chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

            The weeks flew by, surprisingly, and Colt had been at training camp for a week, and was planning on coming out from Tallahassee for the weekend. I was so excited; I could hardly contain myself. The last few weeks, over phone calls and emails, our relationship blossomed and I was on pins and needles waiting on him. The last time I talked to him this morning, he said he was heading this way when he got finished with practice at noon. It was one o’clock now, and he was probably just leaving the Florida State campus. I spent the morning on the beach, trying to pass the time. Seth and Jared joined me, and we played a few rounds of beach volleyball and had a couple beers. I came in around lunchtime and fixed a sandwich and made a list for the grocery store. I was going to pick up some snacks for Colt and a few things to cook. But first, I cleaned up the apartment and took a shower. I wasn’t a messy person, but I still wanted the apartment spotless.

            When I got out of the shower, I stood in front of my closet, trying to figure out something to wear. I finally decided on a pair of white linen pants and a black tank top, with black open-toed Nine West wedges. I left my long brown hair curly and put on a little mascara. I had an awesome tan, now, as I spent almost every morning on the bay. I have taken up running, too. There is a nice little park not too far from my apartment that has plenty of walking trails. Seth and Jared have taken me to some cool places throughout Mobile. They have been great friends to me over these last few weeks, and I haven’t been quite as lonely as I would have been had I not met them. As much fun as I was having, I was ready to spend some quality time with Colt, and I had a few things planned for us this weekend.

            I went to the grocery store and wound up spending way too much money, but I wasn’t worried, it would all get eaten at one point or another, between Colt being here this weekend and Seth and Jared hanging out during the week. I bought some febreze candles for every room of my apartment, and lit them as soon as I got home, so it would smell warm and inviting. I was sitting on the balcony, smoking a cigarette, and I could smell lavender and vanilla floating out the door. I loved it. My phone rang from the kitchen and I ran in to get it. The caller ID read ‘Colt’.     

            “Hey, darlin,” I greeted him.

            “Hey there, beautiful. I am crossing over the bay and I will be there in a few minutes. I’m ready for a cold beer and a kiss from my girl,” Colt said.

            “Good. I am ready and waiting for you! It feels like it has been forever!”

            “It does, but it is only a few more minutes. Do you need me to pick up anything?”

            “No, I went to the store a little bit ago and stocked up on some things, so I think we’re good.”

            “Alright. I’ll call you when I’m pulling in so you can tell me where to park.”

            “Ok, bye,” I said, and hung up the phone.

S**t. Beer. I looked down over the balcony to the parking lot to see if Seth or Jared were home, and luckily, I saw Seth’s Honda Civic parked beside my Tahoe. I ran downstairs and knocked on his apartment door.

            “Hey,” Seth said when he opened the door.

            “Hey, Seth. I need a huge favor. Colt will be here in a few minutes and I have no beer. Can you run and get me some?”

            “Sure,” Seth said, grabbing up his keys. “What do you want?”

            “A case of Bud Light and an eighteen pack of Michelob Ultra,” I said, handing him a one hundred dollar bill.

            “Is that all?”

            “Umm, grab a couple packs of smokes, too,” I said.

            “Got it.”

            “Thank you so much!” I said, giving him a hug.

            “Anytime, Harleigh. I’ll be back in a few.”

I bounded back up to my apartment and checked myself in the mirror. I rummaged through my pocketbook and but on some more coral lip-gloss and sprayed some more Nautica perfume. I went out on the balcony and started chain smoking. I was nervous. Colt would be here any minute. I jumped when my phone rang.

            “I’m pulling in,” Colt said.

            “Okay. Go to the right until you see building five, and park to the left of my Tahoe and come up to the second floor. I’m the apartment right off the landing, 5C,” I said, stubbing out my cigarette. I went inside and checked my hair in the mirror before heading to the door. I was standing in the doorway when Colt came up the steps.

            “Harleigh!” he exclaimed, dropping his bag onto the landing. He took me into his arms and planted a kiss on me that I will never forget.

            “Well, hello to you, too!” I said, when he released me.

            “You look beautiful. I have been dreaming about this moment for weeks,” he said, holding my hands.

