Page 31 of Between the Paragraphs

Maria takes a moment to let the words sink in as she continues eating. I grab a bagel, spread cream cheese on it, and take a bite. I find myself nervous as I wait to hear what she has to say about this.

“I like spending time with you. I have no desire to be with anyone else. It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt this relaxed, this happy, and this satisfied,” she tells me. I let out a breath of relief.

“I feel the exact same way,” I tell her. “You make me forget about anything else going on in my life. It’s like the rest of the world fades away and nothing’s left but you and me. I honestly don’t know if that’s ever happened to me before.”

She reaches over and takes my hand, something I love. I don’t like going too long without touching her, without being close to her. “I didn’t expect for something like this to happen. I’ve always been about work, family, and friends. Relationships have been an after-thought, but you’re consuming me,” she says.

I laugh. “I’ve always been the exact same way. But things have changed. I didn’t even know I was looking for you until I spotted you sitting at that bar. I’m so grateful we met, and even more grateful the chemistry is so damn hot.”

Her eyes twinkle as she squeezes my hand. “Let’s see where things will lead, and maybe even promise each other that we’ll be honest, and make time for each other as long as there’s an us.”

I inwardly wince at these words. I don’t want to talk about how long this will last. Right here and now, I can’t imagine it not lasting. This is again a major change for me. I wonder if this was what it was like for Miles when he met Emily. I’ll have to talk to him about it. As strange as this is, it feels like so much more than an affair.

“We can certainly do that,” I tell her.

We finish our meal. I try to convince Maria to head to the room with me once more, but she drags us out, and I reluctantly follow her from the hotel. It doesn’t take us long to reach the park where we stretch, then easily slide into a comfortable pace as we begin jogging. The fresh air and exercise feels invigorating after being locked in the hotel for a couple of days.

Running beside Maria, I realize how easy everything feels with her. We click well together. But whether we’re working, running, in the gym, in bed, or simply sharing a meal, it’s easy. This isn’t something that comes naturally with most people. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of being with her. We just click well together. There’s no awkwardness, no need for pretense. We both get to be who we really are without having to put on false fronts. It’s wonderful. I love feeling fully in sync with this woman.

I steal glances as we move through the park trails together. Maria’s skin starts to flush a rosy red and a sheen of sweat appears over her skin. I’m reminded of my time with her and feel heat pulse through my body. I close my eyes and try to distract myself. This isn’t the time, but how can I help it when she looks so damn stunning doing literally everything?

I turn to her and ask the first question that comes to mind, looking for some kind of distraction. Football has gotten me into the habit of chatting while jogging, and Maria’s pace is perfect for that. “What made you want to be an editor?” I ask.

She glances at me, a strained smile playing on her lips. “What is with you and Nikki wanting to chat while running?” she teases. She doesn’t give me a chance to answer before continuing.” I grew up in a poor family with my two siblings. We didn’t have much, but there were always books in the house. I greatly looked forward to my weekly library trips, and I loved my mother reading to me at night. We’d spend hours as a family reading together, escaping into fantasy worlds. The older I got my love for books grew and grew. I knew I wanted to work in the world of books, to help create those same worlds for others that were created for me. That love has never dimmed, and when I went to college, I got an internship at a publishing house, and my career was set. It won’t ever change. I love what I do.”

“Even the paperwork part?” I ask.

She laughs. “No, I despise that part, but we all do things in our jobs that we don’t like. The majority of my work is all about creativity and collaboration, though, and I can do that seven days a week, which I often do. Weekends like this are a rare thing. It’s not hard to be a workaholic when you love what you do.”

“I have to agree with you on that,” I tell her.

“What about you?” she asks. “What led you to being a football star?”

Now it’s my turn to chuckle. I’ve been asked this before, and my answer never changes. “Miles and I always played sports growing up. It was simply a part of us. We both grew fast, and I have the natural talent, drive, and coordination, so it was almost a sure thing. Being tall and fast helps a lot, but more than that I had passion. It took a lot of work, but as you said, it never felt like work because I loved it so much. There’s nothing I don’t love about football, the games, the strategy, the physicality of it, the love of the fans. It always feels right, and I was lucky enough to be noticed by scouts. I’m glad that I’m able to stay connected to that world in different ways now that I can no longer play in the NFL.”

“There are so many amazingly talented athletes in the world, and very few get to follow their dreams,” she says.

“That’s why I’m so passionate about the programs I volunteer for. Sports can change lives. It can take at-risk youth and give them a new direction to focus on. Not only can it help them financially, but it can also keep them from drugs and crime. As much as I love sports, I support other programs that support passion just as much. Give students a great education, art, sports, love of community, and they’re so much more likely to succeed in life. Whatever their passion is, it needs to be supported and encouraged, not stomped on. I hope to have a big enough voice to pull youth from bad circumstances into their passions.”

“Reading and books has always been that passion for me. Growing up without really puts things into perspective. Passion provides so much direction. I wish that schools could do more to really help the kids reach their full potential. I hate that a lot of the electives seem to be the first to get cut because while reading, writing, and math are important and necessary, when I think of school, I remember art class and cooking class. There were so many things I liked that made me eager to go to school that I was learning without realizing it.” She pauses for a moment. “You’re pretty dang close to perfect,” she finishes.

I laugh at this. “I’m not even close. I’m vain, like expensive things, and have a temper at times. But when it comes to kids I’m passionate. I want them to have every opportunity they can for success. If we would focus on kids more, this world could be a truly great place. We’re the ones who bring them into this world. It’s our obligation to make sure we give them the proper tools for success. If they throw that away as adults, that’s on them, but it’s fully on us if we don’t provide the proper tools in the first place.”

“I agree with that,” she says.

We continue running, our conversation effortlessly flowing. I’m sure there will be things we disagree on, but it’s so dang easy to talk to her. We run for nearly an hour before we make it back to my vehicle. I don’t want to see our day end, but we both have a busy week ahead of us. I wish we could forget about the real world and stay right here in our little bubble that’s incredible.

As we climb into my vehicle our conversation continues. She gives me a mischievous smile. “I’ve heard all about your most embarrassing moments, but what’s your most memorable football moment?”

I laugh as a memory immediately pops into my head. “I have a decent college story. Our team was down by six with only a few seconds left on the clock. We decided to go for a Hail Mary pass. I was way down on the field and the quarterback threw the ball with everything he had for a sixty-eight-yard throw. I snagged it out of the air and made it into the end zone. We then did a field goal and won the game by one point. I was tackled so hard in the end zone before that though that I was seeing stars for a solid week.”

“Those moments are my favorite in sports. When one team is slaughtering the other side, I grow bored and start feeling sorry for the other team. It drives my siblings crazy, but all of the athletes are phenomenal so I feel bad for them when they get stomped.”

This makes me laugh hard enough I have to be careful not to swerve my vehicle. “I don’t think my team will appreciate that,” I tell her.

“They should try harder to be the winning team, and then if I have sympathy for another team they have nothing to complain about,” she insists.

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” I tell her. “What about you? Do you have any crazy work stories?”

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