CHAPTER 19 #2
“This is like a real-life soap opera,” Brett whispers in Coach Rice’s ear, whose only response is an unimpressed grunt.
“Don’t you fucking look at her,” Tristan says sternly.
“What? She can’t fight for herself?” Kiana rolls her eyes.
Tessa instantly pushes around Tristan and looks at Kiana with a glare so intense it could possibly start a fire.
“I absolutely can,” she says. “But what you’re missing is that I don’t need to fight you. You are so far beneath me, it’s hilarious. Do you have any idea how low what you did is? Forget about how illegal it is, but it’s just downright evil.”
“I don’t care about being evil, I care about winning.”
“Newsflash, bitch,” Tessa says, yanking her arm away from the hand that Tristan had secured around her and stepping forward. “I win. You fucking lose. Maybe that will finally sink in when you’re sitting in jail.”
Kiana scoffs and steps forward, challenging Tessa, and Tristan steps between them instantly.
“Don’t even think about laying a finger on her,” Tristan whispers menacingly.
“And you!” Tessa steps around Kiana and points a finger at Dr. Hines. “You are losing your license. And for what? To get your dick sucked by this run of the mill pass around?”
Kiana gasps dramatically and gets back into Tessa’s line of sight.
“How dare you-”
“Are you really going to pretend like you weren’t just sucking this geriatric man’s dick?” Tessa asks, blue eyes burning so brightly with anger that it makes Kiana take a step backward.
“You should ask Tristan about the head I give,” Kiana says with an evil smile, eyes flitting over to Tristan who simply rolls his eyes. “He used to tell me it was-”
Slap
The sound of Tessa’s opened hand smacking against Kiana’s cheek was so loud in the room it literally echoed off of the walls, all the men standing in the room making a quiet “oooh” noise and grimacing at what will surely be a bruise on Kiana’s face later.
Kiana’s hand flies up to her face, her mouth hung open in shock, which only fuels Tessa more, and she steps forward quickly to get another hit in.
Until Tristan’s strong embrace wraps around her middle and pulls her back.
“Okay, killer,” he says into her ear with a chuckle and squeezing her waist. “Let’s take a timeout.”
“So what’s the next steps, then?” Tessa yells impatiently, looking around the room and trying to get out of Tristan’s strong embrace, which he isn’t letting up on. “We have the proof on paper and a verbal confession heard by multiple witnesses.”
“Yeah, uh,” Brett speaks up, shaking his head from the drama that just unfolded in front of him and turning back to the very big issue at hand. “I’ll have to contact law enforcement and the owner but-”
“I also want it known,” Tristan’s lawyer speaks up, “That we will absolutely be pressing charges. And I want the truth released to the media first thing in the morning.”
“And Tristan plays tomorrow,” Tessa says, her voice stern and steady, eyes locking with Coach Rice.
He clears his throat and nods his head once before stuffing his hands into his pockets.
“Tristan plays tomorrow,” he repeats before turning on his heels and heading out of the room. He pauses at the door before turning back to Tristan. “Sorry for all this, Kelly.”
“No need,” Tristan replies instantly. “I know your hands were tied.”
Kiana tries to turn on her heels and head out the door, but Steven stops her immediately, blocking the doorway.
“You’re not going anywhere, honey,” he says. “Not until the cops get here, at least.”
“Oh, and Hines,” Brett takes a step forward, eyes throwing daggers at the man still standing behind his desk like a coward. “You’re fucking fired.”
The Titans won the game the following day, with Tristan having the game winning touchdown with only seconds left on the clock.
The stadium had never been louder, proudly welcoming back their beloved player with many people holding up signs with encouraging messages.
It made Tessa’s heart swell with pride and admiration for this fan base she has come to know and love the past few months, which worsened her anxiety about the upcoming playoffs.
Once the season was over, whether that be with a Super Bowl win or not, Tessa was supposed to return to her life back in New York City, and she became almost sick at the thought.
Which is how she found herself quiet and distant at what was supposed to be a celebratory dinner for Tristan being taken off suspension a few days later.
They were sitting at a large table in a private room in one of their favorite high end Kansas City restaurants surrounded by loved ones.
Brinley and Phillip sat on one side of them, while Jordan and Katie sat on the other.
