The irony.
It might be time to retire for good.
The Kung Paochicken I order from my favorite Chinese restaurant helps my mood. So does the fried rice and the glass of wine I have with my meal. I change into a DC Stars shirt and lounge pants, dozing into a fitful nap on the couch as the moon comes out and rises high in the sky.
Brody doesn’t answer my texts, but I don’t expect him to. Checking the score of the game when I wake up at some point, I see they lost by one, and he has other things on his mind. More important things, like his career, and I’m hoping I wasn’t a distraction to him.
I turn on my side, staring out the living room window. Some of the city lights twinkle below me, and my eyes flutter closed. I take a deep breath, ready to drift off to sleep again when a knock on my door has me bolting upright.
It’s a Saturday night. It’s probably someone getting back from the bar, tipsy and on the wrong floor. I wait, listening for retreating footsteps, but then there’s another knock.
“Han?” a voice calls out, and I recognize it instantly.
Brody.
I kick off the blanket draped over my legs and sprint to the foyer. I fling the door open and Brody is there, suit jacket and tie draped over one arm. Sleeves rolled to his elbows, and I can’t fight off the choked sob lodged in my throat.
“Hi, sweetheart,” he says. “Can I come in?”
“Is this a dream?” I rub my eyes and take a step back, welcoming him inside. He carefully folds his clothes and puts them on the entry table, a laugh wobbling out of me when he kicks off his shoes too. “I was just asleep.”
“Very real, if the cramp in my knee from sitting on an airplane is any indication.” The warm press of his mouth on my forehead confirms he’s telling the truth, and I do my best not to melt into him. “I’m so sorry I woke you up.”
“It’s okay.” I head for the nest I’ve made for myself on the couch. Brody sits on the free cushion, and I stretch out my legs, resting them in his lap. “Must’ve been a quick flight from Dallas.”
“The tailwind helped.”
“Do you want to stay the night?” I yawn. “What time is practice tomorrow?”
“Ten a.m. In Cleveland.”
“Cleveland?” I blink. “Your next game isn’t at home?”
“No. We’re on the road again. We’ll be back on Wednesday.”
“But you’re here.”
“I am here.”
“Is everything okay with Liv?” I ask.
“Hope so. She’s at a sleepover tonight, and I haven’t gotten any 911 texts asking to pick her up.”
“And Kali?”
“At home with Brian. Asleep, probably, given that it’s midnight.”
“So why did you—” I sit up, caught off guard. “Did you fly back to DC? For me?” I ask.
“You said you were lonely, and I missed you too.” Brody holds my leg, massaging out the soreness in my calf. Soft, gentle pressure all while he stares into my eyes. “You needed me, so I’m here. The lack of sleep is worth it, because this is exactly where I need to be. Where I want to be.”
Acts of service.
You’re important to him.
My conversation with Kali comes flooding back, and then my heart does something silly. It flip flops. Skips a damn beat andalmost falls out of my chest, because this man flewacross the countryto see me.
All because I was lonely.
