Chapter Two
Troy
“This should be a really great season. You have no idea how glad I am you said yes to my offer, Troy.”
The showrunner of The Stud, Glenn van der Koning, smiled effusively at me as he thanked me again for agreeing to be part of his show, and I smiled and half-tuned him out as I glanced over his shoulder at Eden, who was turned to the side while engaging in a conversation with a bubbly junior show exec who’d introduced herself as Candice.
Eden still had the same animated expression on her gorgeous face that she’d always had whenever she talked back in the days that I’d known her, and her luminous green eyes were exactly as I remembered; those perfect peepers which made me melt a little inside every time I thought of them. I’d recognized her as soon as I stepped into the room. I didn’t let her know that, though—I didn’t want her to think I was some sort of fucking creep who’d agreed to do a reality show just so I could run into her.
Even though that was exactly why I was here.
She smiled at Candice, and I watched as she flicked her long ponytail back over her shoulder. Christ, she hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw her. She’d always done that hair thing when she was a bit nervous but trying to stay calm, and she still had the same soft curves and glowing caramel skin, seemingly unaffected by time.
I still remembered the first time I ever saw her as clear as day.
I’d been in my junior year of high school, standing in the cafeteria and shooting the shit with some of my buddies. We were all typical hormonal teenage boys—horny as fuck with very little regard for the feelings of the girls we might hurt with our frequent backseat seductions, and always bragging about our latest conquests.
But then I saw her.
I heard something drop behind me, and I turned around and picked it up without thinking. As I placed it on the tray of the girl who’d dropped it, I looked up and practically drowned in the most spectacular pair of eyes I’d ever seen. They belonged to a girl I’d never seen around school before, and for the first time in my life, I was speechless. It wasn’t just her eyes, it was everything. She was sexy, cute, and beautiful, all those rare qualities rolled into one perfect package, and her plump cherry lips made me want to lean down and kiss her right then and there.
But I didn’t. I was still totally and utterly speechless.
I had a reputation to uphold, however, and I didn’t want her or her friend thinking I was some sort of pussy, so I gave them a bright smile and then turned back to my friends, my heart pounding.
“You know her or something?” my buddy Cal asked, jerking his thumb towards the girl and her friend, who had now passed us and were heading over to a table on the far left side of the room.
“Nah. Who is she?”
“Pretty sure it’s Eden Zamora. She’s in my sister’s English Lit class. Smart as hell. And the girl next to her was Blair Gilbert.”
The great thing about Cal was that he knew everyone, or at least knew of them. He’d always been useful to have around when I was trying to score whatever chick I’d spotted on any given day, because he’d be able to tell me their full names and several useful facts about them which helped me when I tried to pick them up. Girls loved feeling special; like a guy had really made an effort to get to know them.
“You think she and her friend would be up to partying with us sometime?” I asked, keeping my voice casual. “She’s kinda hot.”
Cal snorted and shook his head. “Fuck no. The only parties a girl like her would go to are her grandmother’s tea parties. She’s not like us, man. Too good for the likes of you.”
He grinned and socked me in the shoulder, and I chuckled and nodded, not wanting to let on how disappointed I was in the fact that he was right. A girl that gorgeous was too good for me and always would be. I might’ve been popular, but I had a bad reputation for a reason—I came from a shitty family from the wrong side of the tracks, and I’d always been a bit of a dick when it came to girls. I’d be interested in them for a while, but the minute I got them down on their knees with their lips around my dick, or stretched out in the backseat of my car with their tanned legs spread wide, I lost all interest.
Every time without fail.
I didn’t want to risk doing that to a girl like Eden. I knew it was shitty that I’d do it to any girl at all, but the types I usually went for were well-versed in hookup culture—they’d already banged half the football team and were able to move on quickly to another guy’s cock once I lost interest. Eden seemed different. In the few seconds that I’d looked into her eyes, I’d seen a sort of angelic purity deep within them. None of that ‘virgin purity’ bullshit—I’d never bought into that misogynistic crap about girls becoming damaged goods once they slept with someone—but a sort of innocence about the whole world, as if casual hookups were too good for her, and the only thing she’d ever want or deserve was true love.
