Page 12 of Force Play

Fuck. This next part is what I’ve been dreading, but I’m confident in my decision. There’s just one thing I’m questioning: what happens with us.

“I sort of have a plan already,” I start, turning towards her and facing this head on. “That’s why I ran to the trails. To think.”

“And what did you come up with?” she asks, nibbling the corner of her lip. Reaching out, I pull it free, dragging a sigh out of her as well. “Just tell me. Don’t make me suffer.”

“I’m moving to Denver. Things here feel stagnant. I’ve been in the same apartment since college and work so much that the only time I spend my hard-earned money is traveling. I want—no, I need to get out of this city. There’s too much painful history. And this job was the thing that kept me here.”

She winces, but I can’t bring myself to apologize. It’s the truth. I like Brianna, but we aren’t in love.

“I’ve been chasing this promotion for years like it was the one thing that could make me happy, but it’s not. Nothing about that job—the corporate world—has ever made me truly happy. Was it challenging? Yes. But that’s it.”

“What about me? Don’t I make you happy?” The way she asks isn’t desperate or clingy. Brianna is analytical, she needs all the facts. This is her gathering information, so she knows what she’s dealing with.

“You do.” I hedge.

“Just not happy enough to stay for.”

“Would you stay for me?” I ask, even though I know her answer.

“No,” she says softly.

“And I wouldn’t want you to. If losing my mom taught me anything, it’s that nothing in this life is guaranteed. Life doesn’t care about the accolades you receive at work, or the money you have in the bank. It’s cruel, and I want to counteract that.”

“And you’re going to do that by moving to Denver?”

“I’m moving to Denver for me, but my support system is there. Once I’ve settled in, I want to freelance for nonprofits. Starting over won’t be easy, but it will be less daunting than staying here. Knowing they all have my back will let me focus on building something new, taking what I learned in the corporate world and creating volunteer programs, maximizing their human capital, whatever they need.”

“You’ll be great at that, but at the risk of sounding selfish, where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know.” I sigh.

“When are you leaving?” she asks.

“Maybe a few weeks. I have a few things I need to get in order before I can just pack up.”

“Let’s take things one day at a time. I’ll be honest, long-distance this early in our relationship sounds daunting, but I’m not ready to just call it quits.”

“That doesn’t seem fair to you—”

“Don’t pacify me. I know what I’m getting into. All I’m asking is that we are open and honest with each other. If at any point it’s not working for either of us, we let the other know.”

“That sounds practical.”

“You know me. I’m nothing if not logical. Romantic, isn’t it?”

“Well, no one’s ever taken care of me quite the way you do. That’s pretty romantic.” Since my mom died and Poppy moved to Denver, I’ve been mostly on my own. But even though my dad and I still talk more days than not, and I drive home at least once a month to see him, it’s not the same.

Taking my hand, Brianna pulls me up from the couch, leading me through the small apartment to her bedroom. With no job to rush to in the morning, there’s no reason I can’t stay the night.

Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

Chapter 4

Dom

Our season started hot with a nine game winning streak, but a roster shake up right before the All-Star Break threw our game off a little. Now we are trying to salvage our season with three new rookie teammates: Braxton Hayes, Montana Jones, and Dash Thomas.

Going into this away series in Chicago, we are on a seven game losing streak. I think everyone is a little uneasy about what the front office plans to do with the new acquisitions. And while I’m fairly certain our leadership is being proactive about some of our veterans nearing retirement, not everyone is adjusting as well.

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