Chapter 6 #2
Bo sits back down in the chair, and I take my spot again on the couch after picking up my phone and setting it on the arm of the couch.
“Okay, I’m back, let’s do this.” I clap.
As we watch the show, the guys all have commentary about the drama. Casey and Silas more so than Bo, but he adds comments here and there. And I hear him laugh a few times too. We lose Silas at some point. He’s now snoring away, still on the floor.
After the show ends, Casey takes the remote from his sister and puts on ESPN.
“Hey, I didn’t say you could change the channel yet. I wanted to watch one more episode.” She slaps him playfully on the shoulder, and he ducks into Noelle, who giggles.
“Show’s over, Char. Go call Beck or something.” He points toward her room.
“Rude. Why are you trying to get rid of me?” She fake pouts.
“I could never get rid of you. From the time of our conception, I haven’t been able to get rid of you.” He starts laughing when she shoves him a little harder this time.
“You’re so lucky I’m your sister and that I love you. You wouldn’t be the same without me.” She crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at him.
He wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his armpit. “I am the luckiest, I agree.”
She pinches his side, and he lets her go.
“Oww! What was that for?”
“You literally put my head in your armpit. That’s disgusting!” She starts to stand, but stops. “Oh, I wanted you to tell me how your interview went today.”
“Me too! I totally forgot today was your day,” Noelle chimes in.
Casey nods and shifts on the couch and puts his arm around Noelle. “It was good. Pretty easy since I’m a natural on camera.” He chuckles.
“Right, right. You’re a pro.” Charlie rolls her eyes. “But, like, what did they ask you?”
“Mostly about the upcoming season. They did try to get me to say if I had any ideas on where I wanted to go, but I evaded the question and tried to keep it focused on this season.” He shifts to look at Charlie.
“They did ask me about Beck and if I missed playing with my best friend, which, of course, I said yes. They asked about your and Beck’s engagement, and I said I was happy for you guys, then steered the questions back to the season. ”
“Well, that sounds like fun. Will you be one of the ones they interview throughout the season regularly?” Charlie asks him.
“Probably, but I haven’t gotten a schedule or anything. Did you get one, Bo?” Casey looks over at Bo.
I look over at Bo, and he glances at me briefly. Then he lifts his arm and wraps it around the back of his neck. He brushes his hand from the back to the front, then back through his hair before squeezing his neck.
“No, I didn’t get a schedule. They just told me that they would follow me around some, but mostly around the field. I would guess we’ll find out in advance if they want us, but I’m not sure.”
“What did they ask you today?” Charlie asks him.
“Nothing too interesting. They asked me why I came to Walker and a few questions about the season. That’s about it.” He shrugs.
I see Charlie’s phone light up, and she picks it up.
“I’m gonna go talk to my fiancé. I’ll see you all in the morning.” She stands and walks toward her room.
“I think I’m gonna head to bed too. I’m tired. The kids were wild today for some reason.” Noelle stands and holds her hand out to Casey, and she pulls him off the couch.
He hands Bo the remote.
“Yo, Silas.” Casey nudges his leg. “Go to bed, bro.”
Silas groans but rolls to his side and stands up. “Night, y’all.”
“Night,” Noelle says, then looks at me. “Are you good? Do you need anything?”
“I can get her anything she needs,” Bo says.
She smiles at him, then at me. “Okay, well, let me know if you need anything. Night.”
“Night, guys,” Casey says with a wave as he walks out, pulling Noelle behind him.
Bo stands and comes over to sit next to me on the couch. “Do you want to watch something else, or are you going to bed too?”
I pick up my phone and look at the time, noticing a missed call from my sister.
It’s not that late, but I should probably go to bed soon and try to call my sister back.
“I’ll go to bed soon, so you can watch this.
I don’t mind. I’ve spent the last year learning all the football things, so it’s a good idea for me to continue my sports education. ” I smile at him.
“Oh, yeah? Well, that’s good, considering some of your friends play football.” He winks at me. “I’m not staying up too late either. My bed time is ten thirty.”
“Ten thirty? Are you an old man?” I laugh.
“Hey now, don’t knock an early bedtime.” He puts his arm on the back of the couch, practically touching my shoulder. “During the season, I try to stay on a pretty strict schedule with sleep. Recovery time is important for your body.”
