Player

by Natalie Rios

Lia slaps a palm on the table and lets out an excited whoop. “Yes!” Her nose scrunches up. “Wait. I’m confused. If you don’t think he cheated, what’s the problem? Why aren’t you over at his place telling him that you love him and want to have his giant babies so can you please get to making them already?”

  I fling a fry at her. “Because I’m not comfortable with the idea of girls constantly making a play at him.”

  “Aha! Notice how you didn’t deny loving him,” Lia preens.

  I roll my eyes. “Still, a girl crawled into his lap and then showed up naked at his door.”

  “So what? He’s yours now. You’re the only girl that gets access to him whenever you want. Seriously, you guys spend hours on the phone watching Netflix together. Via phone, like the two weirdos you are. If you’re not worried he’s going to entertain the attention, there’s no reason to be jealous of a few desperate groupies.”

  I don’t want to tell her the truth. My jealousy isn’t about Theo or our relationship. It’s about me and my own insecurities. My lack of self-confidence egged on by all of the nasty comments on social media.

  I’m not worried Theo will cheat. I’m worried one day he’ll wake up and realize everyone else is right.

  “Dating a high profile athlete is hard,” I hedge. “One picture on Instagram and boom, my life’s been turned upside down. The rumors and social media bullshit are a lot to take in. I know they come with the territory, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense. I’m just trying to keep myself safe, you know?”

  “I hear you, but has cutting him out of your life helped with that? Because you look like shit. No offense,” Lia quickly adds. “You spend most of your days moping around the apartment, barely eating or sleeping. Is being safe worth it if you’re miserable?”

  No, it’s not and even though I asked for this, the silence is getting to be painful.

  “You could call him, you know.”

  I want to hear his voice more than I want anything else in this very moment. Despite all the craziness, I still want him. “After the show,” I say, knowing Lia will hold me to my word, even if it means forcibly holding the phone to my ear.

  A crackle of static comes through the speakers, putting an end to our conversation. “Good evening, ladies and gentleman,” the host announces from the stage. “I am delighted to welcome you to the tenth annual Greek Riff Off!”

  There’s a few hollers followed by a loud burst of applause from the crowd. I clap too. Even though I would much rather be home curled up into a ball while watching Friday Night Lights, I’m here to support my cousin who is performing along with some of her fellow Zeta pledges. Something about it being a pledge requirement, even though she’s not technically a pledge yet. I don’t know. I don’t really understand Carlton’s Greek system.

  “Before we get on with tonight’s festivities,” the host continues, “we have a special treat for you, courtesy of the Carlton University football team.”

  I go still, blood rushing in my ears as I meet Lia’s gaze. “Did you know about this?”

  Her expression looks just as startled as I feel. “No! I swear! This is a pledge event. In the four years I’ve participated, the football team has never been involved.”

  “So put your hands together for the CU Tigers!”

  My eyes can’t look away from the stage, taking in the group of five large football players all holding mics. I recognize Theo, the left guard Mo, and the table fucker Levi. All five men are wearing matching letterman cardigans, black with a large orange C sewn above the left pocket.

  Theo steps forward and the four others form a straight line behind him. He looks exhausted, but gorgeous. Like Draco Malfoy on his way to the Sock Hop. “This is dedicated to my girlfriend, Allie Perez.” Oh, God. One sentence and I’m having a hard time catching my breath, my body suddenly too excited and nervous to do something as simple as breathe. “I know there’s some nasty stuff floating around out there, but you own me, Allie Cat. You own every inch of me. I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you question how I feel about you. I’m sorry if you ever thought you weren’t good enough for me. I miss you. I love you. I want you back.”

  I blink up at the stage, my heart emitting a jolt that travels down my arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. And when the music starts and these massive football players start singing and dancing to I Want You Back by The Jackson 5, I have to press my lips together to keep my jaw from hitting the table.

  “Oh my God!” Lia shrieks. She’s already on her feet, hands in the air as she jumps up and down like a madwoman. “Did you know he can sing?”

