Football Season

The actual trip to Logan's house is a relatively short one. I didn't need directions, we had both lived in this small town our whole lives and everyone knew where each other lived. Logan lived in a small country home off of a dirt road across town. The road itself is unmarked, instead a group of mailboxes, indicating the addresses of everyone who lived down that road, stood at the very beginning. One of them had "Dane" written across it in bold letters and I followed the road until I came upon his house.

His driveway was also unpaved and it was lined with old pines hiding most of the property from view. I pulled in and immediately halted the truck. There was a red car in the driveway. It was decorated with black racing stripes and the convertible top was pulled down. The model looked like a classic. I couldn't be sure of the make from this angle, but she was a beauty.

I stepped out of my truck and walked up to the car. Some country radio station was playing on the radio pretty loudly and I now noticed the car was propped to one side. That's when I heard the singing. It was a deep baritone voice singing along to the music, though I couldn't quite tell where it was coming from. I walked around the car following the voice and finally saw a pair of legs poking out from under the car. I recognized them as Logan's right away.

The way the fabric pulled at his full muscular thighs was a dead giveaway. His jeans were quite dirty and this was the first time I had seen him without shoes or socks. I cleared my throat as loud as I could to get his attention. Something metallic fell and hit the gravel with a loud pang.

"Shit!" I heard him curse. I chuckled softly at his embarrassment of getting caught. He slid out from under the car and I swear, I was struck dumb for half a second. Logan was wearing a ridiculously tight, white V-neck that accentuated his broad pectorals perfectly. His strong arms were covered in grease and some of it even decorated parts of his face. His thick brown hair had curl to it that I had never noticed before, probably because he usually wore a hat while coaching. When he caught sight of me, those sinful lips, that I immediately remembered doing terrible things to me in my dream that morning, spread wide into a handsome grin. His entire appearance left me dazed.

"Briar! Hi! Shit I am sorry I must have lost track of time. I opened up my baby here just for a quick brake change but you know how it is working on cars. The time kinda gets away from you." He stood very quickly and brushed himself off. Dirt and dust jumped of his chest and stomach leaving the shirt clinging to the muscles underneath.

"Umm... Yeah," I managed to get out, breaking myself out of my daze. "My pa and I used to work on his together." I examined the car more closely. "Is this a Chevelle?"

"Mhmm..." he confirmed. He glanced at me from the side of his eyes and I could tell he was now grading me on my knowledge of machinery.

"Red Chevelle... Super Sport... Obviously convertible..." I walked around to the driver side and he followed close behind me. I reached in and lifted the release lever for the hood. Then walked to the front and raised it open to check the engine.

"Clearly an older model, I'd say a '72 at least, well maintained though." Finished with my assessment, I turned around and was suddenly aware of his close proximity. He however, didn't seem to notice and just reached around me to close the hood.

"Very good. It's actually a 71' but you were close." He gave me a look of approval before continuing. "Enough about my obsessions though, why don't you come inside and I'll get cleaned up before we kick back?" I nodded my approval and walked with him up to his house. The front had a porch as was typical in the south, and his was painted a deep green. The wood looked brand new, though that may have been just his good care.

We walked through the front door and into his foyer. I could see the kitchen, back and to the left. There was a large sliding door that led out to a vast backyard. To my right, was the living area that had a small hall branching farther to my right, where I guessed the garage must connect. In front of us was a large staircase leading up to the second floor, where the bedrooms must be.

He turned around and said, "Well, this is home. There are beers in the fridge which you can help yourself to. I'm gonna go take a shower and change my clothes and I will meet you out back in ten. Ok?" I nodded my agreement and he took off up the stairs.

I walked out back, beer in hand, to take in the full view of the backyard. There was a small pond, about 50 yards straight back from where I stood. The rich green grass was cut low and the whole yard was surrounded by large, old oak trees. It reminded me of the yard my family used to have when I was little. Back when my father was still alive. There was a set of lawn chairs with a sun umbrella between them and I sat down relaxing and thinking of that time.

Pa and I used to play catch together every afternoon, rain or shine. Those were the best times of the day. I gazed out to the center of the lawn and one such time rushed back to me. I was young, maybe 8 or 9. Pa had already taught me to catch and throw a football but my age limited me. He had thrown a long pass. Too long really, but that didn't stop me from trying to catch the darn thing. Amazingly, I caught up to the ball, but my timing was off and when I turned to catch it out of the air, the ball struck me square in the middle of the face, knocking me to the ground.

