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“Not particularly.”
“Welcome to the NFL.”
The two of us sat in silence while we took off. I watched as Lottie logged onto the plane WIFI only to immediately get a notification from the dating app that she was on. I reminded myself why she started this whole thing in the first place. She felt like she was missing out on life. After becoming one of the youngest medical professionals in the NFL, Lottie hadn’t looked around like she had finally gotten everything she wanted. Instead, she realized she didn’t have everything she wanted. It was admirable.
Here I was, with two Super Bowls already under my belt. I had everything I wanted, but I was still being greedy to not let that be enough. I wanted more from the only thing I knew.
The two of us were almost complete opposites. We wanted two different things. Yet she was still doing everything in her power to help me achieve my dreams. It felt only right if I tried to help her achieve all the things she wanted because she was doing the same for me.
“I think I have a way to knock one of those things off your bucket list,” I told her once we reached cruising altitude.
Lottie looked at me with those wide blue eyes again. “Really?”
“I need to make a call when we land, but meet me in the lobby at five tomorrow morning.”
Understanding dawned across Lottie’s face when she realized what item on her bucket list I was going for. After a moment of consideration, she nodded in agreement.
I didn’t want to think about the way my chest released the anticipation I hadn’t realized had gathered there while I waited for her answer.
Lottie closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window as she tried to catch a few hours of sleep before we landed.
“Psst.”
I groaned when I heard Derek trying to grab my attention from two feet to my left.
“What?” I hissed, hoping Lottie could fall asleep quickly.
“You always take the window seat,” Derek reminded me.
I just gave him a shrug. I hadn’t even hesitated to give Lottie the window seat. Everyone loved the window seat and I thought it’d be rude to take that from her simply because that was the easiest way for me to sleep on flights.
I was thankful Hawthorn was already passed out with his headphones on next to Derek so he didn’t join in with this line of questioning.
“Is your cold heart melting, Hill?” Derek’s eyes gleamed with delight.
I subtly flipped him off before I tried to settle into my seat and get comfortable enough that I could fall asleep. Lottie stirred next to me and I prayed Derek hadn’t woken her up or I’d throttle him when we landed.
The following morning, I waited in the lobby of our hotel. Only the early risers either going to the gym or getting a head start on the day were milling about. Even though we were in the city that never sleeps, the only noise outside now was the late fall chirp of birds before they headed south for the winter.
The ding of the elevators grabbed my attention. Every time I heard that sound, my head snapped over to see if it was her. I felt like a puppy waiting for their owner to get home. This time, Lottie walked out of the doors of one of the elevators dressed in a light brown sweater that was tucked into a pair of black jeans that tapered at her ankles, showcasing a pair of brown leather booties. Her blonde hair was bouncy and curled at the ends, and the pieces fell perfectly to frame her face.
“How do you look so put together this early in the morning?” I asked her once she got close enough.
“I think by now you would realize I’m a morning person.” The soft smile she gave me brought out one of my own. I watched her eyes drop down to my lips for only a split second before she peered behind me.
“Where are we going?”
“You’re just going to have to wait and see,” I told her as the two of us emerged into the crisp, fall air of a New York City morning. The car I’d ordered the night before was waiting for us on the curb. Our driver opened the door and I motioned for Lottie to slide in first.
“This feels fancy,” she whispered once we were both inside. “Please tell me you didn’t spend a bunch of money on this.”
“What’s the point of having money if you can’t spend it on the things that you want to?” I watched her study me carefully as if she were trying to figure out a way to make up for something that she didn’t need to make up for. “You wanted to experience life outside of your job, so what better way to start than being driven to the Empire State Building to watch the sunrise.”
Those blue eyes widened at the same time her mouth dropped open in shock. I found myself smiling that I’d managed to surprise Charlotte Thompson.
“This is the most I think I’ve ever seen you smile,” she said before she went back to watching the skyline out the window. I should have been annoyed that she pointed out something like that. I hadn’t cared these past two years whether people disliked my attitude or not. But for some reason, I found my mouth screwing into a frown at her words because I felt ashamed she even had to tell me that. I wanted to look at the world again with excitement, like Lottie was in that moment.
We left early enough to beat most of the traffic heading into downtown. One of the attendants of the Empire State Building was waiting for us when we pulled up. I watched as Lottie’s head tilted back so she could look all the way up to the top of the building that was still lit up from the night before.
