The Best Defense: A Sports Romance

Devon

Gemma and Tillie... Tillie is becoming this rabbit hole that threatens to pull me under, I just want to know more about her. Yet, no one seems to know anything or they won't tell me. Hell even her roommate wouldn't give me an inch. I've never felt so desperate.

I throw open the door to the change room. "Hey Matt, do you remember Gemma Harris?"

He snorts, "dude, who can forget her?" I mean fair, she banged her way through almost the entire team two years ago before finally being shipped off to rehab from what I heard.

"Do you remember who she used to hangout with?"

"Nah bro, I don't think she had friends besides Chomps." I shudder at the mention of Chomps, who got her nickname after almost chomping off a chunk of Beau Hartman's dick during a blow job in her first year. "Why do you want to know, I know she's at the rink today and I swear to fucking God if you tap that I will smack you."

He pauses in thought then looks at me, "wait she has a sister too."

"Coach has two daughters?"

"Yeah dude, I don't know the other one. Apparently she's super private or some shit." He finishes sliding his foot into his boot and stands up. "I want food so hurry the fuck up."

Tillie's last name on her socials wasn't Harris though, and she doesn't look like Gemma either. Now that I think about it though she does look a hell of a lot like Coach Harris. If she's super private that explains the different last names.

Why wouldn't she just say who she is?

All I know is I have more questions about the girl then I have answers for. When I get back to the house and back to my room I stare at my laundry basket starting to fill and have never been so grateful that Matt can't keep his dick to himself.

-----

It's Thursday, I have been to this shitty laundromat for the past two nights hoping to find Tillie tucked into the back corner folding her roommates crap. I struck out both times and felt like a total stalker when Delores just gave me a look when I didn't stay to do laundry either time. Lucky for her tonight I actually have a load to do.

I pull open the door and am greeted by the annoying jingle of the bell attached to the top of the door and the musky smell of I think mildew. Fucking gross. Delores makes her way out of a small room and looks at me, then looks at the laundry basket in my hand and raises a brow.

"So you're actually here for laundry tonight? Not looking for a certain girl?" She doesn't offer me a free detergent this time, instead I came armed with extra change to get a pod from the dispenser on the wall.

"Is this certain girl due to come in anytime soon?" I ask while looking sideways at Delores.

"If she was, I wouldn't tell you. It's much more fun watching you come in every night like some love struck fool."

"Uncool Delores, and here I was thinking we could be friends." I move over to the first machine and stare, this is why I should think more with one head then the other. I cannot remember what she told me.

Clothes in, pod in, money in, start.

Clink.clink

Fuck.

Money in, dial, start.

Success, not as stupid as I look folks.

The hair on my neck stands up, someone else is here. I didn't see anyone when I first came in either.

I place my laundry basket ontop of the machine and make my way to the back of the laundromat only to find a dorky brunette crouching under the folding table.

A smile tugs at my lips seeing Tillie hiding under the table.

"You're hiding skills could really use some work, I bet you lost every game of hide and seek growing up." I watch as she pulls herself out from under the table and wipes her knees as she stands.

"Honestly I was hoping you weren't staying." Her lips are pressed together in an awkward forced grin as she looks anywhere but at my face. It's cute how nervous she is.

"So you're avoiding me?" Her eyes quickly shift to mine before looking down again.

She puffs air into her top lip inflating it for a second then sighs. "Yes. I was hoping to continue it for as long as possible. Obviously that didn't work."

She turns her whole body away from me and reaches for a shirt on the table. 

"Can we talk about Saturday night?" I watch as her whole body tenses.

"How about no? How about we pretend that I didn't make an absolute idiot out of myself and basically throw myself at you? Okay? Awesome." Then she starts folding again. What the fuck.

"Or, and here me out, we still talk about it and we don't pretend it didn't happen." I'm not letting her drop this. There's something here and we both know it.

"Look, Devon. You seem like a nice guy, I'm actually glad you stopped things when you did." She looks up at me with a half-cracked weak smile that says she is in fact not happy I stopped it but wants to pretend otherwise. Then she adds, "I'm not in a place to be starting anything with anyone."

I don't believe her, her eyes still shift towards my lips as she talked. She still wants this. "I think it was already started Till."

I take a step towards her and run my fingers up her arm, watching as a trail of goosebumps is left behind. She sucks in her breath but does her damned hardest to appear otherwise unaffected by my touch, that is until I reach her up and tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear. She shivers and the vibration of it almost carries through our touch, sending bolts of heat through my body.

This is it, that moment you hear about where the guy either fucks the whole thing up or becomes the guy people root for. And I'm pretty sure I am about to fuck it all up.

"Till, I need to ask you something." My voice is low and I'm doing my best to do this gently. Her eyes shoot to mine and I can see the fear and unease like waves crashing on shore in her blue eyes.

"You're going to ask about the bruise aren't you?" There's no anger in her voice, just... defeat. As if she doesn't want to answer but she knows she has to.

"Who hurt you Tillie? You didn't get that from falling down the stairs." I reach for where her bruise started on her side and she pulls away sharply.

"How the fuck would you know Devon? You weren't there." Her eyes have narrowed, her nostrils are flared and she's breathing heavily like she's ready to charge me like a bull. "Mind your own business Devon."

Yup, I fucked it up.

"My dad abused my mom, it wasn't the first time I have seen a bruise like that." I grit my teeth after spitting out the words. I fucking hate talking about it, but if anyone needs to know I understand it's Tillie.

I just hope she is willing to listen.