I'd started crying before I'd even hit the ground, more out of embarrassment than pain, but at that age it didn't take much. I hadn't been sitting on the ground for more than a few seconds before my father's shadow blocked the sun from my eyes and I looked up at his face expecting disappointment. Instead he was smiling.

"Ya, know son," he began, "its ok to cry, especially when we fall or fail. It hurts to fall. No doubt." He bent down to my level, the smile never leaving his face. "First we fall, we get hurt, and we cry a little. Then you know what we do?" I shook my head, too young to understand at the time. He stood up and held out one hand to help me up. "We get right back up and we keep playing." Instead of letting go of my hand he picked me up and put me on his shoulders and started running with me and the ball, going for the field goal. I laughed, my pain completely forgotten.

"Something on your mind?" Logan's voice roused me from my daydream. "Huh?" I said looking up at him. He wore a light blue crew neck tee that still didn't hide his muscles very well, but left more to the imagination I suppose, and tan cargo jeans, though he still wore no shoes or socks. He seemed to notice my curiosity because he looked down at his feet. Chuckling he explained, "I like the feel of grass and dirt under my feet. There is nothing like running barefoot across a field or in the woods. Anyway, what were you thinking about, if you don't mind my asking?" I shook my head,

"No, I don't mind. I was thinking about my pa and me playing ball together in a backyard like this one." I swept my hand across the view as I said this.

"Oh yeah?" he responded in kind. "I love yards. Perfect place to raise kids." He took a swig of beer. I had not fingered him as a family man, but now that I did, it made me more attracted to him. I shifted in my seat, trying to get my bearings. Logan was gorgeous, this was true, but he was a guy like any other and I was starting to see him as more of a person and not just as 'my' sexy coach. Strangely enough, this gave me more confidence around him and I felt myself relax.

We spent quite a bit of time talking after that. Where before I could hardly find my voice around him, now the words just tumbled out of me. I told him about my schooling and how I was studying French and was maybe considering a career teaching. He showed a surprising interest in what I had planned for myself. He then in turn, told me about his college days and what is was like to play college ball. I also learned that he had never been married, not even close, but had dreams of maybe raising a family someday.

Even though I assumed he was straight, he never told me about any of his old flings, simply acknowledged that he dated quite a few people in college. When he was done explaining his lack of relationships it was my turn to put forth something to the conversation.

"What about you? " He asked curiously.

"What about me?" I responded with a grin.

"Have you ever met anyone special? Any guys in your past that you wish hadn't gotten away?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't say that exactly."

"Ahhhh... sounds like there's a story there." He took a swig of his second beer and leaned forward clearly intrigued.

"Well, all right," I began, leaning in myself. "So, in my freshman year of college, I met a guy named John. We hit it off right away." His eyes flashed coolly and I thought I saw a little fire behind them. I continued on. "He was a senior, and I practically worshiped him. But he was a singer and piano performer, so his career came before anything else." Logan cocked his head,

"How was he behind closed doors?" I blushed ever so slightly, and trying to ignore his unusual curiosity, I went on. "We were terrific. I mean the passion and the heat between us felt palpable, most days. But even that wasn't enough to make him see a future with me."

"So what happened?" he asked.

"We had a falling out," I said looking down at my drink. Shaking my head, I continued, "John was very proud but also very insecure. Our relationship was tumultuous at best." Logan squinted a bit as I spoke and I realized that he really was interested in the story. "He couldn't make up his mind about us, ya know? Like if we were something special or just another step on his journey to become a success." I paused to take a shallow sip and Logan nodded like he understood.

"I take it he finally figured out what he wanted?" he asked.

"Yup," I said shortly. "In the end, his career was the important thing and he left Texas for New York." I shrugged and put my now empty beer can on the ground. I watched Logan's face out of the corner of my eye as I did so and he frowned in response to the conclusion. He raised his beer and threw back the remaining contents and stood up.

"Well I'd say it's about time we throw a few. What d'ya say?" He tapped me lightly on the chest before disappearing into the house. He returned a moment later holding the football I'd brought and smiled his wide smile. Not for the first time, I blushed in response to his charm.

