A Day in the Life of...

Making a Deal- William Byron

"I still can't believe you live here." Jazz heard William state through the open balcony door. William was visiting Jazz in St. Augustine for a couple of days before the championship race in Phoenix. William had advanced to the Championship 4 after a bit of a controversy between he and Christopher Bell. After media obligations, William came to decompress and just spend time with her. Jazz looked back at her boyfriend sitting naked in her bed. He was, unfortunately for her, covered by the white top sheet they had just  untangled themselves from being under. Jazz took a sip of her coffee, knowing there was another part to his statement. "This place give me the creeps."
"Well, Willy B, not everyone has the luxury of living like you." Jazz responded. "This is all I can afford right now." William gestered her to come back in. She did want he wanted, setting her mug down on the dresser. Jazz knelt down on the mattress. "I happen to like my apartment."
"Jazz, this isn't exactly an apartment. It's a room. With one of those paper dividers between the Murphy bed and the tiniest kitchen I have ever seen. And you have to share a bathroom with 10 other people." Jazz rolled her eyes.
"William."
"Pretty sure your landlord is spying on all the girls in this building." Jazz bit her lip. She knew it was a little sketchy, but Clove put in a good word in with Lewie and he cut her a good deal. Maybe too good of a deal.
"Nothing has happened to me yet and I've been here six months." William reached over to her nightstand to grab the keychain. He held it up for her to look at it. "What?"
"This is the gift Olivia got you for your birthday when we celebrated in Miami." Jazz rolled her eyes. Jazz had video chatted with Olivia one day and gave her a quick tour of her place. Jazz almost missed the look of horror on Olivia's face afterwards. When Jazz went to Miami for the race weekend, Olivia had given her a self-defense keychain, for 'emergency purposes'. "Katelyn gave you a damn bedazzled tazer." Jazz couldn't stop the laugh that came out of her mouth. "This place isn't safe. You don't even shower here." Jazz hated to admit that she showered at work in the employee locker room.
"I can't afford to go anywhere else." William knew Jazz made just enough money to pay her rent and other bills. He had even put her on all of his streaming service accounts that he could. And monthly grocery deliveries. They ended up having a heated discussion about it that resulted in William pinning Jazz against a wall in his house with her dress up over her hips, a leg draped over his shoulder, and a hand tangled into his hair.
"I know a place you could go." Jazz looked at him.
"William."
"What?"
"I'm not letting you pay for a bigger apartment for me. Absolutely not."
"That's not what I was suggesting. Come here." Jazz crawled up the mattress on her knees before setting herself in William's lap. His hands rested on her hips as she laced her fingers behind his neck.
"What are you suggesting, William?"
"Move to North Carolina."
"What? William..."
"I know you're hating the long distance as much as I am. Just move."
"I don't know if I can afford to find an apartment and a new job and..." William cut her off with a kiss.
"Move in with me."
"William..."
"I can help you find a job up there. I want you in my house. With me."
"And all your Lego sets?" William managed a laugh.
"Yeah. With all my Lego sets."
"I feel like it's too soon."
"I don't think so. What's stopping us from doing this? We're both adults. There's no reason to follow some old construct of how relationships go."
"I'll make a deal with you, William." Jazz said, wiggling her backside against his lap. His fingers dug into her hips.
"What's that?"
"If you win the Championship on Sunday, I'll leave St. Augustine and move to North Carolina. I'll let you help me find an apartment."
"Nope."
"What?"
"I win the Championship, you move in with me. In my house. Your clothes on the other side of my closet. Your shoes next to mine. Your filty smut books on the shelf with the Lego sets." Jazz laughed.
"Is that really want you want?" She asked.
"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want that. So, do we have a deal?" Jazz bit her lip.
"We have a deal." William let her go.
"Great, now go close that balcony door so people can't hear what I'm about to do to you." Jazz giggled as she got out William's lap. Jazz tip toed over to the balcony, letting the door shut with a thud.
"That didn't stop you last night." Jazz said, turning to face him. She kept herself pressed against the glass door. "Pretty sure you broke my patio table in the process." Jazz squealed when William lunged at her. Jazz let him grab her, bringing her back to bed with him. To be honest, Jazz had already made her decision. She was going to move to North Carolina.
***
Jazz let the hot Arizona sunshine soak into her skin. Jazz never missed an opportunity for sunshine, especially with all of her years she spent living in Oregon and Rhode Island. William had been gone most of the day, fulfilling his Championship 4 obligations. So, Jazz has spent the last few hours sitting outside the motorhome with a book she had borrowed from Taylor Chastain. She was just getting to the good part, thinking about how William would look in a Cowboy hat, when she heard a scoff. Frowning, Jazz lowered her book. She came face-to-face with someone who looked straight out of a Disney Princess movie. Her golden hair laid flawlessly over her shoulders.
"Can I help you?" Jazz asked.
"You're okay with practically reading porn in public?" Jazz looked at the cover of her book. There was nothing about the actual book that would hint to any passerby she was reading something spicy.
"It's not porn. I don't know who you are..."
"Sloane Buescher." She replied. Jazz stuffed her book mark (It was honestly just a Target receipt she found in her bag) and sat it down.
"Jasmine Lake. Jazz to my friends and boyfriend." Jazz watched the expression on Sloane's face change.
"You're Jazz. Should have known."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're William's new flavor of the week."
"I'm not anyone's 'flavor of the week'. I'm his girlfriend. Have been for a while. What does it matter to you anyway?"
"He never told you about me?" Jazz jaw slacked.
"You're his ex."
"Yeah, his ex-fiancée." William never told Jazz that he had been engaged. And that she looked like an actual Disney Princess. "When you see him, can you ask him why he left his pregnant fiancée? I never got an answer." Jazz watched as Sloan flipped her golden hair over her shoulder before walking away. What was she talking about? Jazz sat in silence for God knows how long before she heard William's voice.
"Jazz, you okay?" Jazz looked up at him.
"I...uh...just met Sloane Buescher." The color drained from William's face, telling her everything she needed to know.
"Shit." Jazz stood up and headed into the coach, William hot on her heels. "Jazz stop. Please." Jazz slammed her book down on the kitchenette table. Jazz stared at the table for a long moment remembering back to a few months ago. The best night of her life.
"You were engaged." William nodded. "You were engaged and didn't tell me."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think..." William reached out, but Jazz pulled away.
"I knew this was too good to be true. I thought I found this amazing guy who actually cared and..."
"Jazz."
"You left your pregnant fiancée, William! Who does that?" William sighed. "I was going to move, Will. I was going to move to North Carolina to be with you. Clove is packing my place as we speak and I..." Tears started streaming down her face. It was like a punch to William's gut.
"Wait, what? Jazz..."
"I thought you were different."
"Can you let me explain? Please?" Jazz slowly nodded her head. "Yes, Sloane and I were engaged. Yes, she was pregnant. I left her after I found out that she had been cheating on me. It wasn't mine."
"Please, don't lie. I can't take any more lies in my life." William reached out for her again, Jazz letting him pull her into his arms.
"I really thought I had a future with her. I'm honestly glad it didn't work out because I wouldn't be here with the most amazing person I have ever met in my entire life." William cradled her face in his hands. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way. Do you forgive me?" Jazz nodded. "Now, can we discuss you saying you were moving to North Carolina? We had a deal?" Jazz smiled.
"I was going to do it either way." William pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Is it too early to tell you that I love you?" Jazz didn't think her smile could get any bigger.
"Absolutely not."