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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CROSSED WIRES

RHODES

Then

I dialed Elle’s number and waited. Still no answer. Dammit. We were supposed to FaceTime tonight and I’d been running late. There was a long press conference after the game and I couldn’t text her to let her know.

Lately, that had been happening more often than I liked. More often than not, it was my fault. Not intentionally. But my schedule had become a beast. Our team was doing well, which meant more exposure all the way around. I’d played for the Dolphins for a few years but I still hadn’t acclimated to Miami.

If I wasn’t playing or training, I was at charity events or speaking at schools. And when my coach and team didn’t have me working overtime, my agent, Bob, did.

It had been weeks since I’d talked to Elle. The void felt like a massive crater had been hollowed out in my chest.

I was tired, and I needed to see her. It had been too long. We tried to not let three or four months pass without seeing each other. Even if it was just for a night when I played in Denver, her coming to see me for a weekend, or us meeting in California at my parents’. Her schedule had been busy too. We hadn’t seen each other in over six months and our calls and texts had become less frequent too.

I tried her again and got hopeful when my phone buzzed. Diego. I groaned.

Diego

Are you coming to the bar or what?

Not tonight, man. I’m exhausted.

Diego

There are some fine ass girls here, dude. They’re asking for you.

I ran my hand over my face. Going out had helped to take my mind off of missing Elle at first, but it had lost its appeal for a while. It was getting old, working my ass off and then going out drinking with my teammates and meeting women who only cared about me because I was famous. It was easy. There was always someone everywhere I went, ready to party, flirt, and spend a few hours in a hotel room as an escape.

I never saw myself becoming this person, but sometimes the loneliness was consuming. Other times I thought, why the hell did I care if the tabloids portrayed me as the biggest player out there? I was single and it wasn’t hurting anyone.

In college, I’d hoped Elle would see the girls flirting with me and realize she wanted me after all, but she never did. She had months-long relationships and I had to endure watching her hold hands with the guys, lean into their shoulders, stand up on her tiptoes and kiss them…and it killed me every time.

Lately, it felt like the only one my lifestyle was hurting was me.

“Fuck, answer your phone, Elle.”

When she didn’t, I went on Instagram to see if her stories told me anything. As always, I got a little rush of adrenaline when I saw that she’d shared something and clicked her picture. She was at a club in Denver with Calista, her best friend from Silver Hills. They were dancing with a few other girls, and Elle looked like a smokeshow in a tight, hot pink dress. Damn, how did she just get better and better?

My eyes narrowed on the guy leaning close to her in the next frame. I’d seen him in her stories before. Who was this joker?

I went into my room and paused before leaning against the headboard. Diego texted again, but I ignored it. It wouldn’t make me feel any better to go out tonight.

I closed my eyes and woke up later to my phone buzzing. My light was still on and I’d slept an hour. The phone screen blurred, so I rubbed my eyes and answered it.

The screen blinked and there she was.

“Hey, Rhodes!” she sang.

“Where are you?” I said, sitting up straighter.

“The back of an Uber.” She grinned at me and my eyes narrowed. She sang all her words when she’d had a little too much to drink.

“Are you alone?”

“Yep.” The p popped.

“Fuck, Elle. Where is Calista? You shouldn’t be alone in an Uber when you’ve been drinking.”

“Who says I’ve been drinking?” She turned the camera toward the driver. “And say hello to Shelby. She’s a very lovely human.”

“Hello, Shelby,” I grumbled. “Please get my girl home safely.”

“Will do,” Shelby said.

“See?” Elle sang, turning the phone back to herself. “I’m being totally responsible.” She pointed at me. “You, however, are not.”

“I’m really sorry I was late calling you. It was out of my control tonight, Elle. But it’s no excuse, I’ve been shit at staying in touch and I’m sorry.”

Her voice flattened, as if she was suddenly sober. “Yes, you have.” She sighed. “And so have I.”

“Come see me.”

“I can’t, Rhodes. I just changed jobs and…I don’t love how I feel after a visit to Miami.”

I brought the phone closer. “Really? Why? What do you mean?”

She angled the screen away from her face, but not before I’d seen her glassy eyes .

“Elle love. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

I heard a sniffle and wished I could reach through the phone and hug her.

“Elle,” I said louder.

She cleared her throat and the screen showed shadowy lips that only brightened with an occasional streetlight. “I just miss you. I miss the way we used to be. Everything feels so…you’ve got such a different life now and I don’t fit. I come to see you and I feel like a stranger.”

“With me? I’m not a stranger. I’m still the same.”

