That is, until Tristan somehow escapes three guys who tried to pile on him. He runs straight towards the end zone, and suddenly Jordan begins screaming his lungs out, which makes all three girls jump from the stark contrast of how quiet he had been for a solid 10 minutes.
“TRIIIIIST!” Jordan screams, clutching his beer so hard that it crumbles and spills on the floor.
Tessa’s eyes immediately jump up and land on Tristan and then she looks at Phillip who powerfully launches the ball in theair. All three girls are gripping each other so hard there will for sure be bruises in the morning.
Tristan doesn’t even look at the ball. He knows exactly where it is. His whole body and mind so attuned to the game, his position, and the plays that he’s basically on auto pilot. The ball lands perfectly in his outstretched hands, and he immediately tucks it into his body protectively.
“OH SHIT!” Jordan screams, one hand on top of his head, the other still clutching the now destroyed beer can, pointing his finger towards the field as if every single person isn’t glued to the same thing.
Tessa’s legs wobble as she watches another linebacker run straight for Tristan, who is only a few steps away from the end zone, and in a move that makes her ovaries suddenly start exploding, Tristan spins and dodges the block attempt, and lands with feet firmly planted over the goal line.
And the volume in the building is deafening.
“YESSSS!” Katie screams, both hands firmly holding Tessa’s arms as she shakes her aggressively back and forth.
Tessa has tears pouring down her cheeks and she turns back to look at Jordan who is actively screaming and high fiving his dad before grabbing a beer can and smashing it against his head.
Their eyes meet and Jordan jumps across the row of seats separating them in the suite and he takes Tessa firmly into his arms, the intense scent of beer assaulting Tessa’s nose, and she hugs him back fiercely, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders as he shakes her around like a doll.
When he puts her down Brinley is jumping up and down and clapping wildly.
“We did it! They did it!” Brinley screams, grabbing Tessa’s face in her hands and planting a giant kiss on her face.
“I think I almost died,” Tessa says with a bright smile and tear-stained cheeks.
“Wooo!” Katie shrieks and climbs up the stairs of the suite, enveloping Diane in an embrace.
“Okay, let’s go!” Jordan yells as he grabs Tessa by the elbow and starts tugging her up the stairs.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“Down to the field,” Brinley answers, coming up right behind them.
“What? No way! We get to go on the field right now?”
“Yep,” Jordan says, tapping Katie on the shoulder and motioning for her to follow.
“It’s the best part!” Brinley squeals.
About 5 minutes have passed since the game winning touchdown, and Tristan still hasn’t caught his breath. With eyes filled with happy tears, he pulls the championship hat over his eyes and wipes his face with a towel, but his moment of solitude doesn’t last long as multiple of his teammates rush into him and tackle him to the ground for the third time since the game ended.
When he gets back up, his eyes bounce up towards the stands to the suite he knows his family is, but he finds it mostly empty, and his heart surges with hope that Jordan is bringing her to the field like he asked him to do if they won.
As if being summoned by his thoughts, his eyes find her coming out of the tunnel, her arm intertwined with his mom, a mixture of nerves and excitement etched all over her beautiful face.
Diane spots him first and smiles and gets Tessa’s attention, pointing to Tristan across the field, and Tristan watches in amazement as Tessa’s face lights up like a firework. Tessa jumps up and down a few times and looks at Diane who keeps pointing at Tristan, urging Tessa to go forward.
“Are you sure?” Tessa asks on a whisper, and Diane chuckles.
“Go to him, honey. He’s dying for you, I can tell.”
Tessa squeals and breaks free from Diane. She practically skips towards Tristan, her whole body vibrating with happiness and excitement. Tristan stands still, tall, and proud as he waits for his girl to reach him, and she throws herself eagerly into his arms.
Tristan takes his hat off and leans down to capture her lips, which Tessa eagerly grants and wraps her hands around his sweaty neck, so desperately wanting to burrow herself into the deepest parts of his soul and stay there forever.
“I love you, Tess,” he says into her neck when they break away from the kiss, and Tessa doesn’t miss the way his voice breaks and trembles.
She pulls back to see a single tear slipping down his face, his breath ragged and heavy.