"All right, but these aren't your college years anymore and I bet I can run circles around you now." He winked, his smile never leaving his face.

"Why don't you go long and we can test that theory." I laughed and stepped off the small porch we had been on. Without hesitation, I took off through the yard. I knew we had planned on tossing some ball so I had dressed appropriately. Running felt good and loose clothes did nothing to restrict my limbs. When I was about 30 yards out, I turned and was almost caught off guard by the sight of the ball sailing straight toward me. I opened my arms and it fell neatly into place. I turned around to see him beaming and he whistled and clapped his hands together to indicate I should throw it back. So I did.

We stayed out in the yard just tossing the ball like that for over an hour. It was starting to get dark and I was honestly feeling a bit winded. Though to my credit I had done most of the running around, Logan on the other hand seemed content to keep throwing me hard catches. I caught his most recent low throw and jogged the ball back to him.

"Getting a bit dark, might be time to call it." Logan peered over the yard to where the sun was going down behind the trees.

"Yeah, looks like it." He agreed. We collected our beer cans and walked back into the house. After we had cleaned up I knew it was time to get going and Logan was kind enough to walk me out to my truck. "This was great Briar. I am really glad to have gotten to know you a bit more." He said as I opened the door to my truck. I turned around to give him my reply and was caught off guard by how intensely he was looking at me.

"Y-yeah," I stammered. "We should do this more often. I don't get much time to relax and just have fun, what with classes and practice so..." I trailed off. His eyes had suddenly focused on something apparently near the right side of my head and he raised a strong hand up to the side of my face. I felt the blood in my cheeks flush and my heartbeat quicken sharply as he plucked something out of my hair just above my right ear. I didn't look to see what it had been but I felt it graze my shoulder as it fell. His eyes slowly roamed from where his hand was to my face and he looked directly into my eyes. I stood there, mesmerized by the gentle look that covered his face, and immediately became very aware of his sudden proximity.

Someone moved. I can't say if it had been me or him, but we were suddenly a lot closer. The hand he had used to extract the grass or twig or whatever, came to rest gently on my cheek. I gazed into his brown eyes and noticed for the first time the flecks of caramel that speckled each iris. Intoxicating was his breath, now so close I could smell its sweet scent, and for a small moment everything seemed to happen all too slowly.

First, Logan's thumb brushed the edge of my jaw and small sparks seemed to radiate out and away from its warmth. Then, I felt his fingers slowly tighten on the back of my neck and they gently pulled my face forward. I watched his eyes get impossibly close to mine and I felt his warm mouth meet mine in perfect bliss. The kiss was deep but tame. My ears began ringing and I knew instantly that I wanted more. I adjusted my upper lip to better feel his and he responded with the slightest flick of his tongue. I parted my mouth slightly and he took the invitation. Ears still ringing, time seemingly repaired itself and then suddenly we were both furiously kissing each other.

I was conscious of his hands, touching me, everywhere: my face, my shoulders, and my back. They finally settled in the hollow just above my ass. They tugged me to him and our bodies collided, deepening the kiss. I felt him too, but my hands were much hungrier and I nearly clawed at the muscles under his now annoying shirt. I felt his hands move to my hips and I involuntarily let out a small moan. To this he froze and pulled himself away a little too quickly. I opened my eyes, not remembering having closed them and we both took ragged breaths. I looked at his face trying to figure out if I had done something wrong. His mouth was still open slightly, his face red from the kiss.

He took a deep breath and said, "I- um. I'm sorry that wasn't how I had wanted that to go." His eyebrows pinched together in an apologetic manner and I saw a softer, cuter, man than what I had seen before.

"Oh...well," I stammered, "Its ok. I uh, really sort of enjoyed that." I smiled a little impishly and this made a small smile of his own creep across his lips. I looked down and we both seemed to realize at the same time that our bodies were still in contact. Slowly, painfully, we both released our grip and stepped a small distance apart. Logan took another deep breath and ran his hand through his thick hair.

"Sooo...," he started but trailed off looking questioningly at me.

"Sooo," I echoed. "So, I'll see you later then?" He grinned and chuckled happy with my response to his unvoiced question.

"I take my dog for a run every morning." He shrugged and continued, "You could join us sometime this weekend?" I nodded and stepped into my truck. He shut the door behind me and waved as I backed out. I grinned the whole way home.