27. Chapter 21

Shawn, the team Physical Therapist, pretty much gave me a clean bill of health. And even though I still need to see Doc tomorrow for the final verdict, my shoulder is feeling really good. If everything goes well I'll be playing next Sunday instead of standing on the sidelines. The crowd roars as Michaels throws a dime to Shaw and he runs it in for a touchdown. I high five the guys around me and look up where Brie and Susie are sitting. I can't see them but I know they're cheering, and I smile.

Things with Brie have been going great. Finn is thrilled about the good press from #Briosh, and to be honest, so am I. It's nice to be talked about with a positive spin. But to be honest I'm really enjoying the time spent with Brie and I look forward to every chance I get to see her or talk.

Warmth spreads throughout my chest as I think about her wearing my jersey today. She promised. My heart rate accelerates and I feel my body vibrate. I tell myself it's just because the Mavericks are winning, but I know that's a very small part of what these feelings are about.

It's the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and we're up by ten. These are my favorite types of Sundays. The second stringers are in for the last plays. I walk over to the guys and celebrate the win with them.

"Next week, Josh." Michaels slaps me on the back. "You're back."

"We still have to see what Doc says." But I can't help but smile wide at his enthusiasm. I slap him on the shoulder and head over to Stevens. The offensive line was perfect.

"Josh," he yells when he sees me. He gives me a chest bump and a hug.

"Great game today," I say as we fist bump. "If you don't get nominated for the Pro-Bowl, it's rigged." He slaps my back and laughs.

"Well, that's obvious." He smirks and winks at me. "I'll see you in the locker room. I want to go talk to the offensive coordinator."

"You got it." I smile and turn to watch the end of the game. The guys on the field work just as hard as the first stringers and they deserve the accolades too. Even if the game is officially over.

"Josh," Darius yells. He gives me a high five. "How are you feeling? I heard that Shawn gave you a clean bill of health."

"Great game. The D was amazing!" I acknowledge his play first. "And yes, he did. I'll see the Doc first thing Monday."

"So is Brie in the stadium today with your jersey on?" My smile falters a bit, heat creeps up my face, and I clear my throat.

I playfully punch him in the arm. "Yes. She is." I smirk while he laughs at me.

"You got it bad, my friend." I shake my head slowly at him, unable to deny it. I do have it bad. I look forward to every moment I spend with her, every text, everything.

I look to the field and see our backup quarterback kneel right before the play clock hits zero. This is my favorite play of the game and the crowd is on fire. Game over. What a game.

I follow the guys out on the field as we meet up with the other players. Today we played the Jags. It's Adam's old team and his twin brother, Steve, still plays for them. I see the two of them exchanging jerseys, laughing. I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose to your brother being as competitive as I am. I guess when it's your twin and you've been competing your whole life it gets easier? I'll have to ask Adam about that later.

"Hey, Steve. Great game." I give him a pat on the shoulder and then turn to Adam. "But you, my friend, were magnificent." If not for the two different eye colors of these two I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Weirdly, Adam has blue eyes and Steve's are hazel brown.

"Hey Josh," Steve says as he gives me a slight push with his shoulder before pointing to his brother. "Everything he learned was from me."

Adam chuckles and smacks his brother playfully on the head. "He always tries to take credit when I win."

"Well, when you're playing offense against the best defender in the league you have a slightly unfair advantage." Steve winks and Adam laughs.

"Great seeing you, Steve. Adam, I'll catch up with you in the locker room."

"What's the rush, Owens? Meeting someone?" He teases and Steve chimes in.

"Oh yes. Wait! Tell me about this hashtag Briosh thing. Do you think she would consider me, once she dumps you? She's pretty cute." I'm surprised when a sudden urge to punch the joking look off Steve's face pops up.

Whoa. He's only joking with you.

I take a deep breath and notice Adam's chest starting to rumble at my response.

"Sorry man, but I'm not sure Brie is into players on the defensive side of the line." My voice is a bit sterner than I had intended and they both laugh at me.

Steve looks at his brother and chuckles. "Someone's got it bad." He points his finger in my direction.

"You're not kidding." Adam smirks as he looks at me. "I'm not sure I've ever seen this guy in as good of a mood before dating the first half of Briosh."

"Who thought that bread would be a cute nickname?" Steve rolls his eyes and Adam laughs.

"And that's my cue to leave." I throw my thumb over my shoulder toward the locker room. "Great game. See you in the locker room, Adam. Great seeing you again, Steve."

I hear the two of them laugh at me as I make a hasty retreat off the field and head to the locker room for all the post game activities. I quickly forget about their ribbing as my mind focuses on one thing.

Brie in my jersey.

There is nothing like a locker room filled with a bunch of grown men in professional sports after a win. The atmosphere is electric and the pranks are out of this world. I walk through the group of guys congratulating all of them on a game well played. I notice a few of them smirking at me and talking behind their hands as I leave. Something is up and I know that whatever it is, I'm going to be the butt of the joke.

I inwardly groan. What did these guys do?

