“So, Blitzen, that’s an interesting name,” I say casually.
Blitzen throws his head back and roars with laughter. “That it is, sweetheart, but my real name is Preston. Blitzen is my nickname. I’m a defensive lineman and blitzing is kind of my thing.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So, my teammates started calling me that freshman year and it just kind of stuck.” He laughs.
“Yeah, Blitzen, Liam, and Dash, Liam’s roommate, are all seniors this year and are all in line for the next year’s NFL Draft,” Hailey gushes.
“Wow. That’s awesome. Congrats to both of you,” I say, smiling at Blitzen, trying to avoid looking at Liam. I’m afraid of embarrassing myself by drooling over him.
Liam looks as though he’s going to speak when his pinging cell phone interrupts him. “That’s Dash, we’re supposed to be meeting him at the field to run some plays. He doesn’t want to be there late. He’s meeting up with an ‘old friend’ tonight, so he says.” You can tell by the tone of his voice he’s not believing his friend’s excuse.
“Hales, see you later. Allison, it was a pleasure meeting you,” Liam says before placing his phone to his ear and answering the call.
Blitzen pulls himself off the futon and waves his goodbye, then just like that they’re gone, and I release the breath I was holding. I didn’t realize how tense I really was being that close to them. Get it together, I chide myself. This is my new life. I’m going to have to get used to hanging out with mixed company. Ugh, now I’m talking like Gran. I miss her, and I worry, but she’s right. I need to start living life.
Chapter 2
Liam
I was annoyed when my dad called and requested I help Hailey and her roommate move into their dorm. Dash, Blitzen, and I had plans to go to the practice field and run a few plays. Blitzen, of course, was game. He’s all for checking out the new freshmen and trying to pick out his next fling. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. All I care about is keeping my grades up and focusing on football. Football is my life. I’m majoring in sports medicine as a backup plan, but I really want my shot at the NFL. All I’ve ever wanted to do is play football. Don’t get me wrong, I date, a man has needs, but I’m not a serial dater like Blitzen. Football is my priority, football is my life, and nothing will ever change that. I scratch the itch when I need to, help take the edge off, but nothing more. I don’t want or need the drama that comes with relationships. I have the reputation on campus as a player. I don’t care what other people think of me, well, unless it’s a scout.
“Fuck me, is that Hailey’s roommate? She is smokin’,” Blitzen says as we climb out of my Pathfinder.
I turn my head to look and standing with my baby sister smiling and laughing is the most striking female I’ve ever seen. She has long, brown hair that just makes you want to reach out and touch it just to see if it’s as soft as it looks. She’s a little shorter than Hales, probably five-four with a body that would make any man drool. Now, I’m usually not one to lust after women. Usually, I am the one lusted after. Being the quarterback of the undefeated UNC for the past two years basically puts a target on my back. I don’t even have to pretend to be interested to have my needs met. Don’t get me wrong, all the girls I’m with know the score. I don’t do permanent. It’s hard for me to distinguish between who’s in it for me and who’s in it for my potential NFL future. No commitments on my end. I make sure they enjoy themselves as much as I do, and then we go our separate ways. Football and my dreams of the NFL are my main priority, my life. However, as I stare at this girl laughing with my little sister, I’m overwhelmed with what I can only describe as need ... she’s beautiful.
I make my way toward them and stop beside Hales, never taking my eyes off of the beautiful girl in front of me. Hailey bumps my shoulder with hers as she introduces us.
“Allison, this is my brother, Liam. Liam, this is Allison, my roommate.”
When she finally looks up at me, I’m mesmerized by her emerald eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” I say as I thrust my hand toward her. I smile at her; she seems nervous, not as carefree as she was when we first pulled into the lot. After a few moments she takes my hand.
“You as well, thanks for your help,” she says while quickly releasing my hand. Fuck, her eyes are amazing. Our gazes remain locked until I hear Blitzen beside me clearing his throat. Reluctantly, I turn to face him.
“This is Blitzen, a friend of mine,” I say to Allison. This gives me the chance to look at her without feeling like a damn stalker.
Allison greets Blitzen with a warm smile. “Hello, Blitzen, I’m Allison. It’s nice to meet you.”
Of course, my horn dog friend is also obviously in lust with this girl; however, he doesn’t care to hide it. “The pleasure is all mine, beautiful,” he says to Allison as he bends down and kisses her on the cheek. What the fuck?
Without even thinking, I smack him on the back of the head. If anyone is calling dibs, it’s going to be me.
Watching another man, even one of my closest friends, touch her or kiss her throws me off kilter. If I didn’t know any better, I would say I was feeling jealous. But that’s not possible. I don’t do jealousy. I need to get laid.
Blitzen and I proceed to help the girls haul everything up to their dorm room. It takes us all of twenty minutes, and most of that time we were carrying Hailey’s things. Allison packed light. When I ask her about it, she just shrugs her shoulders. “I’m only forty minutes from home and plan to visit often,” she says as she continues to hang her clothes in her closet.
I’m taken aback by her answer. I have yet to encounter a girl, including my baby sister, who doesn’t care about the right clothes, shoes, and a whole other laundry list of accessories they can’t seem to live without. Just something else that adds to her appeal. Shaking out of my thoughts I plop down on the futon, Blitzen taking the seat next to me.
We’re both quiet as we watch the girls work, well, Allison work, when I get a text from Dash. He’s wondering where in the hell we are. I had told him we would be there in thirty minutes tops. That was an hour and a half ago. We stopped and got some lunch before coming here and well, we could have left a half hour ago, but the scenery was too good to pass up. Quickly, we say goodbye, and head to the field.
By the time we get there, Dash is raring to go. He’s pissed that we’re late, because he’s meeting with his best friend, Ash, later tonight. She’s a freshman this year at UNC and is arriving today. Dash insists they’re just friends and have been since he was thirteen and she was ten. He talks about her all the time, so, of course, we razz him about it being more. Honestly, either way it’s none of my business, but my boy thinks a lot of her. He warned us all last weekend to control ourselves and I quote, ‘your horn dog ways around Ash, she’s different. Special’. Just friends my ass. I have yet to see a male and a female in a non-romantic relationship just being friends. I’m not saying that it’s impossible, but I’ve just never been witness to it before. Although he does date and Dash isn’t the type of guy to cheat, he’s better than that. So, maybe there is something to this just friends business. She’s here now, at the same college, living on campus so the truth is bound to come out.