Baby, It's You & No One Else

Later that night, despite the fact that it was a Sunday and both Eric and I had class, we returned to our house to host a bonfire. This wasn't a big tradition but my dad had a lot of wood to burn and to be honest, I wasn't really ready to leave my family yet. I enjoyed spending time with them despite the fact that I was an adult now and didn't necessarily have so much time for them in my life, I always tried to squeeze in time. But as of lately, they seemed to fall on the back burner and I was going to have to fix that.

I sat on Eric's lap, wrapped up in a fleece blanket, adorned with footballs that I had made Jake so many years ago. My legs were thrown over his legs and I cuddled into his chest, taking advantage of his warmth. I laughed along with the rest of the circle as Austin told us about Zoe's terrible two stage and how when she threw tantrums it was hard to ignore because she looked so ridiculous.

"Oh Riley, before I forget. Are you coming here for Thanksgiving or going to Eric's?" my mom asked.

"I'll be here for sure. I don't know, I might swing by to Eric's before I come over." I shrugged, knowing it was a month away and I had time to figure it out.

"Okay, well your Aunt Lori and Uncle Tom are coming into town along with Rachel and Becky," She informed me.

My nose immediately wrinkled at the mention of Becky. She was my age, only a month older than me and to put it simply: she was a slut. She's dirty and sees no shame in sleeping with guys she doesn't know, and has been notorious for stealing other peoples boyfriends. To say I was nervous when she was around Eric would be an understatement. Family didn't matter, if the guy was hot, she wanted on.

"You won't be coming to Thanksgiving then," I whispered in Eric's ear, causing him to laugh silently at me.

"Okay," He agreed, placing a kiss on my nose.

"Well, maybe you can come for a little bit. I'll lock her in the bathroom or something. Maybe chuck her in the lake?" I threw out ideas, laughing along with Eric.

"How about we keep our options open?" He asked, his white teeth contrasting against the dark night as he smiled at me.

"Sounds like a plan," I murmured against his neck, puckering my lips to the purple mark that stood out against his skin from earlier in the day. His heart pounded against my lips and I squeezed his side, causing him to jerk somewhat violently.

"Don't do that," he muttered at me.

"That wasn't me," I grinned innocently to which he rolled his eyes. For some reason he never bought the innocent act with me.

We sat outside for another hour, watching the flames dwindle to barely nothing before we decided to call it a night. I was thoroughly exhausted after such a fun filled day and was thankful Eric would be driving and not me.

"Are you sure you want to drive back tonight?" My mom questioned, looking directly at Eric.

"We'll be fine," he assured her, letting go of my hand so I could hug my mom and dad goodbye.

My mom gave me an extra squeeze and I turned to my horde of brothers who waited patiently next to my dad.

"I guess this is goodbye," I spoke dramatically to Jake who gave me a slightly creeped out look. He was still a little scarred from what he saw in the woods. "Love you kid." I told him, kissing his cheek and hugging him to me tightly. He returned it with a long squeeze of his own.

"Bye Ry," He kissed my cheek softly before stepping back and letting Austin pull me into a similar hug.

"Bye kiddo," He kissed the top of my head, squeezing me as tight as Jake did.

"Bye, Austin. If you need me to babysit Zoe, just call me up," I assured him, ignoring the snort Jake gave him.

"But only if she can bring Eric," Jake replied in a smartass tone. I gave him a look at he just looked away, smirking shamelessly.

"See, I'm your favorite. I would never be that rash," David assured me, causing one of my eyebrows to lift slightly.

"Oh really?" I asked, "somehow, I don't believe that."

"I have no idea why," Austin muttered from beside me, punching David in the shoulder.

"Bye Dave," I spoke into his chest as he squeezed me more forcefully than my other two brothers.

"I'll see you soon lil sis." He whispered into my hair, then placed a kiss on my forehead as I pulled away.

"I love you guys," I told them all before Eric and I walked back to his truck. He opened the door for me and helped me climb up, knowing I was wiped out from our long day. I buckled my seat belt as Eric walked around the truck and started it.

