San Diego
Two days before the game
Trinity bit her lip as she sat inside the Coach's office. This felt like as if she was in the principals office in school or something. Was she in trouble? Was she getting a raise? Was she getting fired? She couldn't think of a single clue. Sure, she missed one game but she was positive that wouldn't get her in trouble plus it was a family emergency.
Her leg bounced up and down feeling her anxiety take over. The team was gathered at the practice center about to take off to the airport for a late flight to Seattle just before the game on Sunday.
They were supposed to leave an hour ago but the Quarterback was late which was a first for Harrison since Elias was always the late one and he was surprisingly on time today.
The door to the office opened and Coach Ballard walked in, closing the door behind him. Trinity eyed getting more nervous by the second. He sighed and sat down in his office chair and looked at Trinity.
"Trinity, right?" He asked making sure and she nodded her head. The coach wasn't necessarily her boss. It was the General Manager of the team, but the coach had a say-so here and there. "Well, Trinity. I was making sure we go over the understanding of the rules here. That's really what this is,"
'Fuck,' was all she thought.
"Don't get worried, we're going over this with all the staff including the cheerleaders."
'Oh?' Was the next thing she thought.
"Someone close to the team said something about a player and member of the staff is messing around with each other and we wanted to make sure everyone knew the rules since everyone claims they don't know anything."
'They don't. Besides Harrison, Torrance, Elias, and Dallas.' She thought in her head. Her inner thoughts were loud today.
"You don't happen to know anything about that, do you? If anything like this leaks to the media, it's not going to be good for the team." Coach eyed her down and Trinity gulped shaking her head. "You sure?"
"Positive. I'm not really close to the other staff like that and the boys...well, I'm sure they all have actual relationships to focus on, I hope." She gave him an awkward smile. She wished she had taken theater in high school when she had the chance so her acting could be perfect.
The Coach stared at her before nodding his head and sighing. "Alright, well. That's all I have for you. I just found out you were supposed to be with defense this entire time but that's up to you if you want to make the switch. It seems you already have a liking with offense." The coach gave her a look and Trinity smiled awkwardly. She just thanked him not knowing what else to say before walking out of his office and grabbing her bag in the process.
Trinity made her way to the parking lot where the rest of the staff and players was. They couldn't go anywhere without Harrison. Dallas was the first to acknowledge Trinity as he walked up to her and twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. Her curl bouncing back into place once he let it go.
"I ain't know you was a curly head." He spoke and she chuckled to herself.
"Naturally, I am. But I hate having to deal with it so it's either braids, sew in, or straightened."
"It's pretty. You should wear it out more," He complimented and Trinity smiled at it. Sure, Dallas thought Trinity was pretty and whatnot but they both know it was nothing but friendship vibes between them. She looked at him and Harrison as two funny older brothers. Torrance and Elias on the other hand...
Let's just say a love triangle was not what she wanted right now.
"I'll think about it." Elias came into her view heading straight for them and Trinity took that as her cue to dip and enter the bus. Dallas raised an eyebrow before looking back at Elias, smirking.
"Trouble in paradise?"
"She been avoiding me since I showed up." Elias pouted not liking Trinity not talking to him. Maybe it was because the coach was almost onto them and she wanted to put some distance between them. "And I'm not fucking with it."
"When the last time y'all talked?"
"At my place after I got disqualified. I told her I didn't feel like hearing it about the headlines and she just left. Even at practice all this week she handed me a water bottle with no words."
"Probably because your ass know how to brush people's feelings off." Dallas chuckled. "I'm sure y'all gone talk while we in Washington."
"Sure." Was Elias said while sighing. A car pulled up outside the bus and the two looked at it along with the Coach, seeing Harrison walk over to them. "Yo, what took you so long? Looking like we switched places today."
Harrison breathing heavily shook his head with his bag in hand, "My bad. It was a family emergency." Him and Elias dapped each other up before the coach jumped in, placing his hand on Harrison's shoulder.
"Everything alright? You good to go?"
"Nah, yeah. I'm straight, it's just Madison's mother is all," Elias got concerned. His eyebrows furrowed, worried. "She's in the hospital right now. She had collapsed last night or something but she's fine. My bad for being late though, I just wanted to make her and her parents was good."
