Every Part Of Us

15. Just for me

Reid POV:

I'd gotten to see a lot of sides of Adam since we met at Connor's graduation party. There was the closed off quiet version that I saw whenever there was a lot of people around. The defensive and blunt side that tended to show when he was around people he didn't know. Then I'd seen him when he could put the wall down a bit and let himself really show. That side usually only came out when he was with someone one on one.

But there was a side I'd never seen and that was what I was witnessing now. The fun carefree Adam that came out when he was around only the people he seemed to care about the most. Part of me wanted to be someone that brought that out of him only just to be able to witness this side of him more often.

Because I swear the sound of his laugh was doing something to me that I hadn't expected. And well I didn't care that it was his best friend Jake bringing that laugh out. I just cared that I was here to be able to hear it.

"This is why I didn't want to come." Evan groaned as Adam jumped high catching the football before it could reach Evan.

"No this is why you were a QB and not a receiver." Adam laughed tossing the ball back to Jake.

"Well a receiver is only as good as his quarterback and right now mine sucks." Evan glared at his boyfriend.

We'd been running around throwing the football around for about an hour. The majority of that hour consisted of Jake and Evan teasing each other and then trying to out do the other. Adam had warned me about their antics and well I could see what he meant when he said this whole thing might just turn into a weird form of foreplay for them.

"I'd like to see you try to do better." Jake grinned widely.

"Can we just admit that you both equally suck and move on?" Adam complained.

"No way Jake sucks way more than I do." Evan eyed his boyfriend and yeah this was definitely foreplay for them.

"Say the word and I'll prove it to you." Jake smiled.

"Guys please stop being gross, you know I didn't mean it like that." Adam told his friends.

"Reid you're back in." Jake called out and then sat himself down grabbing his water bottle to rehydrate.

I took one last drink and then joined Adam where he stood waiting for Evan to throw the pass.

"You ready?" Adam asked.

"Yeah." I nodded letting myself get back into the headspace.

I'd ran routes all of high school. Up and down that football field preparing myself to catch the ball regardless of how good the defense was covering me. I was ready and it didn't matter that it'd been years since I was on that field. I wasn't going to make this easy on Adam.

I turned my attention to Evan and he gave me a quick nod. It was time and so I ran.

I let my body do the work and my legs brought me right where I needed them to. I cut left and when I looked over my shoulder the ball was soaring straight to me.

I could feel Adam right behind me but I pulled back at the last second and that was all I needed. It created just enough space and when I jumped the ball hit my hands and I brought it into my chest.

It was like muscle memory at this point. I'd done it so many times in high school. I'd missed the feeling of just running around and having fun with the game. Being here with Adam and his friends made me feel like I was back there. I was in high school running around throwing the ball with Connor.

I felt a little like me again, like the Reid I was before my fight with Connor, before Tiffany left.

"And that's how you throw a football." Evan cheered rubbing it in the face of Jake.