Page 31 of Play of Love
He just lay there.
“One, two…three.” I splashed the water in his face and he roared. I’d never heard anyone roar before. As he lunged forward and tried to grab me I reached for a pillow and hit him with it. That didn’t save me, he grabbed me around my waist and, in one deft move, pulled me towards him as if I weighed nothing more than a feather. Fear rippled through me and I screamed, smacking out at his chest.
“You’re pure evil, you know, Kansas,” he balked
“Stop calling me that you blockheaded jock.” I elbowed him and shuffled out of his grasp. “Get up, Josh. Today is Wednesday. If you don’t want to play football anymore then tell me now.” I held his gaze, looking straight into those penetrative eyes of his, trying to reach his senses and understanding. “I have been up since before four. It’s six a.m. Tell me now if you don’t want to play and I’ll stop wasting my time and energy on you.”
He looked at me just like he did yesterday, but this was different. He was himself again. There was no trace of the man who had kissed me and told me I was his beautiful PA.
Good.
Now I knew he was listening…and he was getting up. He pulled back the covers and got off the bed on the side nearest his en-suite bathroom. He looked at me, frowned, then walked into the bathroom.
Finally, some hope. I wouldn’t mention yesterday and I hoped he wouldn’t either. I just wanted to get this week over and done with.
* * *
Josh
* * *
“So, what do you have in mind?” I asked. I stood on the beach with Amy looking out to the horizon. Whispers of the fresh morning breeze caressed my skin and rustled the leaves of the surrounding palm trees.
The day was at that awakening phase after sunset that I used to like in my diligent days. I would have already been up hours ago, training at the stadium before the guys all got there.
I’d start with a hundred laps around the field, then I’d do some plyometric and circuit training. By the time the team was all there I’d be all revved up and ready for a great training session.
“We will sit here.” She brought a folder and that padded notebook that annoyed me so much.
She pointed to a spot on the sand that was perfect for sitting idly and watching the surrounding landscape.
I sat when we got there, crossed my legs, and looked up at her. She looked away and sat opposite me. Something was off about her today. I knew I’d pissed her off the last few days because I couldn’t wake up, but there was something else going on with her.
“I wanted to go through these questions on the list Zelda sent. The rep is coming tomorrow and they want you to be comfortable answering some of the potential questions you could be asked on the show.”
“I’m not commenting about my family, if that’s what they want.” These things tended to be so invasive, and media officials often had no regard for privacy. All they wanted was their story. And they’d get it at any expense.
“I’ve already told them not to ask you anything in relation to your private life or those related to you.” She smiled.
I was impressed she’d told them that. “What do they want to know?”
“Well, the first question is are you looking forward to this season. Which is fine. However, I don’t particularly like the next few questions. Zelda said that you should see how you feel in answering them.”
“What are they?”
“Do you think this season will be better than the last? And, what would you do differently this season that you didn’t do last season? I don’t think that you should answer those questions.”
Well, well, she was quite good, and surprisingly intuitive. There was no way I could answer any of those questions without talking about what happened with my mother and sister. I only played one game last season, so what was I supposed to say?
“Unless you want to,” she added.
“I don’t. So Kansas, what do you suggest?” I leaned forward and she glared at me like I’d just said something wrong.
“Is there some reason why you can’t call me Amy? You called me Amy several times yesterday. Why can’t you stick with it?”
I couldn’t believe she could get so worked up over such a little thing. But since it annoyed her, I was only going to keep doing it. Also, I had no recollection of calling her Amy yesterday.
“I can’t remember seeing you yesterday.” I couldn’t. Yesterday had been a low day and I drank from the minute my eyes opened. It was the stress of Friday getting to me.
