CHAPTER 12 #3
Tessa feels eyes on her and lifts her gaze to see Tristan standing by the bar, staring directly at her.
An immediate layer of goosebumps breaks out on her skin, in the same exact way that used to happen 10 years ago when he would look at her.
Except now, he’s all man. Not one part of him is boyish anymore.
He is clearly taller, and so much broader.
He is a true solid wall of a man, and he carries himself with the confidence of someone who knows he’s the best at what he does.
Its swoon worthy and irritating all wrapped into one.
Tessa feels her feet moving before she’s able to register what she’s doing.
She and Brinley had one more glass as she got ready, and she’s really feeling it now, but Brinley convinced her that she deserves it, which Tessa agrees with.
She can’t remember the last time she really let herself loose; to let herself have fun.
She’s been so hyper focused on success in her career and Joseph, well, he wasn’t the most fun guy in the room, that’s for sure.
His comfort and steady presence was enough to sustain her for the years they were together, but suddenly she can’t remember ever having fun with him. Not the way she and Tristan used to.
Tristan is unable to hide his shock as Tessa walks up to him and leans against the bar counter.
A tense silence falls between them as Tristan tries his best not to ogle, but her legs look so damn long in that skirt, and did she have to wear a top showing off her perfect tits?
Tits that definitely were not there 10 years ago.
Not that he was complaining – every part of her was perfect to him then, and seeing the new womanly shape on her figure now just might be the actual death of him.
“Well, aren’t you going to buy me a drink?” she asks, her voice coming out breathier than she had intended.
“Are you sure you need another one, sweetheart?”
She gasps in mock offense, her hand flying to her chest.
“I am not drunk.”
“You so are,” he says with a laugh. “How are you getting home? You didn’t drive, did you?”
“No, Uber.”
“In that case, what do you want?”
“I want a mojito!”
His eyes go wide and he remembers instantly the night they were out celebrating Jordan’s birthday, and how absolutely shit faced she got off one mojito.
“Yeah, no,” he says with a firm shake of his head.
“Are you joking?” she asks, poking at his very hard chest. “Still as protective as ever, I see.”
“Over you? Always.”
Their eyes lock and neither of them says a word.
They’re standing so close and the air around them literally feels like it’s crackling with electricity.
Tristan’s mind immediately starts racing with images of them 10 years ago – how soft her lips and tongue were, how wet she would get for him in a matter of minutes, her soft little mewls of pleasure, how fucking good she felt the night he was the first person to ever have her.
Fuck, and now he’s starting to get hard.
He clears his throat quickly and looks at his teammate, Craig. Boner killed. Mission accomplished.
Tristan goes to turn back to Tessa when he feels an all too familiar hand on his arm and hears the words, “Hey, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
His stomach drops. Like fully drops on the floor and he feels the life draining out of him. She said she was staying home tonight.
“Hi,” Tessa says, showing a genuine smile to the woman before her.
“Hi,” the woman says back, although it’s nowhere near as friendly. The woman’s eyes dart up to Tristan expectantly, and Tessa quickly catches on to what’s going on here.
“This is Tessa, she’s spotlighting the Titans for the New York Times for the season. Tessa this is Kiana-”
“His girlfriend,” she blurts, her words coming out edged and threatening.
Tristan has to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. Seeing Tessa again after 10 years is one thing; seeing Tessa after 10 years to discover she sparks the same frustratingly intense feelings in him that she did a decade ago and then having to introduce his girlfriend to her? Fuck.
“Oh,” Tessa says, the smile still on her face, but Tristan knows her. He knows by the look in her eye that she’s taken off guard and thrown off her game a little bit. The flirty, happy, confident Tessa that was in front of him a minute ago is now gone, walls completely back up.
“Of course,” she says with a flip of her hair. “It’s nice to meet you, Kiana. I’m going to head out though, I’m a little drunker than I thought. I’ll see you around.”
Tristan watches in horror as Tessa stalks away, pushing past Brinley who is beyond confused and asking where she is going.
