10. Addison

For the second time,I woke up with Callum in my arms.

This time, he was draped over my chest, his arm around my waist, his head on my shoulder. If I didn”t know any better, it would seem like we fell asleep cuddling, but I was still positioned how I had been, with my leg carefully propped up on a pillow.

He must have rolled over for a snuggle in the middle of the night without meaning to.

How freaking adorable.

I could so get used to sharing a bed with him.

I”d been a bit lonely for a while now. If I was being honest, maybe even a little bit touch starved. I”d noticed that sometimes I went out of my way to pat the guys on the shoulders, nudge them, give them high fives. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing creepy, but I knew that it was more for me than them sometimes and right now, with Callum peacefully asleep in my arms, his warmth seeping through our thin clothes, something was soothed within me.

I didn”t want it to end.

Instead, I tilted my head slightly into his hair and shut my eyes. God he smelled nice. Soft, like fresh, warm laundry…

This was a bad, dangerous and outright stupid thing for me to let myself have. We”d just become proper friends. I didn”t want to jeopardize that.

But I didn”t want to let him go, either. In fact, there was no way I could.

It had been a hell of a month and God help me, I was going to let myself have this.

I relaxed, lost in the sound, and feel of Callum breathing against me until my leg unfortunately started to throb again. It was more uncomfortable than painful, like there was too much pressure and nowhere for it to go in there, but the discomfort was escalating quickly, and I knew pretty soon it was going to start hurting like a bitch.

Trying my best not to dislodge Callum, I reached to my bedside table for the bottle of pills, managed to get one out with my free hand and then grabbed my water bottle to take a swig.

There was no way for Callum to sleep through that and sadly, our cuddle ended with him mumbling sorry and rolling away.

I was disappointed, but let it go because it wasn”t real. It was just another sleepy accident.

As far as I knew, Callum wasn”t seeing anyone. Maybe he was just as lonely as I was, and a warm body was a warm body in the middle of the night.

The pills got me sleepy again, but there was no time to deal with that.

We had a flight to catch.

Unfortunately, it turned out that weweren”tseated next to each other. We were both in business class but there probably hadn’t been many seats left when they’d booked for us.

Callum was a few rows behind me, so I couldn”t even see him unless I got up to go to the washroom, but I was avoiding having to walk like it was the plague.

I was paying hard for yesterday’s stroll and wouldn”t be doing that again for a while.

Even with Callum”s help, getting through the airport was still a struggle.

I was too exhausted to talk much on the way home, but when we pulled up to my front door and he moved to hop out of the car and help me, I waved him off.

“I”m good,” I told him.

He didn”t look convinced but didn”t argue.

“You may as well keep my car,” I told him, and his brows shot up.

“What? No, I can”t.”

“Why?” I asked, smiling through the pain. “It”s not like I can drive it. And you said you”d be my chauffeur, right?”

“Something like that,” he chuckled.

“Great. I”ll call you when I need a ride somewhere.”

For a moment, we just looked at each other. Then I realized he was probably waiting for me to get out, but I didn”t want to yet.

“I want to take you for dinner,” I said suddenly. “On me.”

He arched a brow.

“You”re already giving me your car.”

“Loaning it,” I corrected, grinning. “Come on. We said we”d go over everything together. We can go for food, then come back to my place and talk. Make a date out of it.”

I didn”t know why I”d added that. Maybe the medication was making my lips loose.

Callum looked away for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah, okay. Let me know when.”

My heart lifted and for a split second, I wanted to lean across and kiss his full lips because itreally felt likehe was saying yes to a date. A real one.

Instead, I forced myself to pull open my door.

It took effort to get vertical on one leg, but I managed, and grabbed my bag and crutches, knowing that Callum was watching to make sure I could do it without his help.

“I”ve never seen you like that,” Coach said by way of greeting.

I grimaced.

“I know.”

There was no way I could argue, and I knew that. I”d watched the game. I’d seen just how badly I”d played. It was a wonder that he”d left me on the field for as long as he had.