I knew it sounded totally ridiculous that I could get so much from one look, but that was how I felt. So out of the fear of hurting her the way I inadvertently hurt everyone, I left her alone and never asked her out, although I did keep tabs on her articles in the school paper. Cal had been right; she was a genius with the English language, and her writing was fantastic.
Then I ran into her one day in the locker room, and I hadn’t been able to resist. In fact, she’d been the one steering the conversation in the direction of us dating, and shit…there was no way I could say no to her then.
The rest was history. We spent three perfect months together, and while everyone was shocked that an asshole player like me actually had a steady girlfriend for once, that hadn’t stopped us from enjoying every second of each other’s company. We slept together for the first time after a winning game, and I’d known then that she was definitely the right one for me. I hadn’t lost interest in her afterwards at all; quite the opposite. I wanted more and more, and I even wished that she was the only girl I’d ever been with.
I loved her.
I sighed and dropped my eyes back to The Stud showrunner, not wanting Eden to turn her head and catch me staring as I took my mental trip down memory lane.
I still remembered the last time I’d seen her as well as the first. We’d gone on a date to the local grill, and at the time, I hadn’t known that it was the last time I’d ever see that beautiful face. I received a call from my coach the next night, telling me that the scholarship to San Francisco State I was desperate for had initially gone to someone else. That kid had apparently decided to turn it down at the last minute after an injury, and I was the second choice by a hair’s breadth. That was good enough for me; it was a full-ride Division I scholarship, which anyone in the world would be lucky to score, even if they’d been the second choice.
Because it was such a last minute thing, I hadn’t really had any time to think it over. Coach told me that there was a training camp in the Bay Area starting in a week, before the college semester started, and I would be expected at it if I were to accept the scholarship, meaning I’d have to miss my official school graduation ceremony. That was all right by me—I’d already been given the proper diploma papers, and it wasn’t like I had much family to show up and watch me in my gown and cap.
Unfortunately, the Bay Area was a hundred miles away, and my trusty old Camaro had finally conked out the day before. My Dad couldn’t—and wouldn’t—give me any money to fix it, so my only option was to take the weekly bus, which left at eleven A.M. every Friday.
It was Wednesday night.
That gave me exactly one and a half days to pack and get the hell out of town…but how could I do that to Eden? I couldn’t say goodbye and take off to my future without seeing her first. I thought about turning the whole scholarship down, just so I could stay in town with her while she finished school, but I knew she’d never allow it. She’d always understood my desire to get away from my crappy home life, and she’d endlessly supported my goal of playing pro football, despite not being a huge sports fan herself. She’d never let me give up such an incredible opportunity.
We could make the long-distance thing work, though. I just knew it.
And so I’d come up with The Plan.
In our time together, she'd mentioned a few times how she loved the idea of big romantic gestures. Romance in general, really. She always made me watch these sappy movies with her, and I’d always grinned at the dreamy sighs she let out when Leo DiCaprio wrote a romantic letter of some kind, or when Brad Pitt made some big speech about love. I guess it wasn't surprising that she ended up working for a show which peddled romance and true love to enchanted viewers all over the country.
Anyway, seeing as our relationship hadn't exactly started out in a romantic way—in a sweaty old locker room, to be exact—I'd wanted to make that up to her with a big romantic gesture of my own before I left.
The Plan was this—I wrote her a heartfelt letter explaining everything to her; the situation, my feelings for her, my desire to keep what we had no matter the distance, and then on the back of the letter I included instructions for a scavenger hunt. The hunt was quick and easy, using some of our favorite date locations as clue spots, and it ended in the park near the river that ran by her house. We’d had a cute little picnic there one day a few weeks ago, and while we were there we found a tree which was sort of hidden behind some others. It had a small round nook in it, and Eden’s eyes lit up when she first saw it. She’d apparently read some fairytale as a kid where something amazing was secretly hidden in a tree nook just like that, and that was why I made that nook the last location for the scavenger hunt.
Inside it was a little box with my favorite great-aunt’s ring in it. She’d given it to me years ago before she died, telling me that my father couldn’t be trusted with it, and so she wanted me to have it. She said it wasn’t worth much financially, but it was old and dear to her, so she wanted me to give it to the right woman if I ever found her. As far as I was concerned, Eden was that woman. I was only eighteen, but I knew it.