"You're good. Now, get on the bus, we should've been in the air by now." Coach ushered for all three of them to enter the bus and they did as told obviously heading to the back. Elias eyes looked for Trinity, seeing her sitting by a window but she wasn't alone as Torrance was seated next to her. The two engaged in conversation about nothing in particular.
Elias looked away and sat down in his usual spot and once the coach and everyone got settled the buses headed off to the airport for their hour flight to Seattle.
"So water girl, ever been to Seattle?" Dallas questioned Trinity from the seat across and Trinity twisted her lips.
She's been obviously with who she used to date but to actually sit down and explore. Never.
"Yes but...I didn't really explore it or anything like I hoped. It was just a quick in and out flight." She answered. Harrison now engaged in the conversation, Elias just listening, turned his head to look at them as he sat in the seat in front of Dallas.
"Well, shit. We always go out when we there to a bar or something. Why don't you slide with us?"
"Maybe," She chuckled, "I didn't know y'all was going out tonight. I'm surprised to be getting an invite. I know y'all besides Harrison probably got girls in every city to meet up with."
"Nah, that's Elias. He got a girl in every city." Torrance spoke up looking back at Elias who was now staring at him blankly. If looks could kill. He knew what he was doing and he wasn't liking it considering they was friends but the two haven't spoken since the fight last game and neither was man enough to make the first move and say I'm sorry. "Don't you, Eli?"
"Nah. In fact, I haven't hooked up with a girl since San Fran and that was a month ago." He answered matter of factly not to defend himself but really to let Trinity know. "And I'm not planning on it either."
Trinity couldn't do anything but sigh and turn her head out the window. She wasn't used to men fighting over her, let alone ones that was friends at that so this was new.
But she definitely knew which one she wanted to win.
_
Seattle,
Hyatt Regency
The flight to Seattle was short. An hour the most due to the weather so they got there quickly and check in went fast. Trinity didn't understand how she kept ending up on the same floors as Elias each time. Once again, his room was the only one from the team on her floor and she didn't know if that was a sign or something.
A sigh left her lips as her eyes glanced at the TV screen that displayed Friday the 13th on it. She was sort of shocked they was still playing scary movies since Halloween had passed and Thanksgiving was two weeks away. Her and Siren never really had any plans ever on that day. It was either order a pizza and binge watch Home Alone and football games or they'd just order the fake Thanksgiving meals from Boston Market.
Shawn had invited her for Thanksgiving this year at the foster home with the kids and she was considering going. That being the next thing in line as family for her and Siren. Even if it was just for an hour or two and not for the whole day.
Trinity always pictured what having a family would be like on Thanksgiving. Homemade food. Family drama. Kids playing and the favorite cousins laughing. Football games on the screen. It was something like a dream to her. A dream she stopped dreaming of back when she was 16 when she realized it was never going to happen.
Her phone lighting up next to her caught her eye and she picked it up seeing a text from Siren asking if she was okay. Sending back a simple thumbs up emoji and a heart, she left the messages app and headed to Instagram.
She wasn't much of a post-er on the app. Not a big account too much either. 7.2k followers right now and she didn't even know half the people who was following her. Most of them being Spartans fans and probably seen her on their screen every week or the fact that almost every player on the team followed her.
No wonder Coach was suspicious despite what he said.
Even the official Spartans account was following her.
Going to the create a new post option, she went to her drafts to see the post she had created the night of the gala. She had tooken pictures that night - and had Elias take some of her which surprisingly turned out good - that she's been contemplating on posting but since the headlines came out with the paparazzi pictures she debated against it.
Her hair was the same and the dress she was wearing and that was too risky.
Ashame she had to gatekeep them but she figured once she left the water girl job, she could.
A knock on her door made her eyebrows furrow and she stood up, walking over to it and looking through the peephole before unlocking the door and becoming face to face with the person.
"Yes?" She asked with a smile on her face and Harrison stood on the opposite side smiling back.
"You promised a night out tonight."
"I didn't promise y'all anything," She snickered.
"Alright but come on. You know you cool with us and we your only friends,"
"Don't make it seem like I don't have friends." She scoffed and Harrison chuckled.
"Right, anyways. Meet us across the street at the bar in fifteen." She nodded her head and closed the door behind her letting out a breath. She was sort of dreading being around Elias right now but...she could use a beer or something stronger.