The drive back to campus took less time than usual because of the ghost town the freeway was. We drove easily south from Cold Spring towards Minneapolis. Half way between the city and home, Eric's hand on my thigh pulled me from drifting off. I turned from looking out the window, to taking in his side profile as he focused on the road. I smiled at him as he turned towards me, puckering his lips for a kiss. I did as I was told, before slouching back into the seat, my hand laced with Eric's, still resting on my thigh.

I must have fallen asleep because I felt myself regain consciousness when the truck came to a stop in the driveway of Eric's house, which he shared with both Adam and Blake. My eyelashes fluttered as I tried to keep them open, but eventually giving up and keeping them closed. Eric opened my door, unbuckling my seat belt and pulling me from the car. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me up the walkway, to the porch. Adam was already at the front door, holding it open for Eric to walk through.

Eric immediately carried me up the stairs and to the left where his room was located next to Blake's. He sat me down on the bed, and pulled off my Nikes. He removed only my jeans, helping me slip into a pair of his shorts. He undid my pony tail for the second time that day, letting the curls tumble down my shoulders and fall against my back. I pushed my eyes open, looking at Eric as he held my face in his hands before pressing a kiss against my forehead, nose, and then my lips. I smiled slightly at him.

"Today was fun," I whispered to which he nodded and placed another kiss on my lips.

"Yes, but it's time for bed, honey."

One of his arms slid under my knees and the other around my back, picking me up like I was a doll and sliding me under his blue comforter. He started climbing out of the bed and I reached for him, whimpering when all I got was air. He hovered over me again though, kissing me and telling me he would be back in a second.

True to his word, Eric slid in next to me a couple minutes later, with less clothes on and more skin exposed. I immediately curled into his warmth, my hands running over the defined muscles of his back. That was the best thing about dating a football player. His body blew me away every time I saw it and always had me dazed. His hands ran over my back as he lulled me to sleep with the sound of his heart beat and the comfort of his touch.

"I love you, Riley," was the last thing I was able to register before I passed out into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
***

"WAKE UP!" A high pitched voice screamed, jolting both Eric and I out of our sleep two weeks later. I squinted my eyes at the bright light that shone through the window that I could have sworn was covered when we went to bed last night. I looked around the room, trying to find the source of the noise. I didn't have to look far because she loomed over Eric and I, looking down with a big grin on her face.

"Kara's back in town," she grinned, shaking me some more.

"Yay," I muttered, pushing her away from me.

"Wakey, Wakey! Eggs and Bakey!" She sing-songed at me, pulling on my arm. I peaked one of my eyes open, looking at Eric who had fallen back to sleep already. I rolled my eyes and patted his face. His eyes slowly opened into little slits.

"She's your friend, not mine. I just tolerate her," he told me, snuggling into my pillow, right next to my face.

"Shut up, Decker," Kara punched his shoulder.

"Ouch," Eric told her in a flat voice, obviously not feeling any pain.

Kara tugged on my arm again, this time pulling me up into a sitting position, I attempted to fall back into my spot but Eric sat up behind me and made sure I was planning on getting up.

"I'm hungry, woman. Get moving," He urged, scooping me up and placing me on my feet next to the bed.

I trudged down the stairs along with Eric while Kara skipped down the steps. How she was so cheery this early in the morning was beyond me. Speaking of early in the morning, how was she here already?

"Kara, when did you get here?" I asked her, pulling my hair up into a messy bun.

"Last night, you and Eric were passed out on the couch when I got here." She told me as we walked into the kitchen. Eric sat down next to his teammates and immediately started loading up his plate. I rolled my eyes at his huge appetite, not being able to understand how he could eat so much.

"How long are you here?" I asked her, grabbing a piece of bacon from Eric's plate. He stabbed at my hand with his fork but I successfully retrieved the bacon before he could pierce my skin. I slid into the chair next to him which in turn was next to Kara.

"Tomorrow," she told me, wrinkling her nose slightly. "I wish I could stay later but I have a test Monday afternoon."

"You could leave early Monday morning?" I suggested to which Kara immediately dismissed. But Blake jumped in, agreeing with me.

"I like what Riley's suggesting," he grinned at his girlfriend as she ran her hands through his dark brown hair.

"Anything to get me to stay, right baby?" She asked, pecking his lips lightly.

"Of course," he grinned up at her.

