Chapter 47
Chapter forty-seven
Jay
The interview has been going on for over ninety minutes now, and I can’t deny that both Cole and Kate have been very easy to talk to.
Sports is in our blood, not just our jobs, and it’s so good to remember that part of me, why I love capturing it again.
It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about the game without feeling like an outsider looking in.
Every question, every shared story from the sidelines, pulls me back to that rush, the split second where everything aligns through the lens.
For the first time in months, I feel like I belong in this conversation.
Kate shares a look with Cole, and he nods. “Well, I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we’re incredibly impressed by you, Jay.”
After months of rejections and radio silence, to have someone see the work and not the failures—it does something to me. I try to play it cool, but my chest tightens with something close to relief. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity.”
“We have a couple more interviews this afternoon, so give us today, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.” He stands, and I follow suit. “When do you fly home?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Good, keep your phone on loud,” he says with a small smile. “We’ll be in touch soon.”
I shake both their hands, the weight of the moment settling in.
As I step outside, the late-afternoon light hits the pavement, warm and golden, and for the first time in months, that belligerent uncertainty that’s been weighing on me and my ability to take pictures doesn’t feel empty.
It feels like possibility. Then the image of the one person I want to talk to pops into my mind.
Would she want this? Would she want me if I were here? Or is she already building her own life back home, one that might not have space for both of us?
The thought twists in my chest, equal parts hope and fear. For the first time, the idea of success isn’t just mine anymore. It’s tied to her—to keeping her, too.
I pull my phone out and order an Uber to my hotel, then I find Liv’s number and hit call.
Excitement thrums in my veins to hear her voice.
I’m not going to blurt anything out over the phone.
I just want to talk to her. When the phone rings out, and her voicemail greets me, I figure she must be in class.
So I call Hudson instead. When he picks up the phone, I’m greeted with a rendition of Katy Perry’s “California Girls,” except he’s changed Girls to Jay. It’s quite something having your best friend serenade you, and sadly, it’s not the first time he’s done it.
“Are you done now?”
“You never appreciate my singing,” he says, and I can almost hear his pout.
“If you can call it singing.”
“Why am I your friend, again?”
“Because you owe me for all the years of me being your go-to guy to get you outta shit with girls.”
He huffs on the end of the phone, and I can imagine his face right now, scrunched up and unimpressed. “Solid foundation building, if you ask me.”
It’s a good job I love this guy despite all that.
“Anyway, did the interview go bad, is that why you’re being a dick?”
I laugh because he couldn’t be more wrong. “Actually, no, the interview went great.”
“Well, that’s great,” he praises. “Tell me everything.”
And I do. I tell him all the things we talked about, the future, and what their plans are for being a professional team now. It all comes out like a fever dream.
“Sounds perfect, man.”
“It does,” I say, and remember the one part that might make it less perfect.
“But you don’t sound convinced?”
I take a breath and let it go. “I want this so much, but I’m also aware that I’ve got feelings for Liv, too.
” The truth is, nothing is set in stone yet.
It’s all hypotheticals, and there’s no point in worrying, but there’s a kernel of fear that keeps popping in my stomach because what if things don’t work out with us?
What does us even look like if I get the job?
“Let’s take it one step at a time, before you go spiraling into fixing something,” Hudson says, then we’re interrupted by the shrill cry of his baby girl, Rosie. “Listen, I gotta bounce, but call me tomorrow?”
“Will do.”
We hang up, and I open the message thread with Liv and text her, telling her to call me when she gets home, because I need to hear her voice. I miss her.