He nods and there’s a heavy silence that comes between them, and Tessa shifts on her feet uncomfortably.
“Are you doing okay?”
“Are you asking me if I’m okay about breaking up with Kiana?”
Tessa nods.
“I’m doing better than okay. I’ve been trying to do that for years but was too scared to call her bluff on if she’d actually retaliate or not. If you’re asking if I’m okay with you ignoring me,” he steps closer to her now, their noses only inches apart, and the heat radiating from his strong body feels familiar, comforting, and makes her skin feel like it’s on fire, “I am absolutelynotokay with that.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, unable to look away from his piercing green eyes. “I’ve just been so in my head about-”
“Let’s go!” Coach Rice’s voice booms next to Tristan and Tessa, making them both jump in surprise. “No dilly dally-ing. We got check-in to complete.”
Tristan gives Tessa an apologetic smile before starting to walk with the rest of his team.
“You coming to the team dinner tonight?”
“I’m not on the team, Trist,” she says with a laugh.
“Staff go. It’s a tradition before an away game.”
She nods and smiles at him as he continues to walk away but doesn’t give him a definitive answer. Instead, she sighs heavily and wraps her arms around herself, watching the man she once loved walk away, realizing that everything she once felt for him may very well still be there. And that is terrifying.
Tessa walked through the front door of her NYC apartment about an hour later. She wasn’t required to stay in the hotel with the other team and staff members due to having her own place here, and she was shocked by how cold and uncomfortable it felt as soon as she walked in. Whatever was making the place she had called home for the past few years not feel like a home was startling.
She closed the door behind her and threw her carry-on luggage onto the floor. With a heavy sigh and hands firmly planted on her hips, she took a few seconds to digest the events of the past few days.
The long hours and impending deadline of her assignment, hooking up with Tristan, traveling with the team, finding out Tristan broke up with Kiana, discovering the severity of Kiana’s craziness, and being back in New York.
“I need a fucking drink,” she whispered to herself and found her way into her small kitchen but frowned when she realizedshe hadn’t stocked anymore alcohol since she knew she would be living in Kansas City for at least three months.
She grunted and threw her head back, knowing this meant she would have to go out to get alcohol, but then perked up again when she realized that she was finally in the same city as Amber again.
Quickly pulling her phone from her back pocket, she scrolled to Amber’s name and pressed the icon for Face Time, which Amber answered within seconds.
“Hello stranger!” Amber’s pretty face and blonde bob came into view and Tessa felt her shoulders relax immediately.
“Guess where I am,” Tessa teased, pulling the phone further away from her face so that Amber could see the background of her kitchen, where they had spent many nights drinking and baking together.
“Wait, what?!” Amber exclaimed. “Is your assignment done already? Damn, that team sucks, huh?”
Tessa laughed and brought the phone back to her face.
“No, the team is like, really good. We’re in New York playing the Jets.”
“The what?”
Tessa laughed and started rummaging through her small luggage bag for something nicer to wear. Amber was just as clueless as Tessa was regarding sports, maybe even more so.
“Do you want to come to dinner with the team?” Tessa asked, pulling out a classic black dress and then walking towards her closet to look for shoes. She had brought most of her stuff with her stuff to Kansas City but knew she left a few of her staples here.
“Do I want to come to dinner with a bunch of giant men? Uh, yeah Tessa, I do.”
Tessa giggled and felt her body relax even more knowing her friend would be with her tonight. Her and Amber were so closeback in Nashville, and grew apart once Tessa left, but when they reconnected in New York as grown up independent women, it was like no time had passed at all.
“Wear your heels,” Tessa said. “They really are giant.”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Tessa asked.