  I shake my head, too stunned to do anything besides gawk. Theo’s no Michael, but his deep and raw voice somehow still makes the song work. More than that, he’s singing this for me. He misses me. He loves me. And I love him.

  So what the hell am I doing over here when he’s up there?

  Lia must agree because she leans forward and whispers in my ear, “If you don’t bang him tonight, I will.”

  Every cell in my body is twitching with want and joy as I wait for the song to end. The guys are still taking their bows when I launch out of my seat.

  “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Lia calls out on a laugh.

  Hands shaking and pulse racing, I keep walking, only stopping when I reach the backstage area and spot the guys lounging by one of the refreshment tables. Theo’s back is to me so he doesn’t know I’m there yet, but Levi shoots me wink as he reaches for a sandwich.

  “We need to put out an APB for your missing balls,” Levi says between bites of his sandwich. “Form a search party, send out an Amber Alert and everything.”

  “They’re not missing,” Mo cuts in. “They’re in Allie’s purse.”

  “The poor guy’s so pussywhipped, he’s getting whiplash.” Levi and Mo cackle like a pair of witches.

  “Whatever, assholes,” Theo grumbles. “Unlike you, Sullivan, I’m not afraid of letting my girl know how I feel.”

  A dark look overcomes Levi’s features, quickly replaced by a wicked gleam. “Oh, really?” He shoots his hand in the air, waving and wiggling his fingers. When that gets him nowhere, he rolls up his sleeve and tries again, flailing his massive tattooed arms until his intent finally hits me.

  As quietly as possible, I close the gap until I’m standing just behind Theo.

  “Why the fuck are you flapping your arms like that? You look like a lunatic.”

  “Just thought you might want to say hi to your girlfriend over there.”

  Faster than a speeding bullet, Theo spins around, eyes widening when they land on mine.

  “Hi,” I say, my voice sounding tight and breathless to my own ears. “Cool outfit.”

  He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I don’t know what a cable knit sweater is, but this one has the letter C on it.” He shrugs sheepishly and oh my God, he remembers. That silly conversation we had in the library when he first learned I liked Drake’s music.

  Steely grey eyes bore into mine, holding shock, hope, and heck of a lot of determination. The combination is quite sexy and reminds me of the time I stripped naked at his parents' house. The day we officially became a couple. I can't believe that was a month ago and now we're backstage at some sorority event where he just finished publicly declaring his love for me.

  We stare at each other for a few long seconds, during which I wring my hands and try not to mentally undress him. It's pointless, of course. It's been a lonely two weeks of me wallowing in my self-imposed misery and now he’s standing in front of me with his cardigan unbuttoned, giving me a glimpse of the white undershirt that stretches tautly against his chest. Displaying every line and edge I’d like to run my hands over.

  Focus, Allie. Focus.

  "So...what are you doing here?" I ask, hoping my tone sounds casual.

  "Fighting to keep you. What are you doing here?"

  "I, um..." It's hard for me to form a coherent sentence when my heart is slamming against my rib cage. "I'm rea
dy to talk."

  He sighs, briefly smiling down at me before taking my face in his hands. "Thank Christ. It's been really shitty without you." His earnest voice has me starving for him, for us. On impulse, I burst forward. He curls into me, his arms smoothly wrapping around my waist, his face pressing into my neck. For a moment, I think he might kiss me. And I crave his touch so much I might let him, despite all of our unresolved issues.

  But the moment is rudely interrupted by someone making kissing noises.

  "Allie and Theo, sitting in a tree-"

  "Do you mind?" Theo growls over his shoulder at his snickering teammates.

  "We don't, but they do," Levi says, pointing to a group of girls approaching us. Since Camilla is with them, I assume they must be the Zeta pledges. I'm about to wish her good luck, but Levi catches her wrist as she walks by. "Wait. You're a Zeta now?" There's something in his tone and the way he's looking at her that has my Spidey senses tingling.

