“I’ve never been to a Super Bowl party before.”

“If you’d said that when we first met, I never would have chased after you,” Barton replied. “How can you have never been to a Super Bowl party?”

“Remind me to never tell you how many football games I’ve watched in my lifetime,” I said. None, not from beginning to end anyway.

“Am I going to spend the entire Super Bowl explaining the rules?”

“God, I hope not. I just plan to eat and drink while you boys and Tasha watch the game.”

Tasha and Clyde came into the living room with enough beer to satisfy a small army.

“May and Lance not here yet?” Tasha asked.

“No,” Barton replied. “The babysitter was late picking up the kids, and now they’ve hit traffic. Should still be here in time for kick-off though.”

Barton’s apartment was on the market, so he decided to host the party at his parents’ house. We’d been visiting every couple of weeks to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and gradually the house was beginning to feel like a second home. I knew Barton still found it a little odd being there, but he was getting used to it.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked Barton, when Tasha and Clyde disappeared to the kitchen. “I know this isn’t exactly how you imagined spending the Super Bowl this year.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect to get to the Super Bowl in my first season anyway.”

Instead of playing football every week, Barton and I had been working tirelessly to rebuild his reputation. He started by apologizing publicly for the fight with Milton, but we also let rumors spread about how Milton tried it on with me. It wasn’t enough for Barton to get his place back on the team, but the public perception changed just enough that he didn’t get shouted at everywhere he went.

Then there was the constant stream of charitable appearances, and goodwill projects in the community. By the time his former team were officially out of playoff contention, there were actually calls for Barton to be forgiven and brought back into the squad. That would never happen, but it made Barton’s quest to find a new team a hell of a lot easier.

Speaking of which….

“Have you told anyone yet?” I asked.

“No, not yet. I want to wait until May and Lance are here.”

“I’ve nearly told Tasha about six times,” I admitted. “I mentioned moving the other day, and had to quickly admit that we were looking to move in together. I omitted to mention that we would be moving to Washington.”

“You sure you’re happy to move?” Barton asked. “I can still call it off if you want to stay here.”

“You need to play football.”

“If it’s a choice between playing or being with you, then I pick you every time.”

“That’s sweet, but I want you playing football. You’ll just get under my feet otherwise.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“You know what I mean. You’re just not meant for hanging around a house by yourself.”

Barton got bored easily, which meant he constantly wanted to hang out with me even when I had to study. Barton’s idea of ‘hanging out’ always meant fucking, and I found that impossible to resist. Remarkably, I was still on course to graduate. I think Barton’s cock made me more intelligent. That was the only explanation I could think of.

May and Lance showed up thirty minutes before kick-off. May hadn’t been to the house in over a year, and she walked around curiously as if she didn’t remember the place. I felt more at home here than she did, which I think unnerved us both. Still, it was a beautiful house and deserved to have people having fun in it.

Barton quickly put a beer in everyone’s hand and then gathered us all together for a toast.

“I have good news,” Barton explained. “Thanks to Kristi, I’ve managed to regain a little bit of the public’s trust after… the incident.”

“When you punched Milton,” Clyde helpfully pointed out.

“Yes, when I punched Milton. Anyway, thankfully another team has agreed to take a punt on me.”

“You’ve been signed?” May asked excitedly.

“Yep. Kristi and I are moving to Washington in a few weeks. I won’t be the first choice quarterback, but I plan to fight my way into the team. Uh, not literally fight my way into the team. You know what I mean.”

“You’re moving up there together?” Tasha asked me. She looked a mixture of excited and upset. We’d been living together for years, and had never lived in a different state. This wouldn’t be easy for either of us.

I nodded. “We want to live together, and that means me moving up to Washington. I’ll be able to come back often though.”

“And I’ll pay for you all to come up and visit whenever you want,” Barton added. “Just say the word, and I’ll buy you plane tickets.”

“Thanks,” Tasha said softly.

“That’s great news,” Clyde said enthusiastically. “Isn’t it, Tasha?” He gave her a nudge and Tasha forced a smile.

“Yeah,” Tasha said. “Of course, it’s great news.”

Tasha came over and hugged me tightly. “You really okay with this?” I whispered in her ear.

“Yes, honestly, I’ll be fine. It’s just come as a bit of a shock that’s all. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll only be a few hours away. Besides, you spend half your time with Clyde already.”

“Yeah, I guess he’s okay.”

“Thanks,” Clyde called out. “Come on, let’s watch the game.”

Tasha let go of me and Clyde immediately took her into his arms. It wasn’t often I got to feel like the older sister, but I did right now. Tasha would be just fine with Clyde. I’d never seen her happier.

We had a lot in common in that respect.

“Let’s make a deal,” May said over breakfast the next morning. “We’ll all gather here every year for the Super Bowl, assuming of course, that Barton isn’t actually playing in it.”

“Deal,” I said eagerly. Despite what I’d said yesterday, I knew that as time went on, we’d all see each other less and less. Clyde would be working as a lawyer soon, and Tasha had decided to go back to school for a master’s degree. May and Lance had kids, who would be a handful for many years to come. Who knew what the future would hold for Barton and I.

“Sounds great,” Tasha agreed.

“Alright,” Barton said, “but don’t expect it to happen often. I plan to collect so many rings that lifting my hand will be like a gym workout.”

“I thought you’d brought his ego down to Earth, Kristi,” May said. “He’s worse than ever.”

“I’ve tried,” I protested. “He’s just letting off steam, because I make him behave himself in public.”

“You sure you’re okay coming here, sis?” Barton asked. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about being back to the old home.”

“It was weird at first,” May admitted, “but I like being here. We have so many happy memories, it’s silly to let all that go. Besides, it’s what Mom and Dad would have wanted. God, they’d have loved you, Kristi.”

Barton reached out and squeezed my hand. “Definitely,” he agreed. “They’d love her almost as much as I do.”

“And you Tasha,” May added. “Clyde was almost part of the family growing up, so you’d have been welcome too.”

“Your Mom was disappointed when you brought me home,” Lance said to May. “She wanted you to date Clyde.”

“No way,” May and Clyde both said in unison.

“She did,” Lance insisted. “Took me a while to win her round.”

I smiled as I noticed Tasha subconsciously move closer to Clyde and place her hand on his thigh. She didn’t need to claim him. Clyde looked at Tasha much like Barton looked at me; she had no worries in that department.

“It’s a deal then,” May said. “Back here this time next year, unless Barton makes the Super Bowl. Might have to bring the kids next time, unfortunately.”

“Maybe there will be more kids coming along in the next couple of years,” Lance teased.

“No,” Tasha and I said quickly. Neither Barton nor Clyde looked too disappointed with that response.

“We’ll see,” May teased. “Lance and I never planned to have kids, but these things happen.”

“Your kids are the reason we don’t want any,” Barton said.

“They’re lovely,” Tasha replied. “I give it two years before there’s a baby at our Super Bowl party.”

“No chance,” I replied. “Not going to happen.”