Baby, It's You & No One Else

I sat in my interpersonal communications class, tapping my pencil in a steady rythm in order to keep myself occupied. I never thought ten minutes could go by so slow. But there I was, listening to my professor drone on about the importance of reading body language when engaged in a conversation. I rolled my eyes at the clock on the wall, only a minute and a half had passed since I looked. I was half tempted to just get up and walk out but I decided since I had been sitting here for an hour, I might as well stay.

The next eight minutes were spent putzing around on Facebook, trying not to laugh too loud at the funny bumper stickers that Katie had spammed me with. I looked up, exiting from the addictive site as the professor told us all our homework, writing some bogus one page paper. I sighed and gathered my stuff before following my fellow students out into the cold, winter air. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself as I walked along the sidewalk, my head bent away from the wind. My phone buzzed in my pocket, signaling I had a text. I tisked when I saw it was from Jake, bragging about the warm weather he was in.

Holly and him had decided on going to someplace warm in the carribean, like smart people this time of year, for their honeymoon. They had been gone a week and I was surprised that I wasn't yearning for him to come home yet. Mostly it was because he kept taunting me about the warm weather which made me want to punch his face in more than hug him.

I walked into Dinkytown, the main part of campus where all the food was, and continued walking towards the football stadium. I was meeting Eric there after his practice and then we were going to hang out for a bit. I was excited because we hadn't seen much of each other lately. He always seemed to be at class or busy with something else. I didn't even get to see him on Thanksgiving which had been last Thursday. I wasn't one of those people that needed to see him everyday but I liked to. I hummed along to Taylor Swift as she sang to me from my iPod, my feet making steady strides towards the stadium that now loomed ahead of me. I smiled, happy that I would finally get to wrap Eric in my arms.

I stood outside the gates and send Eric a text that I was there. He told me to sit tight for a couple seconds and that he was making his way towards me. I did as I was told, flipping aimlessly through my iPod to pass some of the time. I texted Katie, telling her she needed to force me to do my homework tonight. I had the middle of the week blues and wasn't feeling up to doing any of my homework or being productive in anyway today.

Movement out of the corner of my eye brought my gaze from my phone to a pair of Nikes and then to the metal of a pair of crutches. I immediately snapped my stare from the ground to the face of the person standing next to me. Panic started to rise in my body and I felt my anxiety shoot through the roof. Eric leaned against his crutches, slightly out of breath and with a tired look on his face.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked, worried that he was seriously hurt. I grabbed his face in my hands and pulled him down to my level, pouting at him.

"Just a sprain," he assured me.

"That happened today? In practice? With one of your teammates?" I questioned, not seeing how that would add up.

He gave me a nervous look before examining his foot that had a boot on it. My eyes lowered at his obvious discomfort, starting to put the pieces together.

"Eric Jonathan Decker." I glared at him. I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning my weight on one hip and staring him down. He swallowed and gave me a nervous smile. "How long have you been hurt?" I asked, trying to think of when it happened.

"Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I don't.. uh, really, remember when it happ-"

"Well you better start racking your brain before I kick your ass." I snapped at him, stepping back towards him and making him cower slightly under my glare.

"Okay. Okay. I hurt it in the Cal game, made it worse in the Ohio State game, and played the next couple weeks despite the trainers protest." He confessed, avoiding my gaze as I fumed.

"ERIC!" I screamed, watching as he winced from the loud noise.

"I couldn't tell you! You wouldn't have let me play and it's my senior year." He whined

"Are you kidding me? You lied to me about it because you thought I had power over whether or not you played? That is bullshit, Eric. As your girlfriend, I need to know when you're hurt." I gave him a pained expression to which he groaned.

"Baby, I'm sorry but I didn't want you to worry about me while I was on the field." He defended his actions. I rolled my eyes before fixing my attention back to him, glaring at him with no intension of backing down. He made a move to bring me in close to him, how he was going to do that with his crutches was beyond me.

I scoffed at him and turned on my heel, stalking away from him. I could hear him sigh behind me as he started to move, the clicking of his crutches on the pavement could be heard. I didn't bother to slow down as I headed past Mariucci, the hockey arena, and then contiuned, over the bridge, and past the athletic offices. Eric hobbled behind me, desperately trying to keep up with me. I was forced to stop at the corner for a stoplight and I moved away from Eric as he tried to capture me under his arm.

