Chapter 44
Evie
The next morning, I slip on my headphones and head outside.
It’s my third week running, and I feel like I’m finally getting into a good rhythm again.
I used to run almost every morning in Colorado, but since we moved, I haven’t gotten into it.
It feels really good, though, to get back into it.
I start on my route as the music’s driving beat helps me find a good rhythm.
The time passes quickly as I make my way across campus.
When I hit three miles, I slow to a walk.
After I stretch, I turn my music off and turn on my audiobook.
It’s not until I make the final turn and my dorm is in sight that I catch a glimpse of somebody tall and muscular behind me.
I turn around and take in Zane in his athletic shorts and t-shirt, trying and failing not to notice the biceps that strain against the material.
Then I notice the sweat on his face. “Did you follow me?” He nods and closes the distance between us.
“The whole way?” He nods. “Why didn’t you say something? ”
“I didn’t want to throw off your routine.”
“So, you just silently ran behind me the entire time?”
One side of his mouth curls up. “Not gonna lie. The view was pretty great.” I feel my entire face heat up, even as I laugh and hit his chest lightly.
“You’re shameless.”
“I know.” There’s not an ounce of remorse in his voice. “Three miles. That’s really good.”
I wave him off. “Says the Division 1 quarterback.”
He steps close, annihilating the space between us. “Morning, Baby.”
I can’t help my smile. “Morning.”
He ducks his head towards mine, and I take a small step back. “Wait. I’m all sweaty.”
“I don’t care.” He drops his hands to my waist and tugs me closer.
“Wait, you’re all sweaty too.”
He drops a swift kiss on my lips. “I gotta go. I’ll catch you later.” He turns and takes a few steps before jogging back to me. “And you should wear these short shorts more often.” His voice is low. “But only when I’m running with you.”
I can’t help my grin. “Oh, okay.”
He shakes his head. “You have no intention of only wearing them when I'm with you, do you?”
“Nope.” I give him a wave. “See you, Zane.”
He smiles affectionately. “See you.”
The week passes in a flurry of activity, and suddenly, it’s game day again.
I dress in Zane’s jersey, excited for the game.
It's been a crazy week. We've jogged together every morning, but that’s been about it. We’re like ships passing in the night with each of our schedules.
This morning, I went on my jog without him.
I was worried he would be too tired for his game, so I went extra early and then texted him when I was done to let him know I was already done for the day.
He wasn’t very happy about it, but I don’t really care.
I’m not going to have him waste energy on game day because he’s worried about me.
I pick up my phone and send him a text, not sure if he’ll get to see it before the game.
Me- have a great game! I’ll be cheering for you!
He doesn’t text back, but I wasn’t planning on it. “Knock, knock,” Tessa says, coming through the bathroom door. “Ready?”
“Yes. Let’s go.” We join the groups of students walking across campus towards the football field.
We finally make it to our seats and settle in.
I check my phone again but don’t see anything from him.
I can’t keep the smile off my face. The stands are quickly filling up, and the atmosphere is electric.
“This is crazy!” I shout over the noise to Tessa.
Her eyes are full of excitement. “I know!”
When the team runs out, and the fireworks go off, I feel goosebumps on my arms. We start on defense, and they get several good plays in before we finally stop them.
They kick it away, and we get set at the thirty.
I fold my hands together under my chin as I watch Zane and his offense take the field.
I hold my breath at the first snap. Zane gets the ball and immediately has to move because of a defender coming at him.
He fires off a pass to Quint for a gain of ten yards.
The next play, he passes it to Zac. Zac gets a good run right up the middle, making first down.
They set up at the new line of scrimmage, and Zac runs it again.
They have several good plays, and they continue to work their way up the field.
And it’s Raj that runs it in for a touchdown.
Elliot scores the extra point on the kick, and they prepare to kick it away.
I relax a little because Zane’s looking good out there. “We’re back on track,” Tessa says, bumping my arm. I keep a close eye on Zane, but he does better than last week. We head into halftime with a seven-point lead.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I tell her.
“Okay.” She stands to her feet.
“I can go by myself.” There’s a hint of amusement in my voice. “I’m a big girl.”
“Have you ever seen the lines at these games? I'll go with for moral support. But make sure you have the game pulled up on your phone because we’ll probably miss the beginning of the second half.”
“Tess, you can just stay here.”
“Friends don’t let friends navigate bathrooms at packed football games by themselves.”
I grin. “Okay then. Come on.”
She wasn’t kidding. It takes forever to get to one of the bathrooms; then it takes forever to actually make it into the bathroom.