“Why were you standing so close to her?” Kiana asks, giving Tristan one of her signature death stares.
“Thought you were staying home because of your early flight tomorrow,” he says, his eyes still locked on Tessa as she makes her way down the stairs.
“I canceled it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I want to stay here with you.”
Tristan rolls his eyes and groans at her, and he doesn’t care that he looks like an asshole.
He’s made it very clear to her that it is his house that she is welcome to stay at any time, but that they are not living together.
She has her own place in LA, where she is from, and he flies her out to visit for a week or two at a time, but she always flies back.
This time though, she’s been here for two full weeks and apparently is staying for longer.
“Kiana, you know I have practice all week and our first game is next Sunday. I won’t be able to spend any time with you, go back to LA with your family.”
“Why do you want to get rid of me so bad?” she asks, crossing her arms, “So you can flirt with blond bitches without me knowing?”
“Jesus Christ,” Tristan says, swiping his hand down his face. “Order me another shot please, I gotta take a piss.”
She says something to his retreating back that he doesn’t hear nor care about. He runs down the stairs two at a time, busting through the doors that lead to the parking lot in the back, and immediately finds her squatting against the wall, staring intently at her phone.
“Hey, you okay?” he asks, walking right up to her.
“Just ordering an Uber,” she says, not taking her eyes off her phone.
“Give it to me,” he says, holding his hand out, and she does, standing up once he starts clicking furiously at the screen. “There,” he says, giving it back to her. “There’s one right down the street, it’ll be here in 3 minutes.”
“Thanks,” is all she says before she turns away from him.
“Tess-”
“It’s fine,” she says, whipping back around towards him, her blue eyes intense and bold. “I mean, of course you have a beautiful girlfriend. It’s been a decade and you’re like a God in this city.”
“Would you just let me-”
“I just got out of a 6-year relationship anyway so…”
“6 years?” he says, taking a step back as if she punched him in the gut.
Her blue eyes now look satisfied seeing him clearly in distress from hearing about her recent ex. She was always a tit for tat type of person, as much as she’s ashamed of it, it’s a bad habit she hasn’t been able to shake.
“So trust me, it’s fine. I was just a bit caught off guard is all.”
“Fuck,” he hisses in frustration, looking over his shoulder to make sure they are still alone. “Tessa, I feel like we need to fucking talk.”
“I feel like we don’t,” she retorts.
“You do realize that you left me, right?” he says, suddenly feeling the anger of the 20-year-old young man who was so heartbroken he couldn’t get out of bed.
“Yeah, and you’re welcome,” she says with a sarcastic laugh, “Because look at where not being with me as gotten you.”
“We could have fucking worked it out!”
“I’m not doing this right now,” she says as the Uber rolls up in front of them. “I’m too drunk and way too tired from this whole fucking day.” She hops in the back of the SUV and reaches for the door, but he holds it open, staring defiantly at her as she tries to close the door.
“Have a good night, Tristan,” she says, venom lacing her words. “I’ll see you Monday.”
She yanks the door hard and he lets go, letting it slam, the sound like a slap in the face. He walks to the passenger window of the car and looks at the driver, who recognizes him immediately and lets his mouth hang open in shock.
“She goes straight home, not a hair on her head touched.”
“Yes Mr. Kelly,” the man stutters, and he hears Tessa grunt in the back seat. He can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips at the little things she does when she’s annoyed. They just had an intense blow out and she’s still yanking at him right at his soft spot that he only has for her.
He steps back and watches the SUV drive away with her in it just as the back door opens. He turns to see Brinley running towards him, stumbling from her intoxication.
“What the fuck did you do to her!” she yells. “Why is she leaving?”
“She’s fine,” Tristan says. “Just tired.”
“Okay well Kiana is inside asking everyone where you are so-”
“Yeah yeah, I’ll be in.”
Brinley turns and heads back inside, and Tristan takes this moment when he’s finally alone to lean against the wall, take a few deep breaths, and contemplate what the fuck he is going to do now.