7. Saint
“Shiiiiit.” I groaned, gripping a handful of Mariah’s hair as she bobbed her head in my lap.
I could feel my release near as she swirled her tongue around the base of my dick.
I began to pump my hips, grinding in and out of her mouth, grunts spilling from my mouth.
My eyes closed as I threw my head back. Blessing’s face clouded my mind as my dick began to throb.
My nut shot from my tip, flooding Mariah’s throat.
I opened my eyes, looking down at her, slowly pulling my dick from her mouth.
“You know I hate when you do that shit, Saint!” Mariah shouted, getting up and sprinting into the bathroom. I could hear her spitting in the sink.
I chuckled, walking into the bathroom. “My bad, Ri, I got carried away.”
She scoffed, grabbing her toothbrush to brush her teeth. I slid the glass door to my shower open, turning the water on. “How long you gone to be in Brindleton Bay for?” I asked as I stripped out of my clothes.
“Just a couple of weeks. I’ll be back after Thanksgiving.”
“So, you’re not going to the Thanksgiving game with me?”
“You’re not playing in the game, so what’s the problem, Saint?”
“It’s not about me playing, it’s about you showing up to support me, Mariah.
I can count on one hand how many games you’ve been to since we started dating.
It’s straight, though. Enjoy your trip.” I let out a sigh, closing the door to the shower.
My eyes closed as I stood underneath the showerhead, letting it pour over me.
I tried to calm down, but I was mad as fuck.
Mariah acted like it was so hard for her to show up and support me.
Shit, she barely made it to my games as it was.
If it weren’t for my post of her on my social media accounts, nobody would even know I had a girlfriend.
By the time I was out of the shower, Mariah was gone. I sat on my bed, moisturizing my body, then covered my leg in the cream Blessing gave me to help with knee pain. The cream worked so well. I don’t know what kind of magic she used, but I’ve barely had any pain since I started using it.
The sound of my phone ringing on my nightstand shook me from my thoughts. I picked it up, seeing Blessing’s name flash across the screen. I quickly answered.
“Wassup, Blessing? Everything okay?” I glanced at the time on my screen. It was a little after nine. She should be arriving soon.
She sighed, “No.. I have to cancel our session for today. Sage’s daycare is closed this week, and I totally forgot. I don’t have anybody to watch her today on such short notice.”
“You can bring her with you. My mom is here, I’m sure she won’t mind watching her ‘til we finish.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be unprofessional.”
“You know my mama wouldn’t trip. Just bring your pretty ass to work.”
“Thank you so much, Saint. I’ll be there soon.” She giggled.
“It’s nothing, Bless baby. I’ll see you when you get here.
” I ended the call before continuing to get dressed.
I threw on my usual compression shorts and the matching shirt, along with my knee brace.
I grabbed my cologne, sprayed myself, and then headed to the kitchen, where my mother was cooking breakfast.
“Good morning, Moo. I see that girl left here with an attitude. Is everything okay?” She asked, handing me my protein shake.
I scoffed, taking a seat at the island. “I’m straight ma. It’s nothing worth talking about. But I need a small favor. Blessing has to bring her daughter to work with her today because her daycare is closed this week. Can you watch her during our session?”
“Boy, you know I don’t mind. Let me whip her up a little snack.”
I chuckled. “Now don’t try to kidnap that lady’s baby ma. I know how you get around babies.”
“Well, find a wife and give me a grandchild.” The doorbell rang, saving me from this conversation. I got up from the island, making my way to the front door. I pulled the front door open, coming face-to-face with Blessing. Her daughter was on her hip, staring at me with her big brown eyes.
“Hey, Bless. Who’s this gorgeous girl?” I smiled, waving before stepping aside to let them inside.
“Hey, Saint. This is Princess Sage. Good morning, Miss Jackie. Thanks for watching her today. I thought I was going to have to cancel our session today.” She took a seat at the island, placing Sage in her lap. I took a seat next to her, taking a sip of my protein shake.
“You’re welcome, sweetie. I don’t mind. I love babies. Look at those chunky cheeks.” My mom gushed, leaning over to pinch them. Sage burst into a fit of giggles, showing her two bottom teeth.
“She’s your twin, Bless. Can I hold her?” I reached for her. Sage immediately climbed into my arms. Before I knew it, her chubby hands were gripping my bread, tangling her fingers in it.
“Sage no!” Blessing snickered, removing her hand. “Not nice. Moo is our friend.”
