Love Hurts (boyxboy)

Chapter 12: You're All I See

Parker POV

The clock was ticking down, each second slowing down even further than the last as we watched him run. The cold air was silent and clear as every person in the audience held their breath. I was seeing it all in slow motion, allowing myself to enjoy every bit of something I'd taken for granted for so long. Griffin leaped over one more player as the time hit zero, his back landing hard as the crowd seemed to explode and life sped back up.

I didn't have a single photo of what happened, though my camera was clutched in my fingers. Griffin got to his feet, holding the football high in the air, signifying our victory at yet another game. His teammates were all around him, smacking his helmet and just about every other part of him they could get their hands on, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

The noise was forgotten, even Janine's excitement from only a few feet away faded to nothing. My mind was wandering back to the first night I had stayed with Griffin, after breaking down and finally letting him in...

The past week had been so fantastic I sometimes forgot why I had denied myself this, why I hadn't let him into my life, let him love me. I could only stare in awe at this boy, this wonderful and magnificent guy that would run through a wall for me, so much so that I let the past sink down further in my mind and away from the surface. Sometimes, though, it did come back up, and I did remember all he had done to hurt me before; but now wasn't one of those times.

The energy in the air was infectious, spreading through my body; although I didn't let it show, even as he approached, jogging over with his helmet still on. He stopped only a foot away, looking down at me with those green eyes, sweat dripping down his face and breath coming out in little puffs of white before disappearing. I let my expression remain neutral, waiting patiently as he began to remove his helmet.

...

Griffin POV

My hair was hanging in front of my face, wet with sweat rather than disheveled with some product in it. Parker was just standing there, being so perfect. He was like this small anchor among all of the excitement. Everyone had crazy smiles on their faces, or was yelling cheers of victory; yet, here he stood among it all, unfazed.

"Ya know," he reached out and took my helmet from my hand, inspecting it for a moment before his eyes came back to mine, "you're pretty good at this football thing." A smile pulled up the corners of his lips as this devious little glint entered his eyes.

I couldn't keep my hands off him for another second, wrapping one arm around him and pulling him into me as the other came to his face, our lips pressing together as we remained in our own world. It was always so soft with Parker, but I knew there was something more behind it. I never knew what to expect from him, so I let him take us where he wanted in his own time.

I rest my forehead on his, staring down into those blue eyes and cupping his face in my hands. "None of this would matter if you weren't here to see it." My voice was low, a mumble getting lost in the thundering post-game celebration.

"You're all I want to see." My heart throbbed in my chest as I held myself together with those words. I couldn't be seen as some sissy getting emotional on the sidelines, but this was kind of like our version of "I love you" since that phrase didn't seem to sit well with Parker. "Now go take a shower, you stink," he pushed me away with a sly smile before turning to head over to where Janine had just said goodbye to her boyfriend.

I stood there in a temporary daze, watching him walk away, just enjoying the sight of him leaving and knowing he'd come back. Parker Wright was finally mine, and I'll be damned if it wasn't perfect.

...

Parker POV

I laughed a little, leaning against Griffin's car and staring up at the stars in the sky. It had been a long time since I had been happy, like truly happy. There was no way to tell if this would last, if we would last, but I didn't need to worry about that. I had spent so long focusing on the bad things, worrying about even worse things happening, and never enjoying what was right in front of me.

"Hey." My eyes came down from the sky to Griffin making his way across the lot. He looked tired, and even though he liked to hide it I could always tell. "Victor wants me to come out tonight, there's a party going on over at-"

"Let's just go back to your place," I pushed off the car and took his bag from his hand, stretching up on my tip toes to get closer to his ear. "I can think of so many better things to do than go to a party."  He raised his eyebrows, but didn't object as I turned to throw his stuff in the back and got in the car. "Don't tell me you're nervous, Griff." I taunted before I shut the door. He got this funny smile on his face like I was aggravating the hell out of him, and he couldn't help but laugh about it.

....