Fourth Down and Inches

Fourth Down and Inches

It was a warm September morning in Houston, the city I was born and raised in. It had been two years since I last woke up in my hometown. As I drank my coffee sitting on the front veranda at my parent's house, all I could think about was that I wanted to see Jessica.

My name is Steve Maxwell, I'm a twenty-five-year-old Assets Manager for a large transport company that has its head office in Houston. I spent my last two years managing at their Chicago office, and now I was happy to be home, more than happy. I missed my family and friends, I missed going to all the places I knew so well, but most of all I missed Jessica Stephenson. I thought back to the last time I saw her, her golden blonde hair, her beautiful blueish-grey eyes, that smile that could power a lighthouse, that body that could lure a thousand sailors. Jessica and I had grown to become a 'hot' couple as our friends would refer to us. We were both attractive and fit, both of us outgoing and confident.

Jessica and I had first met when we were both starting high school, with her family living just a block from mine. We quickly became friends and were inseparable for the next five years. We went to the same high school, and we shared the same friends. When we were seniors we were already 'going' together and Jessica was of course going to be my Prom date, that was never in question. However, her family moved halfway through our senior year, her father taking a promotion in Phoenix. I was heartbroken and missed Jess madly, it took me almost six months before I even asked another girl out on a date.

I went to the University of Houston to get my CPA, with Jessica attending Arizona State to become a Physiotherapist. Initially we kept in touch, but that communication eventually became less and less until it stopped all together.

During the first couple of years at college, I had a few girlfriends, losing my virginity and learning all about sex in the process. I later found out that Jessica had done likewise.

With a year to go doing my CPA, I got a call from Ray, my best friend. He asked me to get my ass down to our favorite diner as he had a surprise for me. When I walked in, the first person I saw was Jessica sitting there with all of our friends. By the time we left the diner, Jessica and I were back together, almost like we had never been apart. Later that night we had sex together for the very first time, it's a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Jessica had completed her studies at Arizona State and had decided to return to Houston, landing a job with a medical center that specialized in physical and sporting injuries, all the while I was doing my final year of my CPA. That year I moved out from my parent's place to share an apartment with Ray, Jessica had already moved into an apartment with her best friend Diane. I'm not sure which place we spent more time at, but most of it was spent in the bedroom.

When I completed my CPA, I got a job at the transport company I'm still with now, starting out as a junior Assets Manager. A year later, they offered me a huge promotion to be the Assets Manager for their Chicago branch which was a huge step up for me, both financially and career wise. Jessica was loving her job and I couldn't ask her to quit just to follow me, I also had no idea how long the move to Chicago would be for. It could be just six months, so I decided we should part and see what happened.

Well, the job in Chicago ended up lasting two years, two long years. In the back of my mind, I always knew that I wanted to get back together with and marry Jessica. Our connection had always been so much deeper than with any of the girlfriends I had during college or during my time in Chicago. There's something about caring for someone so deeply that you would put their happiness before your own, that when you go to sleep at night, they are the last person you think about.

So, I'm sitting here drinking my coffee wondering what to do. I had not spoken to Jessica for the last eighteen months. I thought it was unfair to expect or keep Jess waiting for me when after the first six months at my new job, I already knew I would be in Chicago for a good deal longer. I also knew that like the last time we were separated, both of us would eventually move on and meet other people and I didn't want to drag out the inevitable.

I decided to call Ray to catch up, like Jessica I had not spoken to him for quite a while as well. I was disappointed to find out that he now lived in Dallas, moving for his work. I thought about calling Jessica, but I was worried about just dropping back into her life again. I had no idea if she was now with someone, she could be engaged or possibly even married now for all I know.

I started my new role this week back in the head office and was glad to meet some new faces, and to see some old. One of the guys I worked with before I left to Chicago was now working for me, his name is Darius. He's a former college linebacker who never made it further after injuries, so ended up working with me instead. When Friday afternoon rolled around Darius come into the office to talk with me.

"Hey boss, how's your first week been?"

"Good, and come on Darius, don't call me boss. That just sounds fucking weird."

