“Hey Rose City, it’s me Julius Cunningham, wide receiver of your Portland Pioneers, and after the break, I’ll have today’s forecast and how the week is going to shape up for you.” Something sparks within as soon as I mention the Pioneers. I can do this. I may not be good at it, and I may not even get any of this right, but I’m going to make this fun and memorable and make sure Autumn knows I’m taking my new job seriously.
Now that I’m on stage, I can hear everything. You really have to pay attention or at least know what your cues are. Selena Rich welcomes everyone back from the commercial break, and then a countdown begins in my ear. I’m poised, ready, and my eyes are focused on the monitor.
“Hey, Pioneer fans. I know you’re excited about this week’s game, and let me tell you, I am as well. Right now, we have a small cold front moving in, which will bring us a couple of days of rain, but by Friday, it’ll be gone. You can expect clear skies on Sunday, but you’ll want to mow your lawn today because the rain will be back Sunday evening.” All while I’m standing, my arms are flailing about. I have no idea what the viewers see behind me, and I don’t care because over in the corner, Autumn stands there, laughing. And to see her laugh, to see her enjoy what I’m doing right now, is the best feeling I’ve felt in a long time.
Fifteen
Autumn
I thought Julius would embarrass himself. At least, that’s what I hoped would happen. I should’ve known his charismatic personality would shine through in a moment like this. I see the error of my ways. I shouldn’t have tried to humiliate him at all. I’m not that sort of person, and I feel terrible.
One of the producers tells Julius he can leave the set; he comes toward me. He’s beaming, and I can’t help but match his grin with one of my own. Julius reaches for me and pulls me into his arms. His very strong, warm, and comforting arms.
“This was the most amazing thing ever. Thank you so much,” he says quietly. Julius’s mouth is so close to my ear I swear I feel his lips press against my skin. I know I probably imagine this, but the fact that he still has me wrapped in his arms and hasn’t let go yet is sending my thoughts in a direction they should not head.
When he steps back, he keeps his hands on my arms, cupping my elbows. His response has caught me off guard. I expected him to tell me he hated being up there, that the lights made him sweat, or the teleprompter moved too fast for him. Or worse, that I made him look like a fool in front of his fans. The thing is, I’m excited he had so much fun. I want him to see my job as something that is serious but also entertaining. Many people think being on the news is stressful, but once the cameras stop rolling, it’s a laugh a minute around here. Most of the time, we have dance-offs during commercial breaks, or Aiden is standing off to the side making faces at Selena or Arthur because Aiden thinks it’s fun to try and make our composure crack.
“You were great up there. A natural. I think you’ve found your calling after retirement.”
Julius nods. “I take back everything I said about you being a weather girl.” He cringes at the sound of my nickname as he says it. “I was so wrong in making any assumptions about you or your job, and I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
“I am.” I motion for Julius to follow me. We are about to leave the sound stage when the crew comes up to us.
Marvin, my main cameraman, juts his hand out to shake Julius’s. “It was a pleasure filming you today,” he says.
“I’m hoping you captured my good angles.” Julius turns and poses, and everyone around us laughs. Including me. “Seriously though, I had a blast. Anytime Autumn is out, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll gladly fill in.”
I lightly jab Julius in the arm. “Hey.”
“What?” he pulls me toward him and wraps his arm around my shoulder. My co-workers give me a few looks, making me wonder what is going on in their minds. More so, what is going on in Julius’s right now? He looks at me and winks. I like this. The feeling of his arm around me and the way he stares at me. He’s not much taller than me, but it’s enough to make me feel secure. Julius is a friend if I can be so bold as to even call him that. Up until now, I thought he hated me.
His deep-set, crystal blue eyes bore into mine. I swallow hard and try to disengage, but I can’t turn away. Julius is attractive. He knows this, and I have felt this way about him since I saw him on Peyton and Noah’s balcony. His attitude that day and the days following should’ve steered me down the path of avoidance, but each time I’ve seen him, I’ve greeted him with a wide grin only to be rebuffed by him. I should be afraid. Leery even. Except, I’m not. I’m interested and curious. Is this truly the Julius Peyton told me about?
“Autumn?” he says my name so quietly, I almost don’t hear him. I snap out of my trance and realize people are staring at us. My eyes blink rapidly, and I look off into the distance to regain my composure. Julius’s arm is still around my back, and his hand cups my shoulder. It’s an intimate gesture. One that I like.
I finally clear my throat and face my co-workers. “You can’t take my job,” I say firmly as my eyebrow raises. I’m challenging Julius to say otherwise.
He doesn’t.
Instead, he smiles so brightly and laughs. “Our girl has spoken,” he says as his gaze leaves mine and his attention is back on the people around us. I feel like I should feel relieved, but the truth is, I’m on edge. My nerves are dancing at the edge of my skin, keeping me rattled. I can’t tell if my speeding heart is because of the situation I’m in now or because of Julius and how I’m starting to feel about him.
My co-workers ask for Julius’s autograph, and he agrees, which means he must let go of me. As soon as he moves his arm, I find myself stepping closer to him so I can continue to feel his presence. Julius tilts his head slightly and smirks. It’s sexy and heart racing. I step back and give him the space he needs to be Julius Cunningham, Wide Receiver for the Portland Pioneers.
After Julius finishes and my work family is satisfied, we walk back to my dressing room. I think I feel his hand on the small of my back every few steps we take, but I most likely imagine his hand is there. It’s one thing to show people you’re grateful for an opportunity, but it’s a whole other thing to openly flirt. I tell myself; Julius is not flirting. He’s being nice.
“Okay, what’s next?” he asks when we get to my dressing room. I honestly hadn’t thought about what we’d do next and figured he would be so angry with me he wouldn’t want to talk to me again.
“Well . . .” I pause and think about what we could do with the rest of the day. I had planned on taking a nap and trying to find a last-minute opening for a massage. “Shopping,” I blurt out. “Yeah, we’re going shopping. You get to see how I normally spend my day.”
“What do you mean?” he asks and then shakes his head. “Shopping, really? You want to take me to the mall?”
I shrug because I don’t know what I want to do, except I don’t want our date to end. This new Julius is fun to be around. “You know I am usually on the evening and nighttime news with Aiden, Selena, and Arthur, right?” he nods. “I made special arrangements today for all of this to happen. When I told them my idea, they wanted to be part of your broadcast, so we all swapped with our afternoon team.”