All the lines to cross

by Ashish Rastogi

"Tigress, you will be the death of me. Are the scores settled now?" I put my hands behind my helmet, making myself comfortable on the floor.

  She crosses her arms on her chest. "Nope, we are not. That was for being a total jerk. I still have to encash this."

  Sharon places a paper in my hand. I open and read it. 'Wring my neck'. It is the gift tag. This is the chance I needed, so I don't stop myself.

  "Tigress, kill me if you wish. But before you do, tell me you forgive me because I am quite sure in my heart, body, and soul that I love you. I will never stop loving you, Sharon."

  She bends over and pulls me by my jersey, "Why do you think I am here?"

  The softness and vulnerability in her voice get my mind racing. A part of my brain is scared shit and the other part prods me to get up and gather her in my arms. God, I don't want to screw this up. The room is silent, and I sense everyone staring at us. What the hell? When was my life ever private? I might as well go the entire distance now. Time for a touchdown in my personal life.

  I stand and pull her towards me. Damn the gear and shoulders pads. Her eyes say it all. "I love you, Tigress. I am sorry for the way I behaved. Can you ever forgive me?"

  Time to grovel. I bend on my knees, take her hands in mine and kiss them as I admire my Goddess. "Sharon, please forgive me. I know I don't deserve it, but I want another chance with us. You are affectionate and caring. The most wonderful woman I met in my life. Sometimes eccentric and scary, but in the most adorable way."

  She swats my shoulder. I wiggle my eyebrows. "Hm, like I said scary, but I can live with it. Because I want it all. Can you love this fool once more?"

  She tries to hide her smile. "You only want a chance, but I want more than that. I want confirmation Jon, that I am important for you and that you will trust me the way I have faith in you."

  I stare at her unblinking, holding her gaze hoping she will understand the genuineness of my every word. "I am sorry for letting you down, Sharon. It will never happen again. The last few months have made me realize the colossal mistake I made in not trusting you and giving you a chance to explain. But I will change, I have no desire to live without you. My life has no meaning if you are not a part of it."

  She stares at me for a while. Then a smirk appears on her beautiful lips. "Apology accepted but don't get so emotional. I like the flirty, Po. The charming doofus I fell in love with." She knocks on my helmet with her knuckles. "Can you take this off and kiss me?"

  I spring up straight on my feet and take the helmet off. I gather her in my arms and whisper in her ear, "I will take everything off, you only need to ask." She slams her fist on my chest.

  "Ouch! That hurt. At least don't hit me in front of my mates. I have a reputation to uphold." I nod my head towards everyone in the room.

  She rolls her eyes, not bothering about the guys smirking around us. She says something, but I squeeze her against myself and kiss her soft lips. I let the longing of all the days away from her take over us.

  To hell with the phones taking our photos. This is what I wanted and waited for so long.

  Chapter 55: A Game to Remember

  Sharon

  The stadium is a sea of purple. The Tornado’s are playing at home. I have never been to a stadium, but the atmosphere is exhilarating. Tom accompanied me tonight. Jon's team management gave us the privilege to watch the game with the team and staff right on the field. Nate is with us. He and Tom are wearing the Tornado's purple color jerseys with the Hayes name on it.

  They fill me in on the game because I am clueless despite a one-hour crash course by Tom yesterday. He is living out his dream, watching a Superbowl match from the sidelines. Every time Jon throws the ball and the team scores a touchdown, a little tornado jumps around me. Nate is super excited. They go berserk when the Tornado's win. The adrenaline rubs off on me. I have never been so high. It is like ten bungee jumps put together.

  Jon does a high five with a few of his teammates. Then they all gather in front of us, forming a line. Each of them takes out a piece of white cloth and holds it in front of their jersey numbers. I read the pieces one by one. By the time I reach the second R, my eyes widen, and pulse quickens. Why the hell are they standing in front of me? My heart gallops like a racehorse inside my chest.

  I freeze at the complete message, 'Marry Him', which is followed by a picture of Tigress and an arrow held by Jason. At the end of that arrow, someone is standing in a panda suit.

  This can't be happening. The panda takes off its head revealing Jon with a goofy grin. I have a sudden urge to hide. Thousands of eyes in the stadium and millions of viewers online are watching this. I turn to search for Tom, but he has conveniently walked over to the players' line. Traitor. With no other option, I put on my best ostrich act. I close my eyes and hide my face in my hands. The stadium is silent. I peek out from between my fingers. Jon has disappeared, or maybe I lost sight of him.

  "Looking for someone, Tigress?"

  I jump at the words and find Jon on one knee. "Jon, what are you trying to do?" A shiver travels through my body when he takes my hand. I should run away but my feet won't budge. At this moment, they weigh like a thousand pounds of iron. My breath is ragged. No, rasping. Shit, that's not right.

  As a doctor, I should know ragged and rasping breaths are for people who are choking or have something stuck in their throats. This is more like I have run a marathon. Panting! Yes, that's the right word. Ms. Geeky Meeky is rambling in my thoughts. My meddling brain kicks me. Focus. Jon is saying something.