"Yeah, I'm just yanking your chain. So, you up for a few drinks tonight? I know a good bar not far from here."

"Yeah, I could do with a few beers."

After five I headed to the bar with Darius and another guy from work named Jack. We got ourselves a round of beers and sat down to discuss work, football and girls, all the important stuff. By about 9pm Darius asked if we were interested in going to a club in midtown, called The Sphere. Jack laughed and said he wasn't interested.

"What's up, you don't like dancing?" Darius asked him.

"Look at me, I'm a red-haired Irishman with freckles, why would I want to go to a hip hop club to watch guys like you get all the girls."

"Ah come on Jack, you'll be fine. I'm sure there's some red-haired Irish girl there that might like you."

"If a girl like that is there, she's not looking for someone like me, more like someone like you, big and black."

"Nah, there's plenty of white folk there, you're just making excuses now."

"Yeah, maybe. But I have to go anyway, I got my kids in the morning and the Ex will get pissed if I'm late or hung-over, so I got to go. I'll see y'all at work on Monday."

"Okay, that leaves you and me boss, don't you start giving me excuses. The night's still early."

"Yeah, I'm up for it. Can we go dressed like this though? I'm dressed for the office."

"You're fine, half the guys go there in suits to look good, you'll fit right in."

We finished our beers and then got a cab to the club in midtown. When we walked in, I thought to myself that Jack was probably right. Whole there were a lot of white folk here, nearly all of them were women. We got a beer at the bar and looked for a table, finding one that was halfway between the bar and the dance floor. Within a minute or so, an attractive older blonde woman named Jacqui who I'm guessing was about twenty-nine or thirty come over and started to chat with us. It was clear she was interested in Darius, he cut an imposing figure.

"Can you mind my beer boss? I'm going to take this fine lady for a dance."

"Yeah sure, have fun you two."

No sooner had Darius and Jacqui walked away then another woman came over to the table to say hello. She was a brunette about the same age as myself. She seemed nice enough, reasonably attractive with a nice body. She was tall too, probably about the same as my own height at 5'10, although her heels no doubt gave her one or two inches.

"Are you new in town? I haven't seen you here before."

"Yes and no. I was born and raised here, been away for a few years though. Just got back a week ago."

"You weren't in prison were you?"

"No, Chicago. Although in winter it felt like I was in prison."

"So what brings you back home? Miss your family?"

"Work, but I missed my family too. How about you, what do you do?"

Just as I asked her that a rather large black guy interrupted her with a hug, they clearly knew each other. A moment later she said her goodbyes and headed out to the dance floor with him.

I sipped on my beer and looked around, it was a nice club. Good music, plenty of people mingling and chatting, and a lot up dancing too.

I looked over at the dance floor to where Darius was dancing with Jacqui, they were getting all up close and personal. I looked over to the side of the dance floor at some of the women that were sitting at tables when I noticed her.

Sitting at a table on her own, it was Jessica.

Before I could even gather my thoughts, a tall athletic black guy joined her at the table for a moment then took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Jess is about 5'4 and had on heels, the guy she was with must have been about 6'4 and very muscular and athletic looking. I thought how in the hell with my first night out back in Houston could I end up at the same club as Jessica, what are the odds of that?

My thoughts were quickly interrupted as I saw Jess put her arms around his neck as they slowly danced, then they both leaned in for a passionate kiss. This was not the re-union with Jess I was hoping for. It was clear that they already knew each other, this was not just some random guy walking up and asking her to dance.

Straight away I felt a pang of jealousy, but I had to remind myself that we hadn't been together for two years, and that I was the one that had left. I knew for sure though that I didn't want to hang around to meet Jessica and her boyfriend, I wasn't ready for that yet. I would wait for Darius to return then make my excuses and leave.

About two songs later Darius and Jacqui returned to the table with Darius having an excited look on his face.

"Do you see who's here? TJ from the Texans, maybe some of the other players will be here too."

"You get that excited about a backup corner-back? I'd hate to see how you get if the QB showed up." I stated and chuckled at Darius.

Trevon James or TJ rarely got game time but did feature for special teams for the Houston Texans.

