Page 22 of Guarding Our Love
“Wow. That’s what you came up with? I guess you’ve gotten a little delusional over the years.”
“Damn. That’s how it is?”
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
I stared at her for a minute and wondered where her husband was. There was no way that my wife would be on the phone with another man in the middle of the night.
“So, you watched my game, huh?” I remembered she said she doesn’t keep up with sports, so I was surprised she mentioned anything about my game. Maybe she was lowkey checking for me.
“Yeah, my boys and I watched it. Well, I didn’t catch it all, but it was interesting to see you play.”
“I remember you used to watch all of my games in high school. You even wore my jersey and jacket sometimes.”
Sloan could be found at all my home games and occasionally at away games. She was one of my biggest supporters, and I hadn’t had that kind of support since then. Of course, my family supported me, but that was where it ended. I knew I was on some bullshit sometimes, but I would love to have my girl in the stands watching me. Someone to celebrate with me after we won or someone to console me whenever we lost.
“I remember. I remember them other girls trying to fight me, too.”
“Now, why’d you go bringing up old stuff?” I chuckled.
“I’m just saying.”
Every once in a while, a chick would try to fight Sloan over me, but I would never let it go down if I could help it. It was chicks I never even messed with, but they wanted to fuck with me. They thought they would have a chance if Sloan weren’t around, but that wasn’t the case.
“I’m not that guy anymore, Sloan.” I looked into her eyes so she could see that I was telling the truth.
She looked away for a second then back at me. “That’s good to know.”
“Are you ready to tell me what’s going on with you?”
Sloan closed her eyes and rested her head on the pillow. I stayed quiet to give her a minute to decide if she wanted to share or not.
“Not yet. However, I will say that I will be okay. I will tell you one day.”
“I respect that.”
I thought she would share if I loosened her up a little, but she wasn’t ready, so I changed the subject and talked about shit from high school.
For hours, Sloan and I stayed on the phone talking and reminiscing about our high school days. I told her some stories about my time in college, and she shared some of her collegeexperiences. She went to Texas Southern University, while I went to the University of North Carolina because they had one of the best basketball programs, and they gave me the most with my scholarship. My heart skipped a beat every time she smiled or laughed. It made me feel good to occupy her for a little while and take her mind off whatever she was going through.
“Sounds like you are ready for bed,” I noted after Sloan yawned for the third time.
She stretched her one arm and sank further into the covers. At one point, she sat up, but eventually, she eased her way back down. I should have been asleep, but I enjoyed talking to her.
“Yeah. I have to get up early in the morning. I know you probably have to get up early, too.”
“I do. I’ll be back in a couple of days, and I want to see you if possible.”
She hesitated for a second as she bit the corner of her lip.
“It can be possible. Just let me know what time. I have to make sure my boys are straight.”
“I got you. I’ll text you after my game. Make sure you watch it.”
She smiled, then yawned. “Okay, I will. Good night, Lil.”
My lip turned upward. “Good night, pretty girl.”
When Sloan hung up, I made sure my alarm was set and put the phone on the charger. I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Sloan and where we could go when I got back. She might not want to be out in public, so I could invite her to my house. That way, she could check on my grandfather while she was there. I knew he would be happy to see her. Yeah, that was the perfect idea. I could have a chef come in and cook for us, and we could catch up.
