Afterglow (BWWM)

Chapter 25

About thirty guys in helmets and gear were on the AstroTurf and about twenty more were on the sidelines when I showed up to the stadium. The cheerleaders were out here, too. Did they always practice with the football team? I spotted Lindsay and her teammates out here, as well. They were too involved in practice to notice me.

I scanned the field for jersey number twenty-eight. Drew's number. I found him running around orange cones in the end zone. His skin-tight blue shirt stretched over his chest and abdomen and his powerful legs were covered in white nylon and spandex, leaving no area of his body to the imagination. No matter how upset I was with him, I'd have to be blind not to admire the way his body moved,, in uniform.

I was earlier than when Drew and I had planned to meet the day before, but I was impatient for us to talk so I found a seat in the stands and waited for practice to end. I cracked open one of the books I carried, taking breaks every now and then to sneak peeks at Drew run drills. Luckily it wasn't too cold, and the light jacket I wore was enough to keep me warm against the slight chill.

About thirty minutes in, a shadow approached from my left. I looked over and almost did a double-take when I saw the tall figure before me, the number five prominently displayed in white on his chest.

Brandon.

He stood less than a foot away from me in the direct path of the sun, its rays illuminating him from behind, surrounding him like a golden halo. I squinted against the light. Even with the blinding light obscuring my vision, I had no trouble making out his handsome features. It should be against the law for anyone to be that beautiful. And still, I felt ... nothing. Not a single butterfly fluttered in my tummy and my pulse continued to pound at an even pace.

"What up, Ally? Why are you alone up here?" he said.

"I'm just lurking and getting some work done. What about you? Shouldn't you be practicing with everyone?" I said.

"Between you and me, Coach has been riding me pretty hard. I could use a breather. This seat taken?" he said pointing to a spot beside me.

I frowned. Would it be rude to say yes? Probably. Especially since he did look exhausted. I didn't have the heart to turn him away even knowing my kindness was more than he deserved.

I exhaled audibly and closed my book. "No, there's plenty of room," I answered making room for him to sit.

He sat beside me, close enough that his large, muscled thigh brushed mine.

"You here to see Drew?" he asked.

I thought about the situation Drew and I were in and that he was possibly lying to me. I didn't want to really talk about why I was waiting for Drew with anyone, least of all, Brandon.

"Something like that," I said, animosity clear in my voice.

"Okay... touchy subject. Moving on." I was relieved he didn't push. Brandon switched his focus to the book in my hand. "What are you working on?"

I pushed my book aside. Not wanting to give validity to his notion of me as a nerd. "You don't want to know," I told him.

"No, tell me. I'm curious."

I shrugged, open to talking about anything other than Drew. "I'm drafting a paper about how societal morality changes over time and how that influences modern legislature. I'm currently expanding my theory that the widening gap in generational priorities - for instance, the difference between what you consider important compared to what your parents valued when they were your age - and how it shapes voting habits across time and..." I trailed off as Brandon's eyes glazed over. "And I'm talking too much. I told you, you didn't want to know," I muttered.