Garrett Wilson had always been about focus. The game was everything, and everything else came second. But standing on the sidelines, watching the game from a different perspective than he was used to, was something that pulled at him in a way he didn't expect. The energy of the stadium, the rush of the crowd, and—her.
Jenna wasn't like the usual women he was used to. She wasn't caught up in the glam of being around NFL players; in fact, she worked as a sports reporter but kept a professional distance, only getting close when the story demanded it. But there was something about the way she watched him play, the way her eyes followed his every move with a quiet intensity that made his heart beat a little faster.
Garrett had always prided himself on being emotionally detached—on keeping his head in the game. But after weeks of fleeting glances and small conversations, he found himself breaking the rules. He invited her to grab coffee after practice. She hesitated at first, not sure what to make of his sudden attention, but eventually, she agreed.
Over coffee, Garrett was quieter than usual. He was usually the one dominating conversations, but with Jenna, he found himself listening more than talking. She told him about her experiences as a reporter, how she'd grown up in a football family, but never really found herself caught up in the chaos of the locker room or the drama of the game.
"Why don't you let your guard down?" she asked him, catching him off guard with the question.
Garrett chuckled nervously. "That's not really my style."
"You don't have to be perfect, you know," Jenna said, her voice soft but firm. "It's okay to be... human."
The words hit him harder than he expected. Garrett had always been the golden boy, the one who could do it all. But maybe, just maybe, he was ready to let someone in. As he walked away that night, he knew he couldn't go back to the way things were before. Jenna had changed something in him.
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