over to her bedside table and picked up the picture frame she had set there, smiling at the picture of her late brother’s happy face.
