"I left you something on the bed." I grinned at Ellie while we walked hand-in-hand to Huskies' Stadium. "While you're watching the game."
Wes and Charlie said they'd drive me home after we got back late tonight, so Ellie and I walked over to the bus pick-up area because she was too short to fully reach my truck's accelerator and brake pedals. There was also no way I crammed my large frame into the old Volkswagen Beetle that I couldn't believe she still owned.
Whipped over Ellie aside, I still have to keep my dignity.
And my knees out of my armpits.
Gray and misty weather hung in the morning sky but Ellie's hand, soft and perfectly nestled in mine, was all I needed.
"Really?" Her eyes sparkled and her lips pulled into a beautiful smile, both of which tempted me to spill what my small gift was, but really nothing compared to the ring that now hung back around her neck and raised a small bump under her sweatshirt.
"Not as important as this." I stopped walking, lifted one finger around the chain, and lifted up the ring. In a move that twisted a knot in my chest, she clasped one hand's fingers around the ring, lifted it up to her lips, and pressed a soft kiss against it.
My hands reached out and cupped around her jawline, then my fingers stroked over the soft skin in her cheeks. After my lips brushed gently over hers, I looked straight into those doe-shaped eyes and assured her, "If anyone asks me about you, I'll say whatever you want me to."
Her hand dropped her ring, which bounced slightly against her chest, and her palm patted the center of my chest. "You've always been good about speaking from here," she replied and softly pressed one of her cheeks into my hand. "I trust you."
"So, how about an I love you message on the Jumbotron?" I teased.
"As long as it's Arizona's," she threw back at me, tilted her chin upwards as I kissed her again, then resumed our sidewalk trail towards the stadium.
"How about your name tattooed right here?" I tapped my index finger into my closest bicep. "Or the Husky Band spells it out during halftime?"
"I don't need anything..." Her hand squeezed right over mine, then she punched my shoulder lightly. "Except what I already have."
I couldn't help myself and stopped again. She huffed quietly, but smiled when my lips lowered to hers, where I kissed her softly and gently. I ignored the loud thumps in my chest like my heart wanted to break out its own love confession.
Fuck, I'm a complete sap.
"If you keep this up then you're going to miss your bus, not the best move for starting your first game," she sighed softly.
"Save these for me later." Totally whipped, I kissed Ellie's lips once more, then walked across the parking lot to the large silver bus parked near the player's entrance. About sixty cars were already parked there, which included what looked like Wes' silver Audi. Right away, the doors opened and he and Charlie stepped out, then looked in our direction.
"There you two... are..." Charlie called out to us but stopped her arm wave mid-air when her eyes bulged at our joined hands. "Are you... really? Really!?"
"Really really." Ellie nodded as a flush of pink spread across her cheeks.
"Ellie!" Charlie squealed loudly and flung her arms around Ellie's small shoulders in a giggly mess of hugs.
"Hey Wes," I casually tipped up my chin and bumped my fist against his. "Ready for Arizona?"
"Yep," was his equally casual response.
"Oh gosh!" Charlie pulled back and squeezed Ellie's arms tightly. "Ellie you are... glowing! Is the stick gone!? Wait, both of you look... When?"
I had no idea what stick Charlie talked about, or what led to the scrutinous look she gave both of us. But by the way Ellie's blush spread to her entire face, she knew exactly what Charlie meant. Wes and I just silently exchanged a side-glance, then lifted our shoulders slightly.
After Ellie cupped her hand to Charlie's ear and whispered something, Charlie's blue eyes fixed on me. In a blink, she snapped them over to Wes with a smug tone in her voice, "Pay up, couch-breaker!"
"You're fucking with me," Wes grumbled at Charlie, who just thrust out one hand at him. He rolled his eyes, took out his wallet, then slapped a bill into her palm. While I suspected what the general bet conditions were, for Ellie's sake, none of me wanted the details laid out in the open.
"Pleasure doing business with you, babe." Charlie flashed Wes a bright smile, then nodded at the bus. "Let's go, big babies."
I clasped Ellie's hand, who fell silent while we trailed behind Wes and Charlie. Her chin tipped down slightly and the blush hadn't left her cheeks. I couldn't resist, lowered my head down, and asked in her ear, "So... What was the spread?"
"My legs, apparently," she whispered back into my ear. "Wes had us having sex tonight, Charlie went with after our date..."
My shoulders twitched with a small laugh, then I lifted my eyebrows at Charlie's girl-cryptic language. "And the stick?"
"No comment," was all Ellie said, but the blush on her cheeks adorably spread to the rest of her face. Even her ears, neck, and chest turned pink as I took her hand in mine.
That's my girl.
And, just to prove to every single fucking set of eyes that was on us, which included at least one camera crew, I stopped with Ellie a few steps away from the bus entrance.
"Ellie," I reminded her of our previous deal. "You owe me that kiss goodbye, baby."
"You say that like you didn't just kiss me eighty times on the walk over," she teased. With her head craned back, her eyes flashed at me as they looked up like she knew exactly what I really wanted.