I turned back to Eric, who was desperately trying to eat around me. I rolled my eyes and slipped from his arms, causing him to snap his head up to me with a questioning look on his face.

"Where are you going?" He asked, shoving some more pancake into his mouth.

"To take a shower. I feel gross." I told him, leaning down and placing a kiss on his cheek, not wanting to have sticky lips from the syrup.

"Well that's what happens when you try to have sex in the wood," Adam announced, causing both Katie and Kara to giggle. I tilted my head as I started Eric down, who suddenly found his food very interesting.

"You little shit," I exclaimed, hitting Eric's shoulder. He burst out laughing along with everyone else. I rolled my eyes and smiled at all of them before walking from the kitchen and upstairs towards the bathroom.

But despite the fact that I was acting all cool about it, to be honest I was really embarrassed that he told them about what happened two weeks ago. To me, sex was something that stayed between the couple. People, specifically females, are always asking me what Eric was like in bed. They all think he's hot and it's gotten to the point where they don't even try to hide it anymore. To me, it's weird when I have some of my friends who didn't know Eric in high school, ask me what Eric is like in the sack. It's awkward and I always brush them off. Because let's be honest, a guy that hot could never be bad in bed. But you don't see me giving out details about it to my teammates and their girlfriends.

I shook my head as I turned on the shower before stripping off my clothes. I was being a tad bit touchy about the whole thing and I just needed to let it go. It was funny that Jake caught us in the woods, there was no need to flip at Eric about it. I ran my fingers through the water and satisfied with the temperature, I slid under the water.

The scalding hot water cascaded down my body, lightly massaging away the aches and pains in my back and shoulders. Our movie night had turned into sleeping on the couch which was not comfortable for either of us. Eric was exhausted after practice and he was a little sore after supporting all my weight the whole night. I was actually pretty surprised that I didn't role off of him but then again it would be hard to with how tight Eric was holding me to him.

I closed my eyes taking in deep breaths as the steam rolled around the bathroom and the enclosed shower. I let loose a content sound as my body tingled from the warm water. I didn't even want to think about the cold I would have to endure in a couple hours. It was the final home game for Eric in his college football career, against Illinois. It was going to be sad to say the least. It was hard to believe how fast time was flying. It seemed like only a couple weeks ago we were sophomores at the U and he was playing his first football game.

I stood under the downpour, my eyes closed too lazy to move and start cleaning myself off. The water massages my head and I felt myself relax 100% until the curtain ripped open and someone stepped behind me into the shower. I let loose a scream and whirled around, covering my ample cleavage.

"Seriously honey? Who else would be sneaking into the shower with you?" Eric asked, letting his body soak under mywater.

"Did I say you could come in here?" I snipped at him, still a little annoyed that he was telling people about our little encounter in the woods.

"Don't make it a big deal. I told them because it was funny." Eric reasoned with me, kissing my cheek. I raised my eyebrow at him, not totally buying it. "And because I wanted to tell them I totally almost fucked you in the woods." He reached around and with his massive hand he grabbed my ass with enough force to make me gasp.

"Eric!" I giggled as he pushed me up against the shower wall, my legs wrapping around his waist. He stood slightly in the stream of water, the beads of liquid running down his chest and abs. I gave him a sexy grin and he pressed his lips to mine as he placed us directly under the fountain of water. I smiled slightly into the kiss as I took his bottom lip into my mouth, tugging on it. The water ran onto our faces and over out bodies, creating an erotic atmosphere as we continued to lavish each other. I pulled away, gasping for air as he trailed a couple kisses down my chest, momentarily moving his mouth over both of my breasts. I arched my back into him, his face pressing completely into my cleavage.

Eric's hands slid in between my legs, his thick fingers slipping inside of me. I gritted my teeth against the scream that was building up in my throat, knowing that would be a bad idea with his teammates downstairs. He took a step towards the wall so I was once again resting against it. I gripped his shoulders as he continued to move in and out in a fast rhythm. I could feel the tension building in my body as he sucked greedily on my neck, his hand occasionally running over my chest, groping as it went.

