Chapter 20
Stephanie
“What time do we need to leave?” I ask as I finish rinsing my plate and stick it in the dishwasher.
He glances at his phone. “If we could leave in the next half hour, that would be good.”
“Do I need to get a ticket?”
“Chloe got us two tickets; we just have to grab them from the office when we get there,” he tells me.
“Good old Chloe,” I mumble. “I’m ready to go; just tell me when you’re ready,” I say as I pull out my laptop.
He looks up at me and runs his gaze over me. “You’re not changing for the game?”
“Wasn’t planning on it. And yes, I know I’m too dressy for a game. Brielle always tells me.”
“You can wear whatever you want; you always look amazing.” He puts his water glass in the dishwasher. “Let me go change; I’ll be ready to go in five.”
I watch him go and look down at my outfit again. Maybe I should change. I sigh and stand up. In my room, I find the jersey that Sebastian gave me. Trying not to overthink it, I pull it on over a long-sleeved white t-shirt and slide into dark-wash jeans and a pair of sneakers. I leave my hair down since it’s already time to go. I grab my wallet and phone and head out to the living room. “Come on, Casanova,” I call out when I don’t see him in the living room.
He comes out a minute later with a smirk on his face. He stops when he sees me, and a slow smile forms on his face. “You’re wearing my jersey.” His voice is low and husky.
I scowl at him. “Don’t overthink it; it’s the only jersey I have.”
“I think I will overthink it because that’s my name on your back,” he says stepping towards me.
“Yeah, and how many other countless people wear your jersey to games?”
“Yeah, but they’re not you,” he says, taking another step closer.
“I think you need to take more pain pills,” I tell him. He stops advancing and frowns. “Because you’re obviously not thinking straight.” I grab my purse and laptop bag and phone and head to the front door, leaving him behind. He catches up to me on the stairs. “Are you good to drive?” I ask him.
“Yes.”
We climb into the car, and I take a moment to appreciate his car, just like every other time I’ve been in it. “I need to do some work on the way. Do you mind?”
“Go for it; I’ll keep myself company.” I glance over at him and he grins. I shake my head and pull out my bag. Now that I no longer have to hide what I’m working on, I can freely type. I get lost in my work, and the drive is over before I know it. I pack up my laptop while he pulls through security for the game.
“Man, I forgot what it was like coming in at this time,” Sebastian mutters as we wait in line to get into the parking lot.
“Yeah, it’s not fun being a mere mortal,” I tell him.
It takes a little while, but we finally park. He climbs out of the car and pulls a ball cap low over his eyes. “It’s gonna be a big game tonight with a full crowd. Stay close, okay?”
I roll my eyes. “I think I’ve got it. Thanks.”
We join the hundreds of others walking towards the front entrance. “Can’t you go in through like your own private entrance or something?” I ask as we get in line.
He pulls his cap down a little further and steps close to me. “Yeah, we probably should have, but since I’m not gearing up for the game, I just decided to go this way.” He steps closer and puts a hand on my back. “I don’t know; maybe we should—” he doesn’t finish what he was going to say.
“Sebastian Hart?” somebody calls out.
I watch as people begin turning towards us. His name begins to ripple through the crowd. I feel him step close to me, his front to my back. By now, most people in line have turned towards us. Sebastian lifts his hand, and the crowd around us cheers. People begin shifting and moving towards us. “Stay close to me,” he says in my ear, his body close to mine. I’m not used to him being this close, and I start to pull away. He stops me with a heavy hand on my side. “I’m just here to watch the game with my girl,” he calls out. Within seconds, the crowd around us has grown. People ask for his autograph, and others take pictures. The crowd seems to be growing by the second, and I start to feel panicky. There’s an anxiousness to the crowd, an excitement that seems right on the verge of being something more. And then a fight breaks out. Two guys start yelling at each other. Somebody gets shoved in the crowd and somebody shoves back. And then it gets crazy. I’m knocked away from Sebastian. Panic threatens to overwhelm me in the push of bodies. There are too many people in too small a space. The guy next to me gets shoved into me, and we both go down. I hit the ground and at least three other sets of feet. Immediately, panic claws at me. I try to get back up but can’t. There are too many people.
Suddenly, strong arms wrap around me and yank me to my feet. An arm like a steel band pulls me close to a hard body, and I know that it’s Sebastian. Then we’re moving. There’s security around us, pushing us through the crowd. And just like that, we’re inside and out of the crowd. Sebastian spins and turns so that his broad shoulders block me from view. Then his face is in front of mine. “Are you okay?” His eyes are darker than usual, and the tension from him is palpable. I get just a taste of what it must be to play on the other side of him in a game.
