Page 60 of Love, Literature, and the Linebacker

I didn’t conquer the room.

I didn’t win anything.

But I didn’t lose myself either.

And that feels like a quiet kind of victory.

Sometimes, it’s worth speaking up. And sometimes, leaving is the stronger choice.

“You survived your first football event,” Dylan teases, pulling me close.

“Barely.” I scoff, though my smile gives me away.

He dips his head, voice soft and playful. “Lucy Bennett. The girl who managed to romance the laser-focused linebacker.”

I roll my eyes and kiss him. “Maybe it’s the other way around.”

“Oh yeah?” He grins. “The laser-focused linebacker managed to romance the girl in the library?”

“Yeah. That sounds more accurate.”

Dylan’s arm drapes comfortably over my shoulders as we walk toward my car. “Nah. It was all my mom. She orchestrated this entire thing.”

I laugh. “Ah. Kate. The modern-day Mrs. Bennet.”

He stops short, mock-offended. “So, I’m Mr. Bingley and you’re Jane?”

“I think we’re more like Darcy and Elizabeth, don’t you think?”

“Are we?”

I tilt my head, pretending to consider it. “I’m just glad you’re not the detestable Mr. Wickham.”

“I’m more of a Darcy,” he decides. “And you’re a lot more like Elizabeth Bennet than you think. You even share a last name.”

“Would you drive?” I ask when we reach my car. “I need a few minutes before I trust myself with traffic.”

He holds out his hand, and I drop the keys into his palm.

“What do you think your parents are up to tonight?” he asks as he opens the door for me.

I settle into the seat. “Spooky Movie Night.”

“Spooky Movie Night?” He laughs when he slides into the driver’s seat beside me. “What’d they pick?”

“No idea,” I say as his fingers brush along my jaw. “But knowing them? Something terrifying.”

He starts the car, soft music filling the space as we pull away. The night is quiet. Safe.

When we reach my house, the lights are dim, the windows glowing softly. I already know I have no intention of watching a scary movie with my parents tonight.

Not when I could spend the next few hours with someone who makes being understood feel possible.

Chapter Fourteen

Dylan

I strip off my practice shirt and shut my locker, the metallic clang echoing through the locker room.