It really had hurt when I strolled onto the football field that morning, high on my own affection for Drake. I spotted him among his teammates, and the sight of him genuinely made me happy. But when he ignored me the first time, I simply assumed he was concentrating on practice.
I did not want the same thing to happen with Felix, me strolling onto the football field on a fateful morning and him ignoring me like the plague. It really hurt what Drake did to me, and maybe it would be best for me to be a bit more careful with Felix.
But it had been such a long time since I had been with a man. Maybe a little compromise might go a long way in guaranteeing my happiness.
I lay there on the couch, trying to maintain my focus on the weather channel, but the success of the day was still in my head. I dozed off on my couch, the thoughts of Felix refusing to go away.
Chapter Seven – Felix
There was strange electricity in the air the day after the dinner dates.
At practice, Coach Kramer was looking for everybody to give their best, urging all players forward. When I entered the locker room, it was still early morning, and temperatures were freezing, but everybody was already suiting up.
“It’s good to see you, Felix. Get in here!” boomed Coach Kramer’s voice.
Everybody was psyched up because the Super Bowl game was coming up, and it would make or break the entire team. Everybody wanted to bring their A-game, and everybody wanted a win for the Leviathans.
As we went through our routines, different team members came up to me, asking me how my matchup went. Everybody had noticed that I had chosen Mandy for myself, and they wanted to find out if I had managed to get past second base.
“Hey, I saw you last night, Felix.”
“C’mon, man, tell us what happened with Mandy?”
“Did you have fun?”
The questions were endless, but I kept my lips shut. “I’m not going to kiss and tell on this one, guys.”
The last thing Coach Kramer wanted to hear in his training session was his players still chasing after skirt. After approving a pre-Valentine’s dinner in which we were all supposed to get our heads straight, he was not going to tolerate any romantic talk on the field.
The previous night had been a good one. Most of the guys really did enjoy themselves, and the hook-ups worked out just fine. Coach had every reason to be upset with anyone who did not bring their all to the field. He made it loud and clear that anybody caught chasing after skirt would be benched for the big game. So, when he caught the guys bugging me, his anger was understandable.
“Felix,” he yelled, “Are you gossiping on my field?”
I stood straight and faced him. “No, sir.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and observed us all. “I do not want to hear any talk about girls as long as we are training. This is the big game we are coming up to. The only game. I need your maximum concentration.”
Being benched was a horror for anybody on the team. Nobody wanted to sit out the big day. Everybody wanted to participate, so the whispering and chats soon dissipated.
“Do you hear me, Cupid?” Coach taunted me.
“I’m good, sir. Women are the farthest thing from my mind.”
Some of my teammates snickered, but I got right down to business, ignoring any further conversations. Coach nodded and walked away.
It took a while to settle into my regular training routine amid the distractions from my teammates. However, in truth, I was still thinking about Mandy. There was a strange way in which she evoked feelings deep inside me that I had always been afraid of. For once, I felt that if I was going to commit to anybody, it would have to be her. Despite my long history of being a player and seemingly using the women I was with, I started believing that Mandy was special.
I didn’t want to mess things up with her, which was why I was not going to kiss and tell with my teammates. I wanted her to see me as an adult, an actual loving boyfriend, and completely dispel the notion that all I could be was a womanizer.
I was embarrassed about my past at that point because I never thought I would develop such deep feelings for Mandy. She really was wonderful to the extent that my teammates had now noticed.
The sense of excitement in the locker room and later on the field was palpable. I hoped that it would bring us to a victory. We had worked hard for the past couple of months, and it was only justified that our efforts be rewarded.
***
Later that evening, after a couple of hours of training with the team and enjoying lunch together, I spoke with Mandy. We agreed to meet up for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. I had been thinking about her the entire day, so it would be great to finally be alone with her.