(Re) Meeting Dak Prescott

What are we? - Part 3

I'm not really the best at expressing how I feel, especially when I can't see the other person, their facial expressions, their small "tells" that give their true opinion away. If I'm completely and absolutely honest, I'd respond to any of Dak's messages with an  "I feel the same way" or at the very least an "Let's talk". But I'm not that girl. I'm neurotic and insecure and don't at all resemble an NFL player's anything let alone a girlfriend. So instead I left his message on read, letting myself sink further in my bed and halfheartedly enjoying the silence from everything except the thoughts flooding my brain. I knew that Dak wouldn't, or rather couldn't, badger me for an answer for at least a couple more hours since he'd be in his usual pre-season practice.

Still, as I avoided him in real life, I decided to google him. First came up the usual stuff - sports shots, ads, memes, criticism, and praise. The one thing that was new was me. Someone somehow had managed to sneak a picture of us at the Mexican Restaurant on 5th, catching us right as we scooted closer together in the middle of one of Dak's stories about him and his boy, Zeke. I cringed inwardly at me in the photograph. I was laughing so hard that my eyes were shut and my right hand was clasped around his forearm and as for Dak, his eyes were on me.

The radio silence from him didn't last long and he wound up knocking at my door a day later asking me why I didn't respond to his message. Tugging on the bottom of my oversized pink sweatshirt, I thought quickly for something - for anything that he could understand. I didn't find it. I found myself trying to avoid his gaze until he snapped me out of my half-avoidance, half-tranced state and I saw the disappointment on his face.

I sighed before telling him the truth about how I feel stuttering over my words slightly "Dak, I - I'm a journalist. I'm not supposed to become a story myself." I thought he'd understand but he closed his eyes before saying "Yeah Ash I get that our jobs are our everything but you didn't just ignore me when the pictures came out. You know that's not what I'm talking about. I want to be with you and I think you want to be with me too but you just won't. Why?"

"It's just that I...I....I don't know."
"Why Ash?"
"Ok...lemme try to explain this. I've always been into you since we were kids, since then, ever since we were together that night but I know I'm not the right girl for you...at least not now."
"What does that mean-not right now? I'm standing in front of you asking right now"
"I know what I'm not. I'm a normal girl. I can't chase you around game to game, I can't be there to make sure you don't eff Malibu Barbie, I can't even compete with that type of girl. I've got cellulite and stretch marks and I live in a crappy neighborhood and my life's not interesting compared to yours."
Dak glared at me and raised his voice finally - "Stop, Ash! I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you beat yourself down. You're beautiful and amazing and I want you to give us a chance."
"But" I muttered softly before Dak pulled me in to kiss me. We pulled apart and I swear time stopped when our eyes met and I found myself agreeing begrudgingly before leading him into my teeny place.