Page 4 of The Fantasy League
Growing up, we had always dreamed of having houses next to each other and raising our kids together, the same way our parents raised us. But now, that dream was looking less and less like it would become a reality. Unless I wanted to live in Mae’s backyard forever.
Granted, the pool house was more of a mother-in-law suite than a room used to hold beach floats and cleaning solutions. It had a bedroom and bathroom with an expansive living room and kitchen area with modern appliances.
Aside from the stupid bird that sang outside my window at six sharp every morning, it was the perfect space for just one person.
Mae and I had never lived apart from each other, let alone spent more than a week away from each other at a time. And the idea of that changing in the next few years utterly terrified me.
I was happy that Mae was able to buy such a beautiful house, but I hated knowing that our dreams meant more to me than they did to her.
“We’ll see.” I rolled my eyes and sagged my body into the couch cushions.
“Hey. You could always convince Mr. Tight End to fall in love with you and then move in with him,” she said with an arched brow.
If only it was that simple.
TWO
ABEL
“You need a girlfriend, son.”
Coach Sterling leaned back in his chair, eyeing me intently. This is what he called me at eight thirty in the morning demanding me to meet him in his office for?
On a normal day, I might have been a bit more concerned, but since we just won the League Bowl two months ago, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This conversation had to be a fucking joke.
Slouching back in my chair, I raised an eyebrow at him pensively. “Did you sign me up for one of those shitty reality dating shows or something?”
Wilson, our defensive end, nominated me for one of those shows last year as a joke. I still got calls weekly, begging me to fly to Los Angeles to audition for the lead role.
I played games professionally; didn’t they know I could see right through their bullshit “reality” TV show?
“Don’t play with me, son. You know I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to dating.” Coach rolled his eyes likeIwas the one letting ludicrous words slip from my mouth.
“Then tell me exactly… why do I need a girlfriend?” I argued while keeping my features deceptively composed.
“Well, I’m sure by now you’ve heard that the public relations team has been working on rebranding the Matrix as a more family-friendly team.”
I hadn’t noticed, but it would be wrong to incriminate myself in front of Coach. “Sure,” I managed, casually trying to cover my lie with a shrug.
“Right.” Coach glared at me, obviously seeing through my bullshit. “Well, after winning the League Bowl, the PR team noticed that most players had wives, girlfriends, or family to celebrate with…” He nodded at me to see if I was getting where he was going.
Unfortunately for me, I knew what he was getting at. So what if I didn’t have anyone to celebrate with after we won the League Bowl?
Mom and Steve had spent the month in Iceland and were planning on coming to the game, but their flight got canceled due to inclement weather.
If they had made their flight, I could assure you that I wouldn’t be sitting in Coach Sterling’s office having this conversation right now. Who knew it was such a fucking crime to go straight to the locker room after interviews?
When I was growing up, Mom sacrificed a lot when she was left to raise me by herself after my dad left us. And no amount of championship wins compared to paying off Mom’s debt, so she could travel full-time with my stepdad.
As sad as I was that they couldn’t make it to the biggest game of my career, I knew it wasn’t intentional. If they could’ve been there, they would’ve and Coach knew that.
I nodded back to Coach curtly, trying to cool the heat that was rising in my bloodstream. “So, they think that I need a girlfriend?”
“The PR team thinks that it would be best for the team’s image. We can’t have our star player branded with the ‘unattainable bachelor’ image that the tabloids keep posting.” He even used fucking air quotes.
Coach wasn’t wrong about my reputation though. Since entering the league five years ago, I hadn’t so much as gone on a date with a girl. The headlines only got worse after the League Bowl win.
Abel Abbott, football’s forever bachelor. Abel Abbott Mr. Tight End can’t even catch himself a tight end.
