Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

Elsie

After driving around San Francisco in her rental car for nearly an hour, Elsie finally pulled into the parking lot of The Bandit's training stadium. She wasn't used to spending time in such a big city and it had taken her forever to find it. Luckily, the three gas stations she'd stopped at had very helpful people working there who were happy to point her in the right direction even when her GPS said otherwise.

Elsie's plane had landed the evening before and she'd spent most of the night pacing her hotel room. She'd considered calling Oliver at least a hundred times, but talked herself out of it each time. Finally, she'd gone to sleep, with the decision that she'd just show up at his practice the following day and see his reaction. Now, as she walked across the parking lot, she wondered if that was the right choice. Her palms were sweaty and anxiety burned in her chest.

Calm down, Elsie, she told herself. It'll be fine, no matter what happens.

It didn't cost anything to get in, since pre-season training was free to watch. Elsie stepped into the stadium. The sound of the small crowd talking and clapping filled the halls, as she made her way toward the seating area. There were a surprising amount of people in the stands, all wearing orange and red to support the team. She spotted an empty seat a few rows back from the front, and squeezed her way over everyone's feet until she made it there. As soon as she sat down, she looked straight ahead.

Covering the perfectly trimmed grass were at least forty football players, many of them wearing full gear and

helmets. Scattered among them were the coaches, dressed in orange polo shirts. They were blowing their whistles and calling out plays for the men to run. Elsie scanned the field, looking for Oliver. It didn't take long to find him. He wasn't wearing a helmet and his blonde hair reflected the sun.

She exhaled as a wave of excitement filled her. It had only been a few days since she'd seen him, but laying eyes on Oliver again made her tingle all over. It was a sign that she'd made the right decision in coming there.

“Lance, I was to see you throw that slant route again.” One of the coaches jogged up to Oliver. “This time, send the ball to Smith as soon as he's open. Even if Harris looks like he's not being defended, don't break the play. Run the route.”

“Sure thing, Coach,” Lance replied.

Where Elsie sat, she could hear everything. It was much different than it would have been during a real game, with tens of thousands of people all shouting and screaming at the top of their lungs. For the most part, the crowd was quiet, with just the occasional clapping and chatter. It allowed for Elsie to hear everything that was said on the field.

She relaxed into her chair, watching as Oliver signaled for the center to snap the ball. He took a few steps back, waiting for his receiver to get open. As soon as he had the shot, Ollie threw the ball. It whipped out of his hand, spiraling perfectly toward the open man. It made a slapping sound as it landed in the receiver's hands.

“Yes, like that,” the coach said, patting Ollie on the back. “Good job. That's the kind of route we need to run if our opponent keeps blitzing us. It'll throw them off every time.”

Oliver nodded, pushing his blonde hair across his forehead. He was sweaty and looked sexier than ever. Elsie thought he looked even better in his football uniform than he had in his cowboy outfit on the night of their first date. It suited him in a way the country clothing didn't.

As Ollie continued to run plays, Elsie just smiled and watched from her little spot on the bleachers. It didn't even bother her that she was wedged between two overweight guys, one eating hot dogs and the other stuffing nachos in his mouth. Her heart swelled with every minute that passed, as she watched Oliver do his thing on the field. Just knowing that he was close made her feel a little better.

She was also happy to see him moving around so well. He'd run and stop, then spin around to avoid a tackle. It seemed as though he was coming along quite nicely with the final stages of his recovery. In fact, if she hadn't known better, it would be nearly impossible to tell that he was ever injured at all.

It was fun to watch. Over the course of their getting to know each other, Elsie had heard many football stories from Oliver. But getting to actually see him play the game was eye opening. He was good. Really good. He threw the football so hard that it was just a brown blur across her vision, until it stopped into his receiver's hands. He'd put the ball wherever the coach told him to, with the accuracy of a Marine sniper. She was starting to see why he was idolized by so many. There was talent inside of him that was most certainly of the rarest kind.

A half hour went by, but it seemed like only a few seconds. The next thing Elsie knew, coach was blowing his whistle and telling the team to take a break. Her heart jumped up into her throat as the football players took off their helmets and started walking toward the stands. She kept her eyes locked on Ollie, feeling her pulse pounding in her ears as he neared.

A few people in the front row got up and approached Oliver, squealing with excitement. Elsie stood up from her seat and lifted her hand in the air, gently waiving. It was enough to catch Ollie's attention. He glanced up and as soon as he saw Elsie, he dropped his helmet to the ground at his feet. His lips curled into the widest smile she'd ever seen.

“Elsie!” he shouted, pushing through the crowd that surrounded him. “Oh, my God.”

Oliver ran to the stands and then up the stairs. Elsie stepped over the robust man to her right, causing the second half of his hot dog to spill from his hand and to the ground.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I'll buy you another one. Sorry.”

She didn't even stop to pick it up, she just continued climbing over everyone until she got to the stairs. Ollie skipped three steps at a time, making his way toward her as fast as he could. They nearly collided at the end of the aisle. They gazed at each other for a moment. It was as though Oliver couldn't believe his eyes.

“Elsie,” he said, in the middle of catching his breath.

“Hi,” she replied. “I was in the neighborhood.”

Oliver laughed, then pulled her in for a hug.

“God, I missed you,” he said.

“I missed you, too.” Elsie closed her eyes as he held her close. He hugged her so tightly. It felt like he never wanted to let her go.

“I can't believe you're here right now,” he said. “Am I dreaming? Please don't tell me I'm actually knocked out on the field and this is all some post-concussion illusion.”

Elsie laughed, as she looking up at him. “No, it's real. I found myself missing you so much. I know we said that we'd go our separate ways, but I just couldn't move forward. I've spent the last couple of days pacing around, trying to decide what to do. So, here I am.”