“What happened?” he asked.

I looked up at him, still unsure how to answer that.

He”d ended up coming to my house for this meeting, accompanied by Mariah, the stern Latina woman who worked as one of the team’s publicists.

I glanced over at her.

Coach Oliveira was perched on the edge of an armchair, his dark eyes piercing me. Mariah stood silently behind him, looking sympathetic. Together, they were an intimidating sight. It was like they were my parents waiting to hear my excuse so they could decide my punishment.

“There has to be a reason my QB choked last weekend,” Coach pressed.

Callum”s support was fresh in my mind so I forced myself to explain as much as I could.

“I have a stalker,” I finally said. “He”d sent me some messages about watching me just before we started, and it freaked me out. I thought he was there.”

Clearly, whatever they had been expecting, it wasn’t that.

There was a long silence and then the two of them exchanged a look.

“Are you joking?” Coach asked slowly.

I swallowed, catching the anger in his voice.

“Afraid not.”

He pushed to his feet and started pacing before turning around to face me.

“Why didn”t you say anything Addison?” he demanded.

I shook my head, ashamed.

“I got used to dealing with this on my own a long time ago,” I admitted.

His lips tightened into a thin line.

“Well, that stops today.”

My eyes widened.

“There are security measures we can take.”

“He won’t get into the stadium,” Mariah agreed.

“And for the press conference?” Coach asked her.

“Play it down,” Mariah suggested. “Maybe we can say that he wasn”t feeling well, and we pushed him? And Addison is such a hard worker he didn’t complain?”

Coach nodded thoughtfully.

“Take the blame off of Addison. I like it. And in the meantime, I want you at practices. You can still work out without being on your feet. When you get back on the field in November, you”ll have to kill it.”

I nodded eagerly.

“Done. I”ll work hard.”

“I know you will.”

He gave me a long look.

“Just try to stay out of the limelight until then.”

I nodded, moved that they both had my back so quickly. I should have known they would, that I wasn’t alone, but sometimes it took being reassured before you could trust. I was so glad that Callum had done that for me.

Talking to them made everything feel better going into the rest of the week.

It was frustrating not being able to run with the guys, but I still got to do weights and stretches. And on the flip side, I got to watch a lot more than I usually did.

Not surprisingly, most of my attention was on Callum. Especially on the way that he worked with the other guys.

Now that he knew them better and had been in a game with them, it was like he was taking it more seriously. His focus was admirable and the way he interacted was too.

He was all business when it came down to it.

After practice, I waited on the benches, chatting with Coach who was going over what we were going to say at the press conference. Mariah had emailed out something like a loose script. Bullet points of things to say and not say.

“Show how confident you are when you talk about being back soon. Don”t let them speculate about how bad it is,” he was saying by the time Callum emerged from the changing rooms ready to go.

“And you,” Coach Oliveira added without pausing. “You”re ready to show the country what you”ve got, and the entire team supports you, right?”

Callum grimaced.

“What, you don”t think so?” he asked at Callum’s expression.

He shook his head quickly.

“I do. Everyone”s been great. I just don”t think anyone”s going to be so happy to hear I”m replacing Addison for a while.”

“They will be after our next game,” Coach said kindly. “Now go. You have about thirty minutes to be there.”

Callum didn”t say anything until we were walking away.

“Why do we have to be there so early?” he asked.

“That seems to be how all the live TV stuff works. Everyone is there in advance so there are no delays. Sometimes we can sneak in at the last minute, but people get annoyed. They have to hook up microphones and test things.”

I shrugged.

“Doesn”t bother me. I don”t have anything else to do.”

Callum didn”t say anything, and he remained quiet as we went to the location of the press conference.

It wasn”t until we were about to walk up onto the podium in front of all the cameras and all the reporters that I realized just how nervous he was.

He was sweating and his hands were shaking.

I reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him at the last moment.

“I”m with you,” I said.

