Love Was Easy When We Didn't Make It So Hard

"Damn," Jamie mumbled behind me as I walked down the stairs, not stopping until I got to the seventh row above the field, the place where I usually sat at the game whenever I brought guests instead of sitting in the box where the other wives and girlfriends opted to sit when there was bad weather or to be close enough to have conversations. "What exactly does your fiance do?" He muttered as he plopped down in his seat next to me.

I looked over at him, flipping my sunglasses down and scanning the field for Eric. I located the number seven before swatting Jamie for his attention. "See the kid leaping into the air, the one with the seven and with Decker on the back of his jersey?"

"Yeah." He told me, squinting into the sun to get a good look at Eric.

"That's my fiance." I stated simply, shrugging my shoulders as Jamie snapped his head towards me.

"No fucking way. You're Decker's soon-to-be wife?" He asked in some what disbelief.

"Yep.."

"Damn! My dad is friends with his agent, Tom. He mentions you from time to time." Jamie chuckled, "He talks about what a piece of work you are for him. Says you make his job difficult." Jamie gave me a large grin as I scowled darkly at the mention of Tom. "But that's alright. He's kind of an asshole and he needs a tough thing like yourself telling him off."

"I fucking hate him. I don't know what Eric was thinking having him as an agent. He is always getting in the way, always pulling Eric away as if whatever Tom wants him to do is more important than what I need Eric for." I muttered, setting my purse on the ground as I crossed my arms over my chest. I sighed loudly as Jamie chuckled.

"He's a fucking tool, but he's damn good at his job. He'll get Eric off on the right foot to have a long and successful career." He reminded me, sounding so much like Eric that I had to resist the urge to yell at him like I would have if Eric said that to me one more time. "Does he sit with you at games?" Jamie wondered as we both watched Eric head off of the field with the rest of the Bears.

"Hell no. We would murder each other if Eric wasn't around us." I chuckled, picturing myself beating the crap out of Tom. He may be taller and a little bit more built, but I had age and anger on my side, something that could kick the shit out of anyone if they ruffled my feathers enough.

"Do you want something to drink?" Jamie asked, changing the subject as he stood up, looking down at me expectantly. "A beer, water, or maybe a pop?"

"Um, no I'm good for now. Thanks though." I smiled politely before watching as he turned to walk up the stairs.

I had invited Jamie to the game the week after I had told Eric about my new friend. It was still relatively nice for the end of October especially with the sun shining, but there was a slight chill in the air that didn't go unnoticed by any of the other Bears fans who had brought along sweatshirts just in case the sun disappeared behind the clouds that were supposed to move in tonight. Jamie had been thrilled when I called him in the middle of the week to ask if he wanted to come to the game. He had cleared his schedule immediately and told me he would definitely be in attendance. I had to ask Eric for an extra ticket, and since he didn't ask who it was for, I didn't tell him. But I was going to introduce them after the game so Eric could finally stop mumbling under his breath about my new friend to Gabby. The man was pathetically trying to get information from a dog who couldn't talk. It made me question his sanity.

I was anticipating a tad bit of anger, but I didn't want Eric to have his head off of the field and on me when he was supposed to be playing a game. I wasn't going to be the reason that he played bad. Jamie came back just as the pre-game stuff started and we braced ourselves for the kick off of the Chicago-Green Bay game, one of the best rivals for football in the Midwest. The arena shook with applause as some woman with some serious pipes blasted the national anthem. And finally, kick off was under way. I sat in my seat through the game, admiring how into it Jamie was. He still had the giddiness of a fan while I had long since become an onlooker, someone who was at the game, but didn't have the same urge to cheer when something happened unless Eric had the ball in his hands.

The first half flew by with little offensive action from the Bears except a field goal. I found myself yawning numerous times and checking my phone to see if anyone felt the need to get ahold of me. It had been a week since I talked to anyone from Minnesota and even though it was slightly childish, I felt like I was being forgotten already. Jake was busy with his daughter and wife. Kara and Blake were busy with planning their February wedding which was to be held on Valentine's Day. My parents were currently on vacation in Europe while my other brother's were busy with work and their significant others. And Katie and Adam were just trying to make it through their last season of football at the U.

