Rookie in Love [SYTYCW 2013]

Rookie in Love [Chapter Eight]

Chapter Eight

         Three days ago, I woke up in Jackson’s arms.  I slept the entire night wrapped up in him and as fairytale as it sounds, it changed my life.  When we woke up he took me back to my place so that I could freshen up and then we walked hand in hand to a small café where we ate pancakes and drank coffee while getting to know each other better.  I feared it would be awkward, like what took place between us would somehow be wrong for us and drive us apart, but is was entirely comfortable.  Our breakfast felt like two old friends meeting to catch up on each other’s lives--except while waiting for our food or our check, we couldn’t keep from touching each other.

         Our time together was spent talking and touching, a brush of a hand on my leg, a twist of my hair around his fingers or a light kisses on my head as he tucked me into his side in the booth.  I felt the same way towards him, as if I couldn’t stop myself from holding his hand or flipping his hat around on his head.  We spent the day together, walking around the city, holding hands and exploring the town and each other.

         Every day since then we have been together.  Tonight he has to leave town for a game and I am trying not to mope as we watch TV with Abby and Kyle.  I can’t help but to feel cheated, like his game is taking away time from my three weeks.  I am not even sure what show we are watching because Jackson has been running his fingers up and down my arm as I lay against him.  Abby throws a piece of popcorn at me and I throw a handful at her in return.  I need something to lift the sadness I feel at losing time with Jackson while he is gone.  It only takes a minute for a full-on popcorn war to break out and we are whizzing popcorn back and forth across the apartment. 

         Laughing so hard I can’t breathe, I try to follow Jackson as he makes an escape to my room.  I am being pelted from behind as we run down the hall and find refuge in my room.  Jackson falls back on the bed and puts a piece of popcorn that was tucked in his collar into his mouth.  I try to pick the pieces out of my hair but I can’t get them all and Jackson motions for me to come over to him so he can help.  When I reach the end of the bed, Jackson hooks his hands behind my knees and pulls me down onto the bed so that I am straddling him. 

         In that small move the mood has changed, and I look into Jackson’s eyes as he pulls me higher onto his body, holding the backs of my thighs when I close the distance and begin to kiss him.  We kiss until my lips are sore and Jackson has explored my body with his hands.  I want to push it farther but I know that Jackson is leaving early and needs to get some rest so he can do some schoolwork on the plane.  I kiss down his neck and he pulls my hair back off my face, gathering it all at my nape with his hands. 

         “I don’t want you to go,” I say before I can stop myself and then close my eyes so I don’t have to see the look on his face.  We have not been together long enough for me to say things like that and I am surprised when he kisses my lips and tells me he doesn’t want to leave me. 

         “Maddy, don’t ever be embarrassed to tell me how you feel.”  He lets go of my hair and twirls the ends between his fingers.  “I need to know something before I leave.”  His face is softer now and I can see concern in his eyes. 

         “What, Jackson?”  I sit up a little so that I can get a better look at his face when he talks to me.

         “I know I don’t have a right to ask you about a lot of things, we are just getting to know each other, but I am going to admit that the thought of being so far away from you for a few days has me so on edge.  I think about you calling him.  When I am here and with you I know there is so much between us, but when I am at my place, or with the team I feel like my head is somewhere else.  I think about how much time we have left and I feel sick.  The other day at practice while running some plays I thought of what you might be doing, or who you were thinking about and I wanted to run off the field and go find you.”