Chapter 24
Theo
The commotion of the pre-game festivities could be heard before the stadium was even in sight. Parking in the city was a nightmare on a good day, so it was a hike to get there and sweat was cooling on my skin by the time we reached our destination.
Food trucks, parade floats, and people littered Bevo Boulevard, affectionately named for the one-ton steer that was the Longhorn’s mascot.
That cow was practically Texas royalty and treated like it too.
Tailgaters were scattered around the outskirts, with girls dancing on truck beds, guys chugging beer, and the smell of BBQ wafting from every grill in the Texasest of Texas traditions. Yee. Freakin. Haw.
Even with the high energy surrounding us, enjoyment eluded me. I floated in that foggy space between feeling indifferent and melancholy. It’d been a month and a half since I’d been back on the meds and though it wasn’t nearly as bad as the other times, I was starting to slip back into old patterns.
I’d been here before, where the anchor of my medication kept me from soaring too high, but sometimes weighed me down too heavily, sinking me into that oppressive abyss.
But I was determined not to give in, kicking to the surface to keep afloat.
I’d be damned if I let my twisted brain ruin this for me.
It was a fight to push through the crowds to find the rest of the group, but we finally caught Aly and Fin flagging us down. Cal, Rhys, Kenji, and Nate were standing around in the little shade they could find.
“Heyyy, you made it!” Nate cheered around a mouthful of hot dog.
“Good grief…cover your mouth, barbarian,” Rhys chided.
Nate just laughed it off with a wink, even as Rhys tried to cover his mouth with a napkin.
If it weren’t for the fact that he’d replaced me as Dawson’s best friend and I was territorial as fuck, I’d probably really like the guy. As it was, I found him…tolerable.
“It took for-freaking-ever to park and walk over here. It’s insanity!
I mean, we almost got trampled by some wasted guys from Delta Kappa Himbo or whatever pulling an actual rickshaw of girls behind them.
Like what even is that? Plus my dumbass had to forget my Fitbit, so my steps don’t even count,” Micah ranted.
Bash wound an arm around Micah’s neck, yanking him close and planting a kiss on his temple. “Ignore him. He’s just hangry.”
“At least he isn’t threatening violence or to pull a fire alarm illegally,” I snorted. Fin blew me a kiss and waggled his brows mischievously.
“Uh oh, I know that face. What did Tiny Terror do now?” Griffin drawled as he strolled up with a pretty brunette tucked under his arm. Fin tensed up noticeably and he narrowed his eyes at the pair.
“Oh, Griffin. How not nice of you to join us,” Fin snarked. “And who is this lovely victim of yours?”
Aly sputtered and choked on the water she was sipping, failing to hide the laugh that bubbled up.
Micah rolled his lips as his eyes bugged out, looking between the men with rapt attention.
Griffin scowled at Fin and his jaw clicked repeatedly as the girl with him flushed pink and huddled closer to him.
“She didn’t do anything to you, so why don’t you keep your comments aimed at me? Or better yet, keep them to yourself,” Griff sneered. Fin blanched, sadness clouding his features while he watched Griff pull his date over to a food truck without another glance his way.
For some reason, I was compelled to comfort him. Rude as he had been, I recognized his behavior for what it was. A mask, a shield for his silent battle. The group started towards the stadium, and I sidled up next to Fin who was dejectedly bringing up the rear.
I bent down to murmur in his ear. “We all screw up from time to time. He’ll forgive you.”
I saw Fin peer at Griffin up ahead as he whispered something in the girl’s ear that made her laugh out loud, and Fin seemed to fold in on himself even more.
“Maybe he shouldn’t. Some of us don’t deserve it,” Fin muttered, almost inaudible with the noise around us. The self-loathing in his tone hit me low in the gut, a familiar ache that I’d felt for the last four years. “I don’t know why I care. I have a boyfriend, for Cher’s sake.”
“Where is he by the way?”
He mumbled something about him being busy and wrapped his arms around his middle.
It didn’t sit right with me to see him so upset.
I shoved him hard enough to knock him off balance, drawing a small giggle as he righted himself and pushed me back.
We caught up with the crew as we drew close to the stadium entrance, but my attention snagged on the massive orange and white horned beast ten feet away.
