“With the 63rdpick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Titans select Tristan Kelly, Tight End, Vanderbilt University.”
She let out a long breath of relief that she had been holding in for two years, and she felt warm tears gather in the corners of her eyes before she opened them and saw his sweet face on the screen staring back at her. She wiped her tears away quickly before continuing to listen to the man on the screen.
“Kelly is really gifted, he’s more athletic than people thought he was, and the more tape that got watched by the scouts and couches, the more this kid got pushed up. His brother is the starting Center for the Philadelphia Eagles, and you can see that Tristan is a tough kid, he’s faster than you think, he is the bestblocking tight end, and I think this kid can also catch the football incredibly well, which separates him from the other tight ends.”
She could no longer keep the tears in and let the warm fuzzy feeling of hearing these words wash over her.
“Tessa!” Brinley said, pushing on her soccer cleats, getting ready for practice. “Tell me right now why you’re crying over this damn football draft!”
“It’s nothing,” she said quietly, wiping her tears away, “I just finally feel like I made the right decision.”
CHAPTER 11
PRESENT DAY
A lot can change in 10 years. Break ups and make ups, birthdays, funerals, career paths, friendships come and go. What has remained constant for Tessa, however, is the way her heart speeds up at the mention of the name Tristan Kelly. And standing in the middle of the Kansas City airport, she has certainly found herself in her own personal hell, because she has literally seen 10 Kelly jerseys in the past 20 minutes.
“Jesus Christ,” she muttered to herself, slinging her carryon bag high over her shoulder while dragging her large rolling suitcase behind her. She found her way to the baggage claim area and waited for her remaining bags, hoping her chauffeur would magically appear any second because she knew she wouldn’t be able to carry all of her bags by herself.
Her eyes continued to scan the crowd around her – so very different from what she was used to living the past few years in NYC. Their walks were slower, smiles brighter, fashion sense at least 5 years behind trend. And if they weren’t wearing a blazing red jersey with the number 87 and Kelly on the back, they were wearing a Matthews jersey, who Tessa recognized as Brinley’s husband, or at the very least a Titans hat or some other type of Kansas City sports merchandise.
Tessa truly did not understand the magnitude of the Kansas City Titans. When she had left Vanderbilt that cold morning in November, she left football behind as well. It was far too painful for her to even think about football let alone watch it or keep up with Tristan’s career. She literally hadn’t watched one football game, or any sports game for that matter, since the last game she went to 10 years ago at Vanderbilt.
The heartbreak of losing Tristan had left her frozen in depression for months before her mom had literally forced her out of bed and out of her room, and before she knew it, she was on a plane to Texas Tech, which was honestly a dream come true, since their journalism school was highly accredited. And from there she buried herself either in her books or her guitar. She made a few friends, wrote obscene amounts of peer reviewed journals and obsessed about building up her resume for when she finally graduated.
To put it simply, she had made a very concerted effort to leave Tristan and all the emotions that came with him in her past. But even that didn’t stop her from thinking about him at least once every day for the past 10 years. She would wonder if he was happy, if he was still in love with football like he once was or was he tired of it, did he find love again, did he ever think about her?
Tessa dated a few guys, most of them casual, until Joseph. She had met him when she first moved to NYC years ago. He was British, and tall, and charming, and very smart. He had re-lit a spark within her that she hadn’t felt since Tristan, and although the spark that Tristan ignited was a full-blown forest fire and Joseph’s was a humble little stick fire, it at least kept her warm and out of the darkness.
Until that cozy fire started to dim and shrink, and suddenly it was chilly and getting darker by the second. And the owner of said fire, Joseph, didn’t care to put any extra logs to bring the fire back to life. And that was how Tessa found herself single, again, at 30 years old. She had thought she’d be married with a kid or two by now, but she instead found herself alone in an unfamiliar city, fresh off a breakup from a man who had the enthusiasm for life and love of a wet blanket, and still thinking of her ex after 10 whole fucking years.
An ex who, by the way, seemed to have the entirety of Kansas City in a choke hold.
“Miss Smith?”
Tessa looked up at the very kind older gentleman before her, whose smile was warm and eyes were gentle.
“Are you my ride?” She asked with a sparkling smile, and he immediately melted under her blue eyes.
“Yes ma’am, my name is Mark and I’ll be taking you to your residence.” he said with a light tone, “Are these all of your bags?”
“No, I’m waiting for two more. Oh! There they are.”
Mark was a textbook gentleman and took care of the largest of Tessa’s bags, walking her briskly through the airport until they got outside to the awaiting SUV. He opened her door, put her bags away, and offered her water once he got into the driver’s seat.
“You ever been to KC?” he asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder. She relaxed into the back seat, grateful to be off that stuffy airplane and the chaos of the airport.
“No, first time,” she said softly. “I’ll be staying for a few months.”
“Well, lucky you. You’re in the greatest place on earth.”
“Is that so?” She asked with a teasing smile. “I’m coming from New York City, you know.”
He only smiled and scoffed at her. “Can’t even compare! Our people, our food, our teams, it’s all the best.”
Tessa giggled and crossed her arms comfortably, watching the lush greenery begin to show itself from the highway. “Well, where can I go to get good food?”
“You’re going to want to try all the barbeque you can,” he said instantly, “I’ve actually got a folder up here for you that has a bunch of details about food and night life and things to do. You’ll never be bored. What brings you out here anyway?”
