Page 51 of Loving the Legend
“Thank you.”
I wave him off. “It’s all good. You’d do the same for me.”
“I would, but still, thank you.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like shit. It would have been worse if you weren’t here.” He stares at the bowl of soup. “I dreamed that I was doused in ice-cold Gatorade after winning a championship.”
“Were you in the NFL?” I joke. It’s not really a tradition in the league.
“Nah. We beat Boston.”
“You should’ve known it was a dream if Boston made it to the Finals.” Their roster this season is weak.
He grins. “Word.”
“Have an extra toothbrush?”
“Yeah, under the sink.”
He’s in bed when I return, clad in sweats and a T-shirt.
“Can’t taste anything, but I’m sure it’s delicious,” he says as he raises the bowl of soup to his mouth.
“Probably for the best. It’s pretty much vegetables, ginger, water, and sea salt. Want toast with it?”
“I’m good. I’m going to drink this down, take more painkillers, and sleep.”
I nod and am about to climb in next to him when I realize he probably wants to be alone to rest.
“You need anything before I dip? There’s a pot on the stove.” I gesture to the soup.
He shakes his head as he swallows. “You have to leave now, or can you chill for a bit? I can have Leslie drop you back.”
I nod. “Yeah, I have time.”
“Cool. Light hurts. Mind messaging him from my phone? The code is 7525.”
“I got you.”
I freeze, seeing the notifications of unread texts. Bypassing them, I shoot Leslie a message. I go to hand him back his phone but then stop. “Anyone else you need me to hit up?”
“Yeah. I need to call out sick. Can you text my GM, Brian? His name is—”
“Brian G. Found it. I got you.” I pen a short message and hit send. “You got messages from Katrina, Tara, and someone named Lottie.
“Thanks.” He tosses the phone on the nightstand.
“You know how you got sick?” I ask as I settle in next to him.
“Justin. The dude’s always sniffling. The team’s been dropping like flies for weeks. I thought I was in the clear.”
“Damn. You have supplements to help?”
“Yeah. I’ll take ’em later,” he says as he closes his eyes and burrows under the covers.
“Nah, attack fast and early. Where are they?”
