Long: A Secret Baby Sports Romance(29)
As I made my way back, I felt the phone in my pocket vibrating. I smirked to myself, assuming it was going to be Avery. Instead, it was a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Gibson, kid, how are you?”
I slowed my walking pace. It was Vin, the mafia guy from the other day. “I’m good. How are you?”
“Fine, kid, fine. Listen, I just wanted to talk to you about our deal.”
“I’m glad you called.”
“Are you? Good, good. Listen, I just want to make sure we’re good for this weekend.”
“We’re good, just like you requested.”
“Wonderful.”
“How will you give me what I need when we’re done?”
“I’ll send a guy over to campus. Don’t you worry about that. We don’t fuck around with that sort of thing.”
“You can’t send him to my place.”
“Don’t worry, kid. We’re very discreet. I appreciate the position you’re in.”
“But listen, what happens if I don’t deliver?”
There was a pause. “That would be bad, kid.”
“You know I don’t have control over the whole game, right?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m going to make it happen on my end, but what if something unforeseen occurs?”
“Listen, kid, nothing unforeseen will occur. Got it? You just do your thing and don’t worry about anything else.”
I clenched my jaw. “Fine,” I said.
“Good on you, kid. We’ll be rooting for you, for half the game at least.” He laughed and then hung up the phone.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I hated that he kept calling me a kid, hated his cocky fucking laugh. But I needed them. It had been my choice to reach out to the mafia; they hadn’t come to me.
On a whim, I pulled my phone out and dialed Avery’s number. It rang twice, and she answered just as I decided what I was going to say to her.
“Gibson?” she answered. “Hey.”
“Want to get one of those extra sessions in?”
“Excuse me?”
“You mentioned wanting to study me more seriously. Meet me tonight at the health center at ten.”
“Doesn’t it close at nine thirty?”
“I have a key. Meet me there. We can do your study.”
She paused. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll be there. I can do my measurements then.”
“Perfect. See you later.” I hung up and put my phone away.
I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but it didn’t matter. I was sure that I wanted this girl, and if doing this would help her, well, fuck, I might as well.
I hurried home, running a little behind. I was going to have to bust my ass to get to practice on time.
Hours later, the night was cool and campus was mostly empty as I headed over toward the health center.
The place closed at nine thirty, but a friend of mine worked there and had given me a key to the back door. Back when I was a freshman, I used to sneak into the center and get extra workouts in. Back then I had to work pretty damn hard to win my starting position.
I still had to work hard. I couldn’t just coast through this stuff. But I didn’t have to bust my ass on after-hours workouts anymore, fortunately.
Standing near the front door was Avery. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt and her tight black jeans, her bag slung over her back. I smirked as I came over to her.
“Hey,” I said. “You’re early.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” She frowned, looking around. “Are we supposed to be going in here?”
“Nope,” I said. “Follow me.”
“Hey, wait a second.” I didn’t listen, though. I just walked off, skirting along the path until I got to an unmarked door on the side of the building. I slipped the key from my pocket and unlocked the door, opening it up.
She frowned as I held it open for her.
“We can get in trouble, Gibson.”
I laughed. “Grow a spine and get in there.”
She sighed. “I’m not a big football star like you. The university will kick me out.”
“No, they won’t. Don’t you want your data?”
She nodded, took a deep breath, and then walked inside. I followed her, smirking the whole time. I loved that I was pushing her boundaries, making her do something she wouldn’t normally do. There was no way she was going to get in trouble for this anyway. I’d done this a thousand times without ever being caught.
“So, what do you want to see? Want me to lift some weights, get nice and ripped?”
“Just a treadmill,” she said.
“Come on, nothing more fun? Medicine balls? Kettle bells?”