The Touchdown

by Bishop, K. M.

  Bobby kissed me one last time and I let him go for the evening. He said he was going to go meet with his parents who were staying at a hotel room for the evening instead of driving back. It seemed that everyone was trying to keep us apart that night, but I understood.

  “You are welcome to come,” Bobby said. “You know how much my parents adore you.”

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll let you spend time with them.”

  “Ok,” Bobby said.

  I drove back home that night feeling exhausted. I was tempted to get my own hotel room for the evening, but I didn’t want to spend money I didn’t really have. I would rough it out.

  When I finally arrived back home, I laid down and slept quickly. I was so tired. My body felt like it was floating on some kind of a cloud on the bed. I’d never known my bed to feel that comfortable.

  But as I drifted off, my mind was not totally still. I found myself still worried about Dawn. What if nothing happened to her? Maybe they couldn’t prove she did anything and she got off scot-free. Would she still come after me? Or would she have enough brains to see that this would expose her too much and make her look bad?

  I didn’t know, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. That was always the most frightening part of something like this, the unknown. The waiting would drive you nuts. I dreaded the idea that I might be walking on egg shells for a while waiting to see if she actually decided to do something else to me. Why couldn’t I just get this sociopath out of my life?

  I shuddered to think what might be coming next, but I was ready for it. I was waiting, ready, and willing to fight back. Whatever she would try to pull on me next, I was going to make sure she got caught up in the crosshairs of it. I was still adamant about not taking anything lying down anymore.

  This whole experience had sharpened my mind to the horrors of the world. There were some really awful people in this world we lived in, and sometimes you had to drop to their level to beat them at their own game.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Bobby

  I had everything set up perfectly. I’d planned and prepped it all for Ro. I thought she would love it. This was something I’d been working on for a while. I just hoped that Ro was in a good enough head space to appreciate it and that I had not overreached with my effort at doing something nice and romantic and ended up blundering the timing.

  It had been a couple of days since I’d been arrested and thrown in jail for attempted murder. And Ro had come right to my side. The moment she heard, she dropped everything and just came right to me, to be by my side. That moral support meant so much to me. She didn’t even entertain the thought that I might be guilty. No. She knew that I was innocent. She knew me. And I knew that she would come.

  The whole thing was still a blur in my mind. I could still remember waking up from that blow to the back of my head and just knowing that my life might never be the same. I was being charged with attempted murder. My first instinct was to check the wounded man in front of me to see if I could help him or get him help.

  But I couldn’t move. I was holding the bloody knife that had been used to attack him. And there were several cops pointing guns at me. If I had moved a muscle, I would have been shot.

  Luckily, it had all blown over. I’d gotten incredibly lucky that the reporter for the paper—I believe she was the girl that Chance was going out with—had captured all of this on film. That just blew my mind what a stroke of luck that really was. She gave the video to the cops and I saw it as well. I watched as Keith snuck up behind his own teammate and stabbed him in the side. It happened right after I was struck over the back of the head by Kyle Waynesbridge. He balled up his bit, meaty fist and just hammer fisted me in the base of the skull.

  I blacked out for a good minute and then Keith put the knife in my hand. Then the cops were there while the others tried to run away.

  It all happened so fast, like some big blur. I’ve never been as scared or felt as small as I did right then. I felt like the entire world was crashing down on me. I felt like my whole life might be over, flashing before my very eyes. There were so many things I wanted to do, so much I wanted to see. It really put things in perspective when you thought that your life was over, that your time had run out, and you were not going to be able to see and do all of the things you’d always dreamt about. It was so easy to put things off until tomorrow, or next year, or someday. But time is always in short supply. I didn’t want to waste any more time on anything. I just wanted to live and do it all. And I had to have Ro right there beside me every step of the way. Nothing meant anything to me without her there.

  I finished getting dressed and checked myself out in the mirror. I looked great. I was all decked out in a nice tuxedo I’d rented. Everything was going according to schedule. I got in my car and drove toward Ro’s apartment. About halfway there, I gave her a call. I figured she’d be home studying.

  “Hey, babe,” Ro said when she answered.

  “Hey,” I replied. “Listen carefully. You need to get dressed up in your absolute best, be stunning beyond all get out, and be ready to meet me outside in one hour.”

  “What?” Ro asked with a giggle.

  “You have your instructions.”

  I ended the call. Ro didn’t try to call me back, but she had to wonder what was going on. I’d been saving my money recently, in anticipation of this very important day. This was going to be a magical, fabulous night that neither of us would soon forget.

  I arrived at Ro’s apartment and parked in the lot. Then I waited by my car for the limousine to pull into the lot. It did about ten minutes later. I’d timed it so well.

  Then I waved to the limo driver and asked him to wait a few minutes. After that I rang Ro’s doorbell. She answered the door looking more amazing than any woman I’d ever seen in my life. Wow, she was absolutely astonishing. She was dressed head to toe in a red dress that showcased just enough of her legs, and her perfect cleavage. Her makeup was on point (as always), and her hair was done up perfectly. I couldn’t wait for the evening to begin.