When I come out, I don’t see Tessa anywhere.
I spin in a circle trying to find her. My eyes catch on something.
No, not something. Someone. My breath catches in my lungs as my brain tries to process what I’m seeing.
“Evie.” I jerk at the sound of my name. Tessa walks towards me carrying a large soda.
I look back over my shoulder, but there’s no one there. “You good?”
I swallow, trying to catch my breath. “Yeah. I thought I saw someone.”
She looks behind me and then back at me. “You ready to get back in there? The second half’s already started.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
The second half passes in a blur, but I don’t focus on any of it.
I watch enough of the game to know that Zane has a better game than the last one.
I still feel like something’s still off with him, but they win.
So that’s a plus. But I have a hard time focusing on any of it because all I can think of is Jace.
My heartbeat speeds up every time I think about him.
My mind can’t decide if that was really him outside the bathroom or just a figment of my imagination.
I rub my clammy hands together. It was just somebody that looked like him.
I keep trying to convince myself of that.
But then I see in my mind’s eye the smirk he flashed me, and I go cold all over because it feels really real.
What’s more terrifying is if that really was him, why was he here?
My phone dings, and I look down at it.
Zane- looking good in that jersey, Bennett
I spin around, trying and failing to see Zane.
Me- where are you?
Zane- I'm still with the team. I’ll be out soon.
My phone dings with an incoming picture. I tap on it and see a picture of the back of me watching the game.
Zane- Reid snapped it and sent it to me
Me- good to know it wasn‘t some random person
Zane- The team’s going out after the game. Want to go?
I bite my lip before sending back a text.
Me- I'm not really up to it, but please go. Have fun!
Zane- want to go over to the house instead and order something?
Right on cue, my stomach growls, reminding me I haven’t eaten anything in a while. Tessa nudges me. “I gotta go, so I can get to work on time.” She gives me a quick hug. “See you.”
“See ya!” I call out after her before texting Zane.
Me- that sounds good to me but only if you want to
Zane- great! Want to head to the area you met me last time? I’ll meet you there and we can drive to the house.
Me- sounds good
It takes me a while to get to the area I need to be at. When I get there, I see Riley and Zane’s parents. Riley sees me first. “Evie!” She hugs me tightly. “It’s so good to see you.”
I can’t help my smile. “You too.”
I take in their matching jerseys, all with Zane’s number.
It makes me happy to see that they’re so supportive of him.
We make small talk while we wait for Zane to come out.
When he does, he scans the crowd, skipping right over his family until he sees me.
I bite my lip at the look on his face. He walks right past his family and stops in front of me, taking in his jersey on me.
To humor him, I turn around so he can see the back too.
“You look good in my jersey,” he says in a low voice.
I give in to the urge to hug him, and he wraps his arms around me.
I feel some of the tension leave my body, and I feel safe for the first time since half time.
Zane runs a hand down my spine. “Hey, are you okay?”
I don’t meet his eyes because I feel like he’ll be able to tell something is wrong, and I want him to be able to celebrate tonight. I nod against his chest and then pull back. “Ready to go?”
His eyes run over my face, but I force a smile to my face. He reaches out and takes my hand in his before turning to his family. “Thanks for coming.”
“Oh, Zane, we love coming to your games,” his mom says as she hugs him.
He never lets go of my hand, even as his family hugs him.
They talk a minute or two, and then we all say our goodbyes.
Zane leads us through the stadium and out to the parking lot where his truck is parked.
As soon as we’re in, he starts the truck and turns on soft music.
He starts making his way through the crowded parking lot.
“Good game tonight,” I tell him, squeezing the hand I’m still holding. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that in all the commotion.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t as bad as my last game.”
“Hey, you won,” I point out. “At the end of the day, that’s what counts.”
He nods. “That’s what counts.”
He asks me questions about my day, and I ask about his. The conversation is easy and comfortable. When we get to the house he shares with the guys, he parks and pulls the keys out of the ignition before turning to face me. “So, what’s really bothering you?”
“I’m good.”
“No, you’re not. Did something happen tonight?”
I take a moment to choose my words. “I thought I saw Jace tonight.”
“Where?” His voice is sharp.
“Outside the women’s bathroom.” He mutters a curse word. “It’s okay; it might not have even been him. Maybe it was just someone that looked like him.” But just saying the words doesn’t convince me he wasn’t real.
“You think it was really him, though. Don't you?”
My stomach tightens painfully. “Yes.” My words are barely a whisper because it’s the truth. I keep trying to convince myself it wasn’t really him. But then I see the side of his lip twist up into that smirk he always had, and I know it was him.