The next day, I called Scott, Haley’s boss, and persuaded him to let Haley off early to hang out with me at a local amusement park. He’d hesitated, until I told him he’d end up with photos of me playing laser tag, skee ball, and more. After he agreed, the rest of the day flew by.

Coach let us out of practice early. I didn’t tell him about the informal photo shoot. In my mind, it was more about spending time with Haley and seeing where things would lead with her. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I’d fallen asleep last night replaying every single time we’d made love in my head. The memories made me feel young again and I missed those carefree times desperately. We’d lived life with such abandon, loving each other so fiercely.

On the way to the newspaper offices, I turned up the radio. Led Zeppelin blasted from the Maserati as I raced down the road toward downtown.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I took a deep breath before getting out and walking toward the entrance. She came through the glass doors before I reached them, shaking her head as she walked over.

She smiled as she stopped in front of me.

“Where are we going?” she asked, holding up the camera hanging from a strap around her neck. “The top of a high building downtown?”

“Even better,” I said.

We walked over to my car. I opened the door for her again, glimpsing her smooth, silky legs as she sat down in the passenger seat. The whole ride to the Family Fun Center a few blocks away, I kept stealing glances of her at every available opportunity.

“This might be interesting,” she said as I pulled into the full parking lot.

“I figure you can take photos of me having fun with a few fans.”

“Sure, that sounds good.”

After I parked, we got out of the car and headed toward the large building. Two boys rushed over excitedly before we made it to the entrance.

“You’re the best,” one of the boys said, then turned to the other. “I told you it was him.”

“Can we get your autograph, Mr. Jenkins?” the other boy asked, looking up at me.

“Sure thing, boys. Do you have anything to sign?”

“Sign my shirt,” one said, pulling the bottom away.

“You know what? I don’t have a marker with me, but if we go inside, maybe I can find a pen and sign a piece of paper or something.”

“Aw, come on. Sign my shirt. I’ll never take it off.”

I smiled and glanced over at Haley. She was holding up a black magic marker in her left hand with her fancy camera in the other.

After I lifted my hand, she tossed it through the air. A woman walked over as I took off the cap.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

I looked up and smiled.

“Signing the boy’s shirt. You want me to sign something for you?”

While I didn’t mean to sound suggestive, her eyes opened wide.

“Why on earth would I want you to sign my son’s shirt or anything of mine?”

“Mom!” one of the boys cried, sounding mortified. “This is Toby Jenkins. THE Toby Jenkins. From the Cleveland Browns! ”

“Well, I don’t want him signing your shirt. I paid good money for that, and you’re not going to ruin it.”

“Come on,” the kid said. “Just hurry up and do it.”

“Nah, little man. Maybe your mom has a piece of paper or something.”

The other boy pulled a crumbled paper receipt out of his pocket.

“Here you go,” he said, holding it up.

“I have an idea, let’s win something for me to sign. How’s that sound?”

“Awesome!” the boys cried simultaneously.

They darted across the parking lot toward the entrance of the building.

“Toby Jenkins, ma’am,” I said, holding out my hand.

The woman glanced down at it as if it were a dead fish.

“I’m watching you,” she said then spun around and walked away.

Haley walked over, a smile on her face.

“I hope you got enjoyment out of that,” I said.

“For sure. Some good photos, too. Does that ever get old for you?”

“Mean moms?”

“No, silly. People asking for your autograph, not having any privacy.”

“A paycheck for a single game is more than my Pops made in a whole year, sometimes five years. It’s a hassle sometimes, but it comes with the territory, you know?”

She nodded.

“I get people asking me to take their photo all the time. That or they complain about the newspaper delivery person or some article they read and disagreed with.”

I smiled, studying her face as she opened up to me. The skirt and blouse she had on were conservative, but they showed enough of her body for me to remember what was underneath.

“Let’s go inside,” I said, holding out my hand.

She lifted her camera a few inches.

“I’m working, remember?”

I smiled as she snapped a few photos. As expected, fans of all ages swarmed around me. Haley worked in the background as I mingled with the people, handing out autographs and posing for selfies with men, women and children.

Half-an-hour after we entered, the crowd had broken up. I walked over to her as she stared at the screen on the back of her camera, looking over photos.

“Anything good?” I asked.

“Oh, a few. They really swarmed you.”

“Yeah, it happens whenever I go someplace like this, but I thought you could get some good photos. Now, how about a quick game of laser tag before the rest of the evening?”

“No, thanks. I’m not much of a gamer.”

