3. Xander
Theo, Isaac, and Dylan gawk at me with wide eyes as we sit at a booth in a crowded trendy bar on the edge of downtown Denver. After games, we usually go to our regular dive bar, but since it’s my birthday, the guys offered to take me out somewhere nicer. But I can’t even enjoy it because of how I fucked things up with Sophie.
“Dude. I can’t believe you did that,” Dylan mutters.
I down a shot of tequila. “Yeah, well. I did.”
“I can,” Isaac says. “You’re a horndog, dude. Your brain always goes straight out the window anytime you see an attractive woman.”
I narrow my gaze at Isaac. “What a helpful thing to say. Thanks, asshole.”
Isaac shrugs. They were all quiet for a solid minute seconds after I told them what happened between Sophie and me.
Theo shakes his head. “If Coach Porter finds out you flirted with his daughter because you thought she was a stripper, he’s gonna kill you.”
I rest my elbows on the edge of the table and cradle my head in my hands. “I know.”
“He’s going to butcher you. Like, rip you to shreds,” Theo says.
“Yeah, dude,” Dylan says. “I mean, Porter’s in his early fifties, but he’s built like a fucking warrior. I see him work out in the training room sometimes and holy shit, he’s jacked. A few times, I’ve watched him go nuts on the punching bag. He’s got a killer uppercut…”
I lift my head and glare at him.
“Sorry,” he mutters before downing more of his beer.
Isaac starts to chuckle. “You gotta admit, this kind of funny.”
I aim my glare at him. “What exactly is funny about me potentially getting my ass beat by our coach?”
Isaac shakes his head. “I just can’t believe you thought Dr. Porter was a stripper.”
I slam my palm against the table. “You told me you got me a stripper for my birthday!”
Isaac leans his head back and groans. “It was a joke. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“I didn’t know it was a joke. I mean, have you seen her? She’s smokin’ hot. And she’s young—way younger than any doctor I’ve ever seen. It’s not a stretch to think that she could have been a stripper.”
They all look at me like I’m a dumbass.
I shake my head. “It’s kind of wild though, right? She’s a genius. Like, a real-life genius. And she’s beautiful. And she snapped my nose back in place like it was nothing. Like…whoa.”
Theo raises his eyebrow at me like he’s suspicious. “You sound kind of smitten there, dude.”
Isaac and Dylan frown at me.
I make a huffy noise. “Not smitten. Just…surprised, I guess. I’ve never met anyone like her.”
The truth? Fuck yeah, I’m smitten by Sophie Porter. She’s a stunning genius. How could anyone not be in awe of her?
Too bad she hates my guts.
“Well, dude. Smitten or not, stay far away from her,” Dylan says. “Unless you want to get your head smashed in by Coach.”
The server stops by and asks if we want more shots. Isaac starts to say yes, but I stop him.
“Just water for me.”
Everyone at the table looks at me like I’ve sprouted an arm from my head.
“What?”
Theo blinks at me. “It’s your birthday. You usually get tanked on your birthday.”
“Yeah, well, not this birthday. I guess I’m not really in the mood after the way I fucked up earlier tonight.”
The guys opt for beers instead of shots. A few minutes later, they get their drinks.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know Porter’s daughter was taking over as team doc,” Theo says after sipping his beer. “I mean, the team sent out an email with the announcement and her bio and credentials.”
“I hardly ever read those,” I mutter as I flick my water glass.
Everyone falls quiet. When I look up, they’re all looking at me with disappointed expressions.
“What?” I ask.
“Maybe you need to start acting a little differently,” Isaac says.
“What does that mean?”
He huffs out a breath. “Maybe you need to start being more responsible.”
“Yeah. I’m drinking water now.”
Isaac shakes his head. “Not just that. Between the panties on the ice and getting flashed in the middle of a game and thinking the new team doc was a stripper…” Isaac trails off.
“It’s just not stellar behavior, man,” Theo says. “I mean, your nickname is panty dropper.”
I’m confused as I look between my teammates. “Wait, you guys all think that?”
“Yeah,” they say in unison.
Theo holds up a hand. “Look, I know you don’t go around asking female fans to throw their panties at you or flash you. But you kind of revel in it.”
I throw up my hands. “Of course I do. What guy wouldn’t like a bunch of hot women throwing themselves at him?”
“A gay guy,” Dylan says matter-of-factly.
I roll my eyes. “Okay, obviously. But you guys laughed along with the panties thing when it happened. You jokingly call me panty dropper too sometimes.”
“You’re right. We get into it. We think it’s funny,” Theo admits. “You can get away with stuff like that every once in a while. But you can’t have the panty thing and get flashed and not read the team emails and get off on the wrong foot with the coach’s daughter all in one night. That’s just asking for trouble.”
“And if you want to stay out of trouble, maybe you should start acting like it,” Isaac says.
I sit there, stunned at how blunt and honest my friends are right now.
But as the shock starts to fade, I start to think that maybe they’re right. As much as I love all the naughty stuff that comes with being called the panty dropper of the NHL, maybe I need to make a change.
I can’t keep fucking around like this, thinking everything’s a joke.
I huff out a breath. “Okay, maybe you guys are right. Maybe I’ve been a little reckless and haven’t taken things as seriously as I should have.”
They all give me an “Are you kidding?” look.
“Okay, not ‘maybe.’ I’ve definitely been a reckless, irresponsible manwhore. Maybe I need to grow up a bit.”
Theo grins at me. “It’s not so bad, you know.”
Theo’s a few years older than me and did his fair share of hooking up and partying when he was younger. But when he slept with the wife of the Bashers assistant coach a couple of years ago, he got kicked off the team. That seemed to be his wake-up call. He straightened up, quit partying and hooking up, and started a hockey camp for kids. That’s when he met Maya, the woman who’s now his wife. I was the best man at their wedding just a few months ago. Ever since he’s been back on the team, I’ve never seen him happier than when he’s been with her.
I glance down at his left hand, at the gold wedding band he’s sporting. And then I look at Dylan and Isaac wearing their wedding rings too.
I really am the odd one out in my friend group.
Whatever, I don’t care. I can’t even handle two weeks of dating the same woman. Marriage is definitely not gonna happen for me.
“I’ll start with reading the team emails,” I mutter. They all laugh.
I finish my glass of water and glance down at the crowded dance floor. A gorgeous woman catches eyes with me and smiles. I know that look. She wants me to come chat her up, and normally I would, but I’m just not in the mood right now, not when this night has been a disaster and I can’t stop thinking about what a joke my reckless behavior has made me.
As I glance away, my gaze catches on a small booth in the corner. Sophie is sipping a drink, nodding along with her friend as they chat.
Damn. What are the odds that she’d be here tonight too?
For a moment, I just stare at the gorgeous genius woman who can’t stand me.
Just then, I have an idea. I stand up and head to the bar, hoping I’m not about to make another huge mistake.