“So, you’re okay I’m dating Mateo?” I asked just to be sure.
“Okay is a loose term.” He looked at Mateo, then back to me. “But if you’re happy…then I am, too.”
I hadn’t realized just how much I was hoping for my dad to be okay with this until he said it. All the tension leaked from my body as I sagged against Mateo’s side. I shot my dad a grateful smile.
“But that doesn’t mean you can parade around in front of me. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Mateo said, chuckling.
“Hey, guys?” Erin suddenly said from behind us.
Mateo and I turned around. “Yeah?”
“I don’t mean to ruin the moment but, uh…has anyone been on their phones lately?” Her brown eyes were wide as she looked up from her phone.
“No, why?” Mateo dropped his arm from around my shoulders, reaching into his pocket for his cell.
“Um…” She looked a little panicked as she stared at me, as if mentally trying to tell me something.
“Shit,” Mateo cursed.
“What? What is it?” I leaned over his arm to get a look, my dad and Marcy stepping closer. Mateo angled his phone for me to see a news headline splattered on social media.
Mateo Boone, star quarterback to the Buffalo Titans, was seen at an unlikely event today—the US Women’s Figure Skating Regionals, which took place here in Buffalo. His attendance was surprising but so is who he was cheering for—Emmie James, daughter to Buffalo’s coach, Reggie James.
Multiple pictures were taken of Mateo Boone there in support of the two-time Olympian, which makes us all wonder…is there something going on with him and the coach's daughter? Our sources tell us the pair is dating.
“Areyou sure you’re okay? You seem really…calm about this,” Mateo said as he handed me a steaming mug of tea as I sat on his living room sofa, my legs tucked under me, toes wedged between the cushions.
“Why wouldn’t I be calm?” I asked, cradling the warm mug in my hands. When I told Mateo earlier this week that I had a ritual of drinking peppermint tea after a competition, I didn’t expect him to go out and stock up on it. Although, this is coming from the same man who went and bought hair ties to keep around his wrist in case I needed one.
“Uh…our relationship just got announced to the whole world and is currently trending?” Mateo took a seat across from me, watching me like he was afraid I was going to fall apart at any moment when that was the last thing I would be doing.
“Oh. That.” I took a sip of my tea, letting out a content sigh as I wiggled deeper into the couch. I was seated facing Mateo’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the Buffalo night sky stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was one of therare nights where the sky was clear enough to see the twinkling stars above the glow of the city lights.
Mateo sat at the other end of the couch, the lights highlighting his face and making him look even more handsome. I was still pinching myself that he wasmyboyfriend. My boyfriend who ran me a warm bath to help sooth my aching muscles and gave me one of his shirts to wear. My boyfriend who was now tugging my feet free from the confines of the couch cushions and pulling them onto his lap to give me a foot rub.
He leveled me with a look. “Emmie, I’m being serious.”
“I am, too.” Oh, a girl could get used to this kind of treatment. His thumbs pressed into the arch of my foot, making a moan want to break free as he heaved an agitated sigh.
“I knew our relationship would get out eventually, but I was hoping to have a conversation with you about it before it did.” His baby blue eyes met mine, concern swimming in them. “This is going to sound cocky as hell, but I’m not just some normal guy you can be with Emmie. There are always eyes on me.”
I couldn’t help the small huff of a laugh that slipped out. “Wow.Not just some normal guy, huh?”
His expression didn’t change. “Emmie.”
“Hey.” I gently poked his side with the foot he wasn’t rubbing. “I get it. I do. I might not have cameras shoved in my face every time I step outside, but I’m not invisible. This isn’t my first rodeo.” My lips curved faintly.
“I know, but I’ve seen how mean people can get online. I don’t want you to have to go through that.”
My chest tightened. He was more concerned over how I’d be treated than himself. That’s who Mateo was—selfless.
I took my legs off of his lap, gently setting my mug down on the coffee table in front of the couch before shifting closerto him. I reached up to cup the side of his face, my thumb grazing the underside of his jaw.
“People talk. They speculate. They always have. And I don’t care.” I ducked my head to make sure he looked me in the eyes as I spoke. “I’m with you because I want to be. Not because it’s easy or private. I’m not some girl who’s going to fall apart because people are watching.”
Mateo’s throat bobbed. I held his gaze, not giving him room to look away. His hand came up like he was going to touch me, hesitating for half a second before his fingers curled lightly around my wrist.