            “I’ve missed you,” I said, and I felt my eyes filling. “Come inside and make yourself at home. I’ll put your things in your room.”

            “My room?” Colt asked, following me inside. He closed the door behind him.

            “Well, I wasn’t exactly sure what the sleeping arrangements would be,” I said, blushing. I took his bag to my bedroom and sat it in my closet.

            “No beer?” Colt asked, looking in the refrigerator.

            “It’s on the way. I had forgotten all about it until you said you wanted one, so I went down and asked Seth to go get us some. He should be back in a few minutes.”

            “Okay. I’m looking forward to meeting him and Jared anyway. Seems like they have been good friends to you,” Colt said, taking me in his arms. He rested his chin on my head.

            God he smelled so good. Calvin Klein cologne and his sweet manly sent. I could stay like this for hours, soaking him in.

            “They have been. I imagine I would have gotten pretty lonely if it wasn’t for them taking me under their wing.”

            “I’m glad,” Colt said.

            “So how is training camp going?”

            “So far, so good. I have a lot of competition, but I think I can get the starting spot, or the number two at least. What have you been doing around here to keep busy, besides laying on the beach?”

            “I have taken up running almost every day, adventuring around town, trying to find my way around. I don’t get lost too often anymore,” I said, smiling.

            I went over to the radio and turned on some music.

            “Do you want to go sit on the balcony? It’s my favorite place to be. I think the chairs already have my butt indentions in them,” I said, laughing.

            “Sure. You have a great view.”

There was a knock on my door no sooner than we sat down.

            “Beer is here,” I said. “Come in!” I yelled, and I heard the door open.

            “Got your beer, Harleigh!” Seth said, and I heard him put it in the refrigerator. He walked out on the balcony. Colt stood up.

            “I’m Colt Black,” he said, extending his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

            “Seth Jones,” Seth said, shaking Colt’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”

            “Nothing bad, I hope,” Colt said, laughing.

            “Nope. I think this girl is over the moon for you,” Seth said with a wink.

            “SETH!” I exclaimed, and I could feel my face burning up. I punched him in the arm and went inside and grabbed us each a beer, and a Camel for myself. I was going to need it if Seth kept embarrassing me.

            “Oh, Harleigh, it’s not like he didn’t know anyway,” Seth said, laughing as I handed him a Bud Light. “Oh, I put your change on the bar.”

            “Okay, thank you,” I said, turning up my Michelob Ultra.

            “Well, I’ll leave y’all to catch up. What are your plans for tomorrow?” Seth asked.

            “I was thinking about getting some jet skis or a boat for the day, but I’m not sure, yet,” I said, lighting up my cigarette.

            “Well, if you want to get a boat, Jared and I will go in with you and we can show y’all around the bay,” Seth offered.

            “We will let you know. Come on up around nine and I’ll cook breakfast and we can figure it out.”

            “Okay, sounds good. G’night, y’all, and nice to meet you, Colt.”

            “You, too, Seth. Good night,” Colt said.

We heard the door open and close and Seth was gone. Colt pulled me down on his lap and held his arms around my waist.

            “He seems like a nice guy. Y’all get on in a brotherly-sisterly kind of way. I like him,” Colt said.

            “I do, too. Him and Jared have been good to me, Seth especially, Jared works quite a lot.”

            “I’m glad, babe,” Seth said, and he kissed me on the forehead. It sent shivers down my spine. “So, what are we going to do for supper?”

            “Well, I hadn’t decided. I have plenty of things to cook or we can go out and I can show you what little I know of Mobile. Your choice.”

            “Let’s stay in. We can go out tomorrow night. I just want to spend a nice night catching up with you.”

            “Well, in that case, how about we grill steaks and eat down at the picnic table by the bay? There are grills and tables surrounded by live oaks and a great water view. It’s just on the other side of the complex. We can pack us a little cooler and a radio and ride over there,” I suggested. “Or we can grill by the pool.”

            “Down by the bay sounds good to me. What else do you want to do for supper?”

            “Let’s see…I have baby red potatoes, I can cut them up with onions and garlic and we can throw them on the grill, and either corn on the cob or salad?”

            “Corn, we can throw it on the grill, too.”

