2. Falling Into The Endzone
FALLING INTO THE ENDZONE
It started the way that all things started. I should have known not to engage. It would have been easier to just walk away. I mean girl code told me that I shouldn’t have been glancing at him but there I was stealing a glance.
Lee was a running back, his job was to get the ball across the field as fast as he fucking could. Or that’s what Charlotte said as we sat screaming on the bleachers with the rest of the school.
“GO LEE GO!”
He zoomed into the end zone without a second thought, ripping off his helmet and throwing on the frosty ground in celebration. That’s when our eyes caught.
The small acknowledgement before his teammates swallowed him whole. At first I thought it was nothing, that he was proud to see his little sister and me standing and cheering him on.
The look wasn’t anything life changing. That I knew.
“Come on Lilly, let’s go.” Charlotte pulled my hand and we wove through the crowd down to the field where the football team hoisted Lee on their shoulders just proud to have actually scored the winning points.
Charlotte and I stood on the edge of the fence watching.
Both of us were smiling, riding the high of a victory we’d never expected in the last quarter.
“Woohoo! Way to go Lee!” I shouted over all the hoots and hollers.
We stood rattling the edge of the fence smiling like a pair of geeks just ready for the celebrations.
He caught my smile, returning it as he slid down from the shoulders of his teammates and walked over to us.
“Nice job big bro!” Charlotte punched his arm and he grabbed her in a sweaty bear hug laughing as she pinched her nose in disgust, screaming.
“Told you I wasn’t that terrible at football,” he grinned.
“Yeah something tells me you were holding back on the team to get the big victory all to yourself,” I rolled my eyes.
“You wound me lil bug,” he grabbed an imaginary arrow at his heart falling backwards.
“How many times do I have to tell you we are not kids anymore you don’t have to call me lil bug!” I huffed.
“But you love being called a lil bug,” Charlotte smiled, pulling a strand of my hair away from my face.
“Yeah okay maybe a little,” I smiled as Lee came around the fence.
“Where’s dad?” he asked Charlotte.
“He couldn’t make it,” she looked at her hands and I grabbed it, locking my fingers between hers.
“Well anyways, the boys are having a party and since Dad’s not home. I am in charge, you two are coming and I swear if you embarrass me I will make your life hell,” Lee started walking towards the other football players.
Charlotte and I looked at each other like we’d won the jackpot, big grins as we walked back to my car.
Lee hollered, saddling his motorcycle and revving it, “meet us at the miner’s pit.”
“Don’t get drunk without us!” Charlotte yelled and flipped the team off as they sped through the parking lot as everyone else who’d showed up for the game made their way home.
“Charlotte come on or we will never get out before the crowd,” I groaned, grabbing the hem of her pants and pulling her inside the car.
We could have taken Charlotte’s bike but since it was so cold neither of us wanted the full gear.
Lee’s bike sped off flashing us in the eyes before he weaved through the cars after the team captain’s jeep.
“Yo Charlotte, let me grab you a drink.” One of the football players wrapped an arm around Charlotte leading her towards the keg in the kitchen. I stifled a laugh as she pleaded with her eyes to save her.
“I’ll catch you later, I have to go find Lee first!” I shouted above the music like it was somehow going to reach her as the dude pulled her away.
Weaving through the thongs of bodies I made it to the main living room. The music changed from a mindless thump to one of my favorite songs, Wake me up. I started swaying my hips and dancing half shouting half singing the lyrics as someone shoved a beer into my hand. I yelled out, “Thanks.”
My eyes closed as I felt the music thrumming through my body.
Hands closed around my hips swaying with my body as I ground against them.
It was a guy, that much I knew, but I didn’t care, I was in the moment.
Four and a half minutes stretched like eternity as I jumped and danced with my favorite song.
The song eased and morphed into an obnoxious Pitbull and Kesha song and I slowly stopped dancing as everyone else around me started.
The hands on my waist skimmed lower and I pulled away.
He caught my wrist and turned me towards him.
I recognized him. Jace. The captain of Lee’s football team.
“Where are you off to so fast? We were having fun.” He slurred and I tried to speak but I realized how flushed I had been. Alcohol never affected me like this and I was suddenly aware of how fast my heart was beating.
“I have to go,” I managed to pull his hand from my wrist. He let it go but I felt his hand slap my ass. I yelped and turned back.
“What the hell?” I yelled and he looked back with a smirk.
“You had no problem being a tease and grinding against me, I figured I would get my —”
The fist slammed into his jaw as a blur of black moved in front of me.
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” Lee’s frame stood in front of me, his hand wrapping around mine as he backed us away.
“Oh come on Callahan, it was just a bit of fun. Chill out, it's a party after all.” Jace laughed.
“Not this one, she’s mine.” Lee all but growled as he pulled me through the crowd.
“Wait,” I urged but he was already pulling me halfway up the stairs. My stomach soured as nausea rolled up my throat.
“Lilly I swear to god just let me take care of you for once in your fucking life.” He growled and all I could do was shove him out of the way as I dove for a bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before the contents of my stomach ejected in a violent spasm.
Lee’s frame was over me, holding my hair out of my face as I continued to vomit. He stood there like a silent guard waiting for my stomach to empty.
Throwing my hand across the toilet handle I flushed and sat against the wall.
“Did you drink too much?” Lee’s urgent voice filtered through the sleepy haze I had been battling.
“I only had one b-beer, while I was d-d-dancing,” I stuttered.
“Jesus fucking Christ Lilly, you’ve been drugged,” Lee was in front of my face, his cool hand felt nice against my cheek.
“W-w-what?” I mumbled leaning on his chest.
“Fuck,” he muttered as his arms came across my body lifting me to him.
