He took a step over to me, and I playfully rolled my eyes. “I thought we didn’t do labels. You’ve called me that at least four times over the last two days.”

“Damn,” Oakley said. “My epic plan to play hard-to-get has backfired.” His sarcastic tone made me giggle.

“Hop in the shower, superstar. We can awkwardly define the relationship after I’ve saved your career.”

* * *

Oakley was in hair and makeup, getting ready for an interview on the local news channel. Dale’s video of Oakley punching out Chuck, defending my honor, had gone viral. The social media buzz had gotten the attention of several media outlets, and my phone was blowing up with interview requests. We had to stay in California an extra two days to accommodate all of the interviews.

I stood next to Oakley as the makeup artist was doing her thing. I didn’t see the point of the makeup; Oakley was basically a god. I practiced some questions with him, but he already knew what to say. This was his chance at redemption, and he knew it.

An assistant came back and got Oakley. It was time to start. I reached up and gave him a quick kiss for luck.

“You’ve got this, Problem,” I told him confidently.

I watched the interview from behind the camera. Oakley was navigating the questions with ease. I am one hella good publicist.

“Oakley, tell me what was going through your mind when you saw Chuck grab your girlfriend’s throat.” The interviewer, Mia Mitchell, looked at Oakley intently.

Oh. Em. Gee. Mia just called me Oakley’s girlfriend on TV.

“Honestly, I wasn’t really thinking. I saw his hands wrapped around her throat, and my instinct to protect her just took over. Everything in my body reacted to stop Chuck from hurting her,” Oakley answered.

Oh my lanta. My feminine sensibilities were all atwitter.

“And it was your friend, Dale, that released the video. Given the sensitive nature of the video, are you upset with Dale for doing that?” Mia followed up.

“No,” Oakley said immediately. “I feel like he did the right thing. Amanda and I took a lot of heat, and we were affected both personally and professionally. By releasing the video, Dale was able to show the whole truth of what happened. Amanda had a few choice words for him, though,” Oakley added with a chuckle.

The news reporter laughed with him. “This entire ordeal has sparked conversations about body shaming and bullying. What is your take on the response, and how do you feel collegiate football could benefit from this?”