by Iris Blobel
Skipping through the article, she noticed it was a few years old. She typed his name again and searched under ‘news’ and another massive amount of articles appeared on her screen. Adding Anita’s name, she refreshed the search and skipped through some of the results. The more she read, the more she figured out that Tyson and Anita were no more.
Still, her heart ached. How much could one believe what was in the paper?
Not to mention, he was an AFL player. She was sure he earned millions. Why would he be interested in someone like her?
“Friggin’ fruitcake!” she whispered to herself. Then, because frustration overcame her, she threw the tissue box next to her into the far corner of her room.
Shaking her head, she stood with a big sigh and walked over to retrieve the box, but nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a big spider.
With her hand on her chest, trying to calm herself, she kneeled down in front of the little creepy creature. A slow smile tugged at her lips. She remembered her grandmother had told her about the little hairy and leggy animal being a symbol to remind us that our choices construct our lives. A spider appearing was a message to be mindful of the choices we make.
“You little bugger!”
She turned, ignored the invader, and went to find one of the five pieces of paper with Ty’s number. Better to have tried and failed, than never tried at all. With trembling fingers, she nervously wrote a small message before finally hitting send.
Katie couldn’t believe her eyes when her phone pinged the same night. She glanced at the screen in disbelief. A reply from Tyson.
A matter of time 4 u 2 find out, I s’pose. Wld still love 2 see u again.
These words meant the world to her. Initially she had been taken aback by the fact that he was a celebrity, a famous football player, and she hadn’t known. Fair enough, she had some doubts whether he was a hundred percent honest with her, but her gut feeling told he was a good man.
After a couple of minutes of considering whether to reply, she sent him a text. Well, she sent the sixth or seventh version, before slouching into her couch. She closed her eyes, and with a smile on her face remembered the day she’d spent with Ty.
***
With only a towel wrapped around his hips, Tyson walked into his bedroom. Water still dripping from his hair and running down his back, he chuckled as he read the text from Katie:
kicking a footy to get a show-off car? so lame!
He had no idea how she had found out that he was making his money as a Ruckman with a Melbourne Football team. But who was he kidding? Even in New South Wales, they watched and followed AFL, and the Internet. Oh yes! The Internet. He remembered getting into trouble a few months back when his mother found a picture of him on some dicey website, in an awkward position on a sandy beach. She had given him hell for days, until he was able to explain to her all about Photoshop, but she had really zipped it when he’d asked her how she’d actually found the website. With tomato-red cheeks, she’d shrugged and said, “Well, I do check the Internet for you once in a while.”
Laughing, he picked up the phone and wrote,
studied show-off cars first before kicking footy.
Cars had always been one of Tyson’s loves. When he left school, he started as an apprentice to be a car mechanic. Owning his own repair shop one day had been his goal. Then football took off. He was drafted for his favourite team, and he hadn’t regretted his choice since.
He threw the mobile back on the bed and went to the cupboard—sans his towel. The ping sound from the phone made him return to the bed.
Katie’s reply:
Boys and footy. Sorry Im more a rugby girl. Still like me?
Oh, he did indeed.
Ouch that went straight to the heart!
Katie: LOL
Ty: Talking L-word already?
Katie: OMG no!!!!!!!! that was laugh out loud
He chuckled. Of course, he knew, but he loved teasing her.
Oh. Shame. Wld still love 2 see u again.
He was sitting naked on his bed, texting to Katie. She made him laugh, and he liked that. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the dial button and lifted the phone to his ear.
“Hi there,” she answered.
“Hi,” was all he was able to say.
“So? AFL, eh? No wonder you go for the show-off cars.”
“I’m not even sure whether I should talk to you. After all, Rugby? Really? You don’t know what you’re missing.”
It was so good to hear her voice. After he had walked away that day at the beach, he’d been worried he’d blown his chances. Every day and every night, he’d thought of her, and the touch of her lips. The tears she’d shed while sitting on his lap, and he still had no idea what was tearing her apart. He wished he knew, and wished he could help her. All of her moves that day told him she’d been comfortable to use him as a shoulder to cry on. Yet, not comfortable enough to tell him the reason for it. Deep inside, he understood being comfortable with him didn’t necessarily mean she was comfortable enough to spill all of her problems, but he had to admit curiosity tugged at him.
Furthermore, he’d been concerned she’d found out how he made his money—by playing footy. He wasn’t ashamed of it, but knew from experience the idea of him having a big bank account could kill a relationship.
When he’d received her first message, relief had rushed through him.
“Tell me what you’re up to,” he said.
“I’m in bed,” she replied, without hesitation.
It was all he needed to hear to get a hard-on. Raking his hand through his hair, he groaned.
***
Katie’s hand hurt because she was clutching the phone for dear life. Her heart thumped hard in her chest as she cradled her mobile in her sweaty palms. Still slightly embarrassed about the LOL text, she tried to sound confident.
