Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

By the time she looked at the clock again, it was only five minutes until seven. She glanced out her apartment window, the one that looked over Main Street. In the past few days, all of the remaining winter show had melted. The streets were wet, but it was clear that summer was on the way. The changing season was a reminder of time passing. Soon, Oliver would be back home and her life would go back to the way it was before he arrived. She figured she'd continue treating her usual patients and things would exist as they always had. The status quo would appear untouched, just the way a small town like hers liked it.

With a sigh, she turned and walked to her living room. Taking a seat on the couch, she kicked her feet onto the coffee table. Before she could even take a breathe, her cell phone buzzed in the front pocket of her jeans. It was a text from Ollie that read, “Hey, I'll be there in less than a minute. Wanted to let you know. See you soon.”

She couldn't stop the excited smile from lighting up her face. She hopped up from her couch, suddenly more nervous than ever. After a few deep breaths to calm herself, she went to her mirror one last time to make sure she looked good. Her makeup, hair, lipstick and clothing was all in order.

Remember, Elsie, he's not your patient any more, she thought. Don't act all weird and awkward. Just go have fun.

A knocking came on her door and her eyes widened.

“He's here,” she whispered.

Elsie grabbed her purse and walked toward the front of her apartment. She paused for a second to collect herself, then opened it up the door. Oliver was standing at the top of the stairs, with his usual smile. He'd combed his hair back and shaved his face, making him look even more handsome than she'd ever seen him.

“Hi,” she said. “You found it.”

“I did.” Ollie stepped toward her. “It wasn't too hard, though. There's only one physical therapy clinic in town.”

Elsie laughed, giving him a once over. “I don't think I've ever seen you dressed up in anything but a t-shirt and workout shorts.”

“Oh, this?” Oliver rubbed his hands over his red and black, buttoned down plaid shirt. “Yeah, I didn't really have anything to wear tonight so I stopped by the country store. Turns out they have a lot of options for men's shirts. They have plaid, cotton plain, wool plaid and probably some other plaids that I've forgotten.”

“In that case, I think plaid was a wise choice. You look good,” she said, putting her purse over her shoulder. “A little bit country, but I suppose that's a good thing, given where we are.”

“Yeah, it's different, but I think I can pull off the look,” he said. “Did you happen to notice my shoes?”

Her eyes drifted downward, past Ollie's jeans and to his brand new cowboy boots. They were brown and shiny, and had obviously never seen a day of work.

“Oh, my gosh,” she said, putting her hand over her mouth and trying not to giggle. “You went all out.”

Oliver shrugged. “Hey, if you're going to do something, do it one hundred percent. That's what Coach always says, anyway.”

Elsie was surprised to see him dressed like that, but found herself liking it more than she should. He looked buff and masculine, like something out of an old cigarette ad in a magazine. He was like a young version of the Marlboro man. A legitimate cowboy. Although she knew he'd spent more time with his feet on perfectly trimmed grass than on country dirt.

“By the way, you look beautiful,” he said. “Thank you for letting me take you out.”

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. Her lips tingled and she found herself smiling like an idiot, lost in her crush for her quarterback date.

“Are you ready?” he asked. “This should be fun.”

Elsie closed her apartment door and locked it. “Yeah, I'm all set. Where are we going?”

“It's a surprise,” he said, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs.

“A surprise, huh?” she asked. “You can't even give me a hint?”

“Nope,” he said.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Elsie looked around. “Where did you park?”

Ollie chuckled and let out a sigh. “You're going to laugh.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What happened? Did Johnny not come through on letting you borrow his car?”

“Oh no, he came through,” Ollie said. “Only, he never specified 'car'. He'd said I could borrow his 'mode of transportation' which I had wrongfully assumed was a car. Turns out, the old man only owns a tractor.”

“You're kidding me,” she said, trying to hold back her laughter. Knowing Johnny, the old man had planned on this.

Oliver shook his head. “I'm not. I hope you don't mind that I'm picking you up for our date on a John Deere.”