The letter also included a time for Eden to meet me, near the bus station, if she was so inclined once she’d read it and found the ring. I actually remembered every single word of that letter like the back of my hand.
Eden,
I’m no good at writing, but I know you love reading and romance, so I’m giving this whole love letter thing a shot. You know that scholarship to San Fran State? I got it! Only problem is, I have to leave on Friday morning. I know it’s last minute, but I only just found out. I’d never keep anything from you. Please don’t worry—this doesn’t mean we’re over. Not at all. It’s only 100 miles away, so I figure you can come visit me, and I can come back on some weekends as well. Then once you’ve finished school, you can come join me. That’s just one year away.
Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t text or call you to talk about this. Thing is, I know you love romantic gestures, so I decided to make one big one before I left, so you can remember our last time here together fondly while you wait to see me again. I’ve included a list of clues on the back of this page for a scavenger hunt—there’s something special for you to find (and I hope you don’t think the whole hunt thing is totally lame).
Once you’ve done that—well, if you do it, that is—I’d like you to meet me outside the bus station on Friday. The bus leaves at eleven, but I’ll be there at eight, just so I can spend those last few hours with you. The weather report says it’s going to be raining, so we can even have a big dramatic kiss in the rain, just like they did in that old movie you love.
See? I can do romance!
I know I haven’t said this properly in person yet, but I love you, Eden. I really hope you feel the same way, and I hope you want to make this work as much as I do.
See you Friday.
Love,
Troy.
P.S. If for some reason you don’t feel the same way, or you don’t think a long distance thing can work, then don’t worry—no hard feelings. I’ll understand, and I’ll still love you and think about you all the time.
I’d written that letter and set up the hunt on the Thursday morning before I left, and then I started walking over to her house to hand-deliver it to her. She lived on the good side of town, so it was a four mile walk, but I didn’t care. It would be worth it to see her.
On my way over, I ran into her best friend Blair.
“Hey, Troy!” she said, enthusiastically greeting me when she spotted me. “Where are you going?”
“Going to see Eden. Where else?” I replied with a grin.
Blair’s face fell. “I had the same idea as you,” she said. “But I should’ve called first. She’s not home. Her Mom said she’s at Sienna’s, getting her hair done, so I’m just heading there now. Wanna walk with me?”
“I…er…” I hesitated. Sienna’s was an upscale hair salon in town, and it was the kind of place with owners and patrons who would turn their nose up at me if I showed my face there. I might’ve been popular around school, but I was what a lot of the adults in town referred to as ‘bad news’, and I didn’t want one of my last memories of seeing Eden to be tainted with that sort of bullshit. I pulled the letter out of my pocket and held it out to Blair.
“You know what…it might be better if you give this to her. I’m trying out this whole big romantic gesture thing, but it might be better if someone else hands her this letter, rather than me standing around awkwardly while she reads it.”
Blair squealed. “Oh my god, that’s so cute! Of course, I’ll give it to her as soon as I get there.”
“Thanks, Blair. See you round.”
I spent the rest of the day packing everything I needed to take with me to the city, and I kept waiting for a text from Eden, telling me she got my letter. When I didn’t hear from her, I assumed she was out doing the scavenger hunt and that I’d hear from her later.
By Friday morning, I still hadn’t heard from her. I showed up at the bus station at eight o’clock, just like I’d told her, and she wasn’t there. No worries; maybe she accidentally slept in.
At nine, I finally tried texting her to see where she was, but my prepaid phone informed me that I’d run out of credit. Just my luck. She still hadn’t tried calling or texting me, either, but I kept telling myself her phone was broken, or that maybe she wanted to keep the whole thrill of my gesture going and didn’t want to ruin it with text messages and calls.
I must’ve gone through every other excuse in the book by ten o’clock, but by a quarter to eleven, I’d finally accepted my fate. She wasn’t coming. She didn’t feel as strongly about me as I did about her, and she couldn’t face the prospect of a long distance relationship for a whole year. Maybe more, if she went to a different college than me.
I stood out there in the drizzling rain till ten to eleven like a fucking chump. It really was just like a movie, but not the good kind. At five to eleven, the driver came to tell me that the bus was leaving soon, and I needed to get on. I took one last desperate look around to see if I could spot Eden racing towards the station, but there was no one there. With a heavy heart, I got on the bus, and I never came back.