“Laser tag is for everyone,” I said. “Even old sports guys like me.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

I flashed a smile and put my hand on her arm, trying to step up my charm.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Even better. You will love it,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to the laser tag section.

At the entrance, I gave the man a hundred-dollar bill to let us have the whole enclosure to ourselves for our game. He looked down at the money a moment then relented.

“Okay, but no…” He glanced to the left and right. “…funny stuff in there, okay?”

“Come on, man. You think I’m like that?”

Haley stepped up after putting her camera into a locker.

“That will be safe here, right?” she asked the teenaged attendant.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll keep an eye on it. The equipment is over there.”

He pointed to the guns, harnesses and helmets.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you,” I said.

“Maybe I’m secretly a laser tag champion, and I’m sharking you.”

“Sharking me?”

“You know, like a pool shark. A laser shark?”

I laughed as we put on the gear. The teenage boy didn’t look up from his phone as we walked to the entrance.

“Come out when you hear the buzzer and lights come on, enjoy your laser battle,” he said unenthusiastically.

“It’s dark in here,” Haley said as I led her down a darkened hallway to the main floor.

“Are you afraid of the dark or something?” I asked, stopping.

“No, but…”

I stepped forward, pressing my body against hers as she stood in front of a dark wall.

“What are you doing, Toby?” she asked, her eyes flashing up at me.

Instead of speaking, I bent my head and went in for a kiss. Her eyes, so green and beautiful, opened wide, but she did not duck or dive away. Her soft lips melted under mine. I put my hand on her waist, pulling her towards me.

She moaned softly as my lips pressed into hers. When I slid my tongue into her mouth, she pushed me away.

“Stop, Toby! What are you doing?” she asked again, her eyes wide.

“What do you mean? I’m kissing you.”

“Exactly. We’re supposed to be working.”

“I can’t help it,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Haley.”

“No,” she said, turning and taking a few steps back toward the entrance.

I fucked up, I thought as she walked away, I moved too fast.

“Hold up,” I said, grabbing her elbow. She turned back to me, her eyes searching mine. “This is not going the way I want.”

“I bet you’re not used to that, are you?”

“Haley…”

“It’s fine, Toby, forget it, okay? I need to get back to work and edit these photos. Can you take me home, please?” She looked up at me, confusion in her eyes.

“Sure. I thought you wanted to edit the photos tonight. Are you changing your mind?”

“No, I’m going home to work on them. Is that okay with you?” she snapped, looking away. She looked so fucking beautiful in the red light. I resisted reaching out to her again. She was angry now. I’d crossed some line. Some line that wasn’t there before, when we were younger.

She opened the door and stormed out. I waited while she retrieved her camera, then followed her out. I caught up to her outside near the Maserati.

I opened her door, my guts wrenching as she avoided looking at me.

“What’s your address?” I asked, after sliding behind the wheel.

She rattled it off and I repeated it into the GPS.

We were both quiet on the drive to her house. The sun had sunk below the horizon while we were inside. Nights were getting shorter, which meant the playoffs were right around the corner. I had to put Haley and all other women out of my mind and concentrate on signing my next contract, but there was no way I was going to be able to stop thinking about her. My cock twitched in my jeans, just to reinforce the effect she had on me.

“This is it,” she said, pointing to a quaint green house with a flower lined walkway. A birdhouse hung from a small tree in middle of the front yard.

“This is cute. I’ll walk you to your door,” I said, quickly hopping out of the car and running over to open her door for her.

At her front porch, she stopped and turned to face me.

“Thanks for the photos, Toby.”

“Have dinner with me again.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head. I knew she’d resist, and I knew I couldn’t let her get away.

“Why not?”

“Because we have entirely different lives, Toby. The past is the past. It’s probably best left alone, you know?”

“Are you sure it’s over?” I asked, my voice husky, remembering the way she’d kissed me in the darkness. There was still something between us, something I wanted to explore. She could try to deny it, but I knew better. My cock swelled as I stared down at her, my heart twisting, her green eyes searching mine, the fire burning between us raging.

“Tell me you don’t want me,” I demanded.

She looked up at me and bit her lip.

I knew I’d hurt her.

I wished like hell I could take it all back.

“I don’t want you,” she whispered, her eyes telling me a whole different story. They were sad and wistful, their honesty cutting right through me.

She opened the door and walked inside, closing it behind her without another word, leaving me standing there alone, my cock throbbing hungrily between my legs, every cell in my body filled with regret and lust.