Playing Rough

Chapter XXVII

Chapter XXVII — Playing Rough

[ M I C H A E L   G R I F F I N ]

I felt like I was on top of the world with Bryan by my side.

Clearing the tension that swirled between the two of us had been our best collective decision yet, my heart swelled in pride whenever I looked at Bryan, he was mine, I was his and it was all I ever wanted to be.

The Friday after our talk, I spent the rest of the night sobbing in my lover's arms until we drifted off into peaceful slumber. I felt so vulnerable, so raw and so real, nobody could invoke such powerful emotion in me as Bry could. God, I loved him so much.

Things were slowly returning to normal, the old normal before the assignment had started, the football season had been in full swing and I was enjoying the rush of actually playing again. I had Bryan to cheer for me when I played, I had Ash who surprisingly stuck to Jordan like velcro.

Bryan and I lived in the privacy of our comfort, for the time being. I had moments where my guilt decided to nag at me in the middle of the night, but worrying and overthinking was just a part of me that I couldn't shake. I was thankful that all uncertainty vanished from my clouded mind when I saw him.

I liked to play it safe in life, it was not a secret, I was terrified of taking risks, I was afraid to jump the gun, and let life do its thing. I was scared of what the world had to bring my way, I felt small and insignificant alone and it fueled my uncertainty, my doubt in everything I came across.

But some risks were worth taking. Some risks were worth dropping your inhibitions and letting go of the control you desired to have.

I found myself on a Friday a couple of weeks after cementing my fate with Bryan Clay. I looked around the stadium and saw the crowd cheering, it was the day the first match between East and West Aredale would take place. The crowd was always wild for these kinds of games, the cheers were almost deafening. The gave was organized on East grounds, we marched out onto the field in our heavy-duty football gear listening to our school's worn down anthem.

Today, I'd play against my lover. Today, I'd take risks.

My heartbeat was erratic in my chest when I saw Bryan Clay and the West march out behind his lead, helmet in hand, his stare fixated on me. Fire dancing in his beautiful eyes. For a moment I felt like I couldn't breathe, but I pushed forward, a smile was plastered on my face because I couldn't contain it. 

We had a tradition in the East stadium, one of respect. The captains always shook hands before the game could begin, it was a tradition I was grateful I could uphold in this case. I faced my boyfriend with a stern, confident gaze. All the cheers from the crowd went silent as I stepped towards Bry.

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I took Bryan's hand with a firm gripped and pulled him forward. Before he knew it, our lips connected. Just like that, it was out in public, it was made known that Bryan Clay was the one I pined for. Today, rivals became lovers.

Today, I had taken the biggest risk of my life.

And it paid off.

I pulled away from the kiss before we forgot about the world and got carried away and smiled at him, ignoring our surroundings. "Through thick and thin?"

Bryan's eyes were wide, filled with surprise and residual lust, cheeks flushed and lips parted. I wanted to go in for seconds but I had to resist, we had over a hundred pairs of eyes watching our every move, watching our legacy. "Through thick and thin." He beamed.

I pressed my forehead against when an idea popped into my head. "Say, Bryan. The winner of the game tops tonight?" I smirked.

His eyes darkened and a corner of his mouth lifted at my proposition. "You're going to be walking funny tomorrow, just a warning." He chuckled darkly.

"Cocky are we?" I squeezed his hand one last time before letting go and put my helmet on, Bryan mimicked my movements and soon we were ripped from our little safety bubble only to be met by cheers of both young and old alike. I had a feeling Bryan and me would be a news story in the local Aredale paper.

With the sound of the whistle, the game began. Bryan played with the ferocity of an animal, he was unchained. He played rough, did anything to get the win, it was a sight to behold. I tried my best to keep up but he had a goal in mind, a passion that I rarely ever saw in him. This was my boyfriend, this was the love of my life.

This was my Bryan Clay.

Bryan Clay ended up singlehandedly crushing East Aredale with three goals and a shit-eating grin on his face. The crowd was mesmerized by his drive, so was I. It was something out of a romance novel, it's like we had our happy ending and a healthy beginning.

We were free to do whatever we wanted, the cat was out of the bag, the weight was lifted off of our shoulders and nobody cared. We were liberated from hiding in the shadows, trying to play the friend's card which had been increasingly more difficult to pull off every day. Bryan empowered me in every way, the world deserved to know that and the NFL should know that. Because I was coming for the prize.

It was time to play rough.

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