I clenched my jaw, ignoring the pain shooting through my knee as I continued walking on the treadmill. Beads of sweat rolled down my face. I could feel my knee slightly buckling, but I had to push through these last 30 seconds.
“You’re overdoing it, Saint. If you’re in pain, we can stop and take a break,” Blessing said firmly, standing beside me.
“I’m fine.” I insisted, my voice low and sharp. I could feel myself getting annoyed.
She leaned forward, shut the machine off, and handed me a bottle of water.
“You’re not fine. If you overwork that knee, you’ll set yourself back and have to start over again.
You remember what happened last time? Come sit down.
” Blessing said. I twisted the cap off the water, chugging it until it was almost gone.
“I’m okay, Blessing. It was just a little pain.
” I said, sitting down on the bench. I watched as Blessing walked over to the camera to turn it off.
We’d been recording this past month, and my team was going to edit the footage after our last session of the week.
I licked my lips, taking in her appearance.
Today, she was wearing an olive-green scrub set that looked painted onto her skin.
“Still, next time just let me know. We can’t take ten steps forward just to take ten steps back. I’m proud of your progress. You’re off the crutches, and soon you’ll be out of that brace.”
“Thank you. I like your scrubs today. You look good in my favorite color.”
“Well, thank you, Moo. They aren’t too tight, are they? I don’t need the wicked witch trippin’ on me again.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Wicked witch, huh? Why you let her bother you?”
“I don’t. She’s the bothered one. She damn near called me fat. What, she thinks I want you or something?
I opened my legs, pulling her between them. “You don’t?” I challenged.
“Boy, please. I’m your physical therapist.” She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.
“Whatever, Blessing. You coming to the Thanksgiving game?”
“Yeah, Coach Charles gave me a few tickets. I’ll be in one of the suites.”
“Why that nigga giving you free tickets?”
“He always gives me free tickets. Your teammates are my top clients.”
“Yeah, alright. I know that nigga likes his women young and turnt.”
She laughed, mushing my head. “Moo, don’t nobody want your old ass coach.” Her eyes traveled from my face to my chest. They stopped at the scar in the middle of my chest. “What happened here?”
“That’s where my port was.”
“You had cancer?”
I ran my hand across my head, sighing. “Yeah, childhood leukemia. I got it when I was 6, beat it at 11. I don’t really talk about it, though.”
“Oh wow, I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m glad you beat it, though. Look how far you’ve come.” She said, brushing her hand across my arm. Her touch gave me goosebumps. It felt familiar, like it was supposed to be there.
“Thank you, Bless. That shit was tough, but I’m alive. That’s why I celebrate every win—even the smallest ones. When I got injured, I was taking it so hard until I remembered what I went through. If I can beat cancer, I can heal from this injury and get my ass back on the field.”
“Exactly. Look how fast you’re healing! If you continue to make progress, you might be able to run by the time Christmas comes around. Continue using that cream every day as well. I’ll have another jar for you next week.”
“You really make that cream at home? You ain’t buying it from somebody and claiming it as yours, are you?”
She smacked her lips, folding her arms across her chest. “Nigga, that’s a family recipe. My great-great-great-grandma made that formula. It’s been in our family for years. We use it for everything. Cuts, burns, scars, bruises, anything that needs healing.”
“Y’all witches or something?”
She shook her head. “Nope. You go get showered and get some rest, Moo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait,” I stood up and grabbed her hand. “I’m having a game night Saturday. Just me and a few homeboys and their ladies. You can bring your homegirls.”
“If I have a babysitter, we’ll come through.”
“Aight, cool. Enjoy the rest of your day, gorgeous.”
I jumped from my seat, clapping and cheering as our wide receiver scored a touchdown, tying the score.
It was the fourth quarter, and time was running out.
Although I wasn’t able to play, I still tried to come to most of the home games.
I stood next to the coach, folding my arms across my chest. This was one of the most intense games of the season.
“Damn, I wish I were out there,” I sighed.
“You’ll be back before you know it.” Coach said, slapping a hand on my shoulder.
“Shit, I hope so.”
“How’s PT going? Blessing been treating you right?”
“Hell yeah, Coach, she’s great. I don’t know how she’s doing it, but my healing process has been going faster than I expected. It’s only been a few months since my injury, and I barely have any pain.”
“Her name speaks for itself. I’m thinking about asking her to come work for the team’s medical faculty.”
“Damn, that’s a great idea. You should definitely do that.”