Page 25 of Brick Wall

Sebastian

M auling Annie against the shed was not the plan. I guess I didn’t really have one. I just wanted her to know how amazing she is. That was the plan, and it kind of got away from me there.

To be honest, I haven’t thought about women in general too much before Annie. My focus is entirely on football. Sure, I have a break every now and then, but it’s much more then than now if that makes sense.

It’s been two days, and I’m still thinking about Annie entirely too much. I’m not used to it.

I’m sitting on a bench in the locker room, tying my sneakers after practice, when Calvin comes over and pats me on the back. “Ready?”

“Yep,” I say while grabbing my duffel bag.

Calvin and I live in the same condo complex.

We both own condos in an older building in the Seaport District, overlooking both Boston Harbor and the stadium.

It’s nice to be a quick walk to both the ocean and the stadium.

However, for security reasons, we usually just drive the few minutes down the road to work.

It’s easier, especially when I’m exhausted from a grueling practice.

I’m driving my truck, lowering the volume, when I see Cal raising his eyebrows.

I’m not sure what it is but sitting next to someone in a car and not looking at them makes it easier to have more difficult conversations, not that it will be too difficult.

I take a deep breath and go for it.

“What do you think of Annie?”

“Annie? Goldie’s Annie?” he questions.

No. My Annie.

“Yeah, Annie Moore,” I confirm. “You’ve met her, I think.”

He definitely met her at the bar the night she cussed me out and told me I should join the defensive line. Cal got a good chuckle out of that one and took an instant liking to her. He often quotes her in the locker room, wearing a shit-eating grin.

“You may want to switch positions, because you really excel at defense.”

He says it so often that some of my teammates say it now too, even if they don’t know the context. Although he’s trying to piss me off, I kind of like it, because it reminds me of her and how awesome she truly is.

Calvin stalls but then utters, “She’s great. Are you trying to set me up with her?”

What? Fuck no.

“No…” I hesitate. “I was thinking for me?”

He struggles for words for a second. I feel like I caught him off guard somehow .

“For you?” he clarifies.

“Uh, yeah.” Now, I’m not so certain. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought this conversation up. I’ve rarely talked directly to Cal about women before. We mostly talk about football and food. We don’t really get into the deep stuff, even though I consider him my closest friend.

“I think she’d be perfect for you,” Calvin says while slapping me on the shoulder.

“Yeah?” I question, wanting more from him.

“Yeah, man. I don’t know her too well, but she seems great. You should go for it.”

“And you’re not interested, right?” I question because I need to check.

“Nope,” he says, popping the p . “Like I said, I don’t know her well enough, plus I think she has eyes for you.”

Really? Will she say yes then?

Okay. I’m not sure why I’m asking Calvin in the first place here. I guess I’m looking for confirmation that asking Annie out is the right move.

My love life has been lackluster at best. When I was a senior in college and a new rookie in the league, I definitely had fun. It was a new experience for me. Women who had never paid attention to me before were finally looking. It was nice to be noticed.

However, I started to realize that women were attracted more to my paycheck and position than they were to me.

Athena was the catalyst for me. I brought her to a pool party with many of my teammates, and she spent much more time flirting with my friends than me.

She was using me to get in, and then she upgraded.

She started dating a teammate who was much more fit and attractive than me, and in her words, someone she could shine with and who was an “actual athlete.”

I apparently have no shine or polish, whatever that means.

After that, I dated a little more but found a similar experience. No one was actually interested in me, you know, that fat football player who was a boring brick wall. They wanted an in, and then they’d level up to a better player who was funnier, fitter, and more fun than me.

When I first met Annie, I worried she might be the same—only interested in the prestige, not the player itself. However, the more I get to know her, the more I like her.

I think it’s time for me to officially let my guard down, and I want to do that with Annie.

That’s why I asked Calvin for his opinion. I need backup to ensure that I’m correct. I don’t always date the right person, so I wanted to get a second opinion on this one.

“I haven’t seen you date in a while. I’m glad to see you getting back out there.”

It’s true. I can’t tell you when my last date was or with whom. It’s been a while…years, really.

I hesitate for a moment but figure I’ll ask my next question. “Speaking of not dating in a while, the internet told me about a three-day rule?”

“Outdated,” he confidently says. “You like them, you call them. Don’t worry about anyone else’s timeline except yours.”

Perfect. I was going to wait until I saw her in person or call her in a few days, so I didn’t come across as too eager, but I don’t want to wait any longer.

I throw Cal a thoughtful nod and park my truck in my assigned parking spot in the garage.

We walk together to the building elevator and hit the button for our respective floors.

“I think she would be lucky to date you,” Calvin says during the quick elevator ride.

“Thanks, man,” I say appreciatively.

I get off the elevator first, as my condo is on the floor below his. As the elevator door is about to close on him, I hear him yell, “Make sure to send me a wedding invite!” I flip him off and walk down the hallway to my door.

Whoa. Let’s not go that far. It’s just a first date. Maybe. She has to say yes first.