“Can I ask you something?” I asked.
“Go ahead. You can ask me anything, Zoe.”
“Do you remember anything about your dad?”
He looked surprised that I would ask, but then he smiled, as if he was happy that I wanted to know more about him. It made me feel a little embarrassed. We met nearly two months ago, and I knew all his game stats since he started in the pro league and the rumors about him, because I researched him before I scouted him for the Southern Eagles. Other than knowing he only had a mother, and only because our parents told us separately when they announced they were dating. When I thought about it, I really didn’t know much about him.
“To be honest, I don’t remember much,” he started, expression turning thoughtful. “I barely even remember his name now, and Mom didn’t keep any of his pictures, because she knew when he left that he wouldn’t be returning. Of course, as a kid, I didn’t really understand that. I was six, I think? I waited, and waited, until I just stopped thinking about it.”
“That must have been horrible.”
He shrugged. “It’s not something I think much about. As far as I know, he could be dead now, so there’s no reason to think about him. Mom says I look a lot like him when she last saw him, though.”
He was six when his father left him, and he was twenty-eight now. He hadn’t seen his dad in twenty two years, so it wasn’t impossible that he could have died in all that time. I was awkward with my own dad, but I couldn’t imagine him not being there.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing for you to be sorry for. Anyway, I’m glad. You really enjoyed the food,” he teased.
“Hmm?”
He gestured at my plate, looking amused. I’d been eating while we talked, and I didn’t even realize my plate was empty until right then.
“You don’t have to lick the plate or anything. You can have the rest. And if you’d like, I can cook for you more often.”
That made me smile. He’d only had one helping, but since he was offering, I wasn’t going to be polite. I filled my plate with what was left, leaving him one stuffed potato. I felt a little guilty, but I really was hungry, I’d barely eaten anything the whole day, the one hot dog and ice cream I’d eaten around lunch being my only meal of the day.
“Thanks for the offer.” Since Mom, no one had ever cooked for me. Dad had tried once when I was sick, but he’d nearly burned down the kitchen instead, and he’d never tried again. “I would like that, actually. And, now that you’ve offered, you might as well make lunch and dinner for me tomorrow. And the day after that.”
His eyebrows jumped up. “Is that really going to be okay? If your dad ever found me here, he’d be mad, wouldn’t he?”
I rolled my eyes. “If you were actually worried about that, you wouldn’t keep coming here even knowing the danger. You can’t keep jumping out of my window, that’s why I don’t like you coming here. But, this one time, it’s okay.”
“Oh?”
I hummed. “I got a call from him while you were busy in the kitchen saying he’ll be out for the whole weekend. I don’t have anything to do so I was just thinking of hanging around at home. Would you like to stay over for the weekend and keep me company?”
The moment I asked, I paused and wondered if I’d fucked up. We slept over at each other’s places, though it was more like I’d slept over at his apartment or we found a hotel and spent the night together, but usually only if it was too late to be outside. We’d go our separate ways the next morning, and here I was just casually inviting him to spend a weekend. He might not like it.
“If you’re busy, you don’t have to,” I said quickly. “I just thought it would be nice to have someone spend the time with, and you’re here.”
“So you’re only asking because I’m here?” he asked, amused. “If I hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t have thought to call me over?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I grumbled. Though, I might have thought about it, honestly. Dad asked me where I was on the nights I didn’t come home and I’d give him an excuse. I’d say that I was staying over at a friend’s, so I tried not to sleep away from home often. “If you’re going to be busy over the weekend, though, it’s not like I can’t stay by myself.”
Howard grinned. “What are you talking about? Of course, I’m not busy. I don’t even have a job, currently, what could I possibly have to do over the weekend.”
“Oh,” I breathed out. He usually didn’t seem all that bothered about his current state, so I didn’t really think about it, but a football player without a team was technically unemployed. “Then, what about friends? I know you’ve been away from town for a while, you have to have had friends before you left, right? You must have gone to high school around here...”
“Well, I did go to high school here, but how long ago was that? Ten whole years. I didn’t keep in touch with any of the people I’d left behind here, and when I got kicked out of my team and came back here, none of the friends I’d made would talk to me. I don’t think there’s much point in talking to them, either, so technically, I don’t have friends. The only person I talk to is my agent.”
“Your agent?”
He nodded. “You met him, when I went to the office that one time to negotiate my contract? The negotiating didn’t really last long, though, your Dad kicked me out.”
“Oh.”
I sort of did remember someone like that. I’d only ever seen him the one time, though.
“Anyway, I don’t have anything to do, so yeah, I’d like to stay for the weekend. Thanks for asking.”
I was still a bit surprised that he’d agreed so readily. I guess it meant he wanted to spend more time with me when we weren’t just having sex? I didn’t know if I should be happy about it or not, but I frowned, because his expression when he said it looked strange.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. “If you really don’t want to, it’s not like I’m going to force you. Even if you don’t have plans, you might have wanted to spend time at home alone?”
He shook his head. “Nothing like that. If I didn’t want to spend time with you, I wouldn’t have even come here today. It’s fine, really.”
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t ask for more, but he didn’t say that while looking at me. His head was ducked down as he slowly finished the food on his plate, and whether he noticed it or not, even with a smile on his face, his brow was furrowed, as if he was worried about something.