𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 [COMPLETE]

𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝟔𝟏 { This Time Around }

"𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝."
~~~

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

I've learned two essential rules for being on the road.

One. Never leave home without a pair of headsets. These idiots couldn't keep it in their pants longer than a day even if you told them hotel walls were thinner than sheets of paper.

Two. Don't piss off your sports agent or they'd go planning ridiculous events without your consent first.

I should've known something was wrong the minute Cora called me into what she called a meeting on a Saturday morning with less than one week's notice.

We usually planned our biweekly appointments a month in advance to discuss contract negotiations, sponsorship deals, and ways to boost my image in the public eye all while managing the financial success that came with being the number one wide receiver on the Dallas Cowboys.

I can admit, the title came with its perks. Financial freedom, traveling to places I've never had the chance to explore, and proving all the people who doubted me wrong. It should've been a dream.

Yet, it still felt like something was missing. A huge chunk of me was empty, void, almost meaningless without anyone to greet you at the airport.

Coming back home to an empty penthouse was nowhere as fulfilling as I thought it would be. It looked like I didn't even live here because we were on the road so much.

The first full year at Texas University wasn't as smooth as I expected for more than one reason. I came in as an experienced college player but in the team's eyes, I was a rookie, a nobody until I proved myself. So I did. I trained before and after official practices in the workout room. Kept my head in my books, managing to keep straight A's with a B in math because let's face it math was hard as fuck. For those twelve consecutive months, even when the season had come to an end, I breathed and lived football like it was my lifeline.

Because nothing else mattered.

"Cora, I just got home and you want me to go to some fundraiser in Chicago. We didn't speak about this before I left for Los Angeles." I quickly pull up my calendar just in case I had my dates wrong.

The team and I haven't been home in weeks due to constant traveling for games. The playoff season was in full swing and the rare weekend we got off was to rest, spend time with family and did I already say rest. I was fucking drained, my muscles ached and I couldn't stop thinking of—no, stop.

The powerhouse woman walks through my doors and instantly makes herself at home. I hate to admit that I like it when Cora's over. I haven't really put down roots in Austin. The guys were chill and all but Ezra was the only one who truly understood me as crazy as it sounded and with Miles running a restaurant and raising my niece, we hadn't had much time to sync our schedules to hang out lately. Whenever we had a game in New York, I'd be in and out, even if I had to book my own flight back home. I couldn't risk running into her.

Kelseys been around, keeping me company on days when I needed it. Granted it took some time for us to get comfortable around each other again but she's proven that she wants a genuine relationship. These days she's been book busy with textbooks and intense study sessions because of law school.