I'll Be There

37 | world we created

Football season stormed in like a hurricane, and from one day to the next, life became a flurry of perpetually half-packed suitcases, long-winded text updates, and increasingly frequent bouts of loneliness.

There were many nights, early in the season, where Jordan would sit across the table from Olivia, keeping her company while she ate the dinner he had brought over. For her sake, he'd pretend that he didn't notice her trying to hold back tears as she took calculated stabs at pieces of broccoli.

In a sly attempt to distract his sister, he'd say, "Spence looked good last Sunday."

She'd look up, smile—a genuine smile—and respond. "He did." Then she'd go back to her pasta or pizza or whatever other variation of takeout Jordan had happened to bring that day, and the apartment would go silent.

But there were also good days.

Days where the siblings would joke for hours, and days where Billy and Laura would pop in with Theo, giving Olivia a glimpse of the sweet moments to come.

And then there were the days where Spencer would come home, slightly less exhausted than usual, and she'd curl up into his side, with his arm wrapped around her, and just be. Those days were the best ones.

To make up for the long days, the weeks went by fast. Her stomach kept growing, and Spencer was going harder than she'd ever seen before. Night after night, he'd come home, exhausted from workouts, film, meetings, and practices; his usual hey baby's guaranteed to be followed by a groan as a sore muscle reminded him of its presence.

Game days always rounded out the week, and when she could, Olivia would fly out, just so that she could lean over the barrier to grip onto his face and kiss him fiercely before he jogged onto the field. She may not have been his wife, or even his fiancée, but she was, without a doubt, the loudest person in every away section.

Then at the end of every game, whether at home or away, Olivia would wait for him. And after congratulating him with a kiss, she would convince him to chill out for just a second before the whirlwind started all over again.

_____

By mid-October, she was seven months pregnant and finding it increasingly harder to sleep without Spencer's body next to her. No matter how she tossed or turned, comfort evaded her. So after forty-five minutes of rearranging her body pillow every way possible, she eventually got out of bed with her fluffy blanket in tow and headed to where she always ended up when Spencer was out of town.

"What do we have tonight," Al smiled. His voice was cheerful even though she knew he was a morning person and woke up every day at 5am. He had mysteriously started working night shifts once she started making a habit of waiting for Spencer in the lobby after away games.

"Ice cream," she held out two single serving cups, "chocolate or cookies and cream?"

"Which ever you don't want." His usual answer.

She handed him the chocolate along with a plastic spoon. "Those ones are Spencer's, but he doesn't eat them during the season."

They ate their ice cream then sat in silence. Without much to talk about at this hour, their late night meetings normally consisted of Olivia stubbornly fighting sleep and ignoring Al's suggestions that she try going back to bed. They would bicker like lifelong friends for nearly fifteen minutes, until eventually, he would stop pushing.

"Why don't you sit on a couch, kid. It's more comfortable." Al motioned toward the other end of the lobby when he caught her struggling to keep her legs crossed on the chair.

She nodded sleepily and stood. Slowly, she trudged over to the plush sofa and let gravity bring her down. Most people in the building were either sleeping or about to be. By the door, Al pretended to work on his crossword, but every couple minutes, his eyes would flicker over to Olivia, who was curled up in her blanket, eyes fixed on the door.