48 - Fallon
~ 48 ~
FALLON
“He’s not afraid, Emerson. And he’s not hesitant. He’s ready and willing to be drafted this April, and by the time we graduate, he’ll be on his way to an NFL team’s training camp.”
I said the words as the shower spray crashed over us, bathing the two of us in steam. Emerson didn’t flinch as I handed him the soap.
“Now… be a good boyfriend and wash my back.”
I turned, pulling my hair up so he could get to work. After a few seconds, he finally did.
“And you’re sure about this?” he grunted.
“Yes.”
He started on my shoulders, and as usual it felt nothing short of amazing.. My eyes closed as his fingers began kneading my tired muscles.
“So why’s he been all squirrelly about it?”
“He’s been squirrelly for a couple of reasons. We’ll talk about them at breakfast.”
We washed up, rinsed off, and got dressed together — a process that gave me mixed feelings. On one hand I wanted Trey involved before I went any further, so we could talk about this as a trio. On the other, it was the first shower I’d taken with Emerson where we did little more than wash each other’s backs.
But that was okay. There would be time for that kind of stuff later, once business was taken care of.
We met Trey at the Skyline Diner. The big teddy bear was seated near the back, already elbow-deep in a whole stack of buttered waffles. He moved a small mountain of toast and two plates of breakfast meat aside, just so we could sit down.
“Nice of you to wait for us,” Emerson quipped.
“You’re late,” Trey grunted. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “All the more reason you shouldn’t be surprised I already ordered.”
I waited until a round of coffee showed up, then got to work explaining everything I knew. I told them all about my conversation with Dalton, how he felt about losing what he had, and why he seemed hesitant when it came to advancing to the NFL. The only thing I left out was the full extent of his feelings toward me.
That part however, they’d figured out already.
“He’s in love with you, Fallon. You know that, right?”
I lowered my chin to my chest in a mixture of guilt and culpability. But Trey’s gentle fingers tipped my face back up again.
“Hey…” he smiled. “That’s not a bad thing, you know?”
“I… I know.”
“But we can’t pretend it’s not a factor either,” Emerson pointed out. “He’s hooked on you. Probably has been for years. Which is why, when school’s finished, there’s only one thing left to do.”
I looked up hopefully. If they had some kind of an idea, maybe—
“We stick together,” Trey announced simply. “The four of us. No matter what.”
He said the words casually, as if they were the only logical conclusion. He didn’t even stop buttering his toast.
“What do you mean by stick together?”
“He means we go wherever Dalton goes,” Emerson clarified. “You. Me. Trey. We follow him no matter which team he ends up with, or which city he moves to. We go, and make a new life there.”
For some reason I got goosebumps all over. But they were good goosebumps. The kind you get in anticipation of something amazing.
“You’d really do that?”
“Wouldn’t you?” asked Trey.
I found that I didn’t have to think about it at all. The answer was obvious.
“Of course I would.”
“Well the same goes for us,” said Emerson. “I mean hell, Texas is great, and we could easily set up shop anywhere. He jerked a thumb back and forth between him and Trey. “Everything we want to do, we can do someplace else. We’re actually looking forward to it.”
“So you’d build your sports arena all the way up in Minnesota if you had to?” I asked.
“Sure,” Trey said, reaching for more syrup. “If Dalton goes to the Vikings.”
“Or we’d build it in Denver,” said Emerson. “Or Los Angeles. Or New Orleans. Or Philadelphia.”
Trey grunted and made a sour face. “Let’s hope it’s not the Eagles!”
“Why?”
Emerson rolled his eyes. “They’re the Cowboy’s rivals.”
“Oh.”
“Wherever it is we’re going,” Emerson went on, “you’re coming with us.”
“I am?”
“Yup,” Trey nodded. “Even if we have to tie you up and throw you in the truck ourselves.”
Their faces broke into a smile at the tying up part, but I was almost too shocked to notice. Besides, I needed to know they were serious.
“You really want me to come with you?” I asked. “You mean it?”
The two men looked at each other in disbelief.
“You didn’t think we were just letting you go, did you?” asked Trey. “After all this?”
I had no answer for them. I only shrugged.
“This isn’t just about Dalton,” said Emerson. “Trust us, that talented prick is gonna be just fine. This is about you , Fallon. It’s about what you’ve done to us. It’s about how much you’ve grown into our lives, and how we’ve come to love you.”
“And we do love you,” Trey reiterated. He even put down his fork. “You’re sweet. You’re kind. You’re smarter than hell.”
“You’ve got a dynamite ass,” added Emerson.
“You’re the most giving person I’ve ever met,” said Trey. “Unselfish to a fault. Self-sacrificing.”
“And you’ve got dynamite other things,” Emerson smirked.
“Plus you’re fun and funny,” grinned Trey. “We’re in love with your laugh, your smile. The house seems empty when you’re not there. But whenever you are?”
“You’re the hottest shower buddy in the universe,” Emerson quipped. “And also—”
“Is there anything you love about me that’s not physical?” I chuckled at Emerson.
He looked me up and down. “Yeah. Sure.”
“What?”
He took my hands in his, and his forest green eyes captured mine. There was a sudden seriousness in them. But I could tell it was a seriousness that belied the happiness beneath.
“I love the way your hands feel in mine,” he said, squeezing them. “Like they were made to fit.”
The way he was looking at me tuned everything else out. The voices around us, the background noise of the busy diner… it all just faded away.
“I love that you’re kind to animals,” he went on, “and that you have ambition, as well as talent. I love your positive energy. Your creativity. Your loyalty, to both friends and family.”
My skin was warm all over, and my heart felt like it was melting. But the only thing that really existed were those soulful, emerald eyes.
“I love all the stupid pillows you bought for the couch,” Emerson’s face broke into a smile. “And the way your body wash lingers in my truck, even after you leave. But most of all, I love that you feel part of our team. A new team. One that doesn’t end when the season ends, or when we graduate and leave this place.”
“Oh my God…” I breathed. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes I’ll come with you!” I sniffed, fighting back tears. “Of course I’ll come with you…”
Trey shifted closer to me on the other side, hugging me tightly. His fingers were sticky and he smelled like maple syrup, but it only made the whole thing better.
“I love that you make us feel like the most important three people the world,” he said, his voice going low. “And if you’re really coming with us? I know we can do anything.”
His hands moved to my face, his thick fingers brushing away a happy tear.
And there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you, Fallon,” he murmured softly. “All three of us.”