"This is probably boring for you." Jamie laughed, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Kind of. College was just a completely different atmosphere. This is so serious that I find myself more nervous than anything." I shrugged as the teams filled back onto the field. "His income depends on how he plays, and I don't care how much he makes, just that we have enough to keep up with living expenses." I sighed, shaking my head at my scattered thoughts. "That sounds so selfish. Eric and I are living in a place nicer than either of our houses and I'm complaining about money when it isn't even an issue." I wrinkled my nose at how cynical I was starting to sound. It probably came from spending too much time by myself, cursing this place and the NFL.

"I think money is always an issue. Plus, he only gets paid for the games he plays in." Jamie reminded me, making me wrinkle my nose once again.

"True. He damn well better not get hurt."

The rest of the game flew by as points were tallied by both teams, causing the score to stay close to the bitter end. But luckily for the Bears, and Jamie and I, the team ended up pulling out a win in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Eric played well, catching several passes and rushing for multiple first downs along with one touchdown pass.

"So are we gonna wait for your baby?" Jamie asked as we stayed seated while the rest of Solider Field left to move on with their day.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." I murmured, looking at him to see that he still remained calm and smiled like a friend who was curious, but not too curious. It made a bubbly feeling form in my chest, knowing that I could trust him to be a friend to me while not trying to get close with Eric.

"That would be great. I heard he's a nice guy." Jamie told me. making a smirk tug on the corners of my mouth.

"Yeah, he's a sweetie alright."

I didn't bother to tell Jamie that he was amazing as long as someone wasn't a threat. But Jamie, yeah, he was as big of a threat as Eric had.
***

"Have you ever wondered how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" I asked Jamie as I looked at my red sucker, something I had found in my purse from a trip to the store a couple days ago.

"You know, I've always been curious." Jamie confessed after taking a sip of his water. We were both sitting in the family lounge, waiting for Eric to emerge from the locker room.

"Let's try it." I suggested, digging in to my purse and pulling out the blue one I had gotten for Eric that he refused to eat. I handed it to Jamie and waited while he unwrapped it.

"Ready?" He checked, looking at me. I nodded, tongue out and ready to slid across the sugary surface.

We started out slow, counting each time our tongue touched the candy, but our tempo quickly increased and instead of how many licks it took, the game became who could finish first. I tried my hardest to take the large sucker down to the tootsie goodness inside. My tongue was beginning to cramp, but I couldn't give up because I hated to lose any challenge. Finally, I heard Jamie mutter under his breath before he chomped down on the hard sucker.

"You cheated!" I exclaimed, slapping at his arm before shoving his shoulder roughly.

"I did not! I was close enough." He explained, pulling the sucker out of his mouth to show me the left over tootsie still stuck to the white stick.

"Whatever. You can't bite half of it off and think you won." I chided him, showing him how close I was to fairly being done.

"I won." He winked to me as I shook my head. "What are you going to give me?" He wondered, eyes twinkling jokingly.

"This." I giggled, slapping him upside the head and shoving him over. I leaped on top of him, squishing him into the leather of the couch.

"So for winning, I get abused?" He wheezed from under my body.

"No, for cheating." I told him pointedly as a throat was cleared next to the couch. I looked over my shoulder, seeing Eric standing with his hands in his pockets and his eyebrows raised at me. I flew up into a standing position, stopping my assault on Jamie as I wrapped my arms around my fiance. His strong embrace squeezed me tightly as I perched on the tops of my toes.

"Good game, baby." I breathed out with a smile as I pulled away, kissing his lips softly.

"Thank you." He gave me a tight smile, but I pulled his face to mine, giving him a much deeper kiss that made his eyes cross slightly. He trained his brown orbs behind me to Jamie who was now standing up, hands stuffed in the pockets of his worn out jeans.

