Bee arrived during the second half of the game. She sat on one of the last rows of bleachers. When the people around her stood up and celebrated the scores she stayed on her seat. She felt as if her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest.

She'd never watched Nate like that before, never sat through a full game, never even seen him playing. And he was good. Really good. If she hadn't known what Jules told her she could've believed he was fully recovered.

By the time he scored the winning point Bee felt like she couldn't really watch anymore. She wondered if she was really the only person who'd seen his face grimacing with pain when he removed his helmet. Everyone around her continued cheering and applauding.

She felt as if she stayed there she might start running towards the field any second. If she wanted to talk to him it would be better to do it another time. But she wasn't even feeling so certain anymore. Because after that game he'd surely get a scholarship, he'd surely go professional. She'd be a burden in his life, in his future that was crystal clear to everyone but him.

She walked down the bleachers dodging the people standing up in the middle of the stairs. When she reached the first row she started walking in the direction of the school. She took deep breaths as she crossed the lawn that separated the field from the school and pushed the swing metal door once she reached it.

She entered the familiar hallway. A couple of light bulbs were flickering and she could barely hear the sounds coming from outside. She breathed out feeling the knot in her throat finally start loosing up.

She continued walking in the direction of the parking lot hearing the sounds of her footsteps echo when she heard the sound of the door behind her swinging open. She turned around and found Nate walking in her direction.

Once again she wondered whether or not she was hallucinating.

"Bee." He said as he approached her. Even though she'd seen him a couple times at school she'd forgotten how much of a magnetic force he was.

His brown hair was slightly damp and his skin was covered in sweat. For some reason, maybe his uniform, he looked taller, stronger and leaner than she remembered.

The sound of his helmet hitting the floor after he dropped it made her realize she wasn't imagining it. He was really there.

For once he didn't seem like any version of him. He just seemed like Nate. The best and worst possible version. The only one.

She fell speechless for a second. There were so many things she wanted to say yet only the most unimportant one managed to escape her lips.

"Congratulations." She said shortly.

If he heard her he didn't acknowledge her words, he just closed the distance between them and brought his hands to her face. It felt so natural she didn't move in the slightest. Her eyes fixated on his face.

"You're really fucking here." He said and without any apparent reason he let out a laugh that turned into a smile. She'd never seen him smile so widely before.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm sorry about the things I said really, I—"

"It's fine." He said, his eyes traveling over her face. "You're here and you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm really fucking sorry. I'm sorry."

He leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers. They tasted like sweat and his hands smelled like dirt but she didn't even notice. She felt the warm pressure of his lips slowly but firmly against hers. He kissed her with so much intent she felt like she might start crying. It took her a tremendous amount of effort to pull back.

"Hold on." She said holding his wrists gently. "I need to tell you something, and— I need to do it now because I don't think I'll have the guts to do it later." She pressed her lips together briefly and continued. "I love you."

She watched his expression as he listened to her, and understood the weight of her words. His face once again morphed into a smile, so beautiful she hoped she'd never forget it. He pulled her in for a hug and leaned his palm against the back of her head. She felt him kiss her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Are you really here?" He asked. She could feel his heart beating loudly inside his chest. His whole body was warm, almost as if he was irradiating electricity. Like he might just fly off the ground at any moment.

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. He took her face between his palms again and moved the hair away from her face before leaning his forehead against hers.

"I'm here." She said. "Nate, are you okay?"

He nodded and pressed his lips against hers once again. More urgently that time. She felt his hand grip tightly the hair on the back of her head pulling it slightly upwards. She parted her lips and felt the relief of his warm lips against hers. He kissed her shortly before pulling back.

"I am now." He said looking at her. "I love you, Bee. No matter what. I've missed you so fucking much."

There were so many things she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to let them out. Not in that moment that felt like it belonged completely to them. Even if they could faintly hear the sounds of the people cheering for his victory outside. Nothing else seemed to matter. Nothing but them. Together.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." He said.

They stopped briefly in the locker room so that Nate could get his things and then went out to the parking lot.

As soon as they got into his truck Nate removed his shirt and shoulder pads. He threw the items on the back seat as he took them off and then leaned down to untie his cleats. He grimaced in pain as he took his left one off. Bee could almost feel the pain in his expression.

"Is it really bad?" She asked. "Maybe we should have someone check—"

"I'm fine." He said while moving his foot, as if assessing the damage. "I just need a minute."

He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and she watched his back raise up and down slightly. His breathing finally slowing down after the game. She reached out for his arm and placed her palm over it. He turned his face to her as he felt her contact.

"Jules told me about the painkillers." She said shortly.

"It's nothing, Bee. I'm fine. Just forget about it."

"No, it's not. You hurt yourself." She said. "Honestly I don't even know how they let you play."

"Hey." He straightened up his back and reached for the back of her head bringing her closer. He planted a kiss on her lips and then on the top of her head. "We're together now. That's all that matters."

He pulled her closer and she moved to his seat sitting over his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly. Bee leaned her face against his shoulder feeling his skin against hers.

"It was much harder to stay away from you." He said. She felt his warm breath against her hair and felt glad she wasn't able to see her face at that moment. "The only reason I could do it was because I really thought you'd be better off without me."

She pulled back and looked at him, her hands moving to his face. She traced her fingers over his jawline feeling the light stubble on his skin before moving onto his lips, pressing their outline gently. "I wasn't." She said. "And I don't think I'll ever be better off without you."

She closed the distance between their faces and kissed him once again feeling his strong arms wrap tightly around her waist.

Their contact was shortly interrupted by Nate's phone buzzing loudly inside the cup holder. Bee jumped lightly as he reached out for it and looked at the screen. It was his dad.

He held the phone in his hand for a few seconds. They both stared at the bright screen for a few seconds. And even though years had passed since they'd first discovered his dad's tapes Bee felt like they were eleven years old again. Unsure of what to do next.

Nate tapped the green icon and brought the phone to his face.

"Dad," He said.

Bee attempted to move back to her seat but Nate's arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist. So she just watched him talk for a moment. She couldn't make up what his dad was saying and his answers were really short.

"I can't fucking do that right now." Nate finally said to the phone. "I'll see you tomorrow— Yeah, tomorrow."

He hung up the phone and threw it over the dashboard. His eyes moved to Bee's.

"Tomorrow?" She asked. "Where are we going?"

"I have an idea." He said.

Author's note:

so i had to split this chapter into two because it got very long. meaning there will be probably 2 more chapters before the ending.

if you're enjoying the story so far leave a comment 🤍 posting after 15 votes again. love.