Forward

Reverse.

September

It had been months since the dinner and so far Olivia was holding true to her word. Spencer apologized for Cheyenne's behavior and they agreed to give each other space. They were being too careless anyway, knowing Olivia could get fired if the team found out she was hanging around Spencer.

Opening day was upon them and Spencer couldn't be more ready to run out of the tunnel for the first time. His preseason was successful and the fans were looking forward to what he could bring to the organization. Paired with Lamar Jackson, Spencer was primed to become his number one weapon. With the fans excitement through the roof, the Ravens planned a pep rally to celebrate the opening day coming up that weekend.

The players waited behind the stage to be introduced one by one and be interviewed on stage by Gerry Sandusky. Spencer caught a glimpse of purple and gold poms. The cheerleaders were set to perform to kick off the rally. Right away he spotted the light brown beauty with curly hair.

"Too bad we have that rule because that rookie receiver is fine as hell," one of the cheerleaders whispered to her teammate standing in front of Olivia.

"Girl, I know right! Trying to keep it professional here but damn. Too bad he has a girlfriend though," the other cheerleader whispered back, making sure no one else was in earshot. Olivia's ears perked up. Girlfriend?

Spencer didn't realize he was being watched until one of his teammates elbowed his side. "I don't blame you, rook. That one with the curly hair is bad as fuck. Been having my eye on her for a minute. Get your looks in now because once it's game time your ass better be focused on the ball and not that nice ass of her's."

"Dude, chill out," Spencer warned. "My head is always in the game," he added to cover up the bite in his tone.

Olivia slowly turned her head to get a peek at the receiver everyone was going crazy for, only to find his expression mirroring her own as they locked eyes.
————
Friday

"Just calling to check on you," Simone said. The simple sentence felt like a warm hug. After Olivia was sent away to rehab, most of her friends thought they were doing her a favor by not forcing conversation. They sent occasional texts and once she was done with the program, Olivia pulled away. She felt ashamed and like she had let people down. So cutting those connections off was an easier way to deal with that shame. Not only did she pull away from friends, her relationship with Jordan suffered too. Simone tried her best to patch up the deep wound between her husband and sister-in-law but things never stuck. They'd talk for a few weeks and then communication would stop again. Simone saw how it affected Jordan and it sucked to watch.

"Hey, Simone. Thanks," Olivia replied. "I'm doing okay, I guess. How are you?"

Simone took a deep breath. Everything in her life was going smoothly but Jordan was struggling. Not having the best relationship with Olivia was taking its toll and he didn't know how to fix it. He felt guilty about her being sent away and that guilt festered into anger when Olivia never came back. "Um, I'm good. Your brother on the other hand is having some issues. Let me just cut to the real reason I called... he misses you...a lot. We'll be in Baltimore for the season opener and we're coming to see you. Don't even start with that 'I'm busy' mess because you'll be busy hanging with us."

Olivia hated to hear about Jordan's hard time and she knew they both had responsibility in this. Mostly on her part nowadays. "I miss him too. I don't know how much hanging out we can do on game day. I'm kinda a part of it, I'm a cheerleader."

"You're a what," Simone exclaimed, choking on her water. "Olivia Baker a cheerleader? Girl, what? And wait a minute...hold up... Spencer plays on the team. He never told us you cheered for him on the sidelines. Something you'd like to share, Miss Baker?"

"Nope, don't even start. Nothing is happening and nothing has happened. We're being professional about it because if the front office finds out, I'm out of here," Olivia cut in.

"Yeah, whatever. You two kill me. Well, I guess we'll see you on the sidelines. We're sitting right behind the Ravens bench because your crazy brother refused to sit in the suites. You know he likes to be near the action, so I'm sure we'll see you. I'll be acting a fool to embarrass you," Simone declared, making her friend smile. On the surface, she was nervous to see her family in the place she now called home. So far, she lived in the comfort of that space without reminders of Beverly and the damage she felt like she had done. Deep down, Olivia was thrilled to see Jordan and hoped she could eventually repair their broken relationship.

The night before the big day and before their families would be in town, Olivia found herself knocking on Spencer's door that evening. When he saw her on the door cam, he was surprised because she never came over. Not after they had agreed to give each other space.

"Wassup, Liv. Come in," he stepped to the side and eyed his neighbor as she stepped into his living room holding a basket. "What's that?"

"A pre-game goodie basket. Figured you'd need some fuel before your big day. I made too many of those protein balls, so I thought I'd share with you. Trinity hates peanut butter," Olivia explained, sitting the basket on the kitchen counter.

"Thanks," Spencer uttered, peeking inside of the basket. "Oh damn! And you got my favorite protein shakes. How the hell did you even remember that?"

"How could I forget? You drank those things every day over the....summer," her voice faded before she cleared her throat. "Yeah...I hope you enjoy it."

Spencer caught her arm as she was about to run. The thing she had a habit of doing when situations made her uncomfortable. The butterflies in her stomach turned into a tightness in her chest. "Liv," he said softly, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. "We just not gone talk about what happened that summer? The elephant in the room is screaming at this point."

"What's there to talk about," Olivia asked, slowly raising her head to look at him. Usually she tried not to make eye contact. In fear of what would happen next because he was staring at her with the same intensity.

"Really? It's like that," he asked, taking a step towards her. "There's a lot we can talk about and I think we should."

"Look where talking got us the last time, Spencer. Let's just drop it and move on," Olivia argued, shifting her hip when she could feel the heat radiating off Spencer's skin. "Plus, you have Cheyenne. Things are already awkward because of that dinner. Why make it worse?"

"Cheyenne isn't my girlfriend. We finally came to that understanding and she's moved on," he admitted. It wasn't an easy conversation but he was truthful about his feelings when it came to Olivia. Even though he couldn't act on them, denying they were there would have only hurt Cheyenne more.

"Hm."

Spencer placed his hands on the counter, caging Olivia in, "Haven't seen Frank in a minute."

She let out a long breath before dropping her hands and attempting to not look like a nervous wreck, "Because he's out of town. Why have you been looking for him," she asked as Spencer got closer and she could feel his breath on her nose.

"I haven't," he replied, now inches away from Olivia's lips. Neither one of them was sure how their conversation led them here. It was like they were magnets.

Olivia made the next move. One she knew would set off the domino effect they fell victim to the last time. Leaning in, she let her tongue drag across his bottom lip before pressing a kiss to his mouth. The weight of his body against her brought back the desperation they felt in Vegas. The need to be so close that they felt like they were in each other's skin. Olivia moaned against Spencer's lips, pushing her hips forward to feel more of him.

Spencer's phone vibrated from his pocket, making the pair jump away from each other. "It's your pops," he said, licking the sweetness of Olivia's lips from his.

"Oh...I should get going anyway. I need to finish dinner," Olivia lied, smoothing down her shirt and grabbing her phone. She stayed back a few seconds longer to listen as Spencer answered the call. "See you later," she mouthed and hurried out the door before they caused any more damage.  

Incorporating flashbacks into the next chapter since family will be in town.