9. Michael
”Those fit you like a glove,” Hicks hoots as Zane walks down the stairs wearing his too-tight joggers.
”Shut the fuck up,” Zane growls out quickly.
Our top defenseman is by far the biggest guy on our team, followed closely by Ryker, our bear in the net. Both of them don”t have clothes here and both of them have resorted to wearing their smaller teammates” attire to get out of their stuffy suits.
When they get to the main living room, we all burst into a fit of laughter, watching them try to pull out wedgies and pull-down shirts that are riding up on them.
Landry, Hicks, and I doled out comfy clothes to everyone as they arrived since they were all still in suits and floor-length dresses.
All except for Libby who opted to wear fluffy pajama pants and a camisole that is showing off her cleavage in a way that is currently driving me wild.
Not that she”d notice. Since walking into the house she”s barely looked at me.
“Welp,” Landry says, kicking his feet off the table to rise like the king of his house. ”We should play a little game since you’re all here.”
”It”s midnight,” his sister, Izzy, says with a yawn, her hand gently rubbing her growing belly.
”Even more reason to play. Everyone”s delirious.”
”And some of us are drunk,” Hicks says, raising a beer to confirm.
”What game do you want to play?” Libby asks where she”s perched next to her bestie on the armrest of one of the couches.
”Hmm...” Landry thinks. ”Spin the bottle?”
Ryker and Zane laugh as they sit next to their significant others.
”That”s a horrible idea, considering your sister and his sister,” Ryker says, motioning toward Zane, are both the only women here besides Kesley.
”Excellent point, my friend. Do we have any other suggestions?” he asks everyone around the room.
”Uno?”
”Monopoly?”
”Childish and too intense. Nope and nope,” Landry says, vetoing both. ”Anything else?”
”What about truth or dare?” I offer.
Everyone looks at me from where I”m leaning over the couch opposite Libby.
”Ooh, juicy. I like it,” Landry approves. ”Truth or dare, it is. All in favor?”
”Aye!” voices call out.
”I-I”m...going to bed,” Izzy announces. ”Sorry guys, I can barely keep my eyes open. Nugget’s zapping all my energy these days.”
”I”ll come with you,” Ryker says, moving to rise from his seat next to her.
”No stay,” she insists, touching his chest. ”Have fun with your boys.”
”I”ll be up in a little bit then.” They kiss, and the exchange is so sweet that I feel something moving in my chest.
I didn”t realize how badly I wanted that for myself. I catch Libby looking at me before she looks at Izzy and her belly going up the stairs.
”Night, Iz. Alright, everyone knows how this works, right?” Landry starts.
”Yes, Your Royal Highness,” Libby says. ”Who doesn”t know truth or dare?”
”Ok, but House Rules,” I add.
”House rules!” Landry and Hicks both bark out.
”Wait, what are house rules?” Zane asks. ”I”m scared.”
”You should be,” Ryker says next to him.
”OK, house rules. Hicks, would you do us the honors,” Landry points to Hicks, who is currently downing his beer.
Hicks pops up from his place on the floor and holds the beer bottle up. ”Rrrrrule number one,” he says, rolling the R theatrically. ”If the bottle lands on you, you must play. No forfeiting.”
”Here, here,” a few of us say.
Kesley and Libby exchange a look before laughing amongst themselves.
”I thought we weren”t playing spin the bottle,” Libby quips.
”The bottle is just to keep things random. There will be no kissing. Unless, of course, it”s dared. Not that I”m suggesting that there should be. Rather, I”m just stating—“
”Ok, Hicks,” Landry says, almost bored. ”Rule number two.”
”Rrrrrule number two,” Hicks continues. ”You can only choose the same option twice in a row before you must select the second option.”
”Wait,” Kesley protests. ”That”s not fair. You’re taking away our autonomy.”
”House rules are house rules,” Landry says with finality.
”Rrrrrule number three: The game isn”t over until everyone has had a turn to answer. Aye?”
”Aye!” almost everyone replies.
”Aye,” Libby says last and less enthusiastically.
”Rule number four—don”t be a downer, Libby,” Hicks says in his normal voice.
Libby sticks her tongue out at him before smirking. God, even being a brat, she”s so fucking gorgeous.
”Alright,” Landry takes over again. ”Fergie, since it was your idea to play. Would you give us the honor of kicking things off?”
Hicks turns to me and presents the now empty beer bottle as if it were Excalibur.
”It would be my highest honor,” I say with a hand to my chest before taking the bottle. ”But we should probably move the coffee table first.”
”On it,” Zane says as he releases his hold on his wife to help Ryker move the table.
I look around after everyone is settled in and sitting comfortably on the floor. ”You know, this really does feel like high school all over again,” I smirk.
”Just spin it,” Libby insists.
”Fine.” I hold her gaze for a second before spinning the bottle in front of me.
It lands on...Kesley. Her best friend.
”Ok, Kesley. Truth or dare?” I ask her.
The blonde considers it. ”Truth.”
She knows Libby better than most. This is my chance.
”Who is your best friend”s real-life crush?”
”Ooh, that”s a good one,” Hicks says next to me.
Kesley smirks as she looks at Libby who is giving her a sidelong glance.
”That”s easy because nobody here would know him.”
There”s a panicked look in Libby”s eyes that flashes to me and then back to her best friend.