  Camilla furrows her brows. "Um, yeah?"

  My eyes bounce between them. "Do you two know each other?"

  Levi drops her hand like it's on fire and quickly backs away. "Nope. Thought you were someone else. Sorry."

  Well, that was weird. Camilla shoots me a baffled look before being pulled away by one of the other pledges.

  "What was that about?" I ask.

  Theo shrugs, his expression unreadable. "Who knows? I know you want to watch Camilla’s performance, but would you be willing to go to my place after? To talk," he quickly adds. "Just talk."

  Smiling, I hook an arm around his waist. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Despite our mini PDA earlier, I’m nervous. I want to be with Theo, but I’m still not sure how this relationship is going to work.

  We enter his apartment and Theo gestures at the black leather couch in his living. “Why don’t we sit down?”

  I expel a breath. “Okay.”

  “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  I arch a brow at him. “Oooh, hospitable Theo. Are you going to offer me a glass of wine?”

  My comment was meant to be a joke, but he looks away from me. “I don’t know. Is this the type of conversation we need alcohol for?” He strums his fingers against the side of his leg. It’s a tiny movement, but it’s there.

  He’s nervous too.

  Patting the empty space next to me, I wait for him to have a seat. “No alcohol. Just real honest dialogue.”

  “I didn’t cheat on you,” he blurts out.

  Well, okay then. I suppose that’s as good a place to start as any. “Theo-”

  “After I complained to hotel management about someone breaking into my room, they agreed to review the security footage and gave me a copy on a flash drive. If you watch it, you’ll see I threw her right out. Nothing happened.”

  “I know,” I say.

  But he keeps rambling right over me. “The maid used the deadbolt to prop open the door while she was cleaning and then forgot to turn it back when she was done. That’s how the girl managed to get in. I don’t know how she found out my room number, someone on the team must have loose lips. I swear she didn’t hear it from me-”

  I let out a shaky breath. “Theo. I know.”

  Brows snapping together, he blinks at me. “You – you’ve seen the footage already?”

  “No and I don’t need to because I believe you.”

  “You believe me?” he asks, eyes searching.

  “Yes. I mean, I didn’t at first,” I admit. “It was a lot to take in and I was just so mad. And hurt. I couldn’t think clearly. But after I calmed down and took a day to think things through, I knew you didn’t cheat. You would never cheat and I’m sorry I ever thought that, even if it was just for a few hours.”

  Theo’s hand wraps around my neck, tucking me against his wide chest. He smells like shampoo and soap and so familiar. Looping an arm around his waist, I press closer, clinging to him like I’ve finally found a buoy after being lost at sea. And when he groans against my skin, I feel the sound vibrate all the way down my body and between my legs.

  “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that,” he murmurs, pulling away to lightly brush his lips against mine. “Thinking you believed I’m capable of something like that…it was painful.”

  I hug him closer to me and whisper, “I’m sorry.”

  “If it only took you a day to come to that realization, why continue to ice me out? It’s been two weeks and you won’t even look at me in class.”

  I stiffen, my eyes dropping to my lap. I really don’t want to talk about this, but I can’t expect him to be honest with me if I can’t do the same. “I was single for three years when you and I started dating. Before that, I was with Hunter. Dated him for almost four years. We were great together, knew each other inside and out. We were so compatible, shared the same dreams. And he was perfect. Sweet, kind, patient-”

  “Is there a point to this story?” Theo interrupts, crossing his arms over his chest. “One that ties back to us?”

  “I’m getting to that,” I assure him. “Anyway, we had a plan. Go to college together, then med school, then open up our own practice. Except we didn’t get into the same schools. I ended up at Carlton and Hunter ended up Cornell. But we loved each other, at least we thought we did, so we stayed together and tried to make it work.”

  I pause for a moment. This is the uncomfortable part of the story. “We lasted a week. Not even a real week. He called me during orientation to say he didn’t want to miss out on the college experience by being tied down.”

  Theo doesn’t hesitate. “Hunter’s a stupid prick.”

