Daylight, page 13
I show my information to the man at the security checkpoint who instructs me to wait for an attendant to follow to the jet. I follow the golf cart down the airstrip until we get to the hangar where we’re departing from.
Parking my car where instructed, I check my phone.
Alex, this is crazy. Some man with a card with my name on it just took me to a golf cart and we are totting down all these back tunnels and shit! What have you planned?!!!
I smile down at my phone.
See you in a minute.
I get out of my car and grab my bags from the backseat, handing my keys to the attendant. Walking the steps into the jet, I greet the pilot. She informs me that the flying conditions are great tonight and we should make it to the municipal airstrip in Naples around eleven if we depart in the next half an hour.
I place my bags in the overhead compartment but grab my laptop from my backpack. I downloaded a few movies on my laptop, all ones that I know are her favorites. We’ll only have time to watch one, but I figured having options was playing it safe.
“Alex, seriously, what the hell?” A warm, familiar voice bursts throughout the cabin. Her bag hits the floor and her suitcase stops in its tracks as she barrels toward me.
I smile. “Well, hello to you too, sunshine.” I stand up and move toward her, and she flings herself into my arms. “How was your flight?”
“It was economy, Alex,” she deadpans. “Why-”
“Shh,” I shake my head, bringing a finger to her lips. “Happy early birthday, sweetheart. The next eight days are yours.”
Her face softens, but she yanks my hand away from her lips. “Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” She frowns.
I nod for her to take a seat while I secure her baggage. Sitting down next to her, I place a delicate kiss on her cheek before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I knew you wanted to go somewhere warm. We couldn’t leave the country on such short notice, so that wasn’t really an option. Hawai’i was an option, but I figured we should probably stay in the contiguous United States so you aren’t jet lagged as hell for the draft coverage.
“I found a house on a private beach, just south of Naples, Florida. It has a stocked kitchen so I can cook! There’s a pool too, but I figured that leading with the beach would be more exciting. As for right now, I downloaded a few different movies on my computer for us to watch. And, I have a very exciting birthday surprise being delivered tomorrow morning,” I say. I watch her reaction, her eyes gleaming.
“I don’t even know what to say. Thank you,” she says, her lip quivering. She wraps her arms around my neck, burying her head in my chest.
“Of course, sunshine,” I smile. “We’re going to the best time — eight days of sun and no work.”
She pulls away from my chest and plants her body firmly next to mine. I queue the movie up, but keep catching Elle looking at me with a huge smile on her face. I cock an eyebrow up at her. “Yeah, Elle?” I laugh, slinging an arm around her shoulder.
“I love you, Alex,” she shakes her head happily, the toothy grin still occupying her face. My heart quite literally explodes inside of my chest at her admission.
I smile, pulling her close. “Forever and always, baby.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Elle’s Point of View
“I had to rent a car, the house is kind of a drive from here,” Alex says as he grabs our bags from the overhead compartments. “It’s about thirty minutes out.”
I nod, helping him with the luggage. I’m blown away by what he’s pulled together for our little getaway. His attention to detail is insane, like how he downloaded three of my favorite movies for us to watch on our way down, not leaving our time zone so I wouldn’t be jet lagged for the draft. The little things that he takes into account send the butterflies in my stomach exploding.
The car he rented sits adjacent to the plane and he loads it up, instructing me to get in. I connect my phone to Bluetooth and set it to a random shuffle. We drive through the city to get to our Air BnB, our hands joined over the center counsel.
“Oh, turn this shit up!” Alex exclaims, reaching his hand out to crank the volume. I giggle as the speakers suddenly blare an indiscernible rap song. I’ll admit it’s a decent song, but watching him fully immerse himself into it makes it even better.
We belt it together as we drive down the highway, windows down and the breeze flowing through our hair, the trip already off to a great start. The warmth in the air and the peace of no responsibilities tie this all together perfectly.
Alex turns down a gravel road, nothing but the moonlight and the vehicle’s headlights lighting the path. The road winds down a hill, and the ocean comes into view illuminated by the sky. “This is spectacular,” I say quietly. He glances over at me, smiling.
He pulls into the driveway of the beach house and puts the car in park. “We’re here, sunshine,”
“I see. I wish it was sunny so we could go to the beach right now,” I frown.
“You need a good night’s sleep so we can spend all day down at the water. You’ve got bags on bags, darling. You’re exhausted and you’re on vacation. There’s a California King in there and the best part? We don’t have to set any alarms,” he whispers the last part like it’s top-secret and I bust out laughing.
I lean forward and place a kiss on his lips. “I love you,” I whisper. About three hours ago, I told him that I loved him for the first time. I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and it feels so good having said it. Obviously having been friends for so long before anything romantic transpired I had loved him like a friend, so turning that love from platonic to romantic took virtually no time. It just was a matter of when was the right time to say it.
“I love you too, Elle,” he reciprocates the kiss and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “Let’s get our bags inside and go to bed. I’m beat.”
I can’t argue with that. We take our bags and I follow him into the house, poking my head to see around him. “So, there’s just the master bedroom, the living room and kitchen, and then two bathrooms. I figured the main points of attraction were the pool and the beach,” he says, turning the lights on.