  “Wow,” I said. “You look ravishing. Just stunning.”

  “Thank you,” she said. I put my arm out and she took it as I led her down the stairs and out the front door of the apartment complex. There she saw the limo waiting for us and her face melted into a huge smile.

  “What have you done?” She asked.

  “Well, it is your special day,” I said. “Or did you think I forgot your birthday?”

  “My birthday isn’t until this weekend.”

  “True, but we both have games this weekend and your friends have that party for you Sunday. But this is our own little celebration, our own romantic night.”

  She shook her head and laid it on my shoulder as I led her to the limo. The driver opened the door for us and I escorted Ro in first, sliding in beside her. The driver shut the door, and then he got in behind the wheel. And after that we were off, heading towards our destination.

  I picked up a glass of the champagne from the bar that had already been poured for us. I handed one to Ro and then held the other one up. “I want to propose a toast to our love, to our unity, and to one day being lucky enough to never have to wake up without you by my side.”

  Ro smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”

  Our glasses clinked and she took a large sip of her champagne. It was delicious. I have always loved a good glass of bubbly. There is something about it that automatically makes you feel important and it feels like you are about to begin an epic journey into a world of fun and total freedom. And right now, I felt like I was celebrating my freedom. I’d almost lost it. And that was a shocking, sobering reality.

  “I can’t believe you did all this. It must have cost a fortune,” Ro said.

  I smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it all taken care of.” I’d been saving, plus my father had lent me some money for it that I was going to pay back very soon, by helping him do some work. It was a winning proposal. Plus nowadays, it seemed
that my father had more work than he knew what to do with.

  “So, where are we going?” Ro asked.

  “That is another surprise. This is your special day. I’ve taken care of everything.”

  “I can’t believe you put all of this together, especially with everything that is going on. How did you find the time?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes, I can be very mysterious.”

  We finished the champagne and I poured us each another glass. “This is great,” Ro said. “I haven’t been in a limo since prom.”

  “Ah, you had a limo?”

  Ro smiled as she delved into her story. “Yeah. A few friends and I all pitched in and rented one for prom night. We had so much fun. It was one of the best nights I’d ever had, until I met you of course.”

  I smiled. “Well, this night is just beginning, but hopefully, you will be able to compare this night to being the best night ever. I’ll see if I can overshadow the prom a bit for you.”

  Ro laughed. “Well, it’s starting off pretty wonderful so far.”

  I nodded my head and smiled. “Good. That’s good.”

  We arrived at the Riverfront, an expensive, upscale seafood restaurant located a few miles out of town. The driver opened our door and I escorted Ro out of the car and into the restaurant where our reserved table was waiting for us.

  We sat down and began to peruse the menus. Everything sounded so delicious. I have always love seafood, especially lobster. Oh, it’s succulent and perfect.

  We ordered a bottle of nice Merlot and then munched on some of the crab biscuits that were brought to the table. I found out what Ro wanted to eat and then I suavely ordered for both of us. She seemed to love the way I was taking care of everything and pampering her a bit. And I loved to do it.

  “These crab biscuits are amazing,” Ro said.

  “Right? I heard about this place after doing some searching online. It has the best reviews, and so far it’s pretty sweet. I’m enjoying it all.”

  “Me too. I’m just so relieved that those charges were dropped against you. I keep thinking about it, and even though I know it’s ok, you are free and clear—it still terrifies me and freaks me out to know how close you came to being locked up. If that video hadn’t surfaced… what would have happened?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve struggled with that, too. But I think that if you let something like that wear on your mind too long, it will break you apart. It will bury you. There are things in this world that will consume you if you let them. I’ve decided to push those things out of my life and just live one day at a time. I can’t dwell on the past or things I can’t change. Justice is being served. Our love is meant to be and I don’t think that the universe will let anything stand in the way.”

  Ro smiled softly and reached out her hand to mine. I held it for a moment and then gave the back of her hand a sweet kiss, looking up at her eyes the entire time. This evening was turning out perfect.

  The food came and we both took our time with it. I hoped that one day my dreams would come true and I could afford to take Ro to these types of restaurants all the time. If I got that NFL contract and started making a lot of money, all of our dreams would become a reality. We could live a life of leisure and luxury, which I’d always dreamt of. I didn’t necessarily have expensive tastes. I wasn’t raised that way, but with a woman like Ro in my life, I wanted to be able to give her this type of life. Although, she’d never given any hints to me that she had any desire for this type of monetary influenced luxury, I still wanted her and our family to be able to do whatever we wanted. Our kids deserved the best schools, the best sports programs, the best of everything. And Ro did, too.

  “How was practice? I can only imagine what Dawn had to say,” I said. I didn’t want to ruin the dinner table talk with such idiocy, but there was this burning curiosity deep within me. As much as I hated all of this, the fact that Ro had gotten to beat her arch enemy senseless was very amusing to me. I wanted to see how she was feeling about it.

