Page 82 of Love, Literature, and the Linebacker

His smile is immediate and unguarded. “I love you too, Luce.”

I used to think the safest version of my life was the one I could keep small and predictable. Books make sense. People rarely do.

But tonight, laughing with Dylan’s friends and finding a place at their table, something shifts.

Maybe I’m not just the girl who hides in the library.

Maybe I’m becoming someone who steps out of it.

Chapter Twenty

Dylan

Lucy’s laugh is still stuck in my head, rising above the clanks of weights and the low hum of the gym. So is her dad’s running commentary through every horror movie we watched last night. Halloween at the Bennett house wasn’t loud or chaotic. No costumes. No party. Just candy corn, bad jump scares, and Lucy asleep against my shoulder by the third movie.

I didn’t move.

For once, there was no film study and no next goal demanding my attention. After years of constantly pushing forward, spending a night standing still felt unexpectedly good.

It’s strange how something that simple can feel bigger than any stadium.

I shake the memory loose and focus on the dumbbells in my hands, pushing through another rep as my arms start to burn. The gym is alive with noise—metal slamming, guys shouting encouragement or trash talk. Sweat and effort hanging thick in the air.

“Yo,” Marcus calls from the bench nearby. “You good? You’re somewhere else today.”

I finish the set and let the weights drop with a dull thud. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

He wipes his face with his shirt and gives me a look that says he already knows the answer. “Thinking about Lucy.”

I roll my eyes, which fools no one. “We watched scary movies at her parents’ place last night. Real low-key.”

Marcus laughs. “Low-key? With horror movies? How’d she handle it?”

“She was fine,” I say, grabbing my water bottle. “Her dad, though? Commentated the entire time. I don’t think I’ll ever watch The Shining the same way again.”

“That actually sounds solid,” Marcus says, nudging my shoulder. “You’re turning into a family guy.”

“Maybe I always was.”

Darnell wanders over, leaning against the squat rack. “Meanwhile, you missed a legendary Halloween party.”

I shrug. “Didn’t miss anything.”

Marcus and Darnell exchange a look, the unspoken commentary clear. I don’t bother defending myself. Being with Lucy beats repeating the same party I’ve attended a hundred times.

“So, what’s next?” Marcus asks. “Thanksgiving at her place, too?”

I take a long drink before answering. “We’re spending Thanksgiving in Dallas.”

Darnell’s eyebrows lift. “Meeting your family? That’s serious.”

“Yeah,” I say. It is.

For a moment, neither of them speaks.

Marcus leans back against the bench. “Hope your mom doesn’t scare her off.”

I laugh under my breath. “Same.”