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  “Her name is Cashmere, but the only thing you need to know is that I’d be happier to share this moment with her,” he answered, while rubbing the back of his neck. “But only if she’ll let me.”

  I couldn’t hold back the sob that came out of my mouth, and I was a mess after that. Tears started streaming endlessly, and I couldn’t tell if I was crying for everything that happened or everything that was about to.

  “Cash,” Kay whispered, rubbing my back as she sat down next to me. “I think you know what’s about to happen, don’t you?”

  I took a deep breath and shook my head. “I don’t know, Kay. This is so much.”

  “Listen, you helped me with all the Adonis drama when you first started living here. Now, I wasn’t sure how I was going to say how I felt, but I did it because you told me I could,” she told me, before jerking my upright. “Now stop being a little bitch and stop crying. You cried way too much in the past few months and I know you’re not even like that.”

  Adonis and Kayla ended up talking and decided that they would work out their issues together. Kay wanted to finish school, and Adonis wanted to get drafted. Their relationship was still a little rocky, but they were working it out and getting there.

  I sniffled and wiped my eyes before sitting back in the chair.

  We sat in silence for a long while, with the only things audible being the sound of the TV and Dreya’s obnoxious chewing. “Where’s the draft happening this year?”

  “Jersey, baby!” Dreya yelled, and I could hear the crinkles from the popcorn bag she was stuffing her face with. “Home of the... uh, Snooki’s, I guess.”

  “I have to go meet him,” I said, getting up from my seat. “I just can’t sit here after he just told the world he loves me. Because I need to tell him that I love him too, and that every day that went by, I never stopped thinking about us and what we could’ve been.”

  Kayla handed me her car keys, and sent me a smile. “Bring it back in one piece—and bring him back too.”

  Kayla’s car was hard to find.

  Considering the fact that I vaguely remember what car she drives because she never uses it or the fact that she parked her car somewhere far away to not pay fees on the meter, I never really had a fair chance.

  I shook my head and sat down on the concrete bench, frustrated out of my mind. All I wanted to do was to hear the sound of Zeus' voice, and feel the warmth of his arms...

  “Cash.” My head snapped up so fast, I was surprised I didn’t have whiplash.

  He was standing in the middle of the walkway, one hand in his pocket, and the other fiddling with his tie. He looked even better than he did before since his hair was finally growing and he had a fresh cut. He was fine as hell.

  “Zeus,” I whispered, openly gaping at him. I had all these words I planned to say, but I was trying to work on a full dialogue on the car ride over. Now that he was here in the flesh, my tongue seemed to be made of cotton balls.

  He stepped forward hesitantly, and I think my trembling lips and watery eyes made him close the distance even faster. He enveloped me in a hug, and I started to cry.

  “’M so fucking sorry,” Zeus said, pulling me into his chest and sitting us back down. “There are no words that can explain how stupid I was to you, and it’s all my fault for not listening—”

  “Don’t even blame yourself. I should’ve just told you everything in the first place but I was too ashamed of what happened and I just wanted it to be in the past,” I cried out, relaxing when I felt his fingers comb through my hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, we’re okay,” he murmured in my ear soothingly.

  I’ve waited so long for a resolution to our issues that now being on the brink of one, it felt nice and different. I felt like a huge burden was lifted off my chest and I could finally breathe easier again. I was now whole.

  “Please forgive me and take me back,” he pleaded, moving back to softly grasp my cheeks to make me look at him. “I’ll get on my knees if I have to—”

  “I love you,” I blurted out, not being able to contain my emotions anymore.

  His eyes lit up and he smiled widely. “I love you too, Cashmere. I think I fell in love with you on the stairwell of that house party, listening to The Weeknd and you almost falling in my arms.”

  “You remember that?” I said with a laugh, tears still falling.

  He pulled my body closer to his, and I wrapped my arms around his. “Of course, how could I forget?”