“I’m fine.”
His eyes scan me from head to toe before he pulls me into his arms. It shocks me, and I hold myself stiffly, my arms dangling at my sides. “I’m so sorry,” he breathes into my hair. “I should have never brought you through that way. One second you were with me; the next, you were gone. I watched you go down and lost years off my life.” He shudders. “Tell me you’re not hurt.”
I take a steadying breath, trying to slow my still-racing heart. I tell myself it’s because of what happened outside, not because of what’s happening right now. “I’m not hurt, Sebastian,” I tell him with as steady of a voice as I can. It’s obvious he’s worked up right now.
He pulls back and looks at my face. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. You already apologized. Besides, it’s not like you did anything to me.” I look around. “We should probably get to our seats.”
“I don’t know if we should stay,” he says.
I give him my best teacher look. “We did not come this far and go through all that to leave now. We are staying for this game.”
“You sure?” he asks softly.
“Absolutely. Now let’s get to our seats before you start another flash mob just by standing here.”
He looks around. “Yeah. Stick close to me, okay?” He frowns. “More close than last time.”
I laugh. “You would have to carry me for me to be closer than last time.”
A grin crosses his face, chasing away some of his tension. “That can be arranged.”
He steps towards me. “Don’t you dare pick me up, Sebastian Hart.”
He smiles down at me. “Okay, Teach.” He looks around us again and tenses. “Let’s get to our seats.” He puts out his hand, and after a brief hesitation, I take it. It’s just for security reasons, so we don’t get separated again. I’m not going to notice how good his hand feels wrapped around mine. His fingers are strong, his palm calloused. It makes me feel gentle and feminine.
Security wraps tight around us as we make our way into the arena. Sebastian leads me down to the first row behind the glass. I let him take the aisle seat both for space and so he doesn’t have to sit next to anyone besides me. After we settle into the seats, I look around. “These are good seats.” He doesn’t say anything, and I look over at him. He still looks tense and I reach out and pat his leg. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re good; we made it.”
He glances down at his leg and then at me. “I should have never brought you in that way.”
I shrug. “It’s fine; it’s over and done.”
There’s a thud against the glass right in front of us that makes me jump. We turn our gaze to the glass and see a guy I don’t know. He salutes Sebastian and then skates away. It doesn’t take a genius to know he’s not a fan of Sebastian’s. The first clue is that he wears the other team’s jersey; the second is the nasty smirk he sent. Sebastian tenses next to me. “Not a fan of yours, huh?” I ask.
“I hate that guy,” Sebastian mutters. “Man, I wish I was playing tonight.”
For the first time, I realize just how hard this is going to be on him to just sit and watch. I turn to him. “Sebastian, do you want to leave? We don’t have to stay here and watch if it’s too hard.”
“No, I want to be here for my team; and I want to be here with you.” The look he gives me is warm but still full of tension.
“Okay, then we’ll stay. But I can’t watch the game without popcorn.”
He turns to me. “Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s the nerves; I need something to keep myself occupied.”
He grins. “Nerves for what? You’re not playing.”
“Yeah, but I have to watch you guys play, and it’s stressful.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is amazing,” Sebastian says with a grin.
“Nope. Stressful.” I stand to my feet, and he stands as well. “You need to stay here,” I tell him.
“I’ll go with you,” he counters.
“And start another riot? No thank you. I’m safer by myself.” Guilt crosses his face, and I wish I wouldn’t have said anything. I push on quickly. “Do you want anything?”
“I’ll take a water, thanks.” He digs in his pocket for his wallet, but I sidestep him and step out into the main aisle. I jog up the steps, hoping he will stay behind. It’s better that way. By myself, I can blend into the crowd.
Nobody bothers me as I make my way to one of the places selling popcorn. I get in line and wait. When it’s my turn, I order a large popcorn, a water, a soda for me, and a bag of roasted nuts for Sebastian. I pay a minute later. As they start getting what I ordered, I realize my mistake. I don’t have enough hands for all I need to carry. I manage to make it over to a counter of condiments. I set everything down and try to reposition everything.
“It looks like you could use an extra hand.” The voice startles me, and I turn around. A tall, good-looking guy stands in front of me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says with a smile. “Do you want some help?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I ca...” I stop. “You know what, yes. Yes, that would be a huge help.” He grins as I place the popcorn in his hands. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Where are you seated?”
I frown. “Are you sure you don’t mind following me?”
He gives me an easy grin. “Believe me, it won’t be a hardship.”