“So what are you up to?” he asked, ignoring her comment about cars.
She pondered that question for a few seconds. What did she have to lose? After all, he was an AFL player, a hunk, and probably gone in a few weeks, getting tired of her. She gave him an honest reply.
“I’m in bed.”
A moment of silence hung in the air.
“So am I,” he finally replied with a husky voice.
She giggled. “It’s not even eight o’clock. What are you doing in bed?”
The way he said it sounded eerie, and she wasn’t sure how to interpret his reply. “I’m alone in my bed.”
“I most certainly hope so,” she said, making him laugh.
“Actually, I’m not in bed, but on it. You interrupted me getting dressed.”
Okay, she had to get this right. She had no idea where this conversation was going. She was certain he was a nice guy. After all, he had been caring when they’d met at the beach. Did she get him so wrong?
She sighed. “I’m in bed with a nice cold.”
The line was silent for a moment. Katie’s chest tightened as she waited for him to say something. Biting her lip, she regretted her honesty.
“Got someone to look after you? I could come and check on you over the weekend. Can’t make you chicken soup, but apparently green tea is good for anything.”
Tears welled up behind her eyelids. He was one in a million.
“I’d love that, but—” But where was he going to sleep? What about her small apartment? He’d be used to bigger and better. Dizzy with all the thoughts in her head, she reminded herself he was the one offering to look after her. Would he care? “Your coach will kill you if you return sick from the weekend.”
“Oookayyy,” he drawled. “What else do you have in mind other than me preparing you a nice cup of green tea?”
Again, heat crept up into her cheeks. It was the LOL situation all over.
“No. No, I didn’t mean it that way. I mean—” She stuttered, but stopped as soon as she heard his bark of laughter. Another sigh escaped her.
“Katie, darling.”
“Hmm?�
��
“I’ll be there Friday night, okay?”
Her heart thumped so hard in her chest, she couldn’t catch her breath. He was really coming to see her.
“That’d be perfect.” Katie sat up and pulled her legs close to her chest. “Tyson, I honestly do have a cold.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t doubt that, I can actually hear it.”
There was a brief silence, and Katie didn’t know what to reply.
“Why is it so hard to believe that I’d come to look after you?”
She shrugged, but remembered he couldn’t see her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…I didn’t...”
He chuckled and said, “Friday night it is.”
Katie was grateful he ignored her answer. “I look forward to it,” she said.
And she really did. Tyson Gaspaldi was not only the hottest hunk on earth, but also the nicest, most caring guy she’d ever met—and he was coming to look after her.
Katie crawled out of bed and poured herself a cup of tea. A mental picture of Ty naked on his bed rushed through her mind and heat flooded her body. She couldn’t believe how good it had been hearing his voice. His sexy voice. It gave her a shiver. The thought he wanted to come for the weekend made her tremble even more. She sighed, walked into her lounge room, and picked up her laptop with his picture on the desktop. Two more days.
Two more days!
She grabbed the phone and her fingers pushed buttons as quick as possible.
“Teagan? I need help.”
Her friend laughed. “Geez, your throat has really fucked up since dinner. The way you sound, sweetie, you’ve dialled the wrong number.”
Katie slouched back into the couch and smiled. Teagan had been her friend since high school and Katie had relied on her on many occasions, but more so since Paige’s death.
“It’s not the throat. It’s the guy I’ve been meaning to tell you about.”
She could hear her friend’s slight inhale of a breath. “Uh-huh. A guy? Really? You?”
If Katie hadn’t been so desperate, she would’ve probably hung up on her friend.
“Stop it. You make it sound like I’m a—” Katie hesitated.
“Like what?” Teagan laughed.
“Like, I’m on the verge of becoming a dried-up old prune. Anyway,” she continued. “I’ve got this guy coming from Melbourne this weekend. I’m sick, and my apartment is a mess.”
“Sweetie. We had dinner only a few hours ago, and now you’re telling me there’s someone in your life, and he’s coming to see you?”
With a deep inhale, Katie swapped the phone from one ear to the other. “I only met him recently, so as such he’s not in my life, but, yes, that kinda sums it up.” She wasn’t sure how to take her friend’s apprehensive answer. “I know I’m asking for a big favour, but this…this is really important to me.”
There was a big sigh at the other end of the line.
“Please, Teagan.”
Katie didn’t want to go as far as place everything she’d done for her friend on the scale and gave her time to reply.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“I’ll tell you everything if you come tomorrow…with Chinese dinner.”
Snorting, her friend replied, “One could consider that blackmail.”
“I’ll pay. For helping me so to speak,” she added quietly.
“You want me to wave the magic wand or what?”
“Nooo, you need to be my rescuer. Like,” she hesitated for a moment. “Like cleaning the house, if you want, you could use a magic wand.”
Katie rolled her eyes when she heard her friend cracking up on the other end of the line.
“Teagan,” she said more seriously. “This guy is Tyson Gaspaldi, an AFL footy player from Melbourne. And he wants to come and visit me to look after me.”