"Still not enough." I cupped her jaw, lowered my head, and pressed my lips against hers gently.
While I wanted my statement, that this girl was mine, known by everyone in the entire fucking world, I was well aware of what was appropriate in public and in front of my coaches. Our lips moved slowly together in a mostly closed-mouth kiss then she gave me a small hug before she stepped back with a shy smile.
Just as my mouth pulled back into a wide grin, an arm slid over Ellie's shoulder and a dark-skin hand clenched her right arm.
"Ellie Harrison!" Monique chirped at her and threw me a big smile. "Tell me this means you've tagged and bagged this giant-ass piece of -"
Ellie held up one hand over Monique's mouth, but pulled her lips up into a smirk at me. She couldn't have surprised me more when her small hand lowered, then tugged into my nearest back pocket.
"Tagged," she said quietly and squeezed my ass cheek firmly. "And bagged."
"Not sure if I should be offended by that," I retorted, but just gave her a brief hand wave and climbed onto the bus with Darrius behind me.
"Still got eyes on you, pretty boy," he grumbled and took an aisle seat across from where I dropped my bag.
"Wouldn't expect anything less," I replied with a grin and stood in the aisle while he got settled.
Darrius apparently traveled like his entire apartment came with him. He had two large purple and gold Husky duffel bags, one that looked bulky and the other stuffed to the seams.
"Know what, New Guy?" His large head turned towards me and his dark brown eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Fuck you and Brown."
"The hell did I do?" Wes turned around from his seat ahead of us.
"Break another couch, Wes?" I snorted softly.
Right when Wes flashed me two middle fingers over his head, Darius grunted quietly. "Both of you, giving your girls rings. Like I hadn't heard enough shit from Monique after you proposed, Brown. This will make it ten times worse, pretty boy."
Before I asked how he knew about Ellie's ring under her sweatshirt, he cleared his throat. I choked back a laugh at his high-pitched impression that was pretty damn close to Monique's voice, "Where's my ring, D? Don't I matter? Does your ass wanna sleep on the sofa that we both know doesn't fit you?"
"Woah woah woah." Wes stood halfway up in his seat, then turned around and stared at me, not Darrius. "You gave Ellie a ring?"
"Promise one." I shrugged my shoulders. "Same one I gave her -"
Before I finished, Darrius, Wes, and pretty much every guy within a six-seat radius burst into loud, gut-clenched laughter. Shoulders bounced, snorts intermixed with laughs, and even a few tears popped up.
Laugh it up, she's mine.
In between laughs that heaved his chest, Kade the king of strike-outs with Ellie choked out, "That's some high school level shit right there. Make out in the backseat of your truck afterwards, where she let you honk a tit?"
"No." I rolled my eyes at him before the corners of my mouth curled up at Wes. "Still lost your bet though. And I don't see any of the rest of you assholes with her."
"Definitely never thought Ellie'd spread her legs for old school shit." Seth shook his head, then gave me a smirk that clearly read 'Well played.'
Any of my good mood this morning dissolved the longer he looked at me with false assumptions and mentally my fists rearranged a few of those too-perfectly placed teeth. "Ellie's not like that at all. Neither am I, asshole."
"Yeah." Wes scoffed and I appreciated his defense until his next choice of words, "We all know Logan and Ellie probably just cuddled in matching pajamas."
The image of Ellie and me in bed together, naked, pulled a grin across my face.
Technically, we did match.
Thankfully, one appreciative nod from me at Wes killed that conversation and, five minutes later, the bus departed. Every one of the guys retreated into their respective travel distractions, except for Darrius. His forehead was glued to the bus window, where a small heat mark haloed around his head and a small cloud puff condensed every few seconds from his breath.
Right before I asked if he was alright, he muttered, "Promise ring."
I'd never have admitted to any of these assholes, but in full honesty, I hadn't felt entirely ready to give Ellie her ring back when I had. Ideally, I'd have waited a little longer, until we'd established our relationship again over some time. During our date, she had admitted she hadn't stopped loving me but those three words hadn't left her mouth yet.
Maybe I should've gone with a bigger gesture more than, 'Okay, let's have sex again now.'
But the sneak peak I'd gotten on my phone screen after the hot air balloon ride showed signs that obviously we'd been seen together. So I figured we were on borrowed time before the unwanted attention shifted from me onto Ellie.
So once anyone asked her, friend, family or stranger, even if she never wore that ring again or flashed it in person, she had the security and assurance of my feelings.
Especially when I'm not there in person.
If asked, now Ellie knew she was my girlfriend. And since I wanted her as mine again, the ring was the biggest statement I could've made to her on that subject. And if that ring protected her from her own self-doubt, then I was stupid if I wasn't ready sooner than I'd expected.
My phone chimed repeatedly, from tagged pictures of my and Ellie's parking lot kiss. Unlike Lydia's blurry night time kiss, these were clear and both of us were clearly identifiable. I groaned at the sloppy lovesick expression on my face while I looked at Ellie, but smiled at the one on her face.
Ellie can handle national-level attention... Right?