Venus Vs Mars Pt.II

Chapter 2

Massy looked down at the huge engagement ring around her finger, she twisted it around multiple times admiring it. Then looked up at herself in the mirror. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she looked over the first wedding dress she had tried on.

"Ok, you ready?" The woman asked as she held the long train of the dress up in her hand so that she could walk out to show the crowd of friends and family.

She paused for a moment and continued to take in the sight of her in a wedding dress. "I think... So." She said hesitantly.

The woman smiled and ran her warm hand up and down the outside of Massy right arm. "It's a lot to take in, I know, but you are beautiful, and you're going to make a beautiful bride and wife."

Massy took a deep breath and held it, then released it. "Thank you." She quietly said looking at the woman through the mirror. "Ok, I'm ready!" She said, this time with more confidence. The woman smiled and nodded her head. Massy turned around and step off of the small circular platform and out the dressing room door and into the main room of the bridal shop.

Cynthia took no time to start crying, Massy had barely entered the room before a pool of tears formed on the bust of her tshirt. "Oh my god! Mom! Let her get on the platform first! Jesus!" Mari fussed at her mother throwing one hand up and pointing at the platform.

"Leave me alone Ann Mari Arias. Let me have my moment." Cynthia said threw tears, her face scrunched up.

Mari continued looking at her mother. "Mom! Seriously, you're ugly crying right now. Get yourself together for the love of God." Cynthia put the tissue to her face and waved off her oldest daughter and continued her crying.

Heather sat in the chair quietly. Her face was unreadable. Massy frowned as she looked at the three main women in her life. Her teammates Alex, Kristie, and Megan all smiled ear to ear. "Is it really that bad?!" She asked. Massy had no idea how people were supposed to react to her in a wedding dress, so she assumed, crying and speechless was a negative thing. Heather shook her head and the water works began for her. She held it in for three minutes longer than Cynthia did, so she was doing pretty well.

"Massy you're beautiful!" Heather said speaking for herself and Cynthia who was now currently balling and unable to speak.

Massy turned back around and looked at herself in the mirror. "Should I really be picking out a gown this soon? I mean we don't even have a date set."

"Well you do want to at least get an idea of what kind of dress you want." Mari said as she stood up and began circling her younger sister. Looking at the white dress.

"But what if my idea of a dress changes!? What if I like this one now, then a month later I like a different design!?" Massy said nervously, she had no clue what it took to plan a wedding and just thinking about everything that went into it made her dizzy. Her and Odell made a deal they'd stay engaged for as long as they wanted. There was no need to rush or be married within the next year. They'd move at their own pace, do this thing their own way.

"That's why you don't pick a dress until you're absolutely sure about it, duh!" Mari rolled her eyes as if it was common knowledge. Massy c****d her head back and frowned.

"Excuse me. I didn't know you've been through this process before." Massy said rolling her eyes and looking back at herself in the mirror.



Odell and Massy didn't make a special announcement, there was no i********: post or a tweet that was sent out. The only people that knew were the people they told. Besides the occasional photos of Massy out in public with the ring on that lead fans to believe they were now engaged, other than that they didn't speak on it. He bent at the waist and began signing his autograph on a stack of neatly folded jerseys. Another event at the MetLife stadium sponsored by Verizon called for multiple Giants players to attend.

"You feel any different?" Myles asked as he and Brad looked him up and down assuming that marriage made a man look different.

Odell shrugged his shoulders and frowned, but continued to keep a steady assembly line of sighing his jerseys as another staff member pulled it from under him. "Nah why? I look different?" He asked looking back at Myles with a genuine look of concern, he stopped sighing and stood up straight looking down at himself and smoothing down his shirt. He squinted his eyes to keep the sun out of them. Myles did the same but continued to look him up and down trying to spot any physical changes. Eli began laughing and shaking his head at his three teammates. Odell stopped and got ahold of the current conversation. "Hold up! Man, you got me thinking I got a illness or something. Man I'm just engaged!" Odell c****d his head back and frowned.

"Oh, it changes a man." Eli confirmed quietly as his task was sighing multiple footballs. Myles pressed his lips together and widened his eyes mentally telling Odell "I told you so." as he looked back at him. "It changes a man in many ways. It depends on the marriage, if it's good or bad. Sure you give up a lot of things, but what you get back in return can't compare. Marrying my wife was one of the greatest decisions I ever made, and one of the greatest feelings is becoming a father... Next to being drafted, but you get what I mean."

Odell nodded in understanding, as he took in Eli's words, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he began thinking to himself. "I don't know about the whole marriage part, I know when I do find that right one it's a wrap though. But I can agree with him about the whole kids thing." Myles began shaking his head and smiling. "Every time I see Myke... I don't know man, I just get so happy to be alive, like he gives me a reason to live, to keep going, seeing somebody that looks just like you and thinks the world of you. It's amazing." Brad nodded his head in agreement to Myles.

"He's right, every time I see Bentley I just get excited." Brad added.

Odell chewed on the inside of his cheek while listening to Brad and Myles gloat about their son's. He definitely knew he wanted kids,  and marriage, which was why he was taking the current steps he was taking and the way Myles, Brad, and Eli spoke about the two things sounded beautiful to him. "Don't rush it. Let things fall into place the way they should, you're going to learn a lot of things about one another that you didn't learn before, but that's apart of growing together." Eli added as he looked down at the next football and scribbled his name across the bumpy surface.

Odell looked Eli up and down, he had never really heard this side of him. Sure he saw him in father mode but he never really gave advice to Odell about marriage, he had no reason too until now. "Marriage and parenthood ain't gone have me dressing like you is it?" He asked squinting his eyes again to avoid the sun looking his team captain and quarterback up and down. Myles and Brad looked over at Eli and began laughing.

Eli looked down at his clothing and frowned. "What's wrong with how I dress!?"

Myles and Odell looked at one another then looked back at Eli. "You do dress like the typical white dad." Brad said while laughing and agreeing with Odell. Eli did look like the average 45-year-old white dad that wore white New Balance gym shoes and khakis every single place he went.

"I AM the typical white dad Brad!" Eli said back in his defense.

Odell shook his head. "No, you're Eli Manning." He said putting emphasis on his name. He wasn't just the typical dad, he was Eli Manning, a legend somebody that Odell watched when he was in grade school. For people like Myles, Brad, and Odell to actually be playing alongside of him was a big deal to them, it was even funnier to them to see that aside from having the Manning name and legacy, he truly was the typical white American Dad.