Page 138 of Fair Catch

Phoenix frowns and shakes his head. “Yeah, unfortunately, that particular infinity stone is on loan at the moment.”

That earns him a laugh. I’m about to ask him when he started moonlighting as Dr. Strange when it sounds like a herd of elephants with monkeys on their backs starts stampeding around upstairs. There’s jumping and running and hooting and hollering above us that shakes the entire house, causing those of us remaining in the basement to look at each other like deer in headlights.

“Jesus Chrsit, what the hell?” I mutter, glancing toward the stairs leading up to the living room. “Are they trying to get the cops called?”

Phoenix shrugs from his seat on the other side of the sectional, clearly unperturbed by the noise at this point. “I’m pretty sure Cam mentioned something about a beer pong tournament—”

“Nashville is picking!” Noah yells, breaking up our conversation in time to watch the commissioner reappear on the flatscreen.

“With the 77th pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the Nashville Nighthawks select… Kason Fuller. Tight End, Leighton University.”

The basement erupts in cheers and shouts, all the guys jumping and bouncing around liketheywere the ones just…holy shit.

Drafted.

“Now we know why they were so excited. The TV up there has been like ten seconds faster than this one all night,” Holden says, jumping over the back of the couch and into my lap like I’m fucking Santa Claus. He holds out an invisible mic to my lips before asking, “You just got fucking drafted to the Nashville Nighthawks, Kason Fuller. How do you feel?”

Honestly, I don’t know yet.

Most of me is in shock. Stunned silent while the television plays some of my highlights from this season. But the part of me that’s caught up to reality is ready to do one thing.

“Like it’s time to party!” I shout.

Everyone joins in with my cheers, raising their bottles or Solo cups to the air. Some of the guys that were watching in the living room rush down here, another stampede happening as they storm down the stairs to join the rest of us.

That’s when the pandemonium really begins.

I’m met with hugs and pats on the back and the occasional ass slap, mostly from Holden, as the night continues, everyone partying like their lives depend on it. I get texts galore from people who couldn’t be here tonight, like my coach here at Leighton, Mal and Ivy, and Phoenix’s parents. It’s only when one comes through from Louis Spaulding—who’d agreed to represent me a few months back—saying he’d call me tomorrow so we can iron out some details—does this sink in as reality.

I’m going back to Nashville and competing at the professional level for a team I grew up watching.

But even among all the celebration, I can’t help feeling like there’s something missing from this moment. Or rather, someone.And I hate it, almost as much as I hate myself for swiping open my phone and hovering over his name.

We haven’t spoken since the night before I moved out, and I know it’s likely for the best that we make a clean break. Dragging it out or trying to be friends would only make things more painful in the end.

But God, I want to share this with him. More than anyone else.

“So, Nashville, huh?”

Glancing up, I find Phoenix holding out another beer for me, and I gladly accept.

“Looks like it to me. You think that city is big enough for the two of us?” When his brows crash together with worried confusion, I add, “I’m talking about me and Holden, obviously.”

Gone is the panic, and my best friend bursts into laughter. “I don’t thinkanyoneis ready for Holden. Especially my father.” He shakes his head, still chuckling. “Lord knows what he was thinking when he offered him that internship.”

“Probably about how happy it would make you,” I point out.

A small smile forms on his face and he nods. “And speaking of happy, I hope you know how fucking happy I am for you, Kase. You deserve this more than—”

Theo comes barreling into the conversation, startling both Phoe and I with his theatrics.

“Where’s the fire?” I ask with a laugh,

“It’s at the door waiting for you,” he says with a pant as he looks at me.

Frowning, I make my way up to the main level, wondering who the hell would be coming this late. Of course, there are plenty of guys on the team who aren’t here—and Mal and Ivy could definitely be stopping by, now that I think about it—so those are always options.

Part of me is expecting it to be Louis or someone from the Nighthawks just showing up here, though I’m not exactly sure if that’s how this sort of thing works.

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