  “I can’t believe you got drafted to the Giants,” I said, disbelief now in my tone. “Like what are the odds that you get placed in a New York team?”

  He simply smiled and kiss my forehead before trailing down to my cheeks and then my nose. “Magicians never reveal their secrets.”

  I slapped his chest, and when I tried to do it again, he grabbed my wrist and held it in place.

  “I missed you so much, Z,” I admitted, staring up at him. “I really did.”

  “God, I am so in love with you,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine.

  We kissed under the fading evening sky, our problems melting away into the dark abyss of the night. We were together, and we had each other, and that was all that mattered.

  twenty eight: reunite

  Sweat beaded at my hairline, and I quickly swiped it away before exhaling a nervous breath. I could feel my hands shaking, and I bit my lip to stop myself from just running out of the place altogether.

  “Calm down, baby,” Zeus leaned over the short barricade and whispered to me, with his hand making a reach for my own as I panicked.

  We were sitting in the courtroom after Neil and Blondie made their closing arguments, waiting for the jury to deliver the verdict. It was 9:45 in the morning, and the jury has been deliberating since the morning started.

  Neil, who was sat next to me, picked up his glass of water and took a sip. How he managed to always be so calm in the tensest of situations was amazing.

  Slowly, the jurors filed in, and I could feel my heart rate spike. I snuck a glance at Justice, and instead of the smirk on his face that I usually saw, he had his mouth set in a fine line.

  “Has the jury reached a verdict?” The judge asked.

  “Your honor?” Blondie called out, standing up from her seat. “Mr. Greer would like to apologize.”

  “Apologize?” The judge, Kayla, Neil, and I echoed simultaneously, not believing what I was hearing.

  “Yes, your honor. If he may—”

  “Absolutely not. Not in my courtroom,” the judge spat, shaking her head. “This entire trial, Mr. Greer has not shown a shred of remorse for his actions. Although I am not commending Mr. Townsend for being a decent human being, at least he had the compassion to try and not make the plaintiff’s life even more difficult. Permission is denied.”

  My eyes widened, and I actually couldn’t believe what was happening.

  “A verdict, jury?” Judge Adams repeated, and she looked eager for an answer.

  “On the case of Cashmere Rawlings vs. Justice Greer and North Atlantic University, we rule in favor of the plaintiff, and the defendant must award monies for emotional damages in the grand total of five million dollars.”

  “Holy fuck, you’re fucking rich!” I heard Kayla shout from the pews behind me, and the courtroom laughed before the judge asked for silence.

  “In addition, I will be referring this case to criminal court, where Mr. Greer will go through the trial process, starting with a grand jury. An internal investigation will be launched in North Atlantic University, to discover all the cover ups and scandals this school tried to suppress. All I can say is... wow,” Judge Adams said, a look of pure disgust on her face. “All in the name of college sports. Court is adjourned.”

  Neil leaned over and gave me a hug, but I didn’t really reciprocate because I was in shock. The men who made my past year miserable were finally having the tables turn on them.

  “Cashmere.” I swiveled my head around to see Zeus
, with Levi and Kayla standing behind him.

  I didn’t say anything, I just rushed forward and threw my arms around his neck to bury my face in his chest. I could feel the tears starting to fall, and I choked out a sob before I felt his hands wrap tightly around me.

  “Baby, it’s okay,” he whispered, stroking my hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  That just made me cry even more, but I knew I wasn’t sad anymore. I felt an immense wave of relief wash over me, and it was like I could finally breathe again.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Kayla said, pulling me into a hug once Zeus released me.

  I sniffled before reciprocating. “Thank you for supporting me through this. Even though now I’m crying like a little bitch.”

  “Sis, no one is mad at you for that!” She told me, slapping my arm lightly. “It was a long time coming, and I would cry too if I hadn’t been crying this whole week.”

