Page 59 of Brick Wall
Annie: Are we still on for Saturday?
Sebastian: Yes *smiley face emoji*
I second-guess that smiley face emoji, but I am looking forward to Saturday. I want to text, “I can’t wait to see you,” but I’m not sure if that’s too much. Ah, well. I’ll send it, anyway. As soon as I hit send, Annie sends a text at the same time with the same message.
Annie: I can’t wait to see you.
A smile instantly hits my face. Great minds think alike.
Everything is going well with Annie so far. I haven’t seen her in person since my football game over a week ago. Our schedules never lined up during the week, and then we had an away game in Texas on Sunday. Annie is now in Georgia this week for volleyball. This week’s game is Thursday Night Football at home, which I’m not usually a fan of, but it opensmy schedule up a little more for the weekend.
We have plans for Saturday, and it can’t come soon enough. I’m eager to spend time with her again, and this time I’ll be ready for anything.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Annie
I’m exhausted. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but sometimes in-season, it gets intense. I work eighty-plus hours during volleyball season to ensure we have the best season possible.
I’ve never complained about the long work hours before because when you love what you do it’s not really work. It’s passion.
However, my passion and career are making it difficult for me to have a social life right now, and I’m a little cranky about it.
I miss him.
I haven’t seen him in almost two weeks. Two weeks!
The last time I saw him, we were moving in such a positive direction, and now we are at a standstill. I still talk to Sebastian daily through text, but it’s not the same.
I need to see his face in person.
Luckily, it’s Saturday, and we have plans. He’s apparentlybringing me to his favorite place—at least in the area.
He texted me a few minutes ago saying he would be here in ten minutes, so I’ve been standing outside by the curb waiting for his truck to pull up like the needy bitch I am.
His black pickup finally pulls to the curb, and I barely wait for him to park before I pull the handle and jump in.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
He leans in for a hug, and I meet him halfway. He also gives me a quick kiss as a greeting and he leaves his right hand on my leg as he pulls away from my place.
I place my hand on top of his, and we drive onto the highway. I have no idea where we are going, and I know if I ask, he’ll say it’s a surprise, so I don’t bother.
We end up getting off the highway fairly quickly, and then we’re taking the back roads through the South Shore through a residential area that I’ve never been to before. Sebastian pulls into a gravel parking lot with a parking attendant, and Sebastian flashes a membership card before we find a parking spot near the entrance.
We arrive at World’s End in Hingham, which is a place I’m familiar with but have never actually been to. I’m not sure why because this place looks amazing.
I feel like I arrived in a different century. It’s so serene here, with many pastures and trails, all dirt roads and trails going up and around small hills. When we reach the top of a cliff an hour into our walk, we mutually decide to sit on a wooden bench overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
“This is my favorite spot in the state,” I hear Sebastian say next to me. “After I moved here, I was struggling a little bit. Boston, the crowds, the fans—everything was a little intense. One of my teammates recommended this place after my rookie year. It quickly became a favorite of mine.”
“I can see why.” It’s all wide open with acreage and water views for miles, and not a single person in sight.
“Whenever I feel like life is too fast and overwhelming, I come here to slow down. I feel like I can breathe a little better here.”
I instinctively grab his hand and don’t let go. We are just breathing in the salt air with nothing but small ocean waves as our music.