The music was back, louder than it had been before, and something felt nice about the way Lee’s arms cradled me against his chest.
“Yo, what’s your name?” He grabbed a guy by the back of his shirt.
“Mike, and your Lee Callahan,” he grinned.
“Listen Mike, my sister is still around here partying if you see her tell her Lilly wasn’t feeling well and I took her home. I’ll pay you five hundred dollars to keep an eye on her and bring her home when she’s ready.”
“Deal,” he slapped Lee’s hand and my eyes fell closed.
The cool November air hit my face as we made it away from the pounding base of the house music. Lee walked us toward his bike and set me down.
“Think you can hold on to me for a little while longer?” He asked and I nodded feeling a heat flush through my system.
“Alright hold on tight, I might be breaking a few laws.”
“Lilly, you can let go now,” Lee’s voice hummed through his chest as my eyes slowly opened. Were we back home already? There was a little drool on the back of his jersey as I sat up and swiped at my mouth.
“Hey there she is, come on let’s get you inside.” He dismounted and I swung my legs over ready to stand up. Lee’s hands were underneath me again lifting me to his chest as he shoved open the garage door. There weren't any lights as he walked the familiar path through the large house.
I didn't even realize it at first—my heart pounding in my chest—as he gently laid me down on the soft, welcoming comforter, and then quietly walked away to the bathroom, leaving me suspended in a moment of fragile vulnerability.
“Lee?” I whispered, my voice trembling like a delicate leaf hanging in a storm, desperate to hold on to any thread of him after what felt like an eternity of silence.
No answer.
“Lee?” I called again, my voice cracking with raw vulnerability, each word begging for a response, a sign that I hadn’t lost him completely.
Still nothing.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest as I staggered toward the doorway.
There he was, standing still, shirtless, his heavy breathing echoing like he’d just come in from a brutal run on an unforgiving field.
The sound of water splashing loudly into the basin, gurgling down the drain, filled the room with a haunting rhythm.
His midnight hair, drenched and clinging to his skin, shimmered as he stood there, silently watching the water wash away what was left of him.
“Lee?” I asked softly, almost afraid to break the frail silence, not wanting to startle him, yet desperate for him to acknowledge me.
“You drive me crazy,” he said, his voice low and raw, as if the words themselves were steeped in pain.
“Why?” I managed to whisper, my voice quivering with hope and fear intertwined.
“Everything about you screams for me to take you, to punish you for being reckless. To claim you as mine—” His voice faltered as he took a hesitant step toward me, conflicting emotions flickering across his face like a storm raging inside him.
“But?” I prompted, knowing well there was always a but, a reason that might shatter my hope. I steadied myself, bracing for rejection as he hesitated.
“When I saw you grinding against Jace, something wild and primal seized my mind. A feral instinct took over, and I wanted to destroy him, wanted to rip him apart. It terrified me—what I felt was so dark, so uncontrollable,” he whispered, voice just inches from mine, eyes shadowed with turmoil and desire.
My body betrayed me, acting on instinct before I could even stop it.
My lips barely pressed to his in a fragile, tentative kiss that sent my dizzy, spinning mind into a chaotic storm.
When I dared to try to pull back, his hands gripped the back of my head, holding me captive and pulling me into a deeper, more desperate kiss that ignited a fire I had never known before.
Clinging to him, I leaned in, desperately craving more.
The sensation of his lips crushed against mine ignited a blaze of heat that consumed me from within.
It was as if I were drowning in an ocean of emotion, lost in the darkness—and yet, he was the only thing capable of pulling me back to the surface, the only hope I had left in that moment of vulnerability and longing.
My hands trembling, I dared to explore his chest, a longing I had only dared to dream of bursting to life in that fleeting moment.
He slammed me against the cold counter, pressing me into the unforgiving surface, lifting me so I sat on the edge, heart pounding wildly in my chest. The fire between us blazed brighter than ever, an unquenchable inferno that refused to be tamed.
His hands hesitated just a moment, fumbling with the edge of my shirt, as if craving to touch me but caught in the grip of doubt.
I pressed my lips to his, biting softly, silently pleading for what I needed, nodding in raw agreement.
In that instant, he ripped my wet shirt over my head with a desperate hunger that matched my own.
The Callahan slogan, discarded on the floor, fell away as his palm cupped my breast, sending a jolt through every fiber of my being.
“God, you’re so beautifully innocent,” he whispered, voice thick with longing. “I just want to consume you.” His hips pressed into mine, a powerful sound of desire escaping him as his body responded in kind—the unmistakable evidence of his arousal making itself painfully, undeniably clear.
“Wait,” I gasped, pulling my lips free from his, a flood of conflicting emotions rushing through me. He paused, worry flickering across his face for that briefest of moments, then silently nodded.
“I’ll wait forever for you, Lillian Wyatt,” he vowed passionately, “just say the word.” His voice was a promise, a declaration that felt like both an oath and a battle cry, and something within me shattered wide open.
As he stepped back, his fingertips gently traced my cheek, tender and reverent, as if memorizing every ounce of my vulnerability.
Slipping off the counter, I gasped, my breath caught in my throat. My mind was a whirlwind of chaotic, desperate thoughts—too many to find comfort in any clarity. I needed to understand, to be sure of what I wanted, before diving headlong into the unknown.
“Here,” Lee said softly, slipping a clean T-shirt over my trembling body, his touch soothing yet possessive, guiding me gently back to bed.
He didn’t leave my side once I was settled, his presence a steady, protective force—a guardian holding space for my tumult of emotions. He stroked my hair gently, a silent vow of devotion as I drifted into a restless, wrenching sleep, my heart pounding with love and fear intertwined.