”It”s this guy on a dating app. Creepy username that makes me think he might be a stalker, but get this, he has a pie—“
”Penis!” Libby shouts as she shoves her in the rib. ”Yep. He”s got a peen.”
She”s blushing feverishly now. A guy on a dating app...so she”s talked about me to her best friend.
”I guess that”s important to note,” Landry says, chuckling.
Hicks laughs. ”Wait, an app? You mean like BlindBang? Fergie”s on that! He actually—“ I shove Hicks in the side.
”It”s not your turn, Hicks. And also, 2018.”
”Oh,” he says with a wink.
”What”s 2018?” Kesley asks.
”Shhh,” the guys hiss out.
”We don”t talk about 2018,” Ryker says.
Kesley looks at her friend for clarification as she so often does. ”It was the worst year for the Heatwave. We don”t talk about 2018.”
”I”m still new to all this,” Kesley says.
Zane scoots her closer to him. ”You”ll learn, little lion.”
Ugh. I can”t with my teammates and their cute little pet names. I gave Libby a pet name. My dumb thoughts remind me.
”Anyways,” I try to bring the game back. ”Kesley, you”re up.”
”Ok,” she sits up excitedly and spins the bottle. It lands on Landry.
”Do your worst,” he says.
”Alright, Keelan. Truth or dare?”
Landry thinks for a second. ”Dare!”
”Of course,” Hicks says.
”I dare you...to tell us who your crush is!” Kesley says, pleased with herself.
”She can”t do that,” Hicks protests. ”Wait, can she?”
”Leave it up to Kesley to find the loophole in the game,” Libby says. ”House rules Landry. You gotta answer.”
”Easy,” Landry says. ”Lucy Hale.”
”You can”t pick a celebrity,” Kesley insists.
”Why not? Technically, we”re celebrities.”
”Wait, whose Lucy Hale?” Zane asks.
”She”s that cute actress with the pretty doe eyes, short dark hair, supple lips. She was in Pretty Little Liars,” Kesley says.
”And The Hating Game?” I offer.
”Oh! Yeah, the one that looks like Rina,” Zane says casually.
Landry stares blankly at his teammate.
Zane, clueless, says, ”What?”
”Ok, Kee, your turn to spin,” Ryker says.
The game continues for a few more rounds. The dares get a little outlandish, like running into the rain and howling for a full minute. Luckily, Hicks was down for that challenge.
Finally, Hicks lands on Libby. And dares her to kiss someone on the lips. Considering Zane is her brother. Ryker’s long since gone up to accompany Izzy. That would leave Hicks, Landry and... me.
”Seriously, Hicks? You”re the one who said no kissing,” I say.
”Unless dared,” he clarifies.
”I”ll allow it,” Landry interjects.
”Whose it going to be?” Kesley asks her.
She rules out the obvious ones.
”And not you, Hicks; you kissed Kesley once, so that”s just weird.”
”What, she kissed me!”
Zane tilts his head menacingly at Hicks and says, ”2018.”
”Well, Fergie”s your ex”s brother,” Zane says. ”So naturally, he”s out.”
Libby clears her throat.
”Fine.” She gets up and stalks over to Landry and quickly pecks him on the lips before returning to her place next to Kesley.
”Welp, I think that was everyone,” Landry says like the girl of my dreams didn”t just walk up to him and kiss him in front of everyone.
A peck, sure. But she just did it. No questions asked.
A fire burns in my belly, and I know I”m going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.
”Mi casa es su casa,” Landry says, ”Help yourselves to whatever you want, but I”m going to bed. Everyone good on rooms?”
”Yes, Cap. Thanks for letting us crash here,” Zane says, helping a yawning Kesley off the floor.
Everyone disperses, and the lights are turned off.
I go into the kitchen, grab a root beer, and notice that Libby hasn”t left. She”s still sitting on the couch.
”Aren”t you tired?” I ask her.
She looks up at me. ”I”m sorry about that. It was...just a game. I hope you know that.”
”Yeah, I know. I was the one that chose it.” And looking back now, I should”ve just stayed quiet.
”Seriously, it didn”t mean anything,” she insists.
Probably like the kisses we shared earlier didn”t mean anything either. ”Right. Well, I”m going to bed.”
”Ok,” she says softly.
I go up the stairs and don”t look back. Because as much as I like Libby. She”s done this to me before. And I don”t want to get caught up in another game of “Pick me, please.” We’re not teenagers anymore.
I don”t have time to be somebody”s option. Even if it”s the girl I”ve secretly had a crush on since I was a kid.
I shut the door to my room and rip the sheets off the bed. I can let her go. I”ve done it before.
That”s what I tell myself, just as I”m opening my BlindBang app and pulling up our old messages.
I know it”s her on the other side of the screen. But does she know it”s me? Hicks almost gave me away earlier.
strangerDanger23:I”m going to assume you chickened out.
A few seconds later, her message comes through.
LeaveHerWild: I guess you could call it that.
strangerDanger23:What changed?
LeaveHerWild: Nothing.
LeaveHerWild: Everything.
LeaveHerWild:I don”t think I can do this.
strangerDanger23:Do what, butterfly?
It takes her minute to reply.
LeaveHerWild: I like you…but
I stop reading because that”s the fucking problem right there. She likes me. My very breath hangs on every word she says. I would burn the world down twenty times over if it meant making her mine.
But Libby...she just likes me. And that will always be our fucking problem.