I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 57: Logan

A/N: Mature(ish) content

While Ellie planned our date tonight, I added a spur of the moment addition for once we arrived home. The ZTE pledge story, which initially surprised me because Ellie hadn't struck me as a sorority girl, she'd shared disgusted and angered me more than I'd let on. I was glad she openly told me about her horrible experience and that, most importantly, nothing had happened to her.

Even though Ellie hadn't openly told me who her 'guy' was, I knew exactly based on how he still wanted her. I couldn't promise Ellie I wouldn't punch out Emmitt's teeth out of his smug grin the next time I saw him, or any other sick fuck on the team that took part in that hazing 'ritual.'

That better not have been what Lydia wanted from me. No fucking way.

I wasn't going to let Ellie's admission of something that happened almost two years ago deter my intentions tonight. My stubbornness factor was too high and I wasn't going to let tonight end before I'd fully vomited my feelings on poor Ellie.

Whether she's ready or not.

For some reason, both our phones chimed with multiple alerts, messages, and updates once we sat in my truck at the park. I grabbed Ellie's hand when she reached for her phone in my console's cup holder.

"Wait." I ran my thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand and requested, "It's been just us so far tonight. Whatever it is, let's save it for tomorrow."

I had no idea what the contacts were about but so far our date had been damned near perfect and, for what I had in mind, I wanted no further interruptions.

"Okay..." she replied slowly, then shut off her phone. I kept mine on, but silenced the notifications for what I had planned once we got into the apartment. Once we got home, I entered first and grabbed what I'd gotten her earlier from the kitchen since I hadn't wanted them sitting in my truck for a few hours.

"Logan, what...?" Ellie's voice trailed off and she paused in the front doorway, since I held up a bouquet of daisies towards her.

"Better late than never," I replied sheepishly as her fingers closed around the stems.

"Thank you." She looked up at me from under her lashes, with a smile that lit up her entire face. "You didn't need to but thanks."

"I wanted to," I assured her. "And that's just the start."

"Sabotaging my date, huh?" she teased, walked into the kitchen, and returned with the flowers in a glass vase. She set them down on the dining room table, brushed over some of them with her fingers, then smiled to herself.

"Adding to it." I meant I'd just gotten started, so I flipped on my playlist, set my phone on the table next to the flowers, and reached out for Ellie's hand. "Can I have this dance?"

"Of course," she half-whispered, half-gushed.

Her small, soft hand delicately slipped into mine, and I wasted no time and tugged her into my arms. With one hand anchored on her hip, the other held hers at my chest, we swayed softly until the song I'd picked started. I pulled back slightly since I wanted to see her reaction when she recognized it.

"Logan, what -" she started in a whisper when Ed Sheeren's 'Perfect' stole her voice. Her eyes widened, her feet froze her still, and her fingers trembled under my grasp. Within a blink, her dark eyes shimmered with tears.

"Th-this song?" Her voice was so soft, if I hadn't been this close then I wouldn't have heard her.

Like me, she knew right away that we'd danced to this song at my high school's Homecoming Dance, just the two of us in the kickoff dance like no one else was around us. In hindsight, the song grew more special to me than at that moment because, later that night, I'd first told Ellie I loved her.