I didn't have time to relish in my victory over Cade, but my teammates insisted on covering me with their leftover green powder bombs and then the pink team decided to waste all of their extra powder as well. 

I was now jogging up the street to grab Wanda covered head to toe in neon green and pink powder with the neon flag still in my right hand. Donna insisted on taking the props back but I told her I needed to do something with it first and left her standing in the field confused. 

I was not expecting to exert so much physical energy today so I am exhausted when I finally slide into the driver's seat. I called Finn two more times on my jog home, but he never answered. I hope he went home and not to some bar or girl's house to deal with his frustration.

It only takes me ten minutes to pull into the Weston estate and I had to leave the radio off as the poppy music was making my nerves worse. I've never done the big gesture thing. I never had to with Mark. When we'd fight, he'd just buy me something extravagant and we'd move on. One time I picked a fight just so he'd make it up to me with the Birkin Bag I wanted. I used fighting as a tool. But I don't see that being how Finn handles things. I can't buy him a new fishing pole and everything is suddenly smoothed over.

This one is on me. I lied. I made him think I was someone I wasn't, so it's up to me to fix it. In a way that I think will fix it. With that stupid flag in my hand, begging for him to hear me out. 

I hit the steering wheel with my palm, excited when I see all three of Finn's cars parked next to his house. I snatch the flag off the seat and leap out of the car, barely stopping to put the car in park. I dash up his three wooden steps and pound on the front door. 

"Finn!" I don't hear movement behind the door so I pound on the door again. Silence greets me so I walk around the porch and hear music coming from somewhere in the house. I creepily peer into his kitchen window and don't see him downstairs. I shout his name again from the back patio but still don't get an answer. 

I trot down the back steps, through his garden gate and look up toward his bedroom windows. One of the windows is open and music is blasting out of it. He's in his room. 

I try calling him again and when he doesn't answer, I spot the vine-covered trellis attached to the side of the house which connects to the roof right outside of his window. 

This man is going to get me killed. 

I tuck the flag into the back of my shorts and give the trellis a good tug to make sure it's solidly attached to the house. When it doesn't budge, I start climbing. My feet are just small enough to fit in the holes and the vines are scratching the shit out of me as I move upward. If he doesn't forgive me after doing this, I know where I am shoving this flag. 

It's tricky when I make it to the roof because there isn't anything to hold onto as I hoist myself up. My knee goes over the gutter and takes on my weight as I pull the rest of me over. My hands hurt, my knee is now scraped, I just got attacked by vines and any scrapes are covered by powder. I left my sunglasses in my purse in the car, so I have nothing to hide my sweaty and mascara-stained face with. 

My chest is heaving when I slowly make my way towards his window and I realize I have no idea what Finn is currently doing. I am just sneaking up on him when he is currently alone in his room. I shout his name again, hoping he hears me this time and I pray that I don't catch him doing anything weird. 

The music suddenly turns off and I shout his name again. I make it to the window that has the glass panel lifted and shout through the screen, "It's Sadie!" I peer inside and watch as he crosses his room to make it to the window. 

"What the-," Finn says when he sees me crouched outside of his window, "Are you completely insane?" He pulls the screen off and I dip my head under the window to crawl inside. 

"You weren't answering your phone or the front door," I tell him in between breaths and he grabs my wrists to help me safely climb inside. Once I am standing, I whip the flag out from the back of my shorts and hold it up proudly. "I got you something."

He stares at the flag but doesn't say anything. He looks over at me and then to the flag again. 

"What is this?" He asks and I now notice his hair is wet and there is a strong spicy soap scent wafting in from somewhere. He may not have been answering due to the fact that he was in the shower. Or he hates me. One of the two. 

"I won. I stole this from Matty," I tell him like duh doi. Obviously. 

"Yeah, but...did you take it and then...?" Finn is so confused as to why the fuck I am standing here in his room looking like a swamp monster holding a stolen flag. 

"I won this for you. We won Strawberry Days. I beat Cade in the final seconds sprinting to the victory circle and then ran off to bring this to you. You won. I didn't stick around long enough to find out what, but we had the best record today."

He slides his hands down his face and I drop the flag down to my thigh. My victorious feeling just fizzled out quickly. He drops his hands to his waist and shakes his head, "Sadie I don't-"

He starts but I quickly cut him off by taking a step toward him and saying, "Finn, I fucked up alright? I know that. But you also need to know I planned on coming clean tonight."

"I don't get why you felt you needed to hide shit in the first place."

"I was afraid you'd hate me, or run away, which is exactly what you did." 

"I can't think while looking at you. I had to physically remove myself," he says, his frustration very visibly displayed. "I just don't get why it was such a big deal to tell me Mark was your husband. We talked about so much shit this week. Shit I don't tell people." 

"Because! As soon as people find out who I am, all they see is someone who can get them something. All people want to talk about is Mark and football and his super bowl rings and his teammates and all the famous people we know. Can I get Superbowl tickets, a video shout-out from Tom Brady, a signed jersey? I'm no longer Sadie, I am Alabama, Mark DuBois's wife. And I really liked just being Sadie with you." 

"That's the problem, I don't know who Sadie is."

"You're the only one who knows who Sadie is!" I cry out, tossing the flag onto his bed. "You don't like me for my body, for my money, for my husband. For some unknown reason you just like unemployed, clueless little Sadie Melvin from Little Rock." He slides his phone out of his pocket, swipes around and then turns it around. My Instagram is pulled up and he says, "So who is this?"

"That's Alabama DuBois. Social media influencer. Wife of a famous football player. A Wealthy blonde who travels the world on her husband's money," I spit out sarcastically, showing the disdain I now have for my alter-ego. He turns the phone around and scrolls through my profile. Probably looking at me half-naked on a beach, or dressed to the nine's standing next to a celebrity. Or wearing Mark's team jersey, wishing him luck. 

