“He’sgoing to want to make sweet love to you first andthenafter he pops that cherryhe’s going to want to fuck you.”
Tessacouldn’thelp the burst of laughter that escaped from her at Amber’s words, but it did make her feel better.
“I can’t listen to this,” Abigail said, turning away from them, “It’s like talking about my little sister having sex.”
“Oh please,” Tessa said with an eye roll, reexamining herself in the mirror, “Just because I have the tits of a12-year-olddoesn’t mean I am one.”
“And Trist stares at those things constantly,” Amber said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
“He does like to play with them,” Tessa whispered teasingly.
“Oh my God enough please!” Abigail retorted.
“Okay okay I’ll stop. But we think I look okay? Especially to be meeting his parents for the first time?”
“100 percent yes,” Abigail said confidently. “You look perfect.”
“I can’t stop looking at you,” Tristan whispered into Tessa’s ear as they sat together at the round table in the middle of the football field. It was chilly but there were heated lampsaroundand he had lovingly draped his suit jacket over her delicate shoulders.
Tristan leaned down and gave her another quick kiss on her lips, about the hundredth one tonight, before turning his attention back to the stage.
Meeting Tristan’s mom and dad, Diane and Ed, had gone off perfectly. Tessa had always prided herselfonbeing good at meeting new people and being able to hold conversations with strangers. She was naturally introverted and shy in mostscenarios,but she also knew she was kind and personable – so although meeting his parents was slightlyanxietyinducingshe wasvery happythat it went as smoothly as it did.
Diane’s warm eyes went back and forth between her two sons who sat in front of her at the table. She had no idea how herand Ed had managed to raise such good men, but she knew they were gems – truly one inmillion typesof guys, and she was beyond thrilled to see that they were being loved bythe two young women on their arms. Although Diane knew that Tessa and Tristan had not confessed the L word to each other, she could see it clear as day betweenthem, andknew it was a matter of time before her giant son with his giant heart would let it slip.
“Alright so as we do every year at this event,” Coach Adams said into the mic, standing up on the stage with a small gold trophy in his hand, “I always give out my star player award. And let me tell you, this is no easy feat, okay? I don’t just give this to someone who plays ball well, there’s lots of layers that go into this thing. And this year, this award is going to a player who has made incredible progress on the field. He came into the team a bit unsteady on his feet. We tried him at quarterback and running back but he has absolutely excelled at being our tight end. And not once did he ever let any adversity of struggling to find his place on the team get in his way of succeeding. Outside of the field though, this player is an incredible teammate, and I really do mean that ladies and gentlemen. He is our team’s biggest hype man and honestly our secret weapon. I would also like to point out that he has made incredible strides in regard to academics. Again, he did not let any struggles or adversity with his grades get in the way of him going above and beyond getting his grades up to keep his place on the team. So, to put it lightly, I’m incredibly grateful to have this player on my team, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us over the years. So, ladies and gentlemen would you please help me in congratulating this year’s Star Player – Tristan Kelly.”
Tessa leaped out of her seat, her face beaming with pride for the man next to her who stood up and shyly smiled down on her. He towered over her, his broad shoulders blocking anything else out of her vision,but in thismoment,he looked so vulnerable;his green eyes looking more like a10-year-oldboy who just got told he made the flag football team rather than a star football player heading straight towards NFL greatness.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, placing his large hands gently on her hips and giving her a small squeeze before pulling away and making his way over to Jordan, followed by a quick side hug from Katie, and then embracing both of his parents securely under his arms and giving Diane a firmkiss on the top of her head.
Tessa watched in amazementas he jogged up to the stage, a warm sparkly feeling in her chest so strong she felt like it was radiating from her skin.Was this what being in love felt like? She knew without a doubt that she admired him, was proud of him, and felt safer with him than many of her own friends, but what she felt in the deepest regions of her heart while she watched him hug his coach with the full force of his body,it dawned on her quickly and catastrophically –I'm in love with him.
“I don’t really know what to say,” Tristan’s unsteady voice said into the mic. It was rare to see him like this. He was usually so full of life and confidence, but this was just as endearing. Everything about him was so genuine, and this moment of true humility was no different. “I guess I just want to thank Coach Adams for not giving up on me and pushing me to be better every single game. And obviously all my teammates for doing the same. And I have the best parents around. Any interest my brother and I had they made sure they did everything in their power to nurture it and push us to follow our dreams. Especially you dad, even when I was crying like a little baby about not wanting to go to practice you always made sure to kick my ass into submission.” A lighthearted chuckle went over the crowd, and Tessa had to fight to keep her tears at bay. “And you all know Jordan, my big bro, about to do big things in the NFL. I literally wouldn’t be doing any of this if it wasn’t for him. I justalways wanted to be like my big brother so, I guess I owe him the biggest thanks of all for liking football first and letting his annoying kid brother tag along.” Tessa looked over at Jordan who had tears freely flowing down his cheeks. She was taken aback by it, not sure she had ever seen a grown man cry before, but her heart quickly softened and she admired him for being so vulnerable and so outwardly loving of his brother. “And Tessa, my girlfriend,” Tessa’s eyes grew into saucers and she whipped her attention back towards the stage, completely stunned at the mention of her name booming from the speakers, “she’s the one who made sure to help me get my grades up so I didn’t get kicked off the team so, big shout out to you, Tess.”
She knew her fair skin was bright pink from her embarrassment and shock, but her heart was pulsing wildly at the same time. She quickly dabbed the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes away and gave him a sweet smile and allowed herself to feel the pure magic of the moment. She didn’t know exactly where their relationship would lead, especially with the uncertainty of where he’d end up if he got accepted into the NFL or where she would end up if she found a way to get hired as a reputable journalist, but here tonight, everything felt right.
“I’ll miss you guys,” Tristan said as he hugged his mom and dad goodbye.
After the ceremony and dinner, they had all returned to Tristan and Jordan’s house to have a few drinks and play a few rounds of card games before finally calling it a night. Diane and Ed’s flights were early in the morning and Jordan had already left with Katie out to the bars and likely wouldn’t be home until the very late hours of the night, if not until the next day.
“We’ll see you next week for Thanksgiving, Trist,” Ed said as he aggressively patted Tristan’s back. “And talk to Tessa about joining us, okay?”
“I will for sure. Bye mom.”
Tristan squeezed his mother tightly, trying toconveyall ofhis love and admiration for her in the hug.
“I’m so proud of you Trist,” she whispered into his ear, “Andshe’sincredible.”
He pulled back from the embrace and gave her a knowing smile.
He waved them off and waited until the car was completely out of sight before he headed back inside.
“Should we get you home?” Tristan asked, shutting the door behind him.
Tessa sat on the couch, still in her dress, hair fully down from the pins that held a few strands out of her face all night. Her legs were crossed and her body language relaxed against the couch.
“I think I want to stay here,” she whispered into the very tension filled air surrounding them. Hiseyebrowsshot up, and he cleared his throat nervously.