            “Okay, let’s get that together and head on down there. I have a bag of charcoal in the pantry.”

 

We grilled out down by the bay, and ate as the sun was falling on the horizon. When we finished, we threw away our trash and loaded the cooler into the back of Colt’s Jeep Cherokee and took a walk down the beach. We walked hand in hand for a while, talking about everything under the moon, and stealing kisses. I felt like I was falling harder every minute, and I didn’t know what to think. Part of me was happy and wanted to see where it went, and the other part of me was scared of out my mind. How would this work? Would we switch off weekends in Tallahassee and Mobile? What about football? Like I told Hillary and Madison a few weeks ago, s**t like being a starting quarterback for Florida State changes people. I tried not to let it bother me, or at least not to let Colt see it. I didn’t want to ruin our weekend.

            When we got back to my apartment, I changed into some pajamas and Colt unpacked his bag. I was sitting on the bed, balancing my checkbook when he came over and sat beside me.

            “I have something for you,” he said.

            “Really?” I asked, closing my checkbook. I turned to face him.

            “Yeah. I got you season tickets to every home game,” He said, handing them to me. “Every player gets four tickets to give to family and friends, and I wanted to give a set to you, so you can be there to cheer me on.”

            “Colt! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me that you want me there cheering for you!” I exclaimed with tears in my eyes. I grabbed him and kissed him hard. “This is possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!”

           

            I woke up Saturday morning in a tangle of covers and Colt, feeling better than I ever had. I lay there for a minute and just watched him sleep, he looked so peaceful. We didn’t have sex last night, but not for lack of wanting. We got pretty close a couple times, but one of us always stopped it before it went too far. Neither of us were virgins, but we were developing real feelings for one another and neither of us wanted to potentially mess it up by sleeping together too soon. It was fine with me, though it might become frustrating before long.

            I got out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee on. I looked up at the clock on the microwave and it read seven a.m. Ever since I moved down here, aside from the first couple of days, I have been up early. I kind of liked having a few extra hours to my day. I waited for my coffee to brew, and took my cup and pack of cigarettes out on the balcony to enjoy the morning. I figured I had about an hour before I needed to start cooking breakfast. I turned the portable radio I had taken to keeping on the balcony to the news radio station.

            At eight o’clock I went in and started cooking a breakfast of sausage, eggs, grits and biscuits with white gravy. The entire apartment smelled wonderful, and by eight-thirty, the scents had lured Colt out of bed. I met him at the doorway to the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a kiss.

            “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” I asked.

            “I did. How long have you been up?” Colt asked, sipping his coffee.

            “Oh, since seven. I haven’t slept in since I have been here,” I said, putting a pan of biscuits into the oven.

            “Breakfast smells good,” Colt said, wrapping his arms around me.

            “Thank you. Now run off and throw some clothes on and do me a favor?”

            “What’s that?”

            “Run down to Seth and Jared’s apartment and beat on the door and tell them to get their asses up here if they want breakfast. It’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

            “No problem, babe,” Colt agreed, giving me a kiss. He sauntered off into the bedroom and came out a few minutes later wearing a pair of camouflage cargo shorts and a white t-shirt.

 

            We wound up going in on a boat rental with Seth and Jared and spent the day cruising the bay and the evening drinking beer on my balcony. The weekend was quickly coming to an end and I was dreading it. Colt had to leave after lunch the next day, and I didn’t want to see him go. We were already planning on my going to Tallahassee the next Friday.

            Shortly after midnight, Seth and Jared excused themselves down to their apartment, claiming they were tired, but I knew they wanted to give me some time to be alone with Colt.

            We got in bed and cuddled, watching ridiculous late night TV until we both fell asleep, wrapped up in a cocoon of arms and legs, and that was how we woke up Sunday morning.

            We stayed in bed until eleven, talking and kissing, neither of us wanting the weekend to end. We finally got up and got dressed and headed out the door. I was taking Colt to lunch before he had to head back to Florida, so we drove separately.

            I took him to the same restaurant out near the airport that Seth took me my second day here, The Boiling Pot. When lunch was over, we said our goodbyes with promises to talk throughout the week and see each other the following weekend. I sat in my Tahoe and cried as I watched Colt drive away.