  I nodded before walking over to Levi and hugging him as well. He sacrificed a lot to be here with me, and I could never repay him for his generosity. Hell, maybe I could since I won this case.

  “Thanks, Li,” I said, squeezing him tightly. He became one of my best friends in the short time I’ve known him, and I could genuinely say that he’s the greatest.

  “No problem,” he said, before letting go of me. “Now go kiss and make up with Z so this can be a fairytale ending to a story.”

  Zeus overheard his comment, and he rolled his eyes before throwing his arm over my shoulders to walk us out of the courtroom. “Oh please. I have more in mind for us later than a measly kiss.”

  I felt my cheeks heat up, because it’s been so long since I’ve been with Zeus. “Shut up, you’d be lucky to get a kiss after all the bullshit we both went through.”

  He was about to respond but his phone rang, which caused him to groan. “I already know who this is and I don’t feel like answering.”

  I wasn’t going to press and ask who it was since we were in such a fragile state, but he surprised me by flashing the caller ID to me.

  “Oh my fucking god,” I exclaimed, dropping his arm off my shoulders immediately. “You’re gonna let a call from Odell Beckham Jr. go to voicemail?! That fine ass man?”

  Zeus rolled his eyes, and I could tell that he was a little jealous, which I found amusing. “The coach assigned him as my summer league mentor or something, because they want me starting as soon as season starts.”

  We were outside on the steps of the courthouse sitting down now, which led Kayla and Levi to skip off to find some food for her pregnancy cravings.

  “That’s amazing news.” I leaned on his shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, so I owe you my world if I didn’t owe it to you already.”

  I couldn’t help but let a goofy grin settle on my face. “Man, if you keep talking like that, I might just suck the soul out of you.”

  Zeus choked on his saliva and I laughed while softly patting him on the back. It was nice to fall back into our old routine, and also nice to know that I loved him, and he loved me too.

  Instead of going back to Kayla’s apartment, we took an Uber to Zeus' hotel room, which was in the Waldorf Astoria.

  “Jesus,” I whispered, taking in my surroundings. The high ceilings and spacious lobby area with bellboys holding out drinks on a tray oozed wealth.

  Zeus grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly. “This place gave me anxiety the first night I stayed here. After what I said, the interview hit the national news and paparazzi camped outside. They’re acting like I’m in boy band or something.”

  We stepped in the elevator, and as soon as the doors slid closed, Zeus pushed me against the wall and kissed me roughly. I grabbed the back of his neck and returned it, tugging at the hair on the nape of his neck.

  “I missed you so much,” he murmured against my lips, his breath fanning around my face as he softly spoke.

  “Me too,” I murmured before kissing him again.

  The elevator dinged, and we were on the 15th floor. He grabbed my hand and walked over to the door and unlocked it. When I stepped inside, my eyes widened. “It’s beautiful in here. The NFL really has money, wow.”

  Zeus shut the door, and moved over to the kitchen area to grab a bottle of water. “It’s a billion dollar industry.”

  I spun in a circle, taking in the floor the ceiling windows overlooking the New York City skyline before my eyes moved back to him. “Nothing screams money like American football.”

  “Do you want anything from here?” He offered, capping his bottle. “There’s a whole bunch of snacks here if you want.”

  “No, I’m okay,” I responded. He nodded before walking over to me and throwing me over his shoulder, which surprised me. “Oh my god, Z! Put me down!”

  I could hear him laughing, as my skewed vision started making me lightheaded. “No can do, baby. I told you I missed you, but I don’t think you know how much I did.”

  I felt my back hit soft cushion, and I knew he dropped me in the bed when I saw pillows next to my head.

  He pressed his lips to mine, before trailing down to my neck. Tugging my shirt over my head, he kissed down my chest before getting to the top of my jeans.

  I bit my lip as I caught his honey brown eyes boring into me. Weirdly, I wasn’t annoyed at him staring at me. It felt oddly comforting, unlike the first time we were together.