“Baby, this is great,” I nod in awe at the view of the ocean from the kitchen. The walls are completely full of windows, I can only imagine what this looks like in the daytime.
We shower off quickly before bed, not wanting to track germs from the plane into the bed. Alex tells me he has something to take care of in the morning so he has to wake up early, but if I don’t sleep in he will be, quote, ‘very sad that I am not resting to my full potential’.
I don’t see it to be an issue, seeing as the last three weeks have been three of the most exhausting weeks of my life. The tournament thoroughly kicked my ass, and traveling between Chicago and Indianapolis didn’t necessarily help any. I would have gone insane had I not gone back to Chicago, but the traveling back and forth became exhaustive.
My coverage was exceptional, though. The network was pleased, Carrie saying I should’ve been the first choice from the get-go. I definitely don’t know about that, but it certainly boosted my ego.
I lay down in bed, waiting for Alex to fall in next to me. On the cusp of sleep, my eyes open when I feel the bed dip with his body. “Shit, sorry,” he whispers.
Rolling toward him, I yawn. “It’s okay. I was waiting for you anyway.” I nuzzle my head into his chest as he wraps an arm around me, the feeling instantly putting me in a sense of internal peace.
“Goodnight, Alex. I love you.”
“I love you too, sunshine,” he says, placing a soft kiss atop my head.
I wake to sunlight shining on my face and the smell of coffee in my nose. Sprawled out in this giant bed all by myself, I know it must be pretty late in the morning based on the way the sun is beating in through the windows.
Tapping my phone screen, my jaw drops when I see that it’s twelve o’clock in the afternoon. I get out of bed and head out the hallway, finding Alex on the couch with a book.
“Well, good morning, my sleeping beauty,” he smiles, standing up off the couch. “I was hoping the smell of coffee would pull you from your coma.”
“I haven’t slept in this late in… I don’t know how long,” I shake my head.
“Clearly you needed it,” he nods, walking toward the kitchen. “I have breakfast. Phoned a friend eager to help out her favorite former Illini quarterback.” He winks, flashing a charming smile. I cock an eyebrow at him, unsure where he’s going with this. “Delaney Myers over at The Spoonful sent us a box of pastries and a big ole birthday cake for this evening. What can I interest you in?”
“Oh my god, Alex!” I exclaim, a large grin spreading across Alex’s face. “The Spoonful was my favorite!”
He smiles at me knowingly. My heart grows ten sizes as he holds open a box filled with muffins, donuts, turnovers, and other delicious things I don’t even know the names of. “How did you get this from Champaign to here? I didn’t see them on the plane”
“Mrs. Myers overnighted everything. The pastries were fine, they didn’t need anything special. She sent your birthday cake on a bunch of ice packs, it’s chilling in the fridge now, though. For dinner tonight, we’ll have a picnic on the beach accompanied by the cake and I’ll cook something.”
“Wow,” I shake my head in disbelief. I move toward him and throw my arms around him. “Thank you, this is incredible.”
“Anything for you, sunshine,” he smiles. “Now, get eating so we can hit the beach!” He exclaims. I laugh, but it doesn’t take any more convincing. I dig into a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee he poured me, the nostalgia hitting me hard. I snap a picture of the box and send it to Quinn.
How did he even….?
He got them overnight shipped all the way here.
Girl. You two, I swear. You guys make me sick. Do Amaya and I act as lovesick as you two?
LMAO. Quinn! Yes! And it was way worse when you started dating, mind you!
I digress. How is everything?
Amazing. I dropped the L Bomb last night.
Nobody is surprised, girlfriend. That’s been transpiring since…. our sophomore year of college?
Okay, that’s enough from you.
I will talk to you later!!
Have fun, xoxo!
I laugh as I put my phone down, shaking my head. We get dressed in our swimsuits, and I accessorize with a floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses. Alex brings the beach towels and I bring the rosé, and we walk down the steps from the deck to the sandy dunes that are the backyard of the house.
He lays our towels down right in the sand. I look out into the ocean, and the views are just killer. I make him take a few selfies with me, just as keepsakes. It’s the sentiment that’s important to me, it’s not like I can share these with anyone outside of our inner circle. I just like having them for my own sake.
We spray each other down with sunscreen, getting sunburnt on our first day is not being something that I’m rolling with. I take the wine glasses and pour us each a glass of the rosé, day drinking absolutely necessary when we are lounging in the sun all day.
We spend a few hours reading, talking, and taking quick dips in the water to cool off from the sun. For dinner, Alex says he has it all under control and that I can read on the beach while he cooks. I want to fight him on that but don’t only because I’ll do the same to him tomorrow night.
After a while of him manning the grill and me being left out of the cooking, I walk up the stairs to the house because I’m nosy and getting bored out on my own. Alex is making some kind of skewer situation on the grill, with chicken and peppers making up the sticks. I try to find something to busy myself with, but he’s covered all his bases.
