I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 72: Ellie

"Now this is more like it," Monique extended her fist towards me, which I bumped like I had anything to do with the Huskies-Wolverines game we watched.

Two days after the unspoken truce between me and Logan over his period aversion defect, I was back at Monique and Darrius' apartment. This time, however, I had a gigantic glass of water and a lot fewer carbs but still surrounded with comfort foods. Probably the heartiest was the homemade chicken pot pie I'd made with leftover chicken, onion, green beans, peas, carrots, corn, and added in shredded cabbage into the base and wrapped everything in a homemade crust.

Since that was a meal by itself, we paired it with a simple spinach salad and sat back in amazement at the completely different game that unfolded right from the start.

From the very first possession, UW took an early lead, then dominated both sides of the game on almost every play afterwards. Thanks to Logan's leadership and near-juggernaut play calls, the offense scored quickly and efficiently while the defense played what looked like their best game of the season.

The closeups of Logan on the field and subsequent praises from the broadcasters was surreal. All week I'd been peered at with interest, which definitely held up Friday and Saturday, but the only attention I hadn't gotten was from Logan. In fact, he'd avoided me like I had the plague. Friday night we slept like two side-by-side corpses and I was surprised he hadn't buffered a pillow between us.

Maybe he thinks I'll bleed on it.

I should bleed on his pillow, big baby.

"He looked like that in high school," I pointed while Logan set up their mid-field play. With six minutes left in the first half and the Huskies up 24-6, most people would've assumed that Logan ran out the clock and coasted into halftime.

Not my boyfriend.

Still weird to think of him like that again.

"Like he was two steps ahead of everyone else?" Monique's question snapped me out of my thoughts. Before I answered, she offered, "Darrius too. His highschool videos are hilarious, he dragged two or three kids along with him ten yards at a time. Momma Williams screaming 'Who Dat!' in the background."

"I believe it." I grinned at the mental image of a younger Darrius barreled unstoppable across the field with smaller, skinnier kids latched onto and dragged behind him.

As for his mother, I'd only attended four games with Momma Williams but in all of them, she was quite... vocal.

Makes Grace look like she's mute.

As Zander the center snapped back the ball, I teased Monique, "Don't blink."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she mumbled.

We both watched silently while Logan stepped back two paces from the snap, cocked his right elbow back, then hurled a long, clean spiral down the left side of the field. Once Wes caught the ball and cleanly sailed into the endzone virtually for a 30-6 lead, our silence was broken as we stood up, screamed, then hugged each other.

"Damn." Monique said as we sat down. "Everyone's scoring tonight, well not Darrius but he'll be happy if he just pushes guys away all game."

"Is this the part where you say he'll be scoring in your endzone?" I giggled as her jaw dropped and fists found the sides of her hips.

"Eleanor Harrison, you have a man for two weeks and you're already dirty." Her voice teased by the spark in her dark brown eyes showed she was happy for me.

The image as Logan raised both hands in tight fists, a big grin surrounded his black mouth guard, then the replay of the score pushed a surreal sensation through me. I wouldn't have ever imagined he played on television, his purple away Huskies jersey and skin-tight gold pants, let alone as my boyfriend.