"I am sorry, okay? I didn't mean to lie to you." He mumbled.

I turned to him, my mouth agape in shock and my lip slightly curled up in a sneer, "do I look stupid to you?" I snapped at him.

"Noo?" He drew out, confused.

"You didn't mean to lie to me!?" I asked, incredioulous, "Eric, you blatantly lied to me about it. You knew you were hurt and didn't tell me! How is that not lying?"

"Well, I just didn't think it would be a big deal," he shrugged, giving a head nod to Kyle Theret, one of his teammates, as he walked by heading to the stadium.

I turned my gaze on Kyle, softening it into a smile before turning the steel gaze back on to Eric. He bit his lip slightly, his soft eyes pleading with me. I snorted and turned back to the stoplight, happy when I saw the white figure telling me I could walk. I stalked across the crosswalk and then down the sidewalk, weaving my way through the campus to where Eric's house was located. I didn't bother to turn around and see if he was behind me. The metal click of his crutches told me he was, along with his persistent calls for me to slow down. I stalked up his porch, grabbing the screen door and yanking it open before doing the same to the heavy wood door.

I held it open for him as he hobbled his way into the house. He stood in the entry way as I stood outside, letting the screen door shut behind him. I turned and stalked down the steps as Eric's frantic voice called out to me.

"Riley! Where are you going?" He called, getting ready to follow me.

"Away from you," I snarled.

"Why? I didn't even do anything," he groaned.

"Why don't you call me when you stop being an asshole," I snapped at him.

"What the fuck!" He screamed despite the fact that a lot of other people could hear him. A small smirk graced my lips as a person on the sidewalk recognized him and then told the person they were on the phone with, that Eric Decker just said fuck. Obviously she was a girl.

I made my way back across campus, ignoring the ringing of my phone, knowing it was Eric. I wasn't happy with him after he lied about his injury. As his girlfriend, I have a right to know when he's hurt. Hell, I need to know when he's hurt. I want to be kept in the loop about what's going on with him and having him lie to me is not something I was fond of. To me, lying meant you had something to hide and in a relationship, that wasn't a good idea. If you weren't being honest, something was up.

I sighed as I pushed my way through the front door of my house. I kicked my shoes off and dropped my bag on the ground. Slowly, I made my way to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and a cookie before wandering into the living room where I flopped onto the couch. I stayed there the rest of the afternoon, waiting for Katie to come home and entertain me. She sauntered into the house a couple hours later, Adam and cripple in toe. I rolled my eyes, turning the volume up on the Wild pre-game show.

"Don't be rude," Eric snipped at me, moving my legs and then plopping down on the couch next to me.

"I thought I told you to contact me when you stopped being an asshole," I snapped, curling my legs under me.

"Oh, you thought that was me being an asshole? No, you haven't seen anything yet. You're pissing me off and blowing this way out of proportion," he told me, pulling his phone out of his pocket and starting to text someone. "But don't worry, I won't be here for long. The boys and I are going out. No girls allowed." He said the last part in a way that made me imagine his tongue sticking out at me.

"Oh how juvenile," I tisked back at him.

"Well, we all can't be as rational as you," He threw back at me. I turned my head slowly, giving him a look that told him to shut his mouth. He gave me an innocent, sarcastic, smile back and I reached out and slapped his shoulder before pointing to the door.

"You know the way. LEAVE." I told him with finality.

"Mmm, I don't feel like it." He tilted his face up to the ceiling like he was debating.

"Eric." I whined at him, pushing at is upper body because despite the fact that I was mad at him, I wasn't going to deliberately hurt him.

"Riley," he whined right back, sticking his lip out for good measure. Suddenly, I didn't want to argue with him anymore. I just wanted to find out when he was going to get better and how bad his injury was. He gave a small smile when he saw my walls breaking down as I crawled across the couch and into his lap.

"Sorry," I mumbled into his neck, kissing his pulse.

"It's okay. I should have told you and I'm sorry I didn't. But I really just didn't want you to make a big deal about it." He smoothed my hair away from my face, dipping his head for a kiss. I tugged on his bottom lip before releasing it and pulling back. I nodded, looking into his brown eyes, laced with love and sincerity along with another emotion that I chose to ignore.