He paused and looked at me, frowning.

“What?”

“You”re not alone,” I clarified. “They just want to know what”s next for the season... And if you can”t think of an answer, I”ll jump in for you.”

He stared at me for a moment and then visibly relaxed.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“Go on,” one of the PAs said, finally noticing that we”d stopped.

Callum walked in ahead of me and took his spot at the table. I followed.

As soon as I was visible, hobbling across the stage, there was applause from the audience.

I grinned and waved.

“Yes,” I said upon taking my seat. “I”m standing.”

There was an array of clapping and laughter.

We began almost at once and the questions were exactly what we’d thought they”d be.

“How long will you be in a cast?”

“Will you be able to play again this season?”

“What are the plans for the team moving forward?”

“Mr. Jones, are you ready to take over?”

Callum didn”t answer immediately. I glanced over as he opened his mouth, an answer on the tip of his tongue that didn”t seem to be coming.

It was only a momentary hesitation, but I knew all the cameras could be intimidating. His gaze flickered in my direction and that was all the prompting I needed.

“If I had given him any warning before letting myself get trampled, he would have been more than ready last weekend,” I said, smiling. “As it was, I think he handled jumping in like that pretty damn well considering it was his first NFL game.”

I winced internally, knowing I had shifted the questions even more into his alley. But hell, he”d have to speak sometime.

“How do you feel going into your first NFL season?” someone asked. This time, Callum was ready.

“Good,” he said confidently. “I have complete faith in the team and I”m looking forward to what we”re going to accomplish together.”

Perfect.

I watched, delighted as he handled a few more questions that were thrown at him before the attention turned to Coach Oliveira who had enough experience to look completely at ease as he discussed the shift in plans for the season.

After it was all over, Callum practically glowed with pride.

“That wasn”t so bad,” he said.

“You did great I told him.”

We were walking back to the car when he stopped, eying my leg.

“What is it?” I asked.

He bit his lip.

“Well, we never went for that dinner,” he said. “If you”re not too tired, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat?”

I nodded eagerly.

“Yes, please. I”m starving.”

We ended up in a steakhouse downtown and I ordered the biggest burger on the menu plus sides because I really was starving. You didn”t stay over two hundred and ten pounds without eating, even at six-four.

Callum was with me, ordering a steak with all the fixings.

“I know we”re supposed to be talking football,” he said after a few minutes of silence.

“No,” I agreed. “Can”t talk. Eating.”

His phone started ringing again, so he pulled it out, looked at the screen then silenced it. After a minute it started vibrating.

He ignored it until it started for a third time, and then he just cracked up laughing.

“Oh man, they”re not going to stop until I answer them.”

“Go ahead,” I said, guessing it was his family.

I watched, amused as he answered the phone and immediately started laughing harder.

“You saw?”

I could hear the squealing of multiple voices from across the table.

“I know, I know. I”m famous now.”

He was swiftly turning bright red, but he looked so happy that I couldn”t help smiling along with him.

“Put them on speaker,” I said.

He pulled the phone away from his ear, hitting the speaker button just as a woman, who I assumed was his mother went on about how handsome he looked on TV.

“The camera loves you, Cal. You”re going to get so many girls ringing on your door!”

“I hope not,” he chuckled. “That would be a bit creepy if they found my address.”

“What was it like?” another voice said. This one sounded young. Probably a sibling, I guessed. “Was it scary?”

“He handled it like a champ,” I said, jumping in.

There was a silence and then a man spoke.

“Who is that?”

“It”s Addison, Dad. Addison Kelly. We”re having dinner?—”

His words were drowned out as his mother squealed again and his dad attempted to introduce himself.

“This is so weird!” his little sister exclaimed, and Callum lifted the phone to his lips so they would hear him.

“We”re eating in a restaurant!” he said. “I”ll call you later!”

He hung up while they were still saying bye, shaking his head and laughing.

“They are too much,” he said.