“Holy shit. How the hell did you get to meet a footy player?”
“Bring the food, and I will tell.”
“Blackmail!”
Katie laughed. “Please!”
There was a moment of silence.
“Out of all favours, you ask me to clean up?”
“Yes,” she replied. “You like cleaning.”
“Do not! What about your mum?”
That train of thought was lost on Katie. “What about her?”
“Can’t she clean up your mess?”
“Honestly, Teagan. If I asked Mum, not only would half the town know who’d come for a visit, but she’d also give me the common sense attitude, if you’d tidied up on a day-to-day basis you wouldn’t be in that mess. I honestly can’t cope with common sense at the moment.”
Teagan laughed, probably seeing the validity in her friend’s argument.
“And,” Katie continued, “If my head didn’t hurt so much, I’d do it myself.”
She looked around and knew there was no way she’d be able to get this small apartment looking decent within only a few hours after work.
“Look after you? As in kiss you better?” Teagan asked suddenly.
Katie sneezed. “That’d be the icing on the cake,” she replied as she buried her nose in a tissue.
Teagan exhaled deeply. “No worries. I’ll be there tomorrow after work. You owe me big time, Katie.”
“I know.” She grinned. She knew Teagan would die of curiosity over the next twenty-four hours.
***
Tyson was still smiling about the conversation with Katie when the doorbell rang. Quickly checking the time, he pulled on some pants and went downstairs to open the door.
“How are you, mate?” Oliver said as he stepped inside. He went straight into Ty’s kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Mark here yet?”
Ty rubbed his face with his hand. “What am I missing?”
His friend stopped and turned to look at Ty. “Missing? The cricket is on, mate, and we’re watching it.” Oliver pointed to the lounge room. “Right here.”
“Fuck.”
Oliver patted Ty’s shoulder. “Yes, you seem to be in serious need of it.”
Ty brushed off his friend’s hand. “Fuck off.”
“What ran over your liver?”
Ty wasn’t able to answer as the doorbell rang again. It was Markus, to make the trio complete. The guys had known each other since school. They’d played footy every Saturday and later on during their teenage years, they’d hung out afterwards as well. After watching a game of soccer, Mark had changed sports, and a year later, after spending a few years in the U.S. Oliver had switched to baseball. The three friends kept in contact and enjoyed their weekend nights out together. Or watching cricket. Or motor racing.
“Mate?” Markus said as a hello.
Ty simply nodded, and they both walked into the lounge room. Before he sat down, though, he grabbed a couple bottles of beer from the kitchen. By the time he joined the guys in front of the TV, they were already in a heated conversation about a cricket umpire decision.
Mark looked up and took a beer. “Live music at the pub on Saturday.”
“I’m in,” Oliver said without looking away from the television.
Ty sat down. “I’m off to New South Wales.”
That got his friends’ attention. “New South Wales?” they asked in unison. “Didn’t you only come back from there the other day? You went there with your mum and dad, right?”
Nodding, Ty slouched into the seat. “Met a girl up there.”
Oliver muted the telly, and both friends stared at Ty. “Maaate,” they drawled.
Ty shrugged.
“Do tell,” Mark requested.
“Friggin’ hell. I thought you were done with girls,” Oliver said.
“I’d be if I’d been with someone like Anita.”
“Anita was bad news. As in baaad news.”
Ty choked back a chuckle and took a sip of his beer. “This one is different.”
“No offence, mate, but any decent girl is different to Anita,” Markus replied.
“Holy
shit. You’ve got it bad. Any good in bed?”
Ty rolled his eyes. “Just because you have a different one in bed every week doesn’t mean it’s common.”
Oliver nearly spilled his beer. “It’s not that bad! I haven’t been with a girl for a while. But you—”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. They knew Tyson had always disliked the idea of meaningless sex. They were surprised when he had introduced them to Anita. The woman had screamed sex appeal from head to toe.
Markus leaned forward and said quietly, “It seems serious.”
Ty shrugged. “I’m heading there over the weekend. There seems to be an issue—”
“Issue?” Oliver asked.
Hands up in resignation, Ty said, “Never mind.”
“Keep your hands off girls with issues.”
“What kind of issue?” Markus had always been the more sensitive one of the three. Raising his two sisters was a big reason for it.
Ty took another sip of his beer and started telling them how he’d met Katie. He was quite open about the details and told them about the tears she’d shed that day. Even added the bit about the car, and that she only drove a little Beetle.
Tyson laughed. “I’m pretty sure it could be considered antique.”
His friends joined him, laughing as well.
“A leftover Beetle from the seventies is a nice little car to have,” Markus said.
Oliver arched an eyebrow. “She dressed more up-to-date, I hope.”
He was always the one to make an impression, which including driving an upmarket car. Someone owning such an old vehicle seemed odd to him.
“Anyway, she found out about you after all, right?”