"He's been here quite a few times, always with that same pretty little blonde." Jacqui added.

That clicked in my mind as I realized the pretty little blonde she was referring to was Jessica, it was TJ she was dancing with.

Fuck, Jessica's dating an NFL player.

"Hey Darius, I have to go, it's been a good night out though. We'll have to do it again soon."

"Hey come on Steve, we just got here."

"Let him go honey, I'll make sure to keep you real good company." Jacqui responded as she gave Darius a kiss on his cheek.

Darius looked at me with a big smile on his face, one that screamed 'I'm getting laid tonight!' as I shook his hand and made my way out the door to a waiting cab.

I got up early on Saturday morning, I needed to buy some new clothes so headed into the city. I was done shopping by lunchtime so decided to drop in at what used to be our favorite diner where all of our friends used to meet.

As I walked in, I was surprised to see Diane there in a booth with a guy I assumed is her boyfriend. Diane was or is Jessica's best friend. Diane spotted me and let out a big squeal and jumped out of the booth and quickly made her way to me holding her arms out for an embrace.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you would just come strolling in here after all this time!"

"Hey Diane, good to see you."

After our embrace she took a step back to look me up and down.

"You haven't changed a bit Steve, you still look good. Have you been working out a bit since I last saw you?"

"Yeah, a little. You look great too Diane, who's your friend?"

"Oh, come over and join us. This is my husband, Anthony. Anthony, this is one of our old gang Steve. Steve and Jessica were always together."

"Hey, pleased to meet you Anthony, and you're married, congratulations." As I shook Anthony's hand then we all sat down in the booth.

"So, when did you get back Steve? And are you staying this time?" Diane asked as I looked over the menu.

"Last weekend, and yes I'm staying. I'm working back in the head office now."

"That's great, we'll have to round the gang up so we can give you a proper welcome home."

"You don't need to do that for me, I'll be fine."

"Nonsense, it's been a while since we were all together."

"I'm not sure if Ray will make it, he's in Dallas now."

"Yeah, we didn't see much of Ray after you left. Have you seen Jessica yet?"

"No, not yet."

I didn't want to mention that I saw her at the club last night with TJ.

"Well, she'll be over the moon to see you again."

"I'm sure she's moved on over the last two years and found someone new."

"No, not really. I think she'll always be waiting for you. Oh, are you with someone Steve? You're not married or anything?"

"No, I'm single."

"Thank god, that would have been awkward."

I just smiled back at Diane, what did she mean that Jess would be always waiting for me? From last night it sure didn't look that way.

"How's Jess been doing? She still working at the same medical center?"

"Yeah, she's still there. She loves working there."

"Yeah, Jess and the Physio she works for also does some work for the Texans, Jessica gets us free tickets to NRG sometimes." Anthony added.

"That's great."

Now I know how Jessica met TJ I guess, she probably gave him rub downs after training. The waitress came over and took my lunch order, it was good timing as I wanted to change the subject.

"So Diane, what else has been going on for the last two years?"

"Well, Tim and Sheree finally got married, they've been together almost as long as you and Jess."

"That's good, by the way when did you two get married?"

"In March, here I have some photos for you."

Diane then proceeded to scroll through her phone before showing me the slideshow. Jessica and Sheree were her bridesmaids, Jessica looked absolutely stunning. All three girls did. One of the photos caught my eye towards the end, it had Diane and her new husband, with the two bridesmaids and their wedding dates. Sheree with Tim, and Jessica with TJ. Diane quickly pulled her phone back when she realized which photo she was showing.

"That's just someone she knows from work." Diane quickly added.

"You mean Trevon James form the Houston Texans." I responded.

"Yeah, like Anthony said she does some work for them. They're just friends."

I wasn't sure why Diane was misleading me, why would she need or want to hide the fact Jess was dating someone, let alone an NFL player. I just nodded back to Diane as my lunch arrived.

"So, what are you doing after lunch Steve? Any plans?

"I'm going apartment hunting. I've been staying with my parents, but I need to get my own place."

"You know Jess has a spare room in her apartment, maybe you could ask her?"

"Nah, that wouldn't be a good idea, I need to get my own place."