  His eyes stared deeply into mine as he uttered his next words in a low, gruff tone. “I love you, Cash.”

  I smiled before pulling his shirt over his head and unbuckling his pants. I knew he meant it, and I was so enamored by him that his words wrapped around me like silk. “Get the fuck over here.”

  I didn’t know what I was expecting to follow when I said those words. Our sex was amazing, but I was not expecting Zeus like... this.

  It was silent for a moment after he slid away from me; our labored breathing the only audible thing in the room.

  “That was— I don’t even know what the fuck that was.” Zeus was the first one to speak and I felt the bed shift as he laid next to me. He pulled me to his body and kissed my forehead.

  “We are never using condoms again,” I stated, still trying to catch my breath. “Like condoms? I don’t know her.”

  He laughed before nestling me under his arm. “That’s fine with me.”

  “Of course that’s alright with you,” I said, slapping his chest. “And before I forget, I love you too.”

  He grinned before pulling the sheets over us. “How could you not?”

  “Don’t even get me started, man.”

  epilogue: pump fake

  one year later

  I sat in the sky box, sipping wine and reading over my film analysis for my midterm portfolio while pretending to watch the Giants pre-season game. I wished I could just go back to Zeus and I’s apartment to finish this, because the stadium’s wi-fi was atrocious.

  “Are you even going to watch the game?” I looked up to see Justine, a football wife looking down at my laptop with disdain.

  I sighed and cut my eyes directly to hers. “Why don’t you mind someone else’s business so I can finish my work? Because last time I checked, my man is eating this pussy, not you.”

  Her jaw dropped and I smiled before rolling my eyes and looking back down at my screen. The wives and girlfriends used to feel a need to try and get me to join their little society when they first found out I was “the Cashmere” Zeus confesses his love to on TV. After that whole stint, we attracted a lot of media attention, and I guess they thought I’d be a great addition to their club... until they actually met me.

  Ever since then, all they show towards me is disapproval and disgust, and that was fine with me. I wasn’t here for them; I was here for Zeus.

  Kayla along with Vanessa were sitting next to me, silently laughing. Our friendships were still going strong, and every time there was a game, they were right with me in
the sky box. After graduating last semester, Nessa lived in New York and worked for a fashion magazine as a junior editor while attending graduate school. Kayla was in her senior year, just like I was and we were excited to finish our final year together in the city.

  “You should cut them a break once in a while,” Vanessa said with a laugh as she watched Justine traipse away. “They’re just trying to get to know you.”

  “Not a chance in hell,” I responded, shaking my head without taking my eyes off my computer. “If I show them a hint of kindness, they’ll sign me up for the weekly meetings.”

  “They can’t be as bad as Isroach,” Nessa said with a spiteful laugh as she sipped out her champagne flute coyly.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. “You’re never going to let me live down the fact that I trusted her, huh?”

  I heard the whistle blow and Kayla gasp, so I briefly looked up before doing a double take and standing up.

  I saw Zeus laying on the field, motionless. Officials and his team member crowded around him, and I could feel my heart drop.

  “Shit,” I gasped out, and I immediately ran out of the room and out into the hallway, racing for any exit that would take me to the field.

  I ran down so many stairs so fast, I’m surprised I didn’t slip. I needed to make sure he was okay. I couldn’t think straight, and there was a guard standing outside a door that had sunlight peeking through, so that had to be it.

  I pushed past him, and he yelled after me, but I didn’t care. The door led me to the tunnel that the players took to walk out to the grass, so I ran down and dashed onto the field.

  “What is she doing?” I heard a fan yelled from above me.

  “Oh my god, Zeus!” I screamed, pushing my way past the tall and bulky players that seems to make an impenetrable wall around him. “Get the fuck out of my way, I need to...”

  The words were sucked out of my mouth as I stopped moving to see Zeus in the middle of the circle, with him down on one knee, holding out a ring.