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For the first time in her life Lucy struggled with what to get someone for a birthday gift. She always prided herself on being an amazing gift giver. But when it came to her former T.O. turned boyfriend she was drawing a blank. This wasn’t his first birthday they’d spent together. But it was the first since getting back together and moving in with him and she just felt like whatever she got, needed to be perfect. But what does one get a guy who is very minimalist, and swears the only thing he needs for his birthday is her, before very skillfully distracting her from continuing to brainstorm the perfect gift.
She was growing increasingly frustrated as Tim’s birthday approached, having dismissed countless gift ideas due to her overthinking. However, one Sunday, while they were cozily watching the Rams play from their couch, inspiration struck. She made a mental note to check for game tickets later, chastising herself for not considering this sooner. Knowing her boyfriend’s passion for football, she was confident that tickets to a Rams game would be the perfect gift—offering an experience he’d cherish over any material present.
She laid in bed later that night, Tim already fast asleep, scanning the internet. Finally after checking and double checking the placement of the seats and making sure she was getting the best price she pressed complete order and he tickets were delivered to her virtual wallet almost immediately. She’d print out a certificate or write a note… something… to wrap up for him to open and then she could transfer the tickets to him afterwards. With her mission complete she put her phone on the nightstand and rolled over, falling asleep with a smile on her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The day of Tim’s birthday had finally arrived and Lucy woke him up, straddling him. He blinked his eyes open a few times before a smile spread across his face. Waking up to his beautiful girlfriend sitting atop his body was by far his favorite way to wake up. “Good morning baby.” His voice was deep and still rough with sleep.
Lucy beamed as she leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. “Happy birthday!” she sang out, her voice filled with warmth.
“Mmm, thank you,” Tim murmured, but any further words were lost as their lips met again, keeping them occupied far longer than intended.
Eventually, they emerged from the bedroom, making their way to the kitchen, where Lucy had set out fresh coffee and pastries from Nevin’s and a small gift box wrapped in blue paper with a yellow ribbon.
Tim’s brow lifted in curiosity as he picked up the box, giving it a gentle shake. “And what’s this?”
Lucy rolled her eyes playfully, rising onto her toes to steal another quick kiss. “Your birthday present silly.”
His expression turned serious as he set the box down, looping an arm around her waist to pull her closer. “I thought that was my present,” he teased, nodding toward the bedroom.
Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head, pressing the gift into his hands. “That was just part of it. This is the other part.” She stepped back, watching him expectantly, excitement shining in her eyes.
Tim met her gaze, his heart full. “You know you didn’t have to get me anything. All I need is you.”
She huffed in playful exasperation. “Just open in Bradford.”
Tim leaned down, pressing one more peck to her lips before carefully ripping the paper. The pace at which he opened his present was diabolically slow and Lucy was bouncing on her feet. She swears, she was more excited than he was.
Finally he was able to lift the lid off the box and his jaw dropped at the contents inside.
“Rams tickets?” He said, somewhat breathless.
Lucy nodded excitedly. “I did some research and they are apparently great seats.”
Tim looked at her, his smile wide, appreciation shining in his eyes.
“There’s two,” Lucy continued. “So you can take Nolan or Wesley or whoever you want.”
Tim’s smile faltered briefly before he masked it with a neutral expression. “Oh,” he responded, a hint of unease in his voice.
Noticing his hesitation, Lucy wondered if he had someone else in mind to accompany him to the game. “I mean, you don’t have to take one of them,” she added quickly. “You can bring anyone you want. I’m sure Tyler would be thrilled to go with you.”
He looked up at his girlfriend and nodded slowly. Sure his nephew would probably jump at the opportunity to spend a Sunday with him at a Rams game. But the only person he wanted to go with was standing right in front of him.
“What if I want to take you?” He asked affectionately.
Lucy gives a small smile and tilts her head to the side. “Me?”
Tim nods enthusiastically, placing the box back on the counter and stepping forward and pulling her to him.
“You don’t have to bring me babe. You can take whoever you want.” Lucy rests her hands on his chest.
“I mean if you don’t want to go…” he starts.
“No it’s not that. I just– I’ve never been to a game before. I don’t want you to feel obligated to explain things to me or– if there’s someone you want to go with more. I want you to enjoy yourself.”
Tim looks into her eyes, confusion lining his features. Sure he’d have fun with Tyler if Lucy truly didn’t want to go. Maybe he’d have a good time with Wesley, he sure as hell didn’t want to take Nolan. But really the only person he wanted to share this experience with was Lucy. Bonus points if he got to be the one to help her experience her first NFL game. He knew she wasn’t the biggest football fan, but she watched games with him on the couch on Sundays, wearing his jersey, cheering when he did.
“Baby look-” he starts and reaches to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. “If you really don’t want to go, that’s okay. But if you do, there’s nobody I would want to go with more than you.” His eyes roam over her face and he sees her swallow as tears spring to her eyes.
“Are you sure?” she asks timidly.
Tim just nods in response and leans down to kiss her softly.
“Getting to be with you, while you experience something new for the first time? What could be better than that?”
“You’re laying it on there pretty thick there Bradford.” Lucy commented, sniffling and smiling.
“Yeah well maybe I’m hoping for a repeat performance of part one of my present.”
Lucy throws her head back in laughter and nods, surging up to kiss him and walking backwards into the bedroom where she gives him exactly what he wants.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The day of the game finally arrived and both Tim and Lucy were buzzing with excitement. They’d left the house early so they could get a good parking spot and tailgate just a little bit. Even though it was his birthday present, Tim was committed to making her first NFL game experience well rounded. And that included congregating with fellow fans in the parking lot before the game.