Trinity sort of knew Elias didn't mean to dismiss her feelings the way he did but she couldn't deny it and say it wasn't triggering. She spent her whole life saying how she felt about something especially to men only to get shut down and not cared about so she was used to the routine of just shutting the fuck up afterwards because it was obvious nobody really gave two shits.
Slipping on a pair of leggings with a Spartans hoodie, she placed her hair in a bun and slipped on some converse, grabbing her phone, wallet, and room key and exiting the room going to the elevator.
The bar across the street was called 'Roscoes Pub' and she remembered seeing it as the bus had pulled up in front of the hotel. The elevator dinged allowing Trinity into the lobby, pulling her hood up over her head she exited the hotel and made her way across the street.
She could hear the bar from the outside and it was even louder once she actually got inside. Swimming Pools (Drank) by Kendrick Lamar was playing loudly causing her head to bop slowly to the beat. Her eyes glanced around the room landing on her group of boys in a booth allowing her feet to drag her over there. Torrance was the first to notice her and his eyes lit up at her presence.
"If it isn't our favorite water girl." He teased her and she rolled her eyes nearing the table. Harrison scooted over allowing to sit down next to him, "Took you long enough."
"I had to change out of my comfortable pajamas because someone told me to," She glanced with a smirk at Harrison and he raised his hands defensively. Trinity made sure she didn't look at Elias even though she could feel his eyes on her.
"Cute mickey mouse shorts by the way."
"Whatever, I'm surprised y'all are actually out in a very packed and public setting like this." She said while glancing around the bar. Everybody too drunk to notice the four famous football players...all besides the three girls across the room that kept eyeing them. Trinity chuckled to herself putting the attention back on the guys.
"Aight, let's get drunk. I'm not drinking this weak shit with y'all." Dallas protested making Trinity laugh. Harrison rolled his eyes letting out a snicker before bumping his arm into Trinity's.
"We'll order it, come on Trin." Trinity didn't question why he chose her to come with him and instead just followed behind anyways. Harrison and Trinity reached the bar and Harrison waved down the bartender ushering them over. "Can we order five shots of Hennessy?"
"Hennessy? With a game tomorrow?" Trinity asked raising her eyebrow and Harrison looked at her laughing.
"Trinity, the game is on Sunday and tomorrow Saturday."
"So y'all coaches don't get mad?" Harrison chuckled. Trinity knew they practice later on in the afternoon during away games just like if this was a home game and didn't know if they'd get in trouble for having a hangover.
"Nah...if anything by the time we go to practice tomorrow, they won't even tell." She hummed and looked at the TV screen displaying the Lakers and Warriors game going on right now. Harrison's eyes glanced over at the table they were at now seeing the girls over there. "Looks like we got replaced,"
Trinity turned around and her face scrunched up seeing the girls in the boys faces. Torrance was smiling and talking to some girl while Dallas was clearly flirting to the other one making her giggle and bite her lip. It was a horrendous sight. Elias was the only one not interested in it. His eyes was too focused on messing with his fingers while in his thoughts as the girl next to him was trying to get some type of conversation out of him. She just wasn't his type or what he was going for right now.
The girl in a hoodie and leggings with a messy bun on her head sitting at the bar with his best friend was.
Trinity turned around seeing Harrison already staring at her, "What?"
"You know he likes you, Trinity."
"I know...but I'm not putting my job at risk I mean did y'all have the talk with the coach too?"
"What talk?" Harrison was now more confused.
"The talk...about people on the team messing around? Apparently someone said a staff member and a team player was doing things together but didn't list any names. Imagine they find out about him and I?" She ranted making Harrison sigh. The bartender finally brought back the shots and the two took one taking it back.
"I know it's nerve wracking and it's your job but if it's meant to be and meant to happen between you two then let it. Eli a good guy and I know your realizing it, he really likes you, Trin. Between his agent and his mom right now, he sort of needs this extra love right now." Harrison explained and Trinity ran a palm down her face. "The guy that be getting in them fights and dating random girls- that shit not him for real. He starts off hot headed and shy and standoffish but he really cares about people, I mean... you think the guy would be best friends with a family ass man like myself?" Harrison laughed but Trinity didn't actually thinking about it.
