toes, I bring my lips to his.
“What was that for?” he asks after the kiss ends.
I shrug. “I just felt like it.”
Then, he kisses me. “I just felt like it too,” he says. “Just so you know, you kissing me in public just gave me free reign,” he says with a wink.
I shake my head.
“We’ve got this, you know?” he says, his face sobering.
He doesn’t waver when he says those words and I believe him. “I know,” I tell him. Even if it scares us. Even when we think we won’t be able to do it. We have other people here for us and, at least for now, we have each other. We’ll figure it out.
He picks up the bag from the floor and we resume our walk to the car. Hand in hand, like lovers as the sun sets, we move forward. We think of the future and we wait, scared and excited about what’s to come.
31
NICK
It’s been a little over two weeks since Amelia and I went shopping together. Since she kissed me in the middle of the plaza and let me kiss her back. When she let me hold her hand as we walked, I couldn’t help but think about the future—a future with her.
In a few days, our parents will finally meet for the Thanksgiving weekend. That scares the crap out of me, but they waited long enough.
I run up and down the field with the sound of the whistle. Lincoln throws the ball my way and I catch it every time then run back and do it all over again. I guess that’s what happens when you’re facing tough competition. We have to win. We need to keep up the championship team we’ve always had. Last spring, I doubted that we could go undefeated again this year, but now, more than ever, I feel like we can. I’d like us to.
I need to make sure the NFL knows I’m the player they need. I’ve gotta do it not just for me anymore but for my family—Amelia and my child. I know I’ve got enough money in my trust fund to make an NFL salary unnecessary, but I want a legacy, something I worked for. For my child. I want him to know that I made my dreams come true so that he can do the same.
Sweat drips from my forehead as I run the next route. I miss the mark and the ball falls on the ground. “What’s the matter, Hunter?!” Coach Stevens asks.
“Sorry, Coach,” I tell him, shaking my head and taking my position once again.
“Get your head in the game,” he shouts.
“Yes sir!” I tell him.
My eyes land on Lincoln, who’s shaking his head as he prepares himself to throw the ball once again. “You getting tired?” he says with a playful smile. I flick him off.
“If only it were you running instead,” I tell him. “I bet you’d tired out real quick.”
“Didn’t you see me on Saturday? Who ran it for a 15-yard touchdown? This guy,” he says, pointing at himself. Coach calls the next route and I run it.
I toss the ball back to Lincoln. “You might have run the ball in for a touchdown, but we both know I’m what they remember from that game!” I say cockily. I mean, his play set the stage, but mine? Mine sealed the victory for us.
My game just keeps getting better. Before, I played football with popularity and fame as my motivation, but now I play for more than that. This week was an away game but I’m hoping that Amelia comes to watch this week’s game.
I finally exit the showers and find everyone else is gone. I stayed there for what seemed like hours after running what felt like three marathons at practice today. The constant running back and forth wore me out. I needed the shower to help relax my muscles so that hopefully they won’t ache too much later.
When I finish, I take in my surroundings and notice there’s no one else left in the locker room. I guess I must’ve taken longer than I thought. I put on my pants and throw my shirt over my head and head to class.
AMELIA
I made it through my classes and got home as soon as I could. I’ve been feeling weird all day. I mean, I know pregnancy comes with different moods and whatnot but I just feel funky. I can’t shake this off despite how much I’ve tried to.
“Are you feeling