“Holy shit, that’s Bevo,” I blurted. The bovine’s horns seemed much more intimidating in person than in the photos I’d seen, stretching longer than my arm span. He was chewing away on something as people came up to pet him like he was a dog rather than a 2,000 pound bulldozer.
“Oh yeah. I was wondering where he was,” Bash mused. “They bring him out for all the home games. It’s crazy how chill he is around all this. Did you know in the fifties, Bevo actually escaped and charged through the Baylor band?”
“You’re shitting me,” I laughed at the visual in my head.
“I swear! He’s also taken out a car, a cheerleader, and at one point, he stampeded his way through campus.”
“I wonder if this Bevo will be just as bloodthirsty. Maybe if we’re lucky, he’ll break free and charge the Baylor quarterback this time,” Nate interjected gleefully.
“And if he charges Dawson instead?”
“Then Bevo will be sacrificed for the greater good and we’ll all be having steaks!”
We made our way into the stadium and up to the floor that housed the suites.
The Hayes suite was centered almost at the fifty yard line.
Inside it looked like a luxury hotel room without a bed.
It held a kitchenette, a leather couch, a wet bar, and a built-in shelf that was laden with food.
Straight ahead were steps down into the four short rows of theater-style seats that overlooked the field and a TV hanging in the corner to broadcast close-ups of the game.
Dawson’s parents were sitting on the couch, chatting with a few people I assumed were their guests. Emilia’s head turned towards us and she jumped up excitedly. She greeted everyone, but her eyes softened when she got to me, folding me into a big hug.
“I’m so glad you came, sweetheart. We missed you,” she said warmly. I hugged her tighter, telling her without words how much I’d missed them too.
She released me and squeezed my cheeks together like she used to do when I was a kid. I brushed her off with a laugh and sauntered down the steps to the bottom row of seats, sliding in next to Dani who was scrolling on her phone.
“What’s up, gremlin? You ready to lose?”
She slowly tilted her head my way and pursed her lips. “You’ve been a Longhorn for all of two minutes, so don’t even with me. But it’s good you’re here. Dawson’s going to need you when we send him home crying.”
“Don’t you worry about your brother, traitor. I’ll be taking very good care of him tonight, especially when we’re celebrating his win,” I taunted with a wink.
“Nope. Ew. Stop it…I don’t need to hear about any of your celebrations,” she gagged, covering my face with her hand. I licked her palm and she shrieked in disgust, wiping it on my shoulder. The glare she aimed at me quickly dissolved into a smile that reminded me of happier times.
“Does this mean you guys are back together?” she asked hopefully. A grin spread across my face instinctively and she clapped her hands in delight. “Ohmigod, finally! I’ve been waiting for this! Tell me everything. Wait…not everything. Fast forward through the spicy bits.”
I filled her in on the relevant stuff, couching the salacious details and my more embarrassing moments. Soon, the UT band blared the fight song as the players burst from the tunnel, spilling onto the field.
Even from up high, I recognized Dawson instantly.
Seeing his lean form jogging across the turf, commanding and fierce, took me back to Friday nights spent in the stands watching him dominate the field.
Even in high school, Dawson was a force to be reckoned with, and I was the lucky asshole who got to call him mine.
And yet you threw it all away like the coward you are…how long will it take you to lose him this time? Maybe he’ll be the one to run away when you become too much...
I slammed my eyes shut against the toxic invasive thoughts. They’d been a little harder to ignore this week when Dawson wasn’t around, but I worked to shut them down each time. I pulled Dawson’s ring out from beneath my shirt, the cool metal bringing me a measure of relief.
The first half of the game was explosive. Our offense was on fire, but Baylor matched them play for play. Every time our team pulled off a touchdown, the Bears would come back with one of their own.
Watching Dawson was a religious experience. The way he moved was breathtaking, a holy union of strength and grace, agility and power. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Each time the TV flashed his gorgeous face, my stomach somersaulted and flames of lust licked my skin.
Images flickered through my mind of him writhing under me, moaning my name, begging for something only I could give him.
When my dick twitched in my jeans, I quickly redirected my wayward thoughts.
Thirteen seconds left in the second quarter and we were tied with Baylor.
Dawson caught the snap, searching for an opening before sprinting left and down the field.
All of us jumped up, the suite thick with tension and anticipation as we watched him eat up the yards with one of the Baylor players closing in behind him.
He rushed twenty yards, then thirty.
Forty…fifty…fifty-five yards…