Elsie
Her mother paused for a second and Elsie listened as she let out a slow breath. “It’s your uncle.”
“Uncle Frank?” Elsie said. Immediately, her heart began to thud quickly in her chest and her stomach turned to lead. “What happened?”
“You know how he's been tired lately?” her Mom asked.
“I guess so,” Elsie replied, her hands nervously trembling as she held the phone. “But I thought he was just fighting some sort of virus or something. That was just the last week or so, though.”<
OllieWith a newfound energy, Oliver pushed the comforter off of him and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His knee was throbbing, but his excitement of seeing Elsie helped the pain to fade. The text that he had just received from his physical trainer was completely unexpected, but very welcomed. Not only was he hungry and unable to sleep, but he was also admittedly lonely. A visit with her was the thing he needed most and it was as though she had read his mind with her offer.I probably shouldn't be eating pizza, but really, who cares?He thought.I can cheat one meal, especially if it means I get to see Elsie.
OllieHer lips were a magnet, pulling him closer. He couldn't stop himself. A force more powerful than his own will moved him and he began to lean in. Her eyes stayed locked with his as their lips neared. They almost touched, but right before they could, Elsie slowly pulled away.“We shouldn't,” she said, shaking her head. “We really shouldn't.”Oliver was a little stunned, being that no other girl in his memory had ever turned down a kiss from him. It really only made him want her more, but he didn't say anything in response. He didn't want to make things awkward between them.
ElsieElsie had managed to get home through the blizzard, but it was scary. Her car slipped around every corner and she'd almost gotten stuck a half a dozen times. She parked and went upstairs to her apartment to slip into her pajamas and snuggle into bed. As she crawled underneath the covers, she couldn't stop thinking about how she'd almost kissed Oliver. She'd almost crossed a line that she knew she shouldn't and the idea of that scared her.What if that had happened?She thought.I could get in so much trouble.Still, though, she couldn't deny the fact that tasting those lips of his did sound nic
OllieSeveral weeks laterMid-MaySpring had finally come. There was still snow on the ground surrounding the cabin, but it was beginning to melt. Water poured out of the gutters, splashing into mud puddles below. Oliver opened the front door, squinting against the bright sunlight that reflected against the remaining snow. He drew in a long breath, letting the crisp and clean air fill his lungs.The long winter appeared to be over, which had him feeling a bit blue, de
Elsie“Okay, Oliver, I want you to walk across the room. When you get to the wall, run back toward me.”“Sure thing,” Ollie said, with a grin for her.Elsie stood in Oliver's gym, holding her clipboard. She needed to evaluate him to see how far along his progress was. He looked like he was healing pretty well overall, but there were things she needed to see him do in order to drop her physical training sessions down to one visit per week. She watched as Oliver walked across the room. His stride looked fairly normal. In fact, to the untrained eye, it would have appeared that he'd never had an injury in hi
Elsie“What are you thinking?” he asked, his blue eyes on her face.“How do you know I'm thinking something?” she replied.“I can just tell. You do this thing with your eyes when you're deep in thought,” he said, placing his hand on top of hers. “You squint ever so slightly and look up. You do it all the time.”“I'd be a horrible poker player, wouldn't I?” Elsie giggled, feeling embarrassed about how obvious she was.“Horrible,
Chapter Twenty-One - ElsieElsieElsie stood in her bedroom, surrounded by a hundred outfits that she'd tried on. It looked like a clothes bomb had gone off. Shirts, blouses, dresses and pants were strewn about, covering nearly every possible surface. It was Saturday afternoon and she was trying desperately to find the perfect thing to wear for her date with Oliver.Why am I nervous right now?She asked herself.It's not like I'm going on a blind date or something. It's just Oliver. I've known him for months.She couldn't shake the nerves, though. The excitement of going
OllieOliver steered the tractor into the dirt parking lot near the fair. He had to park all the way in the back because it was so busy. It seemed like everybody in town was there.“I had no idea it would be so popular,” he said, as he turned off the engine. “This must be the thing to do when the weather gets nice.”“Oh, it is,” Elsie said. “It's a pretty big deal. I'm willing to bet that nearly every single person in town is here. Don't be surprised if I run into people that I know that want to talk my ear off. If anyone asks, you're a friend from college.”