He insisted she wear his spare jersey that was admittedly way too big on her but she took it in stride. She loved wearing Tim’s clothes. More importantly she liked the looks she got from Tim when she wore his clothes. When they arrived, they folded into a group of fans, excitedly chatting about the game. Tim was by her side the whole time, whispering anecdotes in her ear to help ease the tension of not really knowing what was going on. Never once did she feel out of place and she was grateful for her wonderful boyfriend. With an hour before kickoff, they made their way inside to use the restroom and purchase refreshments before finding their seats. Coming down the steps of SoFi stadium, Lucy watched as thousands of fans took their seats to settle in for the game. They were playing the Houston Texans and according to Tim it was supposed to be a pretty good game.
They took their seats right at the fifty-yard line, and Lucy couldn’t help but smile as she watched Tim take it all in. His eyes scanned the stadium with wide-eyed wonder, a grin tugging at his lips. “Luce, these seats are incredible. You can see everything,” he said, his voice bubbling with excitement.
She gave him a loving look and patted his arm before kissing his cheek. “I’m glad you like it babe.”
He returned her smile, grabbing her hand and bringing her fingers to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
“Alright,” Lucy states, tone getting serious. “What can you tell me? What are our chances of winning today?”
Tim looked at her with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression, completely melting at the fact that she’s getting in the spirit for him. He chuckled before giving her a rundown. “Alright well, we haven’t played these guys since preseason last year. And they beat us by two points,” he began with an adorable scowl on his face that Lucy couldn’t help but giggle at. “It was maddening. Our offense was totally off that entire game. But they seemed to get their act together for the most part during the regular season and Stafford isn’t a complete waste of a quarterback. But Houston hasn’t been slacking off out there either. It’s going to be close, no doubt about that. But I like our chances. As long as the offense holds strong, we should come out on top.”
Lucy stares at him, unable to hide her smile and completely taken with his passion for the game. He’s not looking at her but when he glances over, he does a double take because she’s still staring at him.
“What?” he chuckles.
She leans over and kisses his cheek. “I just love you,” she says sweetly and sincerely.
He intertwines their fingers, giving her hand a light squeeze before turning his attention back to the field.
The game kicks off and Lucy has to admit, being here in person is a lot more exciting than watching the game on the TV. The energy is palpable and she never thought she’d find herself actually enjoying something like this. And not just for Tim’s sake. She watches the players with growing intensity, swept up in the cheers and groans of the fans around her. She might not fully understand every play, but she cheers when Tim cheers, and boos right along with him when the refs blow a call. Tim takes time to explain different things that are happening and never once makes her feel stupid or like she’s annoying him with her questions. It makes her heart squeeze with how patient and gentle he is, even in the middle of something he cares so much about. She gives his knee a comforting squeeze when the refs call a particularly bad holding penalty that even she knows was bullshit. His jaw is tight, the muscles flexing with frustration, and she can practically hear him grinding his teeth. She should probably be a little concerned about how worked up he’s getting over a game—but honestly? She finds it kind of adorable.
She offers to go get them another beer in an attempt to calm him down. He thanks her watches as she retreats to one of the concessions.
By the time she returns, the fourth quarter is just under way. She spots Tim deep in conversation with the guy beside him, nodding at whatever the man was saying. As she reached their seats, she handed him the beer and he took it with a grateful smile, although his attention really never left the field.
“Thanks baby,” he said offhandedly, eyes still locked on the players.
Fans erupt in loud cheers as one of the receivers catches a pass and runs it in for a touchdown, effectively tying the score. With only four minutes left to go, and the Rams on defense, Lucy can feel the energy of the stadium buzzing in her chest. Tim was right. It was a close game. Everyone was on their feet in anxious anticipation.
She was trying to keep her eye on the ball and watched as one of the Texans players threw it. Two seconds later the stands around her exploded in cheers once again, seeing that one of the Rams lineman intercepted the ball and was running as fast as he could into their end zone. The Rams scored again and the fans were going wild. The clock was down to one minute thirty seconds and it would have to be some sort of miracle for the Texans to come back from this.
Lucy watched Tim, his excitement growing as time ran down. The game clock showed 0:00 and Rams fans continued to cheer excitedly over the victory. And Tim turned to Lucy bringing her in for a hug.
As the energy died down, Tim took Lucy’s hand and began leading her toward the exit. Getting out was an experience all its own between wading through buzzing fans, making the trek to the parking structure and then waiting out post-game traffic.
“Sooo,” Lucy drawled. “Did you have a good time?”
He looked over at her smiling. “The best. Best birthday present ever!” he added sincerely, sliding his free hand to rest on her knee, giving it a squeeze.
Lucy blushed at the compliment but she was happy he enjoyed himself. And she’s glad he asked her to go with him. It might not have been her first choice on how to spend a Sunday afternoon but she’s glad she got to experience this with Tim because time with him was always well spent. “I’m glad you had fun.”
He squeezed her knee again, giving it a gentle nudge. “What about you? Your first NFL experience. Did you have fun?”
“I did,” she nodded. “I really did.” Her words were genuine and Tim grinned at her.
“Good. I’m glad I got to experience this with you.”
“Me too Tim.” She slid her hand down to grab his where it still rested on her knee.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of sitting in what felt like stand-still traffic, they were headed home. As the truck cruised the familiar streets, Lucy leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes and smiling, thinking about how the day couldn’t have been any more perfect.