3. Xavi
Chapter 3
Xavi
I clicked my seatbelt into place, shaking my head to fling some of the last drops of water off my still-drying, overgrown mop of hair. The car smelled of body wash and whatever overpriced cologne Colton had doused himself in, and I cracked the window to get a hint of fresh air. “So, Smokey’s?” I grinned, leaning forward over the center console of Cole’s Cadillac Escalade.
Cole groaned from the driver’s seat, his forehead falling forward and resting on it as he turned the key in the ignition, the engine firing to life. “I knew you’d ask,” he grumbled.
“Aw, come on,” Colton chirped from the passenger seat, his towel still draped around his shoulders to catch the last of the water from his shoulder-length black hair. He leaned back in his seat, his feet coming up and resting on the dash. “I scored. I deserve a drink. And ideally, some action.”
Cole’s nose crinkled in irritation as he put the SUV in drive. “Smokey’s is a dump.”
“Yeah, but it’s my dad’s dump,” I shot back. “And it’s fun. Live a little, old man.”
Colton nodded. “I mean, what’s the alternative? Go home and sit on the couch like a bunch of losers and watch the game back to pick ourselves apart? Drink a protein shake and call it a night? Fucking lame.”
Cole shot him a glare, his foot still fully planted on the brake. “That was exactly the plan.”
I groaned, flopping back dramatically in my seat and kicking the back of Cole’s. “Cole, we won. The place is going to be packed. We deserve to celebrate.”
Cole’s jaw tightened as he turned his head, not answering right away — he was considering it. And Colton pounced on that opportunity. “Look, just drive us. You can be the responsible one like fuckin’ always. Xav and I will have a great time, and you’ll get to sit and scowl at whoever you want. Win-win.”
I could almost see the grinding of Cole’s teeth.
“If you don’t, we’ll just go out without you,” Colton added. “You want to be home alone, grandpa?”
Cole exhaled roughly through his nostrils and lifted his foot from the break, pulling out of the parking spot and into the lot. “Fine,” he mumbled. “One drink. Then home.”
Silently, Colton made a fist with his hand and pulled downward, a ridiculous mark of triumph. A laugh bubbled up from my throat as I watched Cole roll his eyes.
“You just want to get laid,” Cole said, his voice raspy after all that shouting during the match.
“You’re just jealous ‘cause Colton and I are still young enough to nab flames,” I chuckled, snorting as Cole’s gaze shot to mine in the rearview mirror.
“I’m thirty-eight,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing before he looked back at the road in front of him. I wasn’t sure if that was an I’m thirty-eight, so I don’t need puck bunnies or an I’m thirty-eight, that’s not that old , but I snickered regardless.
“You just wish you had as much game as I do,” Colton grinned. His seat tilted back almost instantly, his body almost lying flat, and he tucked his arms beneath his head.
“I’d hardly call what you do game. ”
“You wound me, Cole.” Colton put a hand over his chest dramatically, winking at him despite Cole’s gaze being locked on the road. “The ladies love me. And if I’m not mistaken, that girl, Annie, is performing tonight. I’ve had my eye on her for a little while.”
My brows knitted together as I tried to wrack my mind for which girl he was talking about. Knowing Colton, it could be anyone, and I tended to stick to my lane when it came to the girls who followed us around. Annie… “Who?”
He turned his head to look over at me, his eyes bulging. “Annie, man! Annie . The bartender girl. That one who’s like, short, superb ass, kind of red hair. She’s the one with those ‘ gigantic blue eyes ’ you fawned over last time.”
“Oh, shit, Annie,” I mocked, pretending as if I completely remembered her. It did ring a bell, though… and I did have a soft spot for blue eyes. “Colton, I was drunk as hell last time. I was barely able to remember my name. No idea who you’re talking about.”
Colton groaned dramatically, covering his face with his hands. “You guys have no fuckin’ taste, I swear to god. She’s the one who sings. She’s gorgeous . Your dad posted earlier that she’s singing tonight, but I think her set has already started.”
I blinked at him incredulously. “You follow my dad?”
“I follow Smokey’s,” he clarified. That made more sense — Dad owned and ran Smokey’s.
“I know who you’re talking about.” Cole’s abrupt words cut through his own silence. “She’s not a flame.”
“Oh, come on, you don’t know that,” Colton shot back. “She seemed to know enough about hockey last time, she’s probably a fan.”
Cole shook his head, huffing out a breath through his nose. “No. She seemed like the type you take home to meet your mom, not the kind you fuck in a dingy bar bathroom. No offense, Xav.”