Not once.
Not even to get the ring back, as awful as that was, given that it once belonged to one of the only decent family members I’d ever had. I just couldn’t face going back to the town with the girl who had broken my heart and never even called to tell me. I couldn’t exactly blame her, though, and I wasn’t angry; she was only seventeen. We were just kids, really, and we had our whole lives ahead of us at the time. No wonder she didn’t want to throw all that away by hanging on to me and following me around wherever I went. She had her own life and future to think of, and there were probably plenty of other guys out there who were better for her than I could ever be.
I’d been right when I first saw her—a girl like her was too good for me, and she’d finally figured that out too.
After a year or so at college, I started to move on. I still loved Eden, but I knew I couldn’t spend my life moping around, waiting for a lost love to come back to me. Besides, I was still young—maybe it was never even real love. Maybe it was just puppy love that I built up and exaggerated in my head….but then I’d think of her eyes, smile, and laugh, and I’d realize it was all definitely real.
I still needed to get over it, though, and you know that saying: the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. And so began my descent back into my old playboy ways. It wasn’t hard to get women to fuck a guy like me, and I never went back to the same one twice. I’d never even stay the night, and every time without fail, the girl’s eyes would flash with disbelief when I got up, got dressed and headed for the door as soon as I was done. I never waited around long enough to listen to their protests, because it was easier to be a cold bastard in these situations. Any sign of kindness or caring would inevitably be misinterpreted as something more serious, and I didn’t do serious relationships.
Not anymore.
I’d been with a lot of women in the last few years, gorgeous ones too, but it had never felt real like it did with Eden, and as far as I was concerned, none of them were even half as beautiful as her. Out of curiosity and an old sense of longing, I tried looking her up a few times over the years, but she didn’t seem to be active on social media sites.
Then came a moment of serendipity. Glenn van der Koning showed up after one of my home games a few months ago, trying to talk me into going on his stupid reality show during the upcoming off-season. He seemed like a smug son of a bitch, and I’d initially snorted with laughter when I realized that he genuinely thought I was going to say yes to being on The Stud. It had been an immediate and decisive ‘no’ from me, and I got a lot of ribbing from my teammates about even being asked. Glenn hadn’t pushed the matter too hard. He’d simply asked me to watch just one episode of the show before I gave him my final answer, and if I still hated the idea of it, then he’d leave me alone and pursue other candidates.
My teammates goaded me into saying yes to that, so I accepted and sat down to an old re-run of it that very night. I thought the show was pure trash—totally unrealistic manufactured garbage—but I was a man of my word, and I’d promised Glenn that I’d at least watch the whole thing. When the credits began to roll at the end, my answer was still ‘hell no’, but then I saw a name in the producer credits which made my heart stop.
Eden Zamora.
My pulse began to race, and I pulled out my phone to look up the TV show database which included all the cast and crew lists from various shows. My eyes scanned the crew list for The Stud, and there was her name again, with a link to a LinkedIn profile. I clicked on it, and there she was—my Eden, with a list of her college qualifications, CV, and a little photo.
This was my chance to see her again, to finally get some real closure on why she’d never shown up…and to try and get her back. We weren’t kids anymore, and the whole long distance thing was no longer an issue. We were both living right here in San Francisco, or at least I assumed she was, seeing as the show was filmed on an old horse stud in the Bay Area. If there was even a smidgen of a chance at rekindling things between us, then I was sure as hell going to take it, so I called Glenn back and accepted his offer.
And now here I was with Eden only a few yards away, looking as gorgeous as ever.
“So the contestants will be arriving in a couple of days, and before then, we’ll be setting up your initial introduction reel. We’ll need to get as much light as possible, so tomorrow will be an early morning. You okay with that?”
My attention snapped back to Glenn. “Sorry, what?”
He smiled. “We’re having an early morning tomorrow. For filming. Happy with that?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.”
As I spoke, my gaze left his face and wandered back over his shoulder to Eden again, and my pulse began to race like mad with excitement. I could still barely believe that I was here, staring at the only girl I’d ever loved after seven long years of absence, but it was all too real. No dream could have ever matched the real-life sparkle in her green eyes.
I smiled.
No matter what it took, I was going to win her back.