Page 144 of The Goat in the Bedroom
Inside the theater, Kendra found us immediately.
“You all look incredible,” she said, giving air kisses. “I think you're going to love what we've done with the show.”
“Nothing too embarrassing?” Flynn asked.
“Oh, there's definitely embarrassing stuff. But it's the endearing kind.”
She took the stage to introduce the first episode, thanking everyone involved and notably making no mention of Sloane.
“This show is about more than football,” she said. “It's about friendship, family, dreams, and yes, even a little romance.”
The lights dimmed, and the episode began.
It opened with Flynn and Gryff at rookie camp, both trying to act tough while clearly being overwhelmed. The scene where Flynn called Tempest after the first day, nearly in tears from exhaustion, had everyone laughing and going “aww” simultaneously.
“I forgot they filmed that,” Flynn muttered, sinking lower in his seat.
But it was the way Kendra had edited Gryff's and my scenes that made my chest tight. Every glance, every casual touch, every moment of us just existing in the same space. She'd woven it all into an obvious love story.
There was the scene of Gryff and me at home, his face soft with something that was definitely not platonic friendship.There was fussing over his bruises while he smiled at me like I was the sun.
“We were really that obvious?” I whispered.
“Apparently,” Gryff whispered back, his hand finding mine in the dark.
The episode followed multiple storylines brilliantly. Xander's journey from being wary and clearly unhappy and the obvious hints at him finding his confidence again. Jay, struggling with homesickness, Jamie trying to find his place in a team he'd grown up watching. The brotherhood that developed between all of them.
But it kept coming back to us. To the way we moved around each other like binary stars, always in each other's orbit.
When the episode ended, the theater erupted in applause. Kendra had done something special. She'd taken what could have been a standard sports documentary and turned it into something deeply human.
“That was beautiful,” someone behind us said. “When do Gryff and Artie get together?”
“Oh, you'll just have to watch and see,” Kendra said with a grin.
The after party was a blur of congratulations and conversations. Fox Daws found his way over to our group, ostensibly to talk to the guys about their rookie seasons, but his eyes kept drifting to Jules.
“You're at UCLA, right?” he asked her.
“Yeah, studying psychology and sport science,” she said, trying to play it cool.
“Great campus. We filmed a movie there last year. Maybe I'll see you around.”
“Maybe,” Jules managed.
After he walked away, she grabbed my arm so tight I'd probably have bruises. “Did that just happen?”
“Jules, he was clearly flirting with you,” Tempest confirmed.
“But he's like, famous famous.”
“So?” I said. “You're Jules Kingman. That's pretty famous in its own right.”
A few days later,we were on a plane headed for the Big Bowl. The Mustangs had made it all the way and were facing off against the Miami Sharks. Chris, Declan, Hayes, Everett, and their cousin Levi who was new to the team this year, were all playing. The Bandits hadn't even made the playoffs, so Gryff and Flynn were here as slightly disgruntled fans. At least until the nacho bar was wheeled into the VIP suite.
“I can't believe you flew out for the game,” Sara Jayne said, wide-eyed at how beautiful, glowing, and looking so ready to pop at any moment Penelope was.
“I brought my doctor along, and I wasn't going to miss Everett's big game.” Penelope lowered herself onto a couch, though she winced as she said that.