I shrugged. “None taken, it’s not my bar.”
Colton shook his head, sucking his teeth for good measure as he looked between the two of us. “Whatever. I’ll bet you both twenty bucks I’ll have her all over me by the end of the night.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Cole quipped as he took the turn that would separate us from the route home and the way to Smokey’s. “I’m positive you’ll be all over her, and she’ll be trying to escape.”
“Maybe you should talk to her then, old man,” I smirked, throwing my arm over the headrests on either side of me as I met Cole’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “You need to get laid more than either of us.”
“I do not.”
“Nah, you totally do,” Colton laughed.
“See? Even Colton agrees,” I grinned. “You’re the grumpiest ass I’ve ever laid my eyes on. You’re long overdue.”
Cole sighed, staring at the road ahead like he regretted every life decision that had led him here. “You guys are ridiculous. I’m not chasing after anyone.”
Colton grinned and clapped him on the shoulder, nearly making him jump. “I know, grandpa. Don’t worry, we’ll find someone to chase you .”
————
I was right, as usual.
Smokey’s was packed — not just with flames and fans who had come to watch the game, but a few of the guys from the rink had clearly had the same idea as us. Even some of the away team. Music poured out the door as Cole pushed it open, ever leading the pack, and I funneled in after him, Colton hot on my tail.
“See? Isn’t this better than sitting at home with protein shakes?” Colton grinned, smacking Cole on the arm as we made our way to the bar. But then his eyes caught on the woman across the room, the one climbing down off the small stage Dad kept around for small-time performances and karaoke, and I followed his stare — shit, I do remember her. “Bingo. Annie-o-clock.”
“Go talk to her, then,” Cole said, his tone flippant as he whipped out his wallet, not even wanting to start a tab.
But the more I looked at her, the more I noticed her, the more I couldn’t help but want her. No wonder I’d gone all googly-eyed last time like Colton said. Those big blue eyes were better than I could have imagined. She was fairly short, her auburn hair falling in waves around her shoulders, her stupidly attractive eyes locked on something across the bar to our right. Her skin was fairly pale, a hint of olive undermining it, but those plump lips and furrowed brows made my fucking jeans feel like a prison.
“Wait, wait,” I snapped, reaching out and grabbing Colton’s shirt before he could wander off to her. “You’re right, she’s hot. Let me talk to her first.”
“Oh my god,” Cole groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t tell me you two are going to fight over her before you even know if she’s?—”
Colton spun on a dime, his eyes narrowing on me. “Come on, man. I already said I wanted to, like, twenty minutes ago.”
“Yeah, but that was before I saw her.”
“Rock, paper, scissors,” Cole snapped, leaning one elbow on the bar and completely ignoring a woman who was staring at him on his right. “Now, please, before you two drive me up the fucking wall.”
Colton’s jaw twitched as he steeled it. “That’s not fair.”
“Life’s not fair.”
I had half a mind to slip off right there and then, but I knew without a doubt that Colton would rocket up beside me, and then she’d have two men to deal with — one of whom was currently being an annoying prick and not letting me have a chance. “You can’t call dibs on a person, Colton,” I huffed.
“For fucks sake,” Cole grumbled, lifting his palm and placing his fist on it. “Let’s make it fair, then, shall we? Rock, paper, scissors, between the three of us. That way, there’s at least a one-in-three chance that you two aren’t at each others' throats.”
I blink down at Cole, my brows knitting together. “You don’t even want to talk to her.”
“Yeah, that’s not more fair,” Colton added, pulling his hair tie off his wrist and tightening it around the strands at the back of his neck. “That lowers my odds, grandpa.”
Cole leveled a glare at him, leaning back on the bar and quietly giving the order for three Blue Moons to the bartender before training his eyes back on us. “Suck it up, buttercup. I can drag both of you home right now if you’d rather. I’m sure she’s not staying long enough for you two to get in your cars and race all the way back here.”
I glanced over at Annie, watching as she slowly packed up her things. Goddammit, he was right. I wouldn’t have time. “Fine,” I huffed, raising a palm and a fist.
Colton groaned dramatically, but finally joined in, the three of us standing around like idiots about to play a game for a girl one of us wasn’t even interested in.
“Rock.”
“Paper.”
“Scissors.”
“ Shoot. ”
I stared in utter horror and irritation at Cole’s choice of scissors. The fucking bastard always chooses rock, and apparently, Colton and I had been on the same page — we’d both gone for paper.