“Recovery time?” I ask, shifting to face him.
“Yeah, you know, because we put so much stress on our bodies with training?” He tilts his head to the side, looking at me.
I nod. “Right … as I imagine all athletes do.”
“Exactly. So, we need the muscle recovery time so we don’t get hurt, but also so we can be at peak performance.”
“Got it. That makes sense. And I would imagine you take some pretty big hits, huh?”
He chuckles. “I do. Seeing a two-hundred-and-thirty-pound linebacker coming at you isn’t all that fun.”
“I wouldn’t think so, no.” We both smile. “Well, how about I let you get your rest because not only do you need to be prepared on the field, but we have our first study session tomorrow, and I’m not gonna let you slack off just because we’re friends.”
“No slacking, I promise. I’m a good student.” He gives me a flirty smile.
“Mmhmm.” I nod, smiling. “Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I stand, my phone in my hand. “Good night, Bo. Thanks for letting me sleep in your bed.”
“Anytime, Chelsea.” A slow smile stretches across his face.
I turn and walk toward his bedroom, feeling his eyes on me until I know he can’t see me anymore. When I get to his room, I turn on the light, close the door behind me, then sit on the bed and text my sister to see if she’s still awake since it’s an hour later in Florida.
Chelsea: You awake?
Torie: Yes, but I’m in bed.
Chelsea: Okay, just call me tomorrow when you get home from school. I’ll be in class, then work until around four p.m.
Torie: I’ll call you then. I just wanted to see if you had made plans to come home yet for my birthday next weekend.
Chelsea: I’m planning to. Let me just check flights tomorrow and see what I can find.
Torie: Try to come on Friday morning if you can!
Chelsea: I’ll see what I can do.
I smile, thinking about how excited she is about her birthday. All I’ve ever wanted is for her to be happy, to not have the same memories I have, and live her life with only what she knows now. My aunt gave us a great life, and all her birthdays should be celebrated.
Which is why I’m going to have to bite the bullet and travel to Florida to see her.
Torie: Love you, Chels.
Chelsea: Love you most.
I reach over and pull my charger out of my bag. I stand up and look around the room for an outlet to plug it in. I find one behind the nightstand next to the bed. After I plug it in, I grab my makeup bag that has my face wash and toothbrush.
When I open the door, Bo is coming out of the bathroom across the hall.
“Hey. I put some towels on the counter for you. There’s a washcloth, hand towel, and a bigger towel for when you want to shower.” He leans against the doorframe and crosses his arms, which makes his biceps look even bigger than they already are.
“Thank you. That’s perfect.” I walk across the hall and stand with him in the doorway, our bodies close. I look up at his face, then trail my gaze down to his tanned chest, then to his stomach and further to his dick. I could be wrong, but I swear I see it twitch in his shorts.
He leans down slightly, forcing my eyes to look back up at him.
“You okay? Looks like you have something on your mind,” he asks.
“Who doesn’t? Between school, work … or for you, sports … there’s a million things on our plates, right?”
“The joy of being a college student. You’re gonna be helping me out a lot with tutoring, but you know if there’s anything I can do to help you, all you have to do is ask.”
He’s doing it again. In the living room earlier, I felt like he knew I was uncomfortable with the sleeping arrangements and came to my rescue. Now, it’s as if he can read my mind.
Has he always been this way and I’m just now realizing it, or is this new and we suddenly have a connection that sparked somewhere in the last forty-eight hours?
“Night, Bo.” I look at his face again. So handsome. So astute.
I kinda want to kiss him.
He sucks in a deep breath and looks toward the bedroom. “I’m gonna grab my stuff out of my room while you’re in here, so I don’t bother you in the morning. Night, Chelsea,” he says, brushing against me as he leaves.
I run a hand across the back of my neck and try to cool my body temperature. Something has gotten into me lately. And by something, I mean Bo.
After I finish in the bathroom, I go back to his room and change into a T-shirt and shorts for bed.
I flip off the light and walk to the bed, pulling the covers back and crawling in.
His bedding smells just like him, and I want to be wrapped in it.
I drift off to sleep, thinking about his eyes and the way they looked at me in the doorway. Like he liked what he saw too.