You wouldn't believe the amount of creativity they have when it comes to needling a person, and honestly I'm a bit nervous to be on their hit list…again. When I finally get to my locker I see a folded t-shirt. I pick it up and burst out laughing.

"Really?" I shake my head at them holding up the shirt that has some brioche bread and a wheel of brie cheese with #Briosh on the back. "This is weak, kids. Weak. I know you can all do better than that!"

Johnson yells from somewhere. "You think that's all we've got? You just wait." Everyone laughs as I groan and shake my head. I love the camaraderie I have with my teammates but I do hate being the one on the receiving end.

I feel my stomach sour as I remember that I might be in a different locker room next year surrounded by a bunch of different guys. I shake it off and turn back to my locker. That's the game, I remind myself.

I'll have to talk to Adam about this and see what he went through when he was traded to the Mavs. Coach comes in and gathers us around for his post game talk. I get lost in the energy and let myself enjoy the moment of being here, now. There's no reason to worry about the things I can't control.

I look at the t-shirt again and laugh. Brie's face comes to mind and I feel my entire body vibrate. Before I can head out I need to wait for the press conferences to be done. It's one of the team rules. I talk with a few more of the guys about the game before heading to the showers. I may not have played but you still somehow end up smelling sweaty just by being around the guys on the field.

As I'm finishing up changing, I feel a slap on my back.

"Hey man." It's Adam. Even though we've only known each other a short time, he's become a good friend. "You okay? You look a bit off."

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking about the fact that I may not be here next season and it's making me contemplative." I shake my head and let out a low laugh.

He laughs at my word choice. "Been there. I'm not gonna lie, when I found out I was being traded I hated it. I was so angry. But this league is full of men just like us who get the game and the business. When you get to another team, the owners, GM and coach want you, and you get the white glove treatment. You quickly find out that the players feel the same."

I listen to every word he's saying, letting it fill me up. Not being re-signed would be my worst nightmare, but I can choose how I handle it.

"How did you feel leaving your brother?"

"Luckily, my parents made us go to different colleges." He laughs. "They knew that us playing together since we were eight years old, and being twins, would make it difficult to be apart and odds of us being signed on the same team were minimal. It made the trade easier."

"Thanks, man," I say sheepishly.

"Anytime, my friend. Now finish getting dressed. I know you have a pretty girl waiting for you wearing your name."

I block the towel he's trying to hit me with and laugh. I get dressed and ready to head out. When I start walking down the hallway toward the locker room exit door, my stomach flutters and my heart starts to race.

I open the door to find Susie and Brie standing in their usual spots. I briefly notice Adam talking to Susie, and have a moment of surprise that he got out here faster than I did. But my focus quickly shifts to the woman whose back is to me, showing off my name and number. She shifts and I can see the grin on her face from here and my mouth splits from ear to ear as I walk toward her.

The only thing I can think about is letting everyone in this place know that this woman is mine. I'm not thinking that this isn't real or that we're pretending, all I can feel is warmth spreading through my chest and my heart pounding, trying to escape the confines of my rib cage. Without thinking, I walk over to her and whisper in her ear.

"You look good wearing my name." She turns to me with her eyes sparkling and a hint of shyness.

"You think?" She asks sheepishly as I start to put my hand around her waist and pull her into me. Her eyes widen.

"Yeah," I say gruffly, and before I can stop myself I plant my lips on hers. I can feel her hesitation for a brief second before she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back. I pick her off of the ground and lose myself in the moment.

When I look into her eyes, I can see the same surprise that I'm feeling. The kiss the other night wasn't a one off, and I feel as befuddled now as I did then. I put her down and whisper, "Thank you."

She smiles at me shyly, an adorable blush creeping up her cheeks. "Of course. A deal is a deal."

"You two are getting very convincing," Susie whisper-laughs and we both roll our eyes at her.

"I'll talk to you later, Susie." Adam puts his hand on Susie's shoulder and she gives him a beaming smile. "Josh, Brie." He looks back at Susie and then heads off.

"What's that all about?" I ask my sister, who quickly changes the subject.

"Wanna talk about what I just saw here?" She gestures between Brie and I, but I quickly shift the topic again, not ready to talk about what just happened, cause even I know that wasn't staged.

"I asked you first," I say playing the game we used to play as kids. Susie's face turns crimson and I laugh. "Hmmm…didn't see that coming."

"How could you not?" Brie asks in mock surprise. "The two of them have been flirting since the first time they met each other. For someone who sees so much, sometimes you're completely blind."

"Hey, it's hard to keep up with my sister's love life." I shrug.

"Heeeeyy!" Susie punches me and I pretend like she actually hurt me. "That's not nice."

"Big brothers aren't supposed to be nice." I wink. "So tell me more about this. Any plans to be going out in the near future? Do I need to ask what his intentions are?"

"Josh," Brie and Susie say at the same time and then Brie starts dragging me to the car.

"Well?" I continue, enjoying both of their responses. "I need to know." They both laugh at me and ignore my question. Brie starts talking about some of the game highlights and I chuckle.

I'm not completely oblivious to Adam and Susie, but I guess I wasn't really paying attention. Looks like I need to have a slightly different conversation with my teammate.