Hal punches her playfully in her upper arm and her eyes turn to me. I smile at her but she looks straight at me, reluctant curiosity written all over her face.
"Jesse, meet my sister Olivia. Olivia this is Jesse Edison. Captain of the New York Giants, and my best friend."
I smile and extend my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Olivia. I doubt you even remember me. The last time I saw you was years ago and you were so little then. You’ve changed so much since I last saw you …"
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Edison ... I …"
"Please. Call me Jesse.”
"Jesse ..."
Her eyes are so beautiful I find myself getting lost in them and I lose my train of thought. I stand there, just standing and staring at her whilst Hal continues talking—about what, I’m not entirely sure. The way she looks at me fascinates me. It’s almost with … disdain. Usually, women are giddy with admiration but there wasn't any sign of that from Olivia. I find it slightly unsettling, and yet intriguing. I want to get to know this woman more. Find out what makes her tick.
I wonder what she’s thinking.
"Can we eat now?" Hal says, looking from me to her.
I study her throughout dinner as she and Hal reminisce about their time in the cabin over the years. I wish I could pry my eyes away, but I find myself staring at her. As they talk, she laughs and it fills the room. It’s a wonderful musical sound. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a beautiful sound before and I yearn to hear it again and again. As she chats, she involuntarily plays with her hair and tucks it behind one ear. Her cheeks flush with the wine and heat from the fire. And she's so articulate, bright and intelligent for her age. How old did Hal say she was again? 20? My God, she makes me feel alive.
She stands up now and begins tidying the plates away. Maybe if I offer to wash the dishes, I could spend more time with her in the kitchen.
"Hi!" she says, as she catches me watching her from the entrance of the kitchen.
"Hi. Do you mind if I help clean up. I can wash.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
I begin washing the dirty plates and cutlery. Meanwhile Hal is in the lounge watching TV.
"So, Jesse ... I’ve been meaning to ask you something since you got here …"
"Sure. What's up?"
"I work at Sportza … and … well …”
God, she’s even more fucking gorgeous when she’s nervous, biting her bottom lip like that. Wait. Am I making her nervous?
“Well, the truth is I … Sportza … would like to interview you. We're writing an article on the biggest sports stars and we've covered several in different sports. You're the best in basketball and we would like people to get to know the real you better. You don't mind, do you?"
“I don’t mind if you’d like to get to know me better, Olivia.”
“Well, it’s for the magazine. Sportza.” And her walls are back up again.
“Yes. Sportza. Sure.”
Olivia frowns at me. She knows I’m getting to her.
"Look, Hal already told me. It’s no big secret that I'm not one for interviews and all that. There's a reason I don't give the press anything."
"But that's why there are so many crazy things out there about you!” She looks at me earnestly now. “Don't you want people to find out the truth about Jesse Edison?"
"Honestly? I don't care what people think of me."
But I do care about what you think …
I step closer to her, I can almost feel her body heat on my skin. “The people I care about know who I am and that's all that matters. And if those I care about don’t know yet, then it’s my job to make that right."
I stop talking and stare down at her, a beat or two passes between us. Her mouth opens to say something and then closes. That wasn't what she expected to hear. I hate interviews but, for her, I'll make an exception. Besides, it'll give me time to get to know her better.