It’s Superbowl Sunday! Are you ready? I’m not. I have yet to go get munchies and am still sitting at my computer in sweats and a hoodie pulled tight around my head because my office is the freaking coldest room in the house.
Those who know me well know that I’m a football junkie. My friends tell me I talk football like a man. I take it as a compliment. So while I’m in writing mode, I’m also thinking about the big game which gets me thinking about my favorite romances that include football. Take a look my two faves…
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| WOW! Couldn’t help but imagine my favorite QB in this one. |
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| Steamy! Steamy! Steamy! I want to work at Riley’s! |
Superbowl Sunday also makes me think of Hannah and Adam from my own short story:
More Than A Friend Request
Here’s a little excerpt:
Sunday morning, Adam woke up to the sound of football. He looked at the clock and couldn’t believe he slept in past ten. His eyes burned and he had a headache. And even worse, his teeth felt like felt. Did he really forget to brush his teeth last night after all that junk they ate? He smiled. One would think since he was a doctor, a pediatrician even, he’d feed his son healthier food. But first and foremost, he was a dad and a man. And today they were going to order pizza and wings and watch some pigskin. Maybe later they’d get around to showering and getting dressed.
During halftime of the morning game, Adam heard an alert come through on his phone. He picked it up and was pleasantly surprised to see a message from Hannah.
Afternoon game today. U ready?
Adam shook his head with a chuckle. God, he missed this woman. How could he have forgotten her love for football? She was just as insane as he was when it came to their beloved Lonestars.
Do you really have to ask? How about you?
U kidding me? I even watched all the pregame shows.
You’re awesome.
Flattery will get you everywhere. Lol.
Hmm. He’d have to keep that in mind. He headed to his office to fire up the desktop. Danny could text all day on his phone, but he was not that savvy. His hands started cramping up and he hated straining his eyes on the little screen. It was one thing to send a text message to his son to tell him he’d be home late, it was another to actually have a conversation. For that, he needed a full keyboard that would accommodate his large fingers, and a large flat screen monitor that wouldn’t kill his vision.
Have you been to a game yet?
They had always talked about making the trek across the country to see a game live, but he’d never made it. He wondered if she had.
Nope. Just a few more San Diego games. Preseason sucks though. Starters rarely play more than a series.
I love it when you talk football.
Haha. Well, I better let you go. Halftime is almost over.
Already? He wasn’t ready to cut their conversation so short. Was he really going to say it? He was thinking it. He’d rather miss the game and stay on the computer, chatting with her on FaceSpace.
All right. When will I talk to you again?
That sounded desperate. But he didn’t care. He hated not knowing when he’d talk to her next.
Maybe sometime during the week. Late though. Definitely over the weekend. How does that sound?
Good. I’ll be looking for you online. Have fun watching the boys.
You too.
Adam went back to the family room with a smile on his face, and spent the rest of the day snacking and watching football with his son. Every once in awhile, he’d check his phone on the off chance she sent him another message.
She stared at her phone with a silly grin. It was unbelievable how giddy he made her feel with so few words. With just a little chitchat about football, she felt complete and happy.
She started watching the Lonestars game alone with a bucket of buffalo wings. She made a mess and had sauce all over her face and hands, but she didn’t care. She loved her Sundays during football season when she’d stay in her jammies all day and watch game after game, snacking on junk food and drinking disgusting amounts of soda. Whenever her brother came over, they’d polish off a twelve pack of beer, but that didn’t happen often—which was a good thing because she always had a terrible headache the next day at work.
Sometime during the game, she thought about the first professional football game she’d been too. She remembered thinking as they pulled into the parking lot three hours before the game, it was better than going to Disneyland when she was a kid. Tailgating was interesting considering they were the few people decked out in navy blue jerseys and stars on their hats. She had laughed when people walked by shouting, “Lonestars suck!” She knew better than to say anything back. For one, she’d let the final score speak for itself. And two, it was preseason. It’s not like the game mattered for anything.
Once inside the stadium, Hannah almost came to tears. It was massive and overwhelming. She’d always wanted to attend a game but it had just never happened. Adam surprised her with tickets claiming it was a birthday gift, although her birthday was still months away. When the game got underway, she sat at the edge of the seat only for a moment before she was on her feet, yelling at the refs, and the coaches for what she considered bonehead calls. She flipped the bird at some hecklers. It was all in fun.
She could feel the roar of the crowd and the sound of crashing helmets and pads all the way down to her toes. The whole thing was so exciting that she didn’t want to leave. She remembered being sad when the game was over, even if it was just a preseason game and the starters only played for one drive. It was long enough for her to use her new camera to take some amazing photos of her favorite players. She had gone out and bought a new camera with the highest amount of megapixels and strongest zoom. She knew she couldn’t take a telephoto lens in the stadium without a press pass or she may have been tempted to splurge even more.
A Lonestar touchdown brought her back to reality. She couldn’t resist picking up her phone and sending Adam a message.
Nothing like a good punt return for a touchdown to get the heart pumping.
She laughed as she hit send. She didn’t know how long she could keep it up. Sooner rather than later she was going to cave and agree to meet up with the man. She already couldn’t keep her hands off her phone. She needed something more.
Tell me about it. That kid has some speed.
She texted back a smiley face and put her phone on the coffee table. If it was more than an arm’s length away, maybe she wouldn’t send him another message. She smiled again, thinking that it wasn’t likely to work.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
I know you’re not ready to see me but how about a phone call? You game?
Thanks for reading. 😀
More to come soon on the release of the 3rd Against The Wall book!
So, onto more work before game time.
Enjoy the pizza, wings, and 7-layer dips!
Julie
