Page 38 of The Game
We will get there.
I lean back in my seat, stretch out my legs as far as they’ll go, and place my hands behind my head.
I catch Sarah out of the corner of my eye, noticing her glancing at my biceps, which makes me smile.
She quickly looks away and gazes out the window.
We fall into a relaxed conversation again, no sex talk this time, and I learn more about the brilliant Sarah Parker.
Her best friend, Jessica, is her closest friend at the university, and she’s interning in Formula 1. They grew up together and share their love for sports journalism.
Now, they catch up over FaceTime whenever their schedule aligns.
Spending time with Sarah and learning more about her has been interesting, and I’m excited to keep learning, even if she makes me work for it.
It’s too bad the bus ride is over so soon, and for the first time, I wish we could keep traveling longer.
I gather my belongings and stand up as the bus pulls into the stop. Glancing down one last time at Sarah, Itake in her beautiful face and the comfortable ride we’ve shared.
I don’t want our time together to end, but it’s not like I can tell her to stay in this bus with me.
“I’ll see you on Thursday,” I tell her, though I hesitate to add my little nickname for her, wanting to stay professional since it’s a business meeting.
She offers me a breathtaking smile.
“See you Thursday.”
When I get back to my hotel room, my phone rings with an incoming call from my youngest brother.
“Hey, Cameron,” I greet him, plopping down into the hotel bed.
My body is tired from the game and all the hours cramped up in a bus, but my mind is anything but exhausted.
All wired up on all things Sarah.
“Hey. Good game today, Alexander. You back in Chicago?”
“Thanks. Yeah, just got back to my hotel. Can’t fucking wait to have my condo done,” I say, looking out over the space I’m living in.
The renovations can’t be done quickly enough.
“I’m surprised you didn’t just buy another one in the same building, you could afford it, and then just rent it out.”
Just like me, my brothers have made it big in their respective fields, earning each of us a good fortune.
Cameron is the least responsible with his money, buying shit on impulse all the time. And suggesting I buy another condo whilst waiting for my own.
“It would practically be like living in a hotel room, you idiot.” He thinks that over.
“Yeah, I guess.”
I pull out my notepad, where I’ve jotted down all my notes for the meeting with Sarah.
I don’t think I’ve ever prepared so much for a meeting in my life. Maybe when I was first drafted into the NHL, but even then, I trusted my agent and parents with a lot of the technicalities, still young and new to the game.
“Anyways, you sound occupied, you don’t have a friend over or something?” I can hear in his suggestive tone exactly what kind of friend he’s referring to.
I smile, looking down at the page in front of me.
