FOURTEEN
Liam
Alie left yesterday before I could find her office. And her sister was professional but a bit standoffish with me during my medical examinations, and I’m still not sure why. I’d never even met her before. I tried to be friendly and engaging, but she only answered me with short responses. So, after I was done for the day, I came back to my apartment.
Tonight, I’m watchingSportsCenterand scrolling Instagram, looking for any trace of who Aliette Grant is, but it’s like she’s a ghost, like she doesn’t exist. There are a few news articles mentioning her, along with pictures of her from when she was young, but not many. It’s like her family has hidden them from the public eye, and I can’t say that I blame them. They’re a football dynasty. I can’t imagine the kind of press and pressure that can put on a family, let alone a child, but Alie and Presley both work for the organization now, and there’s still no trace of any picture of Alie at football games or press. But I do see Presley in a few pictures.
Alie has an Instagram profile, but it’s set to private, so all I can see is her profile picture. I try to search for her sister andget the same result, so I text Aaron asking him to give me Alie’s number again. The message is delivered, then marked asRead, but he doesn’t respond. Even though he told me she wasn’t interested in me and to let it go, I’m gonna ask anyway.
I imagine I could get her number from Scott, but if I ask him for it, he’ll ask questions that I don’t have answers for, and besides, I don’t really want him to know everything about my night with Alie two and a half years ago.
I literally searched for this girl for months when I got home. I texted Aaron back then, too, and nothing. So, I came to New York in an effort to find her, which finally got a response from him. We planned to meet for a drink, although he didn’t stay. He just showed up to tell me she didn’t want to have anything to do with me and I needed to let it go. That was it. No explanation as to why. Just dropped that bomb and left.
Once I got past the point where I accepted that she didn’t want to be with me, I tried to move on. Football became the only true relationship that I’ve had in the last two years. My entire focus, all my time, all my energy, went to playing. My first year in the league, I felt like I needed to prove myself, and I did. My second season, it was even more important to establish myself and try to develop more chemistry with my team on the field.
My OC and I got along great, and it was the same with the coaches. The best part about being with the Saints was that their run game was one that I could get on board with. We had a similar style to what we had run at Walker, so I was comfortable and familiar with it, and it was easy to adjust to their style of play.
On the personal side of my life, every time I tried to meet a woman, I just didn’t feel like the chemistry was there, and I’m not saying I was a complete saint, but it was very few and far between when I actually tried hooking up with anyone. Because every time I tried, all I could see was her.
My phone dings with a text, and Archie’s name pops up on the screen.
Archie: How did it go today?
Instead of answering him in a text message, I dial him, and he answers in his deep voice on the second ring.
“What’s going on, brother? How did it go today?”
“Well, it was interesting. That’s for sure,” I huff.
“Oh, yeah? In what way?”
“Well, do you remember the girl I met in New York City a couple of years ago?”
“You mean the girl you hooked up with at that wedding and haven’t stopped talking about since? Didn’t you even go up there and look for her at one point?” He chuckles.
“I did, without success. I am not gonna lie and say that I didn’t hope that I’d possibly have the chance to meet up with her or see her somewhere when I came up this way. So, let me tell you what kind of fuckery has been going on here.”
“Uh, okay, this has to be good.” He laughs. “You already get yourself into some trouble?”
“No, not exactly, but you’re never gonna believe who one of my new bosses is.”
“Who?”
“It’s her! She’s one of James Grant’s daughters.”
“No fucking way,” he mumbles.
“I’m deadly serious. When I walked into that boardroom today, I almost passed out on the spot.”
“Holy shit. Did she say anything to you? Did she recognize you?”
“Of course she recognized me, you asshole. I’m not that forgettable.”
He laughs. “I’m just playing. What happened? What’d she say?”
“Nothing. That’s the weirdest thing. She acted like she didn’t know who I was. She welcomed me to New York, and that was about it. She wouldn’t even make eye contact with me the rest of the meeting, and then she bolted as soon as the meeting was over.” I shake my head even though he can’t see me.
“Oh, that sucks, dude. Well, did you get to meet up with her after?”