"I want to know when my baby is hurt," I told him, placing another soft kiss against his lips. I tucked my head under his chin after that, letting the soft touch of his hands running over my back, gently relax me into a slumber.

I awoke an hour and a half later, alone in the living room and the house, the Wild game in full swing in front of my face. I stretched my arms above my head and looked around the room for a note, finding it on the ground next to the couch.

Riley,

I went to get some dinner. I'm not sure what I'll bring back yet, but I'll be back soon. The boys went out, Eric said he'd be back for you later.

Katie

I sighed, leaning back into the couch and watching the rest of the second period. The Wild duked it out on the screen with the Chicago Blackhawks and as much as I had Minnesota pride, I'd pick the Hawks over the Wild any day. I clapped excitedly as Patrick Kane netted his second goal of the night in grand fashion. I laughed at the little smirk that was ever present on his face. He was one of my favorite players just because he was so damn cocky. It was hilarious watching his obvious swagger as he skated to the bench and got congratulated by his teammates.

Katie came in as the second intermission started, holding up a white bag with no logo on it. I raised my eyebrows but then I saw the white malt cups and I let loose a loud scream.

"Annie's! Oh my god. I love you more than I love Eric right now," I gave her a wild grin and grabbed my box. Annie's Paralor was hands down the best food on campus. They had amazing burgers, fries, and most importantly ice cream.

"I thought we deserved it," she told me, laughing slightly.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Because it's Wednesday and we need a pick up to get us through the week," She told me, popping a fry in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"That's for sure," I told her, settling into the couch pillows. "Where did the boys go?"

"Drinking," she rolled her eyes at me. "Blake kept complaining about Kara being gone so they were all, you need to get shitfaced, and offered to help him."

"I'm going to kill Eric if he comes back drunk," I told her, shaking my head.

"What is Eric even like drunk?" She asked me, taking a sip of her malt.

"He gets really grabby, hyper, and says stupid stuff. And of course he tries to get into my pants like he doesn't get enough anyway." I laughed, rolling my eyes.

We settled in for the game, watching the rest and cheering when necessary. I clapped my hands as the final horn blew, happy that the Hawks won despite Katie's glare as I celebrated.

"Gotta go for the winning team," I winked at her, grabbing our trash and throwing it away. I sighed as I padded around the kitchen, contently full of good food. I reached for the hot chocolate, making a cup for both Katie and I since we had to do some homework. I came back into the living room and Katie and I both settled in once more, ready to crack down on the two papers we had due the following day.

We worked for an hour, steadily making progress. I had finished my first one, proof read Katie's one page paper and edited mine all in that time period. My fingers clicked against my keyboard as I wrote about European history in the Renissance. I took a break, sqeezing my eyes shut as they burned from the bright light of my laptop. I rubbed roughly at my face when the front door burst open, making Katie and I jump through the roof.

I watched with an amused smile as three, drunk football players pushed their way into our house. Adam and Eric came in first supporting Blake's weight despite the fact they they appeared just as drunk as him and that Eric was on crutches. They all howled with laughter as Blake stumbled slightly, tumbling into the entry way. I looked over at Katie who gave me an eye roll and then went back to her paper. I sighed, closing my laptop and placing it on the couch before making me way over to the drunk party of 3.

"I am waaaaaaasted," Blake giggled, holding his hand up for a high five.

"Oh I can tell, I could smell you from the couch," I teased, turning to Eric and Adam who were looking on with doopy smiles. I grinned at Eric as he flicked his tongue at me. "Is that supposed to be sexy?" I asked, not able to control my laughter. His smile dropped off his face, replaced by a pout, telling me I had hurt his feelings. I rolled my eyes at him, "don't be dramatic, Decks." I reached down for Blake, grabbing onto his hand and somehow pulling him up despite the fact that he had a good 50 pounds on me.

"You can sleep in the bathroom," I informed him, leading the way up the stairs and opening the door for him. Eric followed behind me as I grabbed Blake a pillow and blanket, hobbling around. He trailed me like a puppy, trying to get some attention. I kept ignoring him though until I had Blake situated in the bathroom, where he was already passed out on the floor. "Sweet dreams, hun," I told him, kissing his forehead before shutting off the light.

I sighed and turned to Eric, "yes, child?" I gave him an amused smirk to which he pouted back at me.