He drops the phone onto his bed before looking at me and saying, "Here's the problem Sadie. I wondered if you were too good to be true. You're stunning, perfect body, perfect giggle, adventurous, outgoing, outspoken...I kept wondering what it was going to be because there was going to be something that ruined the facade." 

"And now you know that I don't have a real job, I never went to college, I struggle with body dysmorphia and have only two real friends. I get paid to show off my body and my husband broke your sister's heart and his brother killed your baseball dreams." I tell him flatly, ashamed at everything that just came out of my mouth. "The reality is that I'm just one big red flag."

"No Sadie, that's not- the problem is, I already thought I wasn't good enough and now I know that I am not good enough. You have the world at your fingertips. You can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone and this will always be me. I'm Magnolia. I'll always live here, I'll always run my father's company and I'll always be small town. I can't give you the lifestyle you're accustomed to. I'm boring." He points to his phone and adds, "Seeing you like that, scares the hell out of me. I will always feel like I could lose you at any second to someone or somewhere better." 

"Finn, why do you think I am here?" I choke out, trying not to cry. "I'm tired of being Alabama DuBois. Hell, I'm tired of being a DuBois. I initiated the divorce. I left Los Angeles. I initiated our texts and begged you to kiss me and now I am here with a stupid flag begging you to forgive me. I played capture the flag because I didn't want you to forfeit. I climbed up a disgusting trellis, chancing getting eaten alive by vine creatures to tell you that I want you, Finn. I really fucking want you." 

I watch something in his demeanor change. He releases some kind of tension because his shoulders drop slightly and he unclenches his jaw. I wave a hand down my powder-bombed body and add, "I wouldn't be here, like this if I didn't." He still doesn't say anything but I can tell his wheels are spinning behind his bright teal eyes. I want him to make a move or say something so I whisper, "I'm sorry Finn. Please forgive me." 

That must have been the magic words because it takes him two steps to reach me and put his hands on my face. He pulls me into him and his lips are mine. My body melts against his and I try not to think about how badly I must taste when his tongue meets mine. His hands travel down my back to my ass and he squeezes it as he pulls me into him. My body is telling me to cross the line. To stop playing coy and go for what I want. I was going to have to move on at some point and I want to move on with Finn. 

My hands go for his shirt and his hands drop away from my ass as he takes a step back.

"What are you doing?" 

"I thought it was obvious," I tell him and I notice his clean clothes are now covered in powder. "Unless you don't want to?" I say quietly, terrified that he's about to turn me down. 

"Oh no, I've wanted to rip your clothes off for while now, I just need to know you're fully ready to take this step." 

"I didn't want to take this step before you knew who I was. I wanted you to know me and now I want you to know me. I want this if you do," I tell him and he goes to take a step toward me while his eyes devour me. I hold out my hand and quickly add, "However, I also want to not be a stinky, sweaty mess the first time you see me naked, so if I am being honest, I really want to take the fastest shower possible and then have you touch me."

"You know I really don't care," Finn says quietly as his fingers slide under my tank. I tap his chin with my finger and then say, "Yeah, but I already am going to do my best to not be in my head about this and that will be impossible if I am worried about my scents." Finn laughs and then takes a step back. He points to his left and says, "Shower is there." 

"Give me five," I tell him and then dart around him to get into his bathroom. The mirror is still fogged from his shower but I am thrilled when I see his bathroom is as neat as the rest of his house. I spin his shower on and am impressed when I see it's the waterfall kind that sits in the ceiling. I strip out of my clothes in record time and realize I am going to smell like Old Spice the first time Finn devours me. 

I also realize I am going to have sex with someone who isn't Mark. This is a whole new man and a whole new penis I am going to have to get to know. This is the first time in a long time I am nervous to have sex. I know the basics are the same, but I'm back to dealing with condoms and learning what positions work best. Am I even going to orgasam? Or am I going to have to fake it? 

I shake off my jitters and turn the water off after all of the powder is scrubbed free. I wrap a towel around me and make sure to wipe off all the smudged mascara I have under my eyes. There is one more thing I have to have clarity on before I take this next step and I take a deep breath before feeling ready. 

I yank the bathroom door open and find Finn sitting on the corner of his bed. I feel an instant spark when his eyes find mine and he wants me just as bad as I want him. I take another step closer and am inches away from him when I drop my towel. I watch his eyes travel down my body and then he looks back up at me. His hand grabs my ass to pull me forward and I plop onto his lap with my knees on either side of him. He's about to kiss me but I pull away and say, "There is one more thing I want to be clear on before this goes any further." I watch reluctance cross his face and then he says, "Uh oh, what?" 

"I'm not sharing you. If you're going to have sex, it's only going to be with me," I tell him, and he drops his head back and laughs. 

"Sadie, it's only you. I promise you. There ain't anyone else," he answers and I believe he is telling me the truth. "Trust me, my attention has only been on you since the day we met."

"Good," I say as I wrap my arms around his neck. "Well now that you have me, what are you going to do to me?" 

"Well, that's the thing Sades. I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what you want me to do to you," he teases as his hands slide down my back, my ass and then land on my thighs. "What do you want me to do?" 

I stare at him with my lips parted unsure of how to answer. I've never told a man verbally exactly what I wanted. I just let the foreplay begin. 

My eyes dart between his and he quietly teases me by saying, "Tell me, Sadie. Tell me what you want." My hands slide under his soft shirt and he allows me to yank it off him. I can feel him through his running shorts, just as eager to get this started as I am. 

"I want you to lay me on my back, spread my legs open and taste me," I tell him in the most seductive voice I can find. He looks from my chest up to my eyes, wearing a devilish grin, and then wastes no time flipping me onto my back.