"Holy shit, Eric," I moaned, my stomach muscles beginning to quiver when the white, hot heat ran through me as all the muscles in my body began to tighten. All I could focus on was the feeling of his fingers pressing against me, sliding in and out. My breathing seemed to stop all together and I felt myself being pushed off this imaginary cliff in my mind. Eric had been watching, waiting for this point, knowing he would need to catch my scream in his mouth and he did just that. He leaned forward, his mouth hot and welcomed over mine as dots bounced behind my eyelids.

The following minutes, neither Eric or I moved or talked. He just held me up against the wall as my heart raced and my head was up in the clouds. I bit my lip and I tilted my head back to look at my beaming boyfriend. I locked eyes with him and then grabbed behind his neck, smashing our lips together in a hot, tongue filled kiss. We pulled away again, my breathing still very short due to my post-orgasm stage.

He placed a soft kiss on my nose," I love you Riley," He whispered as he set me back on my feet. I wobbled slightly, barely able to stand without his arms around me. He moved to grab the shampoo and I had to latch on to his body, my knees still too weak to support my body weight. He laughed lightly, and wrapped one arm around my back while the other grabbed the shampoo.

We spent the next half hour, cleaning both of our bodies off. Eric enjoyed lathering the soap on my body and then running his hands all over me, making me feel more dirty than clean. I enjoyed the way he massaged my scalp though, when he ran the shampoo through my hair. It felt so good especially in my still body tingling stage. We stepped out of the shower, both wrinkled and beyond clean. Eric dried me off in one of the big fluffy towels before wrapping it around my body and carrying me to his bedroom.

He threw me on the bed and then turned to his closet to get ready. I looked at the clock, very disappointed when I realized Eric would need to be getting to the stadium soon to join his team in the walk for the last time as a Gopher. I sighed, grabbing my bag and throwing all of my clothes out on the bed. I dressed quickly and then flopped on the bed to watch Eric pull on his clothes and then pack his backpack full of random crap that he would need for the game. Eventually he turned to me, motioning for me to get on his back and head downstairs where everyone was waiting for us.

The six of us walked to the game, dressed fully in maroon and gold, all the girls representing their boys with our jerseys thrown over our jackets. I stayed on Eric's back, not really wanting to walk because I wasn't sure if I trusted my legs yet. I rested my head against his shoulder, as he talked to Adam about various plays that they wanted to do during the game. I turned my face into Eric's neck as the wind blew viciously at us, placing a kiss against the side of his neck. He turned his head towards me and I gave him a good luck kiss before he placed me back on my feet.

"Stay warm, beautiful," he instructed me before tilting my chin up and placing another soft kiss against my lips. I grinned up at him as he grabbed my hands that were for the moment absent of my mittens. He placed my tiny hands in between his massive ones and blew on them, warming them immediately.

"Thank you baby. Good luck. Play hard. And no matter what happens, I'll still love you when the clock runs out," I told him, placing a kiss on his wind bitten cheek. He pressed his face against my shoulder and we both stood there, our eyes closed, knowing this was the start of a three game goodbye. One today, the final home game, then next week at Iowa, the final Big Ten game, trophy game, and game of his senior year. And then the end of it all, the bowl game, predicted to once again be the Insight Bowl, held in Tempe, Arizona just like the past two years.

"This is going to be hard," he whispered in my ear, not wanting Blake or Adam to hear about how tough this was going to be for him despite the fact that Blake was also a senior. Adam had one more year to go without the two boys.

"I'll be here."

He nodded against my shoulder and pulled away, placing a kiss on my forehead before he started to walk away. I watched him, tears slightly brimming in my eyes because I was going to miss watching him play for the Gophers. It was just as hard on me as it was for him. The team was like a family and with the players came the girlfriends. I would miss the family aspect of the football team and the protection that Minnesota held for both Eric and I. Eric turned and looked at me one last time giving me a crooked smile before turning towards his last mission. Ending his career at home with a win.
***

I sat in the empty stands, long after the game was over, staring down at the field below me. The beauty of the stadium still took my breath away even though I had long been introduced to it. The field just held a feeling of home to it, even after a tough loss. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I thought of how dejected Eric had looked after the game. The utter pain was visible on all of the seniors' faces as they slowly made their way off the field after acknowledging the fans. I cried when I saw Eric's pain-filled face, unable to mask his emotions. He didn't cry, but you could tell he would be remembering this moment.