"Believe it or not, he wants that. He'll never say it publicly because of his agent but he wants to get married one day and have a bunch of kids and whatnot. Especially not having it himself ever. It's always the person you least expect." Trinity turned her head to look at the popular wide receiver who was already looking at her before she turned back around. "Let me go bring them these drinks and save them from these girls."
Harrison stood up and walked away with the remaining three shot glasses leaving Trinity alone. Her fingers played with each other as she kept her eyes on the TV. A few seconds went by until a body occupied the right side of her, she didn't bother to look at who it was. The hand of the person it belonged to came into her view as they waved down the bartender.
"Lemme get a um... Moscow Mule." The person's voice rang through her ears. A slight Boston accent behind it. Raspy. But not too deep. Easy to listen to. Trinity looked to her right slightly being met with a stranger who was already staring at her. "I definitely know you not from Seattle."
Her eyebrow raised, "How would you know?"
"I've been living here for the past nine years and been coming to this bar for the past five. I'm a regular in here just like everyone else is and I definitely would've known seeing someone...as pretty like you up in here," He told her and she chuckled followed by a sigh.
"I'm from San Diego,"
"Southern California?" He snickered, "What you doing up here?"
"Work trip."
"Oh? What do you do?" She was about to answer before her eyes glanced behind him and she stood up from her seat. It was clear the stranger wanted to get to know but her mind was somewhere at the moment.
Or...someone else.
"Sorry but...I gotta go," She spoke before exiting the bar.
"Trinity!" That voice she was knowing oh so well called out to her and she rolled her eyes, trying her best and fastest to cross the street. A car was coming but if she ran right now, she would make it just in time so that's exactly what she did. Continuing towards the hotel lobby, Trinity entered it and went straight for the elevators. The doors to one opened immediately and she stepped in pressing her floor button. The doors slowly started to shut and before they had the chance to fully close, a tattooed arm stopped it making her curse under her breath.
Elias stepped in and stood with his back against the wall allowing the elevator doors to finally close now. His eyes on hers while hers just stayed at the numbers on the screen. Unfortunately, this was a big hotel with a lot of floors.
"Why're you avoiding me?" He asked her and she bit her lip not looking at him. "In practice all week and today, your ass been ducking and dodging me all fucking day."
"I had my reasons," She shrugged and he sighed.
"Trinity, I ain't mean to brush your feelings to the side like that. It was rough day all the way from that morning and that was just the icing on the cake. I ain't mean to take it out on you, I promise."
"You know the coach knows about us?" She finally looked at him seeing his eyes widen. Apparently none of the players got questioned it seems.
"What?"
"Not us specifically but... apparently someone told them about two people on the team. A staff and a player fucking around," She spoke. "Elias, whatever this is can't happen. My job is at risk, your career is at risk, I mean fuck, would it even be worth it in the end?"
He didn't say anything as they just stared at each other. Their floor was the 23rd floor and they were on 18 currently....19...20. Making out in a elevator was never on Elias's bucket list, maybe Trinity's though, especially one's with cameras but it took everything in him to just say fuck it.
And he did.
Elias pushed his body off the elevator wall and walked over to her, grabbing the side of her face in his tattooed hand and bringing his lips down to hers. Every kiss they shared had a lot of passion behind it. A bit sensual.
But this one.
It was more sexual tension behind it.
His free hand gripping her from her hip to her ass as Trinity's hands stayed on the back of his neck. It was taking everything in her not to moan in his mouth just off the way his hand felt caressing her body. He was the only man to touch her the way he has lately for the first time in a year at most.
The elevator dinged and Elias pulled away dragging his lips from hers down to her neck giving her a kiss on it.
"Come to my room," He spoke lowly in her ear making Trinity chuckle and shake her head. Her hands rested on his arms pulling away from him even though she really didn't want to.
"No,"
"No? It's no game tomorrow and-"
"Elias." She laughed exiting the elevator with him behind her. Elias hand grabbed hers pulling her back towards him allowing her back to meet his chest as he dipped his head in her neck. "We're already in deep shit as is and we can't make it worse by fucking-"
"Who said anything about fucking? Granted, would I like to break your back in? Sure. But I'm more romantic than that one night stand shit. It's just some fun tonight, Trinity. You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours." Trinity turned around in his arms as they reached her hotel room door. His being right across the hall from her. "You can't sit and tell me you didn't imagine me getting a better taste of you." He hovered over her as her back rested against her door, her eyes looking up at his.
