Chasing Home (NFL)

Last Song

"I hear the preacher say:
'Speak now or forever hold your peace'
There's the silence, there's my last chance
I stand up with shaky hands, all eyes on me
Horrified looks from everyone in the room,
But I'm only looking at you

I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely barging in
On a white veil occasion,
But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marrying the wrong girl"

– "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift

Chapter 65: Last Song

My heart pounded in my chest all the way to the Boston airport. I could not stop thinking about how reckless I was being. If it were not for Rob's calming presence, I would have backed out long ago. And despite my anxiety, deep down I knew I had to take this chance. This was my last shot, and I would regret it for the rest of my life if I did not take it.

"Did you leave your car here?" I asked Rob as we rushed through the airport doors. The two of us had not talked much since the previous day. I appreciated the silence, which allowed me to pan my course of action.

Rob shook his head, a wide grin plastered on his face. "Nope! This is a special mission, so we're going in style."

I looked at him oddly. "Do I want to know what that means?"

Just then, a fancy black car pulled up to the curb. The passenger side window rolled down to reveal the car's occupants: Wes Welker and Julian Edelman wearing suits and sunglasses.

"Hey, Lauren," Julian said as he leaned out of the open window. "Are you ready for this?"

"No," I said honestly.

Wes pushed his sunglasses to the edge up his nose and looked up at me. "We've got some time before the wedding. We can make a stop if you need it."

I hesitated. A crazy idea popped into my mind, and I thought I might as well go with it. "Yeah, can you take me to a Patriots Pro Shop?"

Julian and Rob exchanged glances. "What for?" Julian said.

"Never mind," I said. I walked around the ca and got into the backseat. Once Rob was beside me, I nodded to the front. "Go ahead and drive, Wes."

"You've got it," Wes said. He turned the wheel and pulled us away from the curb. We were off.

"What do you need from the pro shop?" Rob asked.

"There's no time to explain." I noticed his eyes flicker to my shaking hands, so I pushed them under my legs to make them still.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Julian pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and looked at me in concern. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

I shook my head. "I do want to. I have to."

"Don't worry," said Rob, "I came up with this plan, and it can't go wrong."

"Maybe I'm afraid it will go well." It did not make much logical sense, but nothing I did around Tom made sense. He brought out the most crazy, irrational side of me that I would rather deny existed.

I felt a hand on my arm, and I looked up to meet Rob's compassionate gaze. "I know it's scary. It's easy to be afraid that getting something you want could cause you to lose control and forget yourself, but you'll never get anywhere if you focus on everything that could go wrong. That was what you were always telling us players, right?"