She goes to walk away and I blurt out, “Will you be my girlfriend?”
I’ve never seen her turn around so quickly, a smile brightening her face.
“It’s about time you asked. As long as you talk to me about what’s bugging you instead of wallowing, yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.” She blows me a kiss before walking over to take her microphone from the cameraman.
I guess I finally figured out which lines are worth crossing.
EPILOGUE
LANEY
SIX MONTHS LATER
Burton and I have been together for the last six months, and this is my first not-cardboard box lacrosse game. I can watch a lot of action, but I’ve had to get up out of my seat a couple of times when Burton got hit. He was right. This is more violent than field lacrosse.
I better not tell Grandpa about these games, or he’d never want to leave.
“Come on, Court! Score it!” I yell, knowing he can’t hear me through his helmet and through the glass of the field. It helps me feel better, though, and at least he can see me in the stands.
It took Court a few hours after the coupon bookmoment for him to tell me about his parents. I’ve never been so mad at people I haven’t met in my life. The temptation to look them up and give them a piece of my mind was strong, but instead, I enjoyed a tour of some of the historical sites along the National Mall with an expert tour guide.
Well, not really expert at the facts, but that’s what all the signs are for, right?
There aren’t a lot of fans at this game, but the guy next to me looks like he thinks my nervous actions are humorous.
I turn my attention back to the game, my stomach tightening as Court takes the ball and drives it in, lasering it past the goalie. The buzzer sounds and the game is over.
“Are you a fan of number eighteen?” the man asks me.
“I’m his girlfriend,” I say, picking up my coat. Winter came early this year and I feel like I’m always cold. Except in here. It’s like they don’t mind paying the heating bill.
He smiles and nods. “I figured. He’s a workhorse.” There’s a long, awkward pause before he says, “I’m sorry. My name is Blaine Sturgeon. Will you have him call me when he gets out? I’d love to chat with him about a few things.”
I reach out to take the small card from him, recognizing the Warrior logo at the bottom.I’ve gotten to know a lot more about the lacrosse brands than I ever thought I would.
Nodding, I say, “Sure. He’s usually the last one out, unfortunately.”
He laughs, slapping his knee a couple of times. It’s contagious, and I laugh with him.
“It’s nice to meet you, um?—”
“Laney. Laney Zelinski.”
Blaine nods. “Great to meet you, Laney. Take care of him and have him give me a call.”
It takes another twenty minutes for Court to emerge from the locker room, but at least he’s freshly showered.
“You did great,” I say, grinning at him. “Although, I will say there’s a sad lack of cardboard here.”
He rolls his eyes and then grins at me. “That last goal felt so good.”
“So, no retiring anytime soon?”
Court pauses. “Do you think I should?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. I would love to watch you play even after we have kids.”
Is that too much? We’ve talked about the future and what we want it to look like.