As much as Tessa wanted to enjoy the moment, allowing herself to feel the happiness and comfort of being with these people and being tightly tucked under Tristan’ arm would only cause more pain and dread.
“Hey,” Brinley said, pinching at Tessa’s side. “Come to the restroom with me?”
Tessa looked up at her and nodded her head once, telling Tristan quietly that she would be right back.
Once her and Brinley were secured behind the bathroom door, Brinley took Tessa into her arms and gave her a long squeeze.
“As much as I love hugging you,” Tessa said with a chuckle, “What’s the hug for?”
Brinley pulled back and put a gentle hand on Tessa’s arm.
“Something is bothering you,” she says with a knowing look in her eye.
Tessa takes a deep breath and tries to shake her off, but Brinley relents.
“You can’t keep all your shit bottled up inside,” Brinley says sternly. “You did it back in college and I never even knew about Tristan! I had to find out from my husband who only had like, half the details anyway. Talk to me, Tess. Please.”
Tessa feels a pang of guilt at her friend bringing up her lack of communication skills. She’s right, she does keep things bottled up and to herself most of the time.
“I’m in love with him, Brin,” she whispers.
“I can tell,” she says. “And he’s in love with you. Worships the ground you walk on, actually. So, what exactly is the problem?”
“This was all supposed to be temporary,” Tessa says, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. “Say they don’t get past the play offs, and this is all over in less than a month. How am I supposed to just go back to New York and continue on with my life?”
“You don’t,” Brinley says simply, as if none of this is a big deal. “Who says you have to go back to New York?”
“My whole life has been there for the past 6 years,” she says.
“My job, my apartment that I pay an insane amount of money for, by the way. And it’s not just a job, it’s my career.
I went to school for this, I’ve worked my ass off for years to be where I’m at now.
Am I just supposed to give that all up for a man? ”
“I don’t think Tristan is just a man, Tess.”
“No, he’s not,” Tessa replies softly, feeling guilty for referring to him that way. “He’s everything. The impact he left on me when we were young completely changed me as a person, and literally nothing was ever the same after him. I don’t think I’d be able to survive losing him again.”
“You don’t have to lose him,” Brinley says, taking Tessa’s arms in her hands and shaking her. “You don’t have to run away again.”
Tessa lets those words sink in, causing a burning feeling in her chest and a heavy lump in her throat.
She’s right. This would just be her running away again, finding an excuse for it not to work out, coming up with some bullshit reason why he is better off without her or vice versa.
But she’s in way too deep now. She thought she fell for him when they were at Vanderbilt, but it was nothing like this.
This had the potential to be unsurvivable if it didn’t work.
“I think you two need to have a real conversation about this,” Brinley says. “He would bend over backwards for you, Tess. He’s obsessed with keeping you happy and doing whatever he can to be with you at all times. Something tells me he’ll find a way to make this work.”
“Yeah,” Tessa breaths out heavily, trying to let go of her stress and anxiety. “We definitely need to talk about it.”
“You gonna tell me what was going on with you tonight?” Tristan asks as they stand in his bedroom, both undressing from their dinner clothes.
Tristan only had one drink and a beer, but Tessa went through a few of her favorite cocktails, which had her currently swaying on her feet as she attempted to take off her heels.
“Let me help you,” he says with a chuckle, guiding her down to sit on the bed as he kneels in front of her, slowly taking her heels off, sliding his large hands against the soles of her feet causing her to giggle.
“I like this color,” he says, pointing at the bright red color of her toes, and standing up to full length, causing her to strain her neck back to look at him.
“So?” he says, tucking his hands in the pockets of his dress pants and giving her a shrug.
He knows something has been off with her tonight, or more accurately, the past few days, and he’s been waiting for her to bring it up.
Tessa sighs and looks back down at her feet, her shoulders slumping forward.
“Tess,” he says as he takes a seat next to her on the bed. “You can tell me anything, you know that.”
A few beats of silence pass before Tessa finally speaks up, still not making eye contact with him.
“I’m scared,” she whispers.
“Okay, about what?” he asks gently.
“This not working.”
Her eyes finally, reluctantly, come up to meet his, and her stomach drops at the love and concern shining brightly in his green eyes.
“And why on earth would this not work, baby?” he asks, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.