  Ro smiled. “Wow, she went berserk. Of course she accused me and you. No one really took her seriously. And she looks like she got hit by a truck. I must have hit her really hard. My hand still hurts. But oh, it feels good. I’d love to be able to do it again. To just really lay into her and have her squealing like the little pig that she is for me to stop. That sounds terrible, but the things she has done to me deserve to be avenged.”

  I smiled. “It’s all perfectly understandable,” I said. “You have every right to be mad and I think that karma will pay her back one way or another.”

  We finished the entrée and then had a nice dessert.

  “What are your plans after the season?” I asked. “I’m assuming you will be preparing to go to tryouts for pro, right?”

  “Yeah,” Ro said. “I have to admit I am a bit nervous. I don’t know if I can hack it with the best of the best. I’ve seen some of the talent that is around. What do I do if I’m not good enough? I do have some backup dreams, but those are mostly things that I want to do after cheer.”

  “You have to stop thinking about it that way,” I said. “You must go in with a positive mental attitude.”

  Ro gave me a sarcastic look. “Wow, did you just quote the P.M.A. routine to me?”

  I paused and then I burst out laughing. “Wow, I really did that. I’m the biggest dork alive.” I patted myself on the back.

  Ro laughed. “I could have tried out for this right out of high school of course, but I didn’t think I was good enough then, besides getting an education has always been important to me and my family. But still, sometimes I wonder if I had skipped this step of college, I wouldn’t have missed out on four years of a career. Just like modeling, once you hit a certain age, cheerleaders are not in as high of a demand. And you might be out on your keysteer.”

  I nodded. It wasn’t like football. Try to get your foot in the door to become a pro without college football experience and see how far you get. It was rare indeed. But with the NFL cheerleading jobs you mostly had to show up to an audition and you had to do better on that day than everyone else you were competing against. That was about the strong and skinny of it.

  I refilled our wine glasses to finish off the bottle. Ro started to protest but then she giggled when I filled her glass anyway.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Ro asked.

  “No, but it is your party. It would be ashamed if you were the most sober one.”

  We laughed a bit more and allowed the conversation to take on a more humorous tone. “What was the stupidest thing you ever did as a kid?” Ro asked.

  I looked at her to see if she really wanted to know. She did. I sighed as I tried to uncover the memories.

  “Well, the stupidest thing was probably when I was about four years old. An older kid in the neighborhood convinced me to eat a mud pie that he’d made. That was a nauseating experience. I took one bite and felt like barfing all over the place.”

  Ro laughed so hard she almost snorted wine through her nose. She was on her third large glass and definitely getting tipsy.

  This was hilarious times. I was having so much fun getting to know my sweet angel on an even deeper level. It was light hearted and there was nothing we felt we had to worry about. Even though I knew that Ro was still freaked out over the fact that her parents or someone in her family most likely knew there was a sex tape of her on the internet. She still had not managed to face that fear and I wasn’t going to try to force her. knew she’d feel better if she did, but ultimately it was her choice.

  By the time we left the restaurant we were both tipsy and feeling a bit horny. I had been turned on since the moment I saw Ro wearing that sweet dress and looking so amazing. I’d been thinking almost nonstop about getting her back to the limo so we could get it on. I’d always wanted to screw in the back of a stretch limousine. This was going to be quite the interesting experience I felt.

  I had succeeded so far in giving Ro an awesome night out. I just hoped I could co
ntinue the experience.

  Chapter Thirty

  Ro

  The night had been amazing. Bobby took care of everything. I’d never been to a fancy restaurant like that before. I really hoped I was dressed appropriately. I only really had the one fancy, upscale looking dress. I’d had it for a few years and I wasn’t sure it was that relevant anymore. But it still fit well and it was what I had so I worked with it. Apparently, Bobby seemed to like it. When he saw me at the doorway his jaw practically fell on the floor. But I had a feeling that I could show up wearing almost anything and he would feel the same way.

  When he called and told me to get dressed, that he was picking me up in an hour, I was very confused. Then he hung up. After a few moments, I realized that I was probably going somewhere for my birthday. It was so sweet that he remembered and had apparently planned something fun and maybe a little elaborate to celebrate the anniversary of my birth. So, I got dressed in my best outfit and dolled myself up to the best of my ability, which I did not do that much.

  Bobby showed up looking fantastic in a tuxedo. The man could dress up so nicely. He always looked fantastic, but this was a special occasion and he looked extra special and spiffy. His hair was slicked back nicely, he had clean shaved, he smelled wonderful of sexy cologne, and the tuxedo looked as if it had been tailor made. It looked perfect on him.

  Then I saw the limo and I almost fainted. That was the biggest, most gorgeous looking limo that I had ever seen. It was awesome. Inside there were drinks already prepared, soft music playing, a divider to block out the driver. And of course the seats were like one long couch that wrapped around the full interior, except for the spot where the little mini bar was. And yes, there was a totally decked out mini bar. It was astounding.