"You're mean." He mumbled, clinking his way down to my room. I was actually quite surprised that he was able to walk around on those things while being slightly tipsy. He didn't even sway from side to side, just pulled himself forward like he was as sober as me.

"Sorry Mr. sensative," I called, following after him. I laughed at his still present pout and slapped his butt as he stopped in my door, preventing me from entering.

"Tell me you love me," he told me, turning his head to the side and puckering his lips towards me. I snorted but stood on my tippy toes and placing a kiss on his lips. He bit down on my lower lip immediately and when he opened his mouth against mine, I could tell he wasn't wasted, just playing the part for his friends. I flicked my tongue against his and placed my hand on his lower back for him to get into my room.

He did as I asked and placed his crutches against the wall before he hopped over to my bed on one foot. I smiled at him, finding it slightly amusing. He laid down in my bed as I pulled my hair up into a high messy bun, and pulled off my sweatshirt. I took out the diamond earrings I had gotten from my parents at my high school graduation and then the beautiful heart necklace Eric had given me our sophomore year in college. I turned to the bed, expecting to find Eric snuggled under the covers, already drifting to sleep. But instead I found him propped up against the pillows, his arms cross over his chest with a hard stare down at his left foot.

"What's wrong, baby cakes?" I asked him, crawling into bed and running one of my hands over the stubble on his left cheek. I turned his face towards me, saddened by the obvious pain in his eyes. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, pulling his face into my shoulder. "You'll be fine. You said so yourself, it's no big deal."

He mumbled something into my shoulder that I couldn't hear and I tilted my head away from him, and asked him to repeat it. He spoke again, this time less audible than before. I was silent, trying to decipher what his mumbled words were. Finally, I squeezed his shoulder slightly and he slowly raised his head to look into my eyes.

"I lied."

I blinked at him, not sure how I was supposed to react to what he was telling me. I wasn't 100% sure what he had lied about but I was hoping it wasn't about the part that it was no big deal. Because if he lied about that, I might just blow my top off. I took in a deep breath and raised an eyebrow at him, the hardass in me coming to the surface a bit.

"About what?" I asked in a monotone voice, my lips pursed in annoyance.

He ran a hand over his face and licked his dry lips. I could tell he was nervous, even more so than he was this afternoon. He grabbed my arms, uncrossing them from my chest and squeezing them slightly. He swallowed before fluttering his eyes away from our hands and up to my awaiting gaze.

"It is a big deal. It's not an ankle sprain, it's an arc sprain. I don't know what the specifics are, all I know is that I can't play for awhile. I'm having surgery on Friday at 9:00 AM to help repair it in order to maybe be ready by the bowl game." He let lose another heavy sigh and I could tell he was really upset. All my anger melted away, replaced by a sadness that hurt so much, it made my stomach burn and churn uncomfortably.

We sat in silence and I tried to swift through all the information he just gave me. I looked down at our hands, watching Eric's knuckles turn white from his grip on mine. He was using me as a support system, holding on to me so he didn't lose it in front of me. I could tell part of him wanted to cry, it was his senior year and his big year before the NFL draft. This whole season meant a lot not only to him personally but professionally also. I swallowed the lump in my throat as my mind raced over how much this was hurting him. I turned back to him, biting my bottom lip in order to stop it from quivering.

"I'm not mad." I pushed out, meaning it with every part of my body. Eric's whole body deflated and he wrapped an arm around me, tugging me into his body.

"This is going to be really hard." He whispered into my hair, "I need you to help me through this." His nose nuzzled against my neck, followed by his lips and then his teeth, as he left a red mark when he pulled away.

"I know. And I promise to be here. No matter how bad it gets." I assured him, wrapping my arms around him.

I hoisted myself into his lap, placing my head against his shoulder and pressing myself as close to him as possible. He held me tightly, needing some sort of distraction from how hard this whole thing was for him. We didn't talk the rest of the night, not even saying I love you, because we didn't need to, nor could we. Both of us were having a hard time, knowing how big of a deal this really was and how it would most definitely put a strain on our relationship. Being a football player is what Eric loves the most, without football, he's a completely different person. With that thought, I squeezed him tighter, hoping to take away some of his pain, praying that he could find a way to overcome the anguish of not being able to do the one thing he loves the most.