Page 70 of Your Play to Call
I walk into the kitchen to see Willow dancing at the stove. I don’t think she heard me come in.
“Boo!” I yell when she’s nowhere near the hot pan.
“AH!” she screams and steps back a bit before busting out laughing. “Don’t do that!”
“How was shopping?” I ask her, knowing she had a date with my mom today.
“It was fun! I also went to knitting club. I’m not very good at it but it’s awfully soothing.” She laughs and points to a ball of yarn on the coffee table in the living room.
Mom has made her stance on Willow clear. She loves her. Like, can’t get enough of her. I know they’ve gotten lunch a few times plus this shopping adventure. It’s the sweetest fucking thing.
“What’s going on in here?” I step closer to the stove to see a pan of shrimp and scallops. My mouth waters at the garlicky smell.
“You mentioned you were craving seafood, and I felt like cooking. I hope it’s okay I took over your kitchen.”
“You’re always welcome to cook in here. Especially anything that smells this good.” I waft the steam from the pan and breathe in. On the counter is a salad and a bowl of something that looks like rice.
“It’s orzo. A little butter and parmesan cheese. Matches perfectly with the shrimp and scallops,” she says like she’s reading my mind.
I stand behind her, lean my head down into the crook of her neck, and wrap her up as she continues to cook. I soak in the sound of the pan, the music, and the bustling of Willow cooking me dinner.
We’re about to kickoff. I know this game will be a grind and we’re not favored to win. Technically, we’re predicted to get our asses handed to us. Nothing like a little extra fuel for the guys.
It’s the end of September and the air is cooler with the promise of fall. The Jumbotron starts showing celebrities and other athletes in attendance. I jump around a bit, keeping my muscles loose. And then the crowd is cheering. Loud.
I look up to see Willow. Wearing my jersey. It’s not just a Cosmos blue top, it’s my number on the front. She’s in the suite, and I can see my mom clapping as Willow waves and then covers her eyes like she’s embarrassed.
I can’t help but smile.
Some of the other guys give me fist bumps, hit my helmet, and it’s like the energy has kicked up a notch.
Zack claps me on the back. “Tripp, we gotta go off on these guys today. Your girl’s wearing your jersey. Doesn’t get better than that.”
“Let’s fucking go.”
The game wasn’t evenclose. The opposing team’s quarterback threw four interceptions in the first half and got benched, while my quarterback was on fire. Coach even let us call a trick play which set our quarterback up for a 52 yard touchdown pass, caught by yours truly.
We’re undefeated. Fuck, it feels good. I’m wrapping up with a press conference before getting back to Willow.
“Tripp, looks like you caught a glimpse of Willow before kick-off. They showed it on the broadcast. Anything you want to share?"
I always underestimate how much people care about this. Not surprising that they tried to get a shot of me when they were showing her. Smart.
“Just that she looks damn good in Cosmos blue.”
Reporters laugh and I know I’ve given them enough.
I walk out to Willow and my mom. Willow is easy to spot in my jersey, gray tights, black skirt, and thigh-high boots.
“Where did you get this?” I ask, pointing to her outfit.
“Your mom and I went shopping this week. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I pull her into my chest and kiss the top of her forehead.
“Definitely surprised.”
“Tripp! Look. You’re going viral.” My mom shows a video on her phone. It’s me when I see Willow, what the reporter was alluding to. The video is on a social media app and already has millions of likes and hundreds of thousands of comments.