Page 48 of Run Game
I’m cut off when I notice the way she’s nervously looking at the paper in my hand. My brows knit in confusion as I reluctantly flip it over and read it silently. It takes my brain a minute to register what this is, but when it does, panic and anger flow through me like an electric current.
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head rapidly. I look down at it again, hoping that the large, bold text on the top of the document has somehow magically changed and I’m not holding divorce papers in my hand. “Dia, please don’t do this. I love you,” I choke out. I feel so desperate right now. If I wasn’t already on my knees, I’d drop down to beg her to stay.
She stares at me like a deer in headlights, her big brown eyes filling with tears. She squeezes them shut, bringing a hand over her mouth as her face twists with emotion. I think maybe she’s going to open up to me. Tell me why she’s still so scared of giving this marriage a shot, but she stays silent.
I reach out for her hand, needing some sort of connection, but she tries to back away, landing on her ass before I can even touch her. She stands quickly before taking another step backward. “I’m sorry, Dalton,” she says as tears stream down her beautiful face.
I shuffle toward her, still on my knees. “Please,” I plead. “Please don’t leave me.” I reach out again, but she puts her hands out in front of her to keep me at a distance.
“Elvis,” she whispers, halting me completely.
And then, she’s out the front door.
I scramble to my feet, running after her while frantically patting my pockets to find my keys. But as I hear the door to my Audi slam shut, the engine roaring to life, I realize I must’ve left them in the car in my excitement toget Dia into the house. I hit the porch just in time to see her fly down the driveway and out of sight, taking every piece of my soul with her.
“Fuck!” I yell, gripping my hair as my whole body trembles. I let my emotions take control as tears roll down my cheeks, soaking my skin. I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. I gasp for breath, feeling truly scared that this is it for us. My knees wobble violently before giving out and I drop to the hard wood of the wrap-around porch where I envisioned Dia rocking our babies on a warm, summer evening. Now, the memory of the future I had dreamed about is nothing but a painful reminder that I couldn’t do enough to make her change her mind.
I was stupid for thinking she was ready for any of this. I’ve been pushing too hard, right from that very first night, even though she warned me that she’d break me if I got too close. And now she’s gone, leaving me here with a piece of paper that proves she was never fully mine to begin with.
I want answers from her so badly. Did she ever really let me in? Or did I break through her walls, only to find a heart that was padlocked without a key the whole time?
I know I need to let her do this alone. She needs time to figure all of this out without me. So, I reach into my pocket, calling the only person I can think of that knows what it’s like to feel as broken as I am right now. I may not know his story, but I can tell that somethingor someonechanged him into the man he is today.
It rings twice before he greets me. “Hello?”
“Hey,” I say. “Can you come get me?”
Not even ten minutes later, I open the door of my quarterback’s Tesla. I hesitate, stopping to take one more look at the house before I lower myself into the front seat.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Tanner says as he pulls around and heads back toward the road. I take another look in the rearview, watching every dream I had of my future with Dia disappear as the house gets further and further away.
We ride in silence all the way to Tanner’s house. It’s in a secluded area, up on a hill with an epic view of the Boston skyline. I’ve been here a few times before, but he usually doesn’t offer to host events for the team. He’ll pay the big bucks to rent a hall or ballroom, but it’s rare that he invites people into his space. I’m glad we’re here though, because I couldn’t stay at the new house, and everything in my apartment reminds me of Dia. I can’t go back there until I know what’s going on.
After she grand theft autoed my Audi, I told myself I’d give her some time. She’s used to doing things on her own. And although I promised she’d never have to do it again, I know this is one of those times where she needs to make decisions about what happens next without me putting extra pressure on her. So, I deleted my car’s app from my phone. That way, I’m not tempted to watch the GPS as she drives.
We come to the end of Tanner’s long driveway, and hepulls his car into the open garage door as it shuts behind us. I follow him silently as we enter the house. My body feels like I just got hit repeatedly by a monster linebacker. Every one of my muscles is tense with anxiety as my brain goes a thousand miles a minute, conjuring up every possible bad outcome of this situation.
I want to kick my own ass for not waiting to show Dia the house. I guess I just got comfortable these past two weeks, knowing she was free to leave, but didn’t. Little did I know, she was considering it the whole time if she went through with having divorce papers drawn up without telling me. I want to be angry about it, but do I even have a right to be? She told me before I married her that after that night, we were done. I should be thankful I got another two months with her. I gained her trust, showed her what she was worth, and I know she loves me. Even if she hadn’t slipped and said it on the phone, her actions speak loudly. Starting with the night she ran intomy armswhen her parents broke her heart. She could’ve gone to Mads, or suffered in silence like she’s used to doing, but she didn’t. Instead, she showed up at my door, knowing I’d do everything I could do stop her pain. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.
Tanner leads me to the basement, where he has a completely stocked wet bar set up in the corner. He opens a small refrigerator, sliding a beer across the wooden counter to me before pouring himself a glass of whiskey. “Alright,” he says before pausing to throw back half the glass at once. “What happened?”
I tell him everything. From the moment I laid eyes on Dia, to the wedding in Vegas, to finally feeling like I had broken down her walls, only to have her run away from me. He lets me speak, listening intently and neverinterrupting. When I’m finally finished, he leans forward onto the bar top and blows out a breath.
“The summer before my senior year of college, I had a,” he pauses, looking for the right word, “thingwith my best friend’s younger sister. It started as just physical, but feelings got involved on both of our parts. Knowing that I’d be entering the draft and she had dreams of her own, I pushed her away.” He looks down, sadness in his expression as he swirls the amber liquid in his glass. “I should’ve fought for her, but I thought I was doing the right thing. It was the biggest mistake of my fucking life. A mistake I’ve lived with since I walked away from her as she begged me not to. Her cries still haunt my dreams.” He looks up at me. “Fight for her, Davis. Give her the time she needs right now, but when she’s ready, do whatever it takes to get her back.”
I try to protest the tears that threaten to fill my eyes, but I feel so fucking broken. I keep trying to reach for some semblance of hope, but the folded-up piece of paper in my pocket right now feels like a boulder, pulling me under the surface as I try to keep my head above water.
I know Tanner is right, though. Dia needs time, but there’s no fucking way I’ll let her walk away from this marriage without a fight. I love her too much to just lay down and let that happen. If she decides in the end that she wants to leave, I can’t force her to stay. But I’ll definitely go down swinging.
“Thanks, Tan. For coming to get me. For telling me all of that. Just…for everything.”
He gives a tight nod. “Of course, man. We’re brothers.”
We sit there for a while, talking as we drink. Eventually, my body lets me know that the day has taken its toll, my muscles aching from the stress. As I go to call for aride, Tanner stops me. “Just stay here. For as long as you need.”
I’m way too tired to turn down his offer, thanking him before he shows me to the guest suite, which is somehow bigger than my whole fucking apartment. It has its own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. It’s a pretty perfect place to think about all of this while giving Dia the space she needs. I’ll go back to my apartment eventually, but I just can’t tonight. It’s too much.
I brush my teeth before stripping down to my boxers and sliding under the covers, into an empty bed for the first time in weeks. I miss her so goddamn much. I feel like my chest is caving in as I struggle to breathe. I fight back every emotion that’s battling inside me, closing my eyes, hoping that she’s okay. And that maybe she’s missing me, too.