She laughed, but another sniffle quickly followed. “The first time I visited, your friends didn’t even know your best friend was a girl. The second time, you were called away to an unexpected event…which wasn’t your fault. The third time, I liked the new crowd fine, but it didn’t seem like any of them were interested in getting to know me beyond your guy friends flirting with me.”

“I fucking hated that they were such assholes,” I said.

I’d taken Elle to lunch and we ran into some of the guys from the team, who wouldn’t stop flirting with Elle.

“How do you even remember that? You were preoccupied with those girls…”

“What girls?”

She snorted. “What girls? One sat in your lap and the other one put a chair between me and you—when there wasn’t room for a chair—just so she could sit by you.”

“I don’t remember them. I just remember hating that we got interrupted.”

“I love that you’re successful doing what you love. It’s just hard when our time together is short, and every time, there are girls hanging off of you nonstop.”

“There are not girls hanging on me nonstop.” My feet swung to the floor and I leaned my elbows on my knees, trying to calm down.

“Feels like it,” she snapped.

“How would you know? You’ve had a guy hanging on you from the time we met.” I ran my hand down my face.

Fuck. Why was I picking a fight?

She gasped. “I’m trying to do better at not jumping into a relationship just because I’ve had a few dates with someone.” She started crying harder. “But you really can’t talk, Rhodes. At least I try to let people in… really in.”

“I let people in. You’re about as far in as anyone can go. Who’s the new guy? Does he have a problem with me too? Because all your boyfriends do. Is he why you don’t call me as much anymore?”

The phone jostled and I saw her face. She looked livid and her face was streaked with tears. I felt awful knowing I was causing this.

“I don’t call you as much anymore because you don’t answer half the time. Do I have to remind you that you flaked out on me tonight? Not the other way around.”

For a second we just stared at each other, both breathing hard and hurt.

“I’m sorry, Elle. I miss you. I never want to flake on you. I’ll do better.”

She wiped her face and nodded. “We’re pulling up to my place. I’m gonna go.”

“Talk to me until you get in the door, so I can know you got in safe?”

“I’m a big girl and doing this most of the time without your supervision.” Her mouth quirked up slightly to soften her words.

I nodded. “I know. I’m?—”

“Bye, Rhodes. I’ll talk to you soon. ”

She hung up and I fell back, pounding my fist on the bed. She texted a few minutes later.

Elle

Inside, safe and sound.

Thanks for letting me know.

Elle

I sent her one back and then grabbed my laptop and checked flights. I wouldn’t have much time, but if I could spend a day with her…I needed a day with her.

I forgot to ask what you were up to this weekend.

It took a second and I wondered if she’d already fallen asleep, but then my phone buzzed and I grabbed it like a man getting his next fix.

Elle

It’s a low-key weekend. The most exciting plan I have is to go to the bookstore across the street and get some new books. What about you?

The most exciting plan I had was surprising her.

Surprisingly chill for me too. Maybe I’ll crack open a book too.

Elle

OMG. Don’t go out of the house with one unless you want to get mobbed!

I chuckled, feeling lighter already and bought my ticket.

My flight left at 6:50 AM and I landed in Denver at 9:22 AM with nothing but my backpack. I convinced the Uber driver to stop by a florist so I could get a bouquet of flowers and since he liked the Dolphins, he agreed to take me to Elle’s place too. I tipped him well, signed his shirt, and he vowed to be a fan for life.

I hoped Elle would be happy to see me. I’d have to leave the next afternoon to make it home in time to sleep a little and play the next night, but it’d be worth it to see Elle’s face.

When I knocked on her door, there was no answer. I glanced at my watch; it was already after 10:30. Highly possible that she’d already gone to the bookstore, her favorite place in the world. It wasn’t far from here.

It didn’t even take ten minutes to walk there.

But I saw her before I made it that far. I always seemed to sense when she was near. As I approached a restaurant, the patio overflowing with people talking and laughing outside, I scanned the tables.

There she was. Beautiful. Her hair was pulled back with a red scarf and it blew in the breeze. She looked serious and then nodded and smiled when the guy from the pictures the night before reached out and took her hand.

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was just a friend and this wasn’t the beginning of a new relationship at all, but I didn’t think I was up for sticking around to find out. Not today anyway.

I tossed the flowers in the trash, went back to the airport, and got an earlier flight home.

Once I got over myself, I felt like an idiot for leaving. She’d said what she wanted from me from day one. I was the one who kept wanting to rewrite things.

I texted her a few days later and made a point to call at least once a week. Things felt better between us and I could tell we were both trying harder to make each other a priority.

I needed to just be happy to be her friend.