"You must be Jamie," Eric smiled, wrapping an arm tightly around my waist and reach out to shake his hand. The two clutched one another tightly, both holding easy smiles as I nervously watched Eric's every movement. For someone so tense, he acted very calm as they both exchanged pleasantries while still holding a tight grip on their hands.

"So did you enjoy the game?" Eric asked, his hand now stuffed into the pocket of his black dress pants while Jamie rocked back and forth on his heels, glancing nervously at me.

"Yeah, it was awesome. And the seats weren't half bad." Jamie gave Eric a wide grin.

"The perks of knowing a NFL player." Eric chuckled softly, his shoulders rolling back into their normal position the longer we stood there.

I smiled faintly as I watched the two chat politely, the first meeting going better than I expected. Eric made sure his arm was wrapped tightly around my waist the entire time, his fingers moving in slow circles over my right hip, sending goosebumps over my body. I snuggled into his side, looking at Jamie who visibly relaxed, laughing at a joke Eric shared with him. Eric's stomach grumbled loudly over his voice, causing the three of us to decided to get some dinner. We chose to grab some pizza since I had mentioned how good it sounded earlier in the day. The three of us ended up at a place halfway between our two buildings, ordering some deep dish and keeping up the conversation.

"So, Jamie, do you have a girlfriend to spend time with when you aren't being a successful business man?" Eric asked after taking a sip of his beer.

"No. I'm too busy, and when I'm not, I just call up Riley. If she's busy, then I don't get out much." Jamie chuckled innocently, running his fingers through his hair.

"Really?" Eric asked, a tight smile coming on his face, returning after disappearing in the family lounge about an hour ago. "But you guys hang out a lot." Eric threw in a fake laugh, looking at me to allow me to see his obvious discomfort that Jamie didn't have a girlfriend. I sighed and stepped in to save Jamie from the wrath brewing beneath the surface.

"Baby, Jamie doesn't want to be attached. He wants to focus on his career which is something I'm sure you can appreciate." I smiled sweetly, giving him a sarcastic look.

"Yeah, but what's the point if you don't have someone to share the success with?" Eric wondered, looking from Jamie to me, and back to Jamie.

"Well, I prefer to share my success with friends. I find it more rewarding that way." Jamie shrugged, swallowing a pull from his beer bottle.

"Right. So friends like Riley?" Eric asked through gritted teeth.

"He has more friends than me, Eric." I told him sternly, not hiding the bite in my voice. I grabbed the side of his neck, acting as if I was going to place a kiss against his ear, but instead, whispering threateningly into his ear. "If you don't stop, you're sleeping on the couch tonight. Relax and let it go." He pulled away, a smile on his lips before he looked at me and showed me the fire burning in his eyes.

"She's right. I have lots of friends, but none of them are as intelligent as your fiance." Jamie chuckled nervously, throwing my title in there on purpose to let Eric know he wasn't poaching his territory. "So, speaking of fiance, when's the wedding?" Jamie wondered.

"Funny you ask that, we just set a date. April 24th." I grinned, looking at Eric who puckered his lips. I placed mine against his, kissing away his doubts and his anger the best I could. But when he pulled away, I knew it wasn't good enough.
***

Fear pricked at the back of my neck as I walked down the sidewalk quickly, trying my best to ignore the groaning of my muscles from my long run around the block. I had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that told me something bad was about to happen. I had stupidly left the apartment without my phone, figuring that I wouldn't need it since I hadn't planned on being gone long, but after the past couple weeks of Eric being crabby with me, I needed the long run to try and clear my head.

I nervously glanced over my shoulder, trying to be inconspicuous of my actions as I spotted that I was now alone on the sidewalk with one other guy who was fiddling with his phone. I bit my lip as I picked up my pace before glancing again, seeing that he had also picked up his pace. A small whimper got caught in my throat as I thought about what I should do. I had ran myself into the ground and I wasn't sure if I could run to my building. But I couldn't run there anyway since this guy, if he was following me, would then know where I lived.