  "Sharon, my world changed when you walked into that OR. You mended my broken leg but took my heart away. You are an angel sent by God and I can't imagine a life without you. Will you share your life with me? Be my wife, Sharon. Marry me, please?" Jon holds my hands, making sure I look into his eyes.

  Nate reappears by his side. The squirrel. He squeezes my arm and smiles like a Cheshire cat. I raise my eyebrows at him, "Kiddo, are you a part of this plan? I always thought we were a team."

  He covers his mouth with his hand and giggles, the mischief and excitement shining through his eyes. When I continue to stare, he nods and points his finger at Jon. "Dad promised if I kept my mouth shut, he would get you to stay with us."

  I turn and frown at Jon. "You got a kid to lie for this?" I wave my free hand in circles "Whatever this is?"

  Jon stays on one knee, "No, I am teaching him to pull his weight if he wants to share something. He has to learn he cannot ride free while I do all the hard work of trapping a Tigress."

  "Do you ever stop to consider the words that splutter out of your mouth?" This is all fake gusto from my side. In my heart, the fairies are putting on an Olympic-grade gymnastics show. "Tigers are a protected species. You both should be jailed for poaching."

  "It is called wildlife preservation. I am catching my Tigress and keeping her for life in my nature reserve. Not letting her go this time." Jon's dimples are in full show now.

  I lunge for his neck. "You want to hunt a Tigress, then let me show you the right way." He catches me as I fall over him. His back landing on the ground.

  Jon takes out a small blue box and opens it, presenting the ring. Saying that I am dizzy and faint-hearted is an understatement. My eyelids forget to flutter, stunned into inaction by his gaze. The body is weightless and mind numb. My heart bumps my brain to act.

  "I love you, Jon. I have always and will love you forever."

  "So, are you saying yes?" Jon can't hide his delight.

  I nod my head and he is up in a flash. Jon slips the ring on my finger and hoists me up in his arms. He turns me around, holding me tight.

  A tug on my dress makes me glance down. Nate stands glaring at us, with his hands resting on his hips.

  "Didn't I tell you I am the only res... responsible person in this family? It is time you two grew up."

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  Think of a story. Write a story. Not as simple as putting pen to paper. Not even thinking about them.
Sharon teleported into my world in a dream riding Humpy the elephant. At the time I was working on another book. She jumped in and forced me to look at her world. Strong and weird, she dragged Jon along when I ignored her wild ways. I resisted for a few weeks, torn between what I was working on and the drama Sharon unleashed. After weeks I surrendered and started writing Sharon and Jon’s story.

  Writing books is not easy on relationships. It means endless hours of staring at screens or out of the window. Hours spent alone reading, researching and writing. Time spent away from family. Since I have started writing I appreciate the sacrifice the family makes in the life of a writer. I owe my family the time I spent creating this fictional world. I am grateful to all of them.

  This book took a lot of those hours because romance is not my usual flavor of the coffee. Jon was hard work because of the unfamiliar sport. I would like to acknowledge the work by all romance writers, sports journalists, bloggers. They were my teachers. I hope I am a good student.

  Treading into the unfamiliar territory was scary. I thank my wife for reading the raw draft and giving me the confidence to continue. Thanks, are also due to my nephew who resides in the US for helping me with the chapters and terminology related to American football. Thanks to my mentor Dr. Upreet Dahliwal (Author- Reet Singh; https://reetsingh.in/) for reading the first draft and guiding me.

  The Beta reading services at www.saltandsagebooks.com helped in understanding issues in the pacing of the book. Their words of encouragement helped overcome the anxiety of sharing this story with the world. Yeh, I am damn scared.

  The book cover is the first thing that catches readers’ eyes. For two quirky characters, I was adamant and fussy about getting things right. I thank Ms. Pallavi Pandey (https://www.instagram.com/battata_art/ and https://www.facebook.com/battataart/ ) for capturing the essence of the relationship between Sharon and Jon in the facial expressions, body language, and that finger jab. Yes, it was so on point. The final cover designs were done by the team at Kreativeverse. They are a young and dynamic team that supported me for this and my first book (The Broken Code- https://books2read.com/thebrokencode )

  Writing is difficult because you put your heart, soul and best effort to create characters and their life stories; then send them out into the world waiting with bated breath for readers' reactions. As a reader, I always admire other authors for creating these imaginary worlds and stringing them into beautiful words that bring joy, tears, and thoughts. I hope my writing can do the same for others.

  To every reader who reads this book, a very big thank you for giving Sharon, Jon, Nate and me a chance to be part of your world. We would be doubly happy if you would leave a review. Your words of encouragement will help save our nails.

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  About the Author

  Ashish started his career as a physician over two decades ago. For the past ten years, clinical research has been his labor of love. He has managed projects all over India and has traveled in India and abroad.

  Creative by nature, Ashish writes poetry, short stories, and paints in his leisure time. He is an avid reader.

  All the Lines to Cross is his second novel. He published The Broken Code, a medical technology thriller in 2018. Ashish brings his multifaceted experience into the narration of this story.

  Read more at Ashish Rastogi’s site.