Four months later...The Bandits were behind by three points. With only thirty seconds left in the fourth quarter, it was starting to look like the championship trophy might end up being handed over to The Rockets instead. But after the hard fought season, Oliver wasn't about to throw in the towel. He couldn't. Not with his girl standing on the sidelines watching.Come on, Ollie,Elsie thought, bundled inside of her Bandits trainer down coat.The wind howled, adding to the noise of the crowd. It was bitter cold. The kind of January day that should have been spent indoors. If it wasn't for a game like this, that's where El
ElsieAlthough Elsie had made the decision to cheer for the other team, she couldn't stick to it for very long. Her family had instantly become Bandit's biggest fans and the entire room became a riot of celebration with every completed pass that Oliver threw. By the time the second half had started, Elsie was cheering right along with them, rooting for Ollie and his team.He was playing well, besides the fact that he did seem kind of nervous. Even the commentators had taken notice of it. They'd said several times that he appeared to be distracted and they'd caught him looking up toward the box seats on more than one occasion.
ElsieAs Elsie made her way toward the box seats, she expected a number of things. She expected to watch a football game, to see Oliver playing, to get mad about what Oliver had done to her and maybe have a few drinks because of it. She was also pretty certain that she’d leave immediately after the game was over and get on that plane and head back home, where she belonged.But when she stepped into the club seating, everything that she had been expecting flew straight out of the window as fast as Oliver could throw a football. Elsie stopped in the doorway of the room that overlooked the field and felt her knees turn to jello.
ElsieTwo days later...It was early in the morning. Elsie had hardly left her hotel room since the run in with Oliver in the hallway. She practically locked herself in there and only opened the door to allow room service in. It wasn't because she was suddenly afraid of the outside world, it was just that she didn't want to deal with it right then. She didn't want to have to fake a smile when ordering at a cafe, or really even talk to anyone.Most of her time had been spent in bed, eating junk food and crying. She had tried watching an old movi
ElsieElsie had been waiting impatiently all morning. She was excited to see Oliver later that afternoon, once he was through with his meeting with the sponsors. In an effort to kill some time, she'd taken a walk around town, casually seeing the sights. She'd enjoyed a coffee and some breakfast at a little diner near the hotel, then strolled through the neighborhoods, soaking up the warm morning sunshine.When she got back to her room at around eleven, she decided to get ready for her lunch date. Since it was just lunch and not a fancy dinner, she dressed in dark jeans and a light blue blouse. It wasn't too dressy, but also not too casual. Plus, she thought the blouse looked super sexy on her an
OllieAfter a few hours of schmoozing with the new sponsors, Oliver and Nikki stepped out the front doors of The Bandit's manager's office. Ollie was still a bit tired from the night before. He hadn't slept well after Nikki had left his home. He'd tossed and turned the rest of the evening, trying to figure out why she'd really been there in the first place. It just didn't make sense.“Oliver, why are you being so quiet?” Nikki asked, as the two walked across the parking lot.“Just a little bit tired, I guess,” he said.He considered bri
OllieAfter a brutal workout and several hours of grueling training with his team, Oliver was finally home. It was almost nine at night, but it felt much later. Every muscle in his body was sore and the intensity of the drills had renewed a bit of pain in his recovering knee. He did his best to keep his weight off of it as he took a shower and crawled into bed. Sleep was coming soon. He could feel it. But he didn't want to close his eyes until he at least called Elsie to see how her day was.He dialed her up and relaxed into his pillows as the phone rang.“Hello, handsome,” Elsie said, picking up after just two ring
OllieOliver walked next to Elsie as the two made their way down the hallway to her hotel room. He'd offered to drive them to his place, but she had insisted on going to her hotel instead. She said it was closer than his house and she didn't want to wait any longer than she had to. Of course, Oliver wasn't about to complain. Just watching her walk in that tight black dress of hers made him ache to have her once again. The way her butt moved underneath the thin material was almost too much for him to handle. He couldn't wait to get that dress off of her.Elsie unlocked the door with her room key and they stepped inside. As soon as the door closed behind them, Ollie spun her around to face him. Th
OllieOliver sat at the table across from Elsie. He adjusted his blue tie, loosening it a bit around his neck so that he didn't feel like he was choking. He wore suits for games and as part of his duties as a professional spokesman for the team, but he tried to avoid wearing a tie. Ties felt too formal and fancy for him.But tonight was different. His girl was in town and he'd taken her to finest restaurant within fifty miles, a place called The Ruse. It was located on the beach, just a few hundred feet from the San Francisco Bay. Ollie had never been there, but when he asked his teammates where to take the most beautiful girl in the world to dinner, this was the place that they'd unanimously ag