“They seem great,” I argued. “I love how excited they are for you. That”s how family should be.”

He shrugged, still blushing.

“Are your family like that?” he asked.

“They were. Now they”re supportive in a more laid-back way. They come to almost every home game.”

“Will I meet them next weekend then?” he asked.

“Maybe, yeah,” I said thoughtfully. “I”ll see if they can come. I”ll actually be able to watch the game with them this time. That”ll be weird.”

Callum polished his mashed potatoes before speaking again and when he did, he wouldn”t look at me.

“Do your family know?” he asked, concentrating on his food, his voice light. “You know, about the thing you were telling me in Jacksonville?”

The way he phrased it, like he was trying so hard to be “politically correct” or something made it clear he”d been dying to ask.

“About my stalker?” I asked. “Yeah, they know. I was still living at home when it started.”

Callum winced.

“That must have been hard... have you heard from him since last weekend?”

I shook my head.

“You were right to block his new number. He hasn”t come near me in years. He was probably off his medication for a bit or something. There were threats before, but he never hurt me. He just freaked me out, found ways to get into my head and shake me up a bit. I shouldn”t have let him get to me this time.”

Callum frowned.

“I saw those messages too,” he reminded me. “It would be hard to not think he was going to do something.”

“He didn”t need to,” I said, grimacing. “In the end, I hurt myself on my own just fine without his assistance. He probably wasn”t even there. He was probably at home watching on his TV, laughing.”

I chuckled but Callum didn”t seem to find it very funny.

He frowned and pushed what was left of his food around on his plate, thinking.

“To be honest, when I asked if your family knew, I was actually asking about the other thing.”

“Other thing?”

“Does your family know?” he repeated, still skirting around the topic.

“About me being gay?” I guessed quietly.

It wasn”t a dirty word, and I didn”t think that”s what he thought, but it sounded like he couldn”t bring himself to say it, and that made me feel a little sick.

“Yeah,” he agreed, finally voicing it. “Do they know you”re gay? Does anyone?”

As soon as he forced the word out without any disdain or disgust, I felt better. Maybe it was just something he needed to get used to.

“They know,” I said. “But just them.”

“Why though?” he asked curiously. “I”m sure no one would mind. Cooper”s out.”

“I know. It”s not that...”

I thought about what to say for a while before sighing and spreading my hands in surrender.

“I was on the verge of coming out back in high school. Then all the stuff with Ari just took the wind out of my sails... it felt like I should keep it to myself after that. It”s something I don”t want to make a big deal over anymore. I don”t want to have to talk about it all the time... if I ever get a boyfriend, I”d like to just have him on my arm without there being a big announcement, you know?”

His frown deepened.

“I”m making you talk about it now,” he realized aloud. “I”m so sorry.”

“No,” I said, suddenly feeling like an asshole. “It”s okay if it”s you. You can ask me anything.”

He bit his lip—a habit he really needed to stop doing in front of the man with a major crush on him. It just made me think about kissing and biting him.

“So... you”re not seeing anyone?” he asked—and he really had to stop looking at me like he was interested out of more than just vague curiosity.

I swallowed. I must be misreading that look.

“I”m not seeing anyone,” I finally said.

A magnetic charge passed between us. I could feel it, I wondered if Callum could too. Surely, if he had even the slightest bent bone in his body, he would recognize the electric current when our eyes met.

“Why?” he asked, smiling wryly. “Youcould get anyone.”

He had to be doing this on purpose.

I wanted to reach across the table and put my hand over his where it was resting.

What if I want you? was on the tip of my tongue, but maybe Callum realized what was happening between us, because he straightened, suddenly looking cagey.

“I”ll be right back,” he said, and got up, heading in the direction of the washroom.

I watched him go, my entire body hot with interest.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I had to reign myself in.

It didn”t seem like Callum was trying to get with me or anything. A bit of flirting could just happen sometimes, even with straight guys.

Although it was hard to pretend the look in his eyes had been anything other than intense attraction.