Offside

Nicole just lay on her back, trying to catch her breath as I basked in the glory that was my Rumple, post-orgasm.

She was fucking beautiful.

“Told ya,” I snickered.

She punched me in the shoulder, and I pretended it was hard enough to hurt, but I couldn’t stop smiling. I rolled onto my side and propped myself up with my elbow so I could look down at her.

“You’re very proud of yourself, aren’t you?” Nicole said. She squished her lips together in a vain attempt to hide her smile.

“Most definitely,” I replied. I ran the tip of one finger over the edge of her shoulder and down her arm. “You were beautiful. You are beautiful.”

She wound her fingers into my hair and started pushing it behind my ear. I smiled again, closed my eyes, and thoroughly enjoyed the recap of the day.

I heard the car door slam, and the little bubble that had been around me for the last week burst at the sound.

“Thomas!”

“In here, Dad.”

The thump of the suitcases in the foyer echoed around the house. Dad came around the corner and entered the kitchen, carrying a bottle of water and a paper bag from some fast food joint. He dumped the trash in the garbage can and looked me over.

“You run this morning?”

“Yep.” I had gone for a run too—with Nicole. She was quick, but I still had to slow it down so she could keep up with me.

“Time?”

“Five-fifty,” I lied.

“Good! Game last night?”

“Shut out.”

“Yeah!” He raised his hand up in the air, and I high-fived him. “You make sure you keep that up for next weekend, got it?”

“Definitely.”

“Wayne Messini’s flight doesn’t arrive until a little later than I thought. They won’t get here until right before the game starts, so you won’t be meeting them until afterwards. You make sure you’re on your best game, got it?”

“Yep.”

He took a step toward me, and I tensed but stood my ground. He brought up a single finger and poked me in the forehead.

“Focus,” he said. “No distractions.”

I nodded.

He dropped his hand and took a step back, tilting his head to the side.

“Did you get laid?”

He turned and went to the fridge.

“Yeah,” I said. It was sort of true.

“Dump her?”

“Um…not yet.”