The date with Caden was a bust.
Well, not really. It was actually very enjoyable and Tessa couldn’t find one thing to complain about. The problem was, she thought about Tristan the whole time. Every time her date talked about football, the Titans, his teammates, or really anything for that matter, Tessa’s mind wandered to Tristan. It had her feeling defeated and hopeless by the time she got back to her apartment that night, and as she was pouring herself a glass of wine, she found herself calling Abigail.
She kept in touch with both Abigail and Amber after she left Vanderbilt. Amber had actually moved to NYC around the same time that Tessa did, so they were still very close and saw each other often. Tessa hadn’t seen Abigail in almost two years, since Abigail was still living in Nashville and had a husband and a baby, but Tessa still felt more comfortable talking to her than anyone else, and she always found herself calling Abigail when she needed to talk.
“There you are,” Abigail said into the phone, answering on the second ring. “I’ve been waiting for you to call me and tell me all about your work trip!”
Tessa had conveniently left out most details of this ‘work trip’, worrying that Abigail wouldn’t approve and make her feel bad for taking the assignment, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She needed to speak to someone who understood. She had talked to her mom about it plenty, but her mom wasn’t there when everything happened. Abigail was. She had a front row seat to the lightning flash of chaos that was their relationship. Abigail knew first hand how much Tessa loved Tristan, and also how devastated she was to leave him.
“Yeah…about that,” Tessa huffed and sat heavily on her couch, almost spilling her wine in the process.
“Uh oh, what happened?”
Tessa smiled to herself when she heard the babbling sounds of Abigail’s one year old son, and felt a deep yearning in her soul for having that life one day. One day, if she stopped chasing her career and only focusing on herself. One day, when she doesn’t waste 6 fucking years on wet blankets like her ex. One day, if she ever stops wistfully yearning for Tristan and moving on with her life.
“I have something to tell you,” Tessa says tentatively.
“Spill it.”
Tessa lets out a long sigh before deciding to just spit it out.
“The assignment I took is spotlighting the Kansas City Titans and now I’m living in Kansas City and I have to see the players every single day and Tristan Kelly is basically a God in this town and he’s on the team and I have to see him and he has a girlfriend but also he acts like he doesn’t and has been flirting with me and now I have to-”
“WHAT?!”
Abigail’s shrill scream stops Tessa’s rambling, and she winces in discomfort as she waits for whatever Abigail is going to say.
“Did you just say Kansas City Titans? And Tristan Kelly? As inyourTristan Kelly?!”
“He’s notmyTristan Kelly. Well, not anymore.”
“Tessa Allison Smith! Why wouldn’t you tell me this!”
“Because I was afraid you’d yell at me. And look, you’re yelling.”
Tessa takes a big swig of her wine before putting it down on the coffee table in front of her and curling her legs under her on the couch.
“You’ve seen Tristan? You’ve talked to him?”
“For all intents and purposes, we’re essentially coworkers right now. I have to see him and talk to him like every day.”
“Well, what has that been like?” She asks, “Are you okay?”
“Yes and no,” Tessa answers honestly, “Like I can be around him but it’s a lot. God, he looks so good, Abigail. Like if you thought 20-year-old Tristan Kelly was hot, goddamn, 30-year-old Tristan Kelly is so much better. He’s gotten taller, Abigail. Can you believe that? Taller. And broader. And..and…harrier.”
“What?” Abigail says with a laugh.
“He’s aman, Abby. A fucking man, and I swear I can smell his pheromones every time he walks by me, and I remember it. I remember him, I remember it all. Like, it comes back to me in waves and some days I’m okay and can run around the facility doing my job and talking to players and watching them practice like it’s nothing. And then other days it’s like the grief of what we could of have is debilitating. And today is one of those days.”
“Well what happened today?” She asks curiously. “What did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Tessa says with a laugh. “I tried to go on a date. And the date was good and the guy was nice and very hot. But I thought about Tristan the whole time. And it’s infuriating.”
“Well it’s better than thinking about Joseph,” Abigail says with a snort, and Tessa can’t help but laugh. Abigail always hated Joseph and was never afraid to let Tessa know that. She had always said that Joseph was too boring, too serious, too reserved. Tessa never argued with her, but also never found much motivation to leave, either.
“But he has a girlfriend, Abigail. And she’s like a model. So prim and proper and put together. I’ve never seen her not in a six-inch heel with a tight dress on and full make-up. And I’m walking around looking like a schoolteacher and-”
“And Tristan always thought that was so hot, remember?”