I mentally cursed myself for being such an idiot while suppressing the raw fear, so that I could focus on how I was going to get out of this situation. I looked to my left where the shops lined the sidewalk, seeing that a smoothie shop was still open and had a few people in it, deciding I would duck in there for a minute, bide my time so the guy would either pass by because he wasn't following me, or get bored and find someone else to stalk. I pulled the door open, quickly walking in and going to the back of the store, looking up at the menu like I was debating what to get.

My eyes traveled outside, seeing only several other people pass by the shop, including the guy who I thought was following me. I sighed in pure relief, feeling my heartbeat starting to return to normal as I got in line, figuring that now that I could really think about it, a smoothie sounded very good. I ordered a strawberry banana one, receiving my drink quickly and beginning to sip it down as I walked back outside. As I headed in the direction of my building, I vowed to never leave the house without Gabby, who was a guard dog when she needed to be, so that I didn't need to worry about things like that ever again.

Just to be safe, I unplugged my ear buds so that my ears could stay trained on the sounds around me instead of being an easy victim like I could have been if I wouldn't have noticed the man behind me. I turned the corner to the street of my building, a shiver of fear running down my spine when I glanced up from my running shoes, seeing a man standing directly in front of me as he grabbed the tops of my arms, causing me to drop my drink. A scream got caught in my throat as he pulled me behind a building, the perfect place to be concealed from the public eye.

Scream Riley. My brain tried to tell me as I thrashed around, trying to make this harder for him. I couldn't be an easy victim, I had to fight, but most of all, I needed to scream. I felt the man tugging me towards the wall of the building, seeing another guy standing there. A flash of relief went through me until I saw the malicious smile on his face, my whole stomach tightening into a sickeningly tight ball. Tears burned my vision before my lungs and vocal cords began to work together, a loud scream tearing from my body just before a hand clapped over my mouth.

"Stop struggling or it will be worse." The man who was holding me hissed into my ear as I dug my nails into his arm to no avail. His sweatshirt protected him while I had nothing to save me. A tear trailed down my cheek as I tried one more time to get out of the man's grip. I dragged my feet across the ground just as he released me to shove me towards the man who was smoking a cigarette. I stumbled and fell to the ground, the rough and uneven pavement cutting into my knees and making blood trail from the wounds as the guy with the cigarette picked me up roughly from the ground.

"Aw, sweetheart, don't cry. It won't hurt... that bad." He gave me an evil grin that made my body cramp with disgust. The end was coming that I could see as he slammed me up against the wall, holding me with one arm across my neck, cutting off my air supply immensely as he reached down to unbuckle his belt. I struggled to get free and to breathe as I felt myself becoming light headed, thoughts of Eric beginning to swarm as I wished like hell he wasn't out of town. I watched as the man who had brought me here slapped my soon-to-be rapist on the shoulder before he walked past, and into the building I was pinned up against. The man reached for my shorts and I took that as my moment of opportunity, bringing my knee up and watching as he crumpled like a house of cards to the ground. I didn't waste one second, sprinting away from the scene and out from behind the building.

Tears blinded me as I pumped my legs faster and rounded the corner to get back to the sidewalk, slamming into a solid chest and screaming like I should have been when the man was pulling me away. I shoved at the person, but their arms were wrapped around me too tightly to do anything. I thrashed against their grip, terrified that they knew the men who were trying to assault me and that they would bring me back to them. But a soft voice was cooing in my ear, telling me that I was okay. I recognized Jamie's voice, looking up at him, shaking beyond normal, tears staining my cheeks as I crumpled against him.

"What happened? Riley? Riley!?" Jamie asked, his voice growing more urgent as he watched my eyes become unfocused, my vision becoming blurry in my head. My knees were the next to go, right before my eyelids slid shut, and everything went black.