43 - Fallon
~ 43 ~
FALLON
The Buffaloes didn’t just win their game against Midwestern State, they crushed their opponent by thirty points. Dalton himself was spectacular. He threw for four touchdowns — including two caught by Emerson — and went the whole game without being sacked or intercepted.
At one point there was a scuffle between quarters, and in the span of an instant it came to blows. Three Midwestern State fans had surrounded an A that much I knew. But could they love me? What we had right now was undeniably amazing, but was it really sustainable?
When Blaine and I came to a screeching halt, I really hadn’t had to deal with getting hurt. I’d been taken in and taken care of, almost immediately. Dalton, Trey, Emerson… they’d been so incredible, I wanted this time in my life to go on forever. Watching them on the football field was thrilling. Curling up next to them each night, tucked away safely in the old house we shared, even more so.
But now, whenever I thought about one of them moving on? I got the sickest of feelings in the pit of my stomach. Dalton had kissed scores of cheerleaders in his time on campus, but whenever I imagined him kissing another, the resulting jealousy twisted in my gut like a hot knife.
I could no longer picture the hot girls who used to hang all over Emerson, or dangle from each of Trey’s big arms. My mind started blacking them out. Everything that happened before we met seemed so far away, so inconsequential, and the future was hazy and uncertain.
For the first time in my life, I was living strictly in the present.
This was the scariest part of all, as far as I was concerned. Everything I was doing felt self-indulgent. After what I’d gone through with Blaine, I’d even told myself that was okay. For a little while at least, I wanted to enjoy what I had right now, rather than focus on what I needed for tomorrow.
The most dangerous part though, was that I didn’t care. I wanted to scream from the rooftops and shout from the bleachers that all of these men were mine. It might be the greediest thing in the whole fucking world, but somehow I was totally fine with putting aside the girl who always needed to plan ahead. That girl never knew the pleasures of being lovingly pinned between two hard bodies, or making out with three incredibly hot guys for hours on end.
That girl, and her relatively boring old life, could fuck right off.
I heard them before I saw them; loud, boisterous, and just as excited as I was, as they raced through the door. Emerson stopped to sniff the air. Trey went straight for the cooling rack, and began double-fisting cookies.
Dalton swept me into his arms and kissed me, then took a half step back and held my face in his hands.
“Are you alright?” he asked, tilting my chin left and right. “I heard there was a fight in the stands.”
“I’m fine,” I hugged him. “More than fine, now that you guys are back.”
“Because if one of those dirty Mustang fangs laid a grubby finger on you…”
“The A&M fans and athletes I surrounded myself with would’ve broken those fingers off and gifted them to me,” I smiled. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
They gathered around the kitchen, stuffing their faces with cookies, passing around the carton of milk until it was empty. They’d played hard, and I could see they were drained. It was in the weariness of their expressions. It was in the slowness of their usually quick movements.
“So what do you boys want to do tonight?” I asked coyly.
The answer was obvious, of course. But I didn’t want them to feel compelled to do anything but lay back, relax, and enjoy reveling in the victory of simply being home.
“Coach gave us off tomorrow,” said Trey. “No practice. No workouts.”
“So you’re all sleeping late,” I grinned.
“HELL yes,” was the consensus.
I smiled, and pointed in the direction of the living room. “So why don’t you boys go in there, put something on TV, and get comfortable?” I suggested. “I’ll do the rest.”
Emerson squinted. “You’ll do… the rest?”
“Of course,” I nodded. “The three of you are always so good to me, tonight let me cater to you for once. I’ll fix some snacks, bring you some drinks…”
“Take turns giving shoulder massages?” Dalton grunted, rubbing the upper part of his throwing arm.
“Sure. Shoulder massages too.”
“Actually, my shoulders feel fine,” Emerson said slyly. “So can I pick—”
“You can substitute whatever part of the body you want,” I cut him off with a chuckle. “I’ll massage it. I’ll do what you want, and I’ll wear whatever you want while I’m doing it, too,” I offered, adding a wink. “All I ask in return is for the three of you to kick your feet up, and don’t worry about me. In fact, don’t worry about anything.”
Their eyes lit up as they filed away, leaving me alone in the kitchen. For a moment I just stood there, enjoying the moment. As excited I was to see them, doing something nice for my men thrilled me far, far more. Whether it be physically, emotionally, spiritually… I just loved making them happy.
But nothing felt better than being appreciated.