I take a seat on the deck while I watch him tend to his skewers. His attention is completely directed on the grill, turning each skewer as it hits the flame, making sure none of them sit directly on the fire for too long. Locks of his longer curls cling to his forehead, the damp, humid air making everything a bit sticky.
I’d do anything to stay in these moments when life seems so… still. If I could capture a moment in time to remember on bad days, a moment I could come back to when I needed a beat, this would be it.
“Go pick a bottle of wine from the wine rack, whatever you’re drinking tonight,” Alex says, approaching the deck with a platter of chicken skewers.
“You got it. Need help with anything else?” I ask.
“Nah, I’m good. It’s almost ready.”
I nod and go in to pick a bottle. I settle on a bottle of white that looks the fanciest. I take it out to the deck and go back in for plates and silverware. I want to bask in the outside in any way we can since the weather in Chicago is never this perfect in April.
He sets the tray of chicken skewers on the table and goes inside to get the rice he made to go with it. I pop the cork on the wine and pour our glasses, and smile. He dishes out portions on our plates, explaining to me the ingredients he used and how he cooked each different element of the meal. My heart floods at the thought and effort that he put into this, and I already know this birthday is going down as one of my best.
We eat, enjoying each other’s company and watching the sunset over the water. The blues and pinks that paint the sky are beautiful, and the way they fall over the ocean is breathtaking.
Abruptly, Alex stands. “I’m gonna go get your birthday present. Be right back,” he says.
Taken aback, I don’t know what else he could’ve possibly still have gotten me. Before I can say anything he’s shutting the sliding door and out of sight.
I sit there, brainstorming ideas of what he could’ve gotten me. I didn’t ask for anything, and this trip is more than I ever could’ve imagined.
He comes back with a small rectangular box. “Don’t fight me on it, just open it, and then I’ll explain.” He places it in front of me with a smile on his face. My heart starts to race.
What is in this box?
I eye him but do as he says. I tear off the small ribbon keeping the lid attached. Removing the small piece of foam, I uncover a necklace. It has a blue gemstone surrounded by tiny diamonds. It’s beautiful.
“I love it, Alex,” I say, running my finger over it.
“It’s blue sapphire with ten little diamonds around the sapphire. Before we even started dating you’d always said you wished you could support me without people knowing you were supporting me. A few weeks ago you brought it up again, so I had this necklace made. The blue is the team color. The ten diamonds are for me.” He winks, cocking his head to the side.
I bust out laughing. “Oh my god, Alex. I fucking love it. I’m never going to take it off, and I will absolutely be wearing it on TV,” I smile brightly. “Come put it on me.”
I do love it. I’ve always said that I wanted something subtle to show my support, something that only we knew the significance of. This could not be more perfect. The color, the diamonds signifying Alex’s number, it’s all perfect. I genuinely love it.
“You do not have to tell me twice,” he smirks, moving behind me. He brushes my hair from behind my neck and clasps the necklace in place.
I stand, moving to face him. His hands fall to my waist and I bring mine to rest around his neck. “Thank you, so much. For everything. You’ve gone above and beyond, and I’m afraid nothing will ever top it,” I let my lips brush against his, and he pulls my body closer to his.
“I meant what I said earlier. Anything for you, sunshine,” he smiles, kissing me again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elle’s Point of View
“Come onnnn,” I whine.
He laughs. “I’ll be ready in just a minute. I have to call Mike.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting down there for you to rub sunscreen into me,” I say, throwing a towel over my shoulder. He laughs again and nods his head.
I walk down the steps to sand to where our lounge chairs are. We had to go buy some last night, as the property did not have any. Alex got recognized in Target and was asked for a picture. He was happy to, he’s always loved making fan’s days like that. Luckily, no one batted an eye at my presence. This community is mostly for those of retirement age, so we went out past nine o’clock last night to purchase our new chairs. There weren’t a whole lot of people out and about, but it only takes one.
I browsed around on social media and the picture got posted, meaning our location has been disclosed to the entirety of the internet. We shouldn’t have to leave the house again, though. I thought about posting a picture of the sunset on the ocean the other night but opted out. I’m glad I did, otherwise, it would’ve been put together pretty quickly that we’re here together.
I know people are going to find out sooner or later— let’s be real, probably sooner— but I like the privacy. I like that he’s mine, our moments are ours. We don’t have to justify our relationship to anyone. There’s a very real possibility that once it breaks we lose any semblance of the private life we once had because of the nature of our careers. I haven’t even told my grandparents. I know I should, my grandma would do cartwheels. It just hasn’t come up.
Yesterday was pretty rainy, so we spent most of the day cooped inside. We ended up watching more shitty new releases, pretty soon we’ll be all caught up and have no choice but to start going to the theater to see movies. Alex is surprisingly into it, or is doing a very good job at pretending to be. It’s always his idea to watch them, despite his disdain for them.
I stare at the water, watching as each wave hits the shore. It’s so serene, the sounds of the waves leaving me in a trance. My head snaps toward the treeline by the house when I hear rustling, but it must be wildlife. We’re the only people out here for miles, and we’d notice a car pull up.