The very last thing I want is to be in the same apartment while Jess is fucking TJ.

"You're probably right. But once you're done with the apartments today, why don't we catch up for a few drinks somewhere with Jess? I know she'll want to see you. I can't believe you've been here a week already and not seen her yet."

"We'll see. I might be too tired after running around all afternoon."

"Okay, you still got the same number? I'll text you later to see what you're doing."

"Yeah, still the same number."

With that Diane and Anthony said their goodbyes, leaving me to finish my lunch.

I looked at four apartments this afternoon and decided that the very first one I checked out was the one I wanted. I drove back to their office and filled in the application.

As I was leaving their office my phone rang, Jessica's name was displayed.

"Hello."

"Hi Steve, it's me. It's Jessica."

"Hi Jess, it's nice to hear your voice."

"Same here Steve. I hear you've been back for a week already?"

"Yeah, I've been staying with my parent's, and I started work back in the head office this week as well."

Jess was silent for more than a few seconds, before asking.

"Why didn't you call me? I had to find out from Diane that you were home."

"I didn't want to just drop back into your life again, I didn't know if you were together with someone. It's been two years."

Again, Jess was silent.

"So, are you? Have you met someone?" I asked her waiting for the confirmation for her and TJ.

"No, not really."

Now I was confused, but I thought it best to not push, after all we're not together so I have no right to dig deeper.

"Would you like to catchup this evening Steve? Diane and Sheree are keen to catchup as well."

"Yeah, sure. Can you text me the address when you have it? I need to go home and shower and get changed first."

"Of course. Steve?"

"Yeah?"

Again, Jess went silent for a number of seconds before continuing.

"No, it's okay, I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Jess."

"Bye."

Well, that was a difficult call. I knew Jess had things she wanted to say or ask me but obviously didn't. Then again, I had questions of my own. Like why she would say she wasn't really with anyone when last night looked a whole lot different? Was she trying to not hurt my feelings? And why? Two years I've been away, even if I still have very strong feelings for her, I have no right to expect her to have waited for me or even to still love me.

I arrived at the bar to find everyone there already. Jessica, Diane and Anthony, and Sheree and Tim. I walked over and we did the introductions before taking a seat, one left for me right next to Jess.

For the first hour, we all discussed what we had been up to for the last two years. Jess was the only one that seemed to have very little to add.

Anthony and Tim went to the bar to get some drinks, Diane then got Sheree to join her in the bathroom leaving me alone with Jessica.

"I'm glad you're home Steve. I've missed you."

"I'm happy to be home too."

I didn't add that I missed her like crazy. Knowing that she was with someone, I didn't want to let her know how I felt. I didn't want to complicate things.

"Can I ask if you met someone Steve? In Chicago?"

"I met a few women, had a few dates, nothing that really went anywhere. How about you?"

"I didn't date for about the first twelve months after you left. I was still hoping you would come home, I guess. I've had a few dates in the last year, but like you, they didn't really go anywhere."

"What about your date in Diane's wedding photos? The NFL player. Was he one of the ones that didn't go anywhere?"

Jessica looked at me with what I would call a concerned look on her face.

"That's different, I know him from work."

Before we could talk further, Tim and Anthony returned to the table with our drinks, then Diane and Sheree rejoined us as well. We all continued to talk about a range of things while enjoying our drinks. Diane and Sheree both dropped a lot of hints about Jessica and myself, insinuating that we should be together again. When it was my turn to get a round of drinks, Jessica joined me at the bar to help carry them back.

It was clear to me that Diane and Sheree were hoping that we would get back together, much like we had the last time after we had been separated. I couldn't figure out Jess though, she seemed happy that I was home, but I also knew she was seeing TJ. Was she hiding her relationship with TJ from her friends as well? Would she try to hide it from me too? But why?

I looked at Jess beside me, she looked back at me with a big smile on her face. She seemed like she was enjoying the evening, being with me. I looked back to the bartender and placed our order, then looked up to the TV above the bar. It showed the Texans playing at home but trailing by three at half-time. I couldn't help but think that Jess was here with me right now because her boyfriend was at work.