The wind blew my brown hair around my face and I wiped at the tracks of tears. I looked down at the bottom of the student section, where Katie and Kara stood talking, trying to distract themselves from the obvious hard night ahead. The boys would not want to go out, and it was up to us to make them feel better. I had no clue how I was going to be able to cheer Eric up when I was just as distraught as him. It's hard to watch them lose, knowing they want it more than the other team, but nothing seems to click. The game just seemed to collapse from the get-go. There was no running or passing game and the defense just wasn't able to hold Illinois back from scoring.

My eyes drifted across the field again at the huge scoreboard that proudly displayed the Minnesota M. Kara and Katie climbed the stairs and sat down next to me again. I leaned my head on Kara's shoulder, knowing she was feeling for Blake as much as I was for Eric.

"This sucks," I whispered, my voice hoarse from emotion.

"Yeah," Kara breathed out a sigh, the white buffs of air coming out of her mouth as she spoke.

We sat in silence for the remainder of our wait. We could have gone out to the concourse and made small talk with the families but we opted to stay out in the frigged air, sitting in our seats for the last time.

"I guess we should have been ready for it," I announced, sitting upright again. "Senior year is all about saying goodbye after all. I just wish we didn't have to leave here like this." I shook my head, rubbing my arms.

Three football players came into view after I stopped talking. Kara immediately stood up, climbing down the bleachers to reach Blake. Katie flocked to Adam's side, her arms pulling his neck down to her as she placed a kiss on his lips. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, not wanting his friends to see his obvious tears. Eric climbed the steps, sitting down next to me. I wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned my head against his shoulder.

I looked down at his ankle that had an ice bag tapped to it. I cringed, knowing he probably sprained it again. That never mattered to him though. He always got hurt during the games, sometimes little injuries that he wouldn't even tell me about until days later. I would always yell at him but he would just tell me that was football. He was going to get hurt and I had to deal with it. We sat in silence for a couple more minutes, just staring down at the field that Eric would no longer be playing on. Eventually, I sighed and looked over at him, noticing the slight smile on his face.

"What's up?" I asked him, genuinely curious about what was going through his mind at the moment.

"I had a couple good years here. I wouldn't give them back for anything." He told me, running a hand up and down my arm.

"Hey we're gonna head back to the house. Are you guys coming?" Katie asked as her and the rest of the group stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, we're gonna hang out for a little bit," Eric told them.

"Alright," Katie said as they disappeared through the tunnel and onto the concourse.

"I'm going to miss this," Eric murmured as he pulled me up to stand by him.

"Me too," I breathed out as I leaned against his chest for support. Tears came to my eyes again as I thought about him donning the Maroon and Gold for the final time. I wished he had one more year here. I wished he could come back and be with Adam for his final year, guide him through the tough season and be with him through it all. They had basically become brothers and he would have a hard time without Eric next year.

"I wish we had one more year here," I murmured to him. "I'm not ready to leave."

"I know baby. But there isn't a choice. It's time to grow up." He told me, turning me so I was protected from the wind.

"Yeah, but what happens if growing up means growing apart?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Are you talking about us?" He asked me with concern in his voice.

"I'm just scared about what the future hold for us," I whispered.

Even though I knew this would come, I was still terrified that everything would fall apart once he left Minnesota. In the upper Midwest, we were in our own little world, protected by the cold and snow from the rest of the country. It was a little safe haven but I was scared to leave it, even if that meant going with Eric. It was hard to face the days ahead knowing that after football, our whole future was not guaranteed anymore. It was like a free for all and that scared the hell out of me.

"We'll take it as it comes. As long as we're together, everything will be okay. That I can promise you." His voice held a confidence that was undeniable.

Eric and I stood there, looking out at the field for quite sometime before I began to shiver in protest of the wind. He wrapped an arm around me and helped me descend the stairs. We started our walk back to Eric's house, ready to meet up with the group. I watched Eric look back one last time, taking in the beautiful, state-of-the- art facility. A smile graced his beautiful lips as he turned back to me. And as we continued to walk down 4th street, away from the stadium, it felt as if we were walking in a new direction, towards a future that loomed ahead. And I couldn't be happier that we were doing it together.