  I nod. “A huge prick. A couple of weeks later, he changed his status on Facebook to being in a relationship. He posted a bunch of pictures of him with his new girlfriend…who he met at orientation. Turns out he didn’t mind being tied down, he just didn’t want to be tied down to me.”

  He lets out a quiet curse. “Allie…”

  “We weren’t even apart that long. One week. And Hunter’s just your average Joe. He’s attractive, yes, but he’s not an athlete. He’s not wealthy. He’s not constantly traveling across the country with hordes of girls following him around, waiting for him in his bed. Naked.”

  Theo’s eyes narrow. “Wait a minute.”

  But I turn away, pressing on before I lose my nerve. “You have options. Far better options. Attractive girls you have more in common with. The two of us being together doesn’t even make any sense, everyone says so.”

  His fingers wrap firmly around my bicep, pulling my gaze back up to his. “I would never cheat on you.”

  “I know that, but I don't like how insecure I feel around you sometimes. I keep waiting for the day you're going to wake up and realize you can have any girl you want and instead of going for the super model, you're settling for the curvy nerd who doesn’t like to go out or dress up and is allergic to everything – ahh!”

  Theo pins me to the couch. “It’s my turn now,” he growls. “I've never encountered someone so smart, caring, hilarious, witty, and sexy. Yes, sexy. There have been so many nights where I dreamed about having these long toned legs wrapped around me, dreamed of digging my fingers into that phenomenal ass of yours while you ride my face like it’s my cock. Feel this?” I shudder as he grinds his rock hard erection against my center. “That’s how hard I get just thinking about you. I don’t give a shit what anyone else says. To me, you will always be the most beautiful person on this earth.”

  He leans forward so our noses brush. “I have never liked another girl the way I like you. Probably because I don't just like you, I love you. I love you. Love isn’t an emotion I can just turn off. So it doesn’t matter how many girls chase after me while I’m on the road because they aren’t you and you will always be the one I want to come home to.”

  My throat closes up, my vision going a little blurry. “Theo-”

  He cuts me off with a look. “Still my turn. I don’t date. I don’t bring women home to meet my parents.
Hell, I don’t even let them sleep in my bed. I made one exception. And that exception ruined me for all other women. Don’t ever think I have better options because so far as I’m concerned, you are my only option. If I have to quit football to make you feel more comfortable-”

  I stop him right there. “Football is your dream. I would never ask you to give that up.”

  “Does that mean you’ll have me?”

  Rolling my eyes, I throw my arms around his neck and hold him tight. “How can I resist the guy who serenaded me with the Jackson 5 while wearing a cardigan?” I start tugging at his sweater then pause. “Actually, how did you know I was going to be there tonight?”

  He takes my face in his hands and catches my bottom lip between his teeth, biting down gently. “I didn’t. Harrison recorded the whole thing and posted it on social media. Last time I checked, there were over a hundred comments on Instagram calling me a pussy so it looks like my plan worked.”

  Frowning, I manage to shove the sweater off and reach for the waistband of his pants. “You want people to call you names?”

  “Rather me than you. I couldn’t take watching them tear you apart.”

  “It wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t,” I insist at his dubious expression. “I was unprepared so it was a lot to take in at first, but at the end of the day, my biggest fear is you believing what they say.”

  One corner of his mouth turns up in a crooked smile. “And my biggest fear is you believing what they say.” I finally have his button and zipper undone, allowing me to slip my hands underneath his boxers.

  “We tell each other everything from now,” I whisper, my hand wrapping around his shaft. “If some girl shows up at your door naked or tries to touch you when I’m not around, I want to hear about it.”

  “I just told you there’s no need to be jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous, just…possessive.” I settle on the word with a nod. “If some guy touched me-”

  “I would kill him,” Theo snarls. “Pound him to an unrecognizable pulp.”

  “See? You would want to know. Same with me. Besides, talking prevents misunderstandings. I would much rather hear it from you than from Instagram.”