Beyond the Team (Out of Reach 4)

Wordlessly, we both strip out of our clothes and climb under the covers. We lie facing each other without a sliver of room between our naked bodies. I want to tell him that I’m falling hard, but it’s too soon for that. Instead, I rest my head on his chest and listen to the rhythm of his thundering heartbeat.

“Call me every day,” he says, his voice cracking. “Text me whenever you want. If I’m at practice or a game, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I want to know everything that happens in your life. I want you to call and text me so much that I feel like I’m there. I don’t want to miss a single thing.”

“W-Will you do the same?”

“Yes.”

“And we can video call, right?”

“We can. We’ll have to sit down one night to figure out our schedules and plan times to video call. And I want to come and see you as soon as I can get away.”

“I can come back too. If I have a break.”

“We’re going to make this work, Peyton. There is no other option.”

“There is. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”

He stiffens. “I’ve waited all this time for you, so no way in hell am I letting you slip through my fingers. I’m not afraid of the work. I’m a D1 college athlete with a double major. Work is my middle name.”

“That’s different. Those are your hopes and dreams. Your goals for life.”

“And this is my heart. You are my heart.”

I suck in a breath. “Griffin…” His name is a whispered plea.

“You’re my girl, and as time passes and we grow closer, I know there is no way my heart won’t be invested,” he explains. “I’m not so sure it’s not already,” he adds quietly.

“I guess I should get some sleep. I still have to pack in the morning. It’s just… I don’t know if I can. Sleep, I mean.”

“Yeah, I don’t think sleep is in the cards for me tonight.”

“Tell me about you. Tell me everything. We have all night.”

“You willing to do the same?” he asks.

“Detail for detail,” I answer.

That’s how we spend the next several hours—talking about our childhoods, our love of sports and music. We talk more about food and family traditions for birthdays and holidays. We talk about so much that by the time four o’clock rolls around, I feel as if I’ve known him for years.

“You need to get some rest,” he says.

“I’ve always wondered what it felt like.”

“What’s that?” he asks, rubbing his hand up and down my spine.

“To lie skin to skin with someone.”

“It’s better than I imagined,” he replies. “Then again, maybe it’s the someone who makes all the difference.”

“You’re definitely my someone.”

“Get some rest,” he says. I feel his lips press to the top of my head.

Although I want to fight it, we both need to sleep. As it stands, it’s already only going to be a few short hours. I close my eyes, and the exhaustion weighs heavily as I start to drift off to sleep. It’s Griffin’s, “Fuck, I’m going to miss you,” and his soothing touch that lulls me to sleep.

I don’t want to do this.

We’re standing just inside the airport, my suitcase at my side and Griffin at the other. My sister said goodbye to Holden at the hotel to avoid the media circus that was sure to follow him. She’s standing off to the side, giving us time.

“I need to go.” The words taste sour on my tongue.

“I know,” he says, his chin resting on top of my head. “I know you do, but I don’t want to let go.”

“You have to.”

“I don’t know how this happened, Peyton. I don’t know how I got attached to you in such a short amount of time, but I feel like someone is reaching into my chest and yanking out my heart.”

“We don’t have to do this. If it’s too hard, we can step back from all of it.”

“Fuck that.” He pulls back and bends his knees so we are eye to eye. “I’m not backing away from you. Not now, and probably not ever. It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to suck, but I know we can do this. I know we can.”

“Okay.”

“Tell me you know we can do this, Peyton.”

“We can do this.” I say the words, but I’m not so sure that they’re true. I want to believe that we can, but I know we’re young, and distance is hard.

“I miss you already.” He rests his forehead against mine.

“I have to go.”

“Come on.” He pulls away, but I stop him.

“We should part ways here.”

“What? No. I can walk with you to security.”

“It’s going to hurt no matter where we say goodbye, Griffin.”

He nods, a solemn look on his face. “Then I better make this good,” he says, pulling me behind a small pillar. “It’s going to be a while before I get to kiss these lips.” Bending, he places his hands on the back of my thighs and lifts me. On instinct, I wrap my arms and legs around him as his lips find mine.