Siren did say he was a...eater. How'd she know that? Trinity may never know.
But she didn't think she was serious. Elias Cains. Wants to touch on her body and give her a release she's been secretly craving? She couldn't lie and say she wasn't tired of doing it by herself. It was at the point she truly did wish she was one of those one night stand girls. Hell, she wanted to tell him yes. Head from Elias Cains? She could tell he was good at it just by the way he licked his lips everyday and the little smirk on his face right now.
But losing her job in the middle of Washington while she was literally just 24 hours away from home?
Is it a risk she really wanted to take?
"Not tonight," She told him making Elias let out a deep chuckle. The man hasn't gotten off in a month and the only person turning him on lately was the thought of the pretty water girl he had the pleasure of kissing a few times.
"Positive?"
"Not really but..." She shrugged making him laugh loudly. "Your coach could want to do room checks soon just for him to find you with your head in between my legs."
"That's not all I'm tryna do if we keeping it a hundred." That made her let out a shaky sigh. "But I feel you, I forgot about that...but the offer will stay open though,"
"You serious?" She asked looking at him and he chuckled going to his room across the hall. Elias took his room key out and placed it on the door unlocking it.
"Extremely...Good night, water girl."
_
2 days later
Game Day
"He actually offered to remove them cobwebs from your vagina and you didn't let him?" Siren questioned Trinity making her roll her eyes. Trinity had her airpod in, as she filled up the water bottles. All 35 of them.
"It's risky. Too risky."
"Good! Take a risk and fuck his ass."
"It's more than that, though." She sighed moving over to her last ten bottles. "He comes with a lot and we're already so infatuated in each other, I just don't know."
"Trinity, you and him both been single for the same amount of time. You gotta stop being scared that he'll turn out like Anthony because you know that's not true. A job is a job, Trinity. It's replaceable," Trinity didn't say anything and just shook her head even though she couldn't see her. It was like nobody cared that they were risking actual money being made and a real income and just told them to say fuck it. If that was that easy for her she would've done a long time ago.
Trinity placed her bottles in the holders and picked them up heading back to the team. The game was about to start in twenty minutes and technically she was supposed to been out there on the field but the head of staff instructed her to fill the bottles up considering the stadium didn't.
"Look, I gotta focus and-"
"Girl, you not doing anything but asking fine ass men if they thirsty," Siren said making her scoff.
"Like I was saying! I gotta go so I'll call you after the game." The two hung up and Trinity's walking slowed down as she seen the team in a huddle before they had to exit onto the field. A speech was done before every game by a special player and since she's been working here, Elias was not one of them.
Until today that is.
"Yo, listen up! We 9-1 right now, I want us to walk away 10-1. Give me all you fucking got! We got six weeks left in the season but we not stopping! We taking this to the bowl!" The boys cheered and the coach actually stood to the side surprised to see Elias speaking but also proud he was the one uplifting them today. "Y'all know how much this game means to me and leaving this city and coming to San Diego was the best decision of my life. Playing with my friends, playing with family, and meeting some bomb ass fucking people been everything to me." He spoke his eyes meeting Trinity on that last part causing her to fight back a smile at that. Elias broke his gaze from her and put it back on the team.
"Your ass better not getting in any fights tonight, either." A player on defense spoke causing everybody to laugh including Elias.
"Nah, I got y'all. Now let's go out there and whoop some more ass. Family on three," The team held their fist up together and repeated after him before exiting to the sidelines on the field. Trinity walked behind everyone else slowly, her eyes looking down as she walked to make sure he didn't drop any bottles.
But the second she looked up, she seen Elias and Harrison in front of her. Harrison had his hand on Elias's back while Elias attention was on something else and that something else was staring right back at him. Looking past the two of them, she seen exactly what they was staring at.
Or who I should say.
Sure enough, the ring on her finger was shining and the baby bump in her belly was sticking out.
Seeing Elias's ex in person wasn't on her bucket list but well...
Here we are.
_
so happy y'all liking it so far :')