Chapter 12
twelve
SEBASTIAN
“Dude. Is your lady coming out with us?” Griffin drops his towel and tugs on his clothes. He’s buzzing with energy, just like the rest of us, flying high off a home win in our final game of the regular season. But that’s not the only reason he’s so full of energy.
Pretty sure Griffin wants Indie and me to figure things out almost as much as I do.
I clear my throat. “She’s not my lady, but yeah. She and her best friend are going to come out with us. Lola’s cool, but you’ll have to watch your wife around her. Pretty sure she has a thing for Mira, and she’s charming enough that she may steal her away.”
Griffin laughs. “So you’re saying she has good taste? I knew she seemed cool.”
“Sure, yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
The rest of the guys chuckle at that, and I hope they’re all so hyped up on our win that they don’t notice my nerves. Pretty sure a swarm of hornets has taken up residence in my chest cavity. I’m ready to crawl out of my skin.
“You said your date went well, right?” Ryder pulls a hoodie on over his undershirt, staring at me expectantly. “So, why do you look so nervous?”
Of course, I’m not hiding it well. “It wasn’t a date.
At least, not in her mind, I don’t think.
I just… Every time I see her, I get the feeling she’s ready to bolt.
I’m trying not to freak her out, so I need you guys to be cool tonight, okay?
” I level a stern look at Griffin. “And that means you, Wright. Treat her like she’s one of the guys or something.
No dating talk, don’t ask her when we’re going to get married, and absolutely nothing about how we would make the cutest babies. ”
“But you would,” Griffin says, pouting.
Maddox nods. “You really would.”
“Jesus Christ.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I turn to Logan for some help.
His relationship is the newest, so he should understand where I’m coming from.
Unfortunately for me, I tend to be the voice of reason in this group, along with Maddox.
And if even he’s participating in Griffin’s bullshit, I’m worried about what that means for me tonight.
“Lay off, assholes,” Logan says with a sigh. “Get all of this out of your systems now, because you’ll never forgive yourselves if you run off the woman our boy’s been pining for since he was a teenager.”
“Such a killjoy, Logie.” Griffin drops his ass onto the bench in front of his locker to put on his shoes. “But fine. You’re right. We’ll play nice and pretend that the two of them aren’t secretly in love with each other, and that we aren’t aware of how emotionally constipated they both are.”
“You know I wouldn’t do anything to mess things up for you,” Ryder says.
“Thanks, man.” Ryder may be the youngest of us, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders.
“They going to be good with hitting up Chasers?” Griffin asks.
I’ve told all the guys the general background about Indie and our relationship, but Griffin knows the most. He’s aware of Indie’s dislike of being a public spectacle, and after tonight’s win, it’s entirely possible being seen with us could expose her to attention she doesn’t want.
“We could head to mine and Mira’s place instead, if that’s better. ”
“We can ask her.” I hurry to finish getting dressed, anxious to get to the family room as quickly as possible. Each extra minute spent in the locker room is another opportunity for Indie to decide to leave.
“Let’s get our ladies, then,” Griffin says with a broad smile.
There’s a strange sort of jealousy swirling around and mixing with my anxiety as I follow my teammates to the family room.
It’s been amazing to watch each of them fall in love with women who are funny and kind and intelligent.
They make these guys better men, and I’m so happy for them.
But I can’t deny how much I’ve wanted the same.
It just seemed completely out of reach.
I hate being jealous of them. A real friend shouldn’t feel that way, right? Which is why I’ve kept my feelings to myself.
But following them into the family room, watching them all embrace their wives and partners, I can’t help the sharp pang of longing that slices through me. Because their women practically leap into their arms, and at one point, that’s the kind of future I envisioned for Indie and me.
But Indie is standing off to the side of the room with her arms crossed over her chest, Lola chatting animatedly while Indie watches my friends and their partners embrace. When her gaze finds me, her expression is guarded and hard to read.
Is she excited to see me? Or is she regretting agreeing to go out tonight?
Plastering on a bright smile to hide my nerves, I approach Indie and Lola.
“Hey, ladies. Did you enjoy the game?” I lean in and give Lola a quick hug before turning to Indie and folding her into my arms. I linger a little longer with her, breathing in her citrusy scent for as long as I can before it gets weird.
“It was awesome. Thanks for the tickets,” Lola says brightly.
I notice her jersey and Indie’s hoodie. “Did some damage in the team shop, huh?”
“Hell yeah. Gotta rep my favorite player.”
I chuckle at that. “Do I want to know who that is?”
“Griffin, obviously,” she says, turning around and pointing her thumbs at his name on her back.
I bark out a laugh, and so does Indie. Griffin is standing close enough that he must have heard her proclamation because he holds out a fist for her to pound.
“Hell yeah, girl. You know what’s up.”
“Wow.” I cross my arms over my chest, feigning offense. “And here I thought we could be friends.”
“Don’t be sad, crab boy. You’re my favorite goalie.”
“We only have two on the team.”
Lola chuckles. “True. But I mean in the league. So don’t act all offended. Besides, even if you’re not my all-time favorite player, you are someone else’s.”
Indie’s cheeks flush the prettiest pink when Lola elbows her in the ribs. Rolling her eyes, she shrugs. “You’re okay.”
I clutch my chest. “Damn, Rosebud. That hurts.”
“Rosebud?” Lola’s eyebrows wing up at that. Her expression is practically gleeful.
“Goddamn it, Sebastian,” Indie grumbles.
“Oh fuck, that’s cute,” Griffin says. He turns to his wife, Mira. “Isn’t that adorable, sunshine?”
“Absolutely,” Mira says, giving Indie a friendly and commiserating smile. “But don’t worry, we won’t call you that, will we, babe?”
I chuckle at the way she says that last part. More of a threat than a question.
“Of course not.” Griffin winks at Indie, and that breaks her frown.
“So we were thinking of going to Chasers to celebrate. It’s a local sports bar, and it’s our regular place after a home game.
But we can also hang out at Griffin and Mira’s.
” I study Indie’s face to gauge her reactions.
“People are usually pretty cool there, and I doubt anyone will bother us, but I know how you feel about public attention.”
I say the last part quietly, so only she and Lola can hear.
The last thing I want to do is embarrass Indie.
There’s no way any of my friends will give her shit for not wanting to be the center of public attention, but she doesn’t know them the way I do.
And I won’t give Indigo Bloom a single reason to run.
She sucks her lower lip between her teeth, those pretty hazel eyes of her bouncing over my face as she considers. I want to pull her into a hug and tell her it’ll be okay, whatever she chooses, but we’re not there yet.
“I don’t want you to change your plans for me.”
“No one will mind,” I reassure her quietly. “They know the gist of things.”
Indie keeps abusing her lower lip, and I want to make her stop. But dragging my thumb over her lip in the middle of a crowded room is a surefire way to make her retreat, so I clench my hands into fists and hold myself back.
“We can go to the bar. It’ll be fine. No one has recognized me here, and I doubt anyone will tonight, either.”
“You sure?”
She nods. “Yeah. I’m sure. Let’s go celebrate your win with your friends.”
“That’s my girl,” Lola says, bumping her hip against Indie’s.
No, I want to say. That’s my girl. But I don’t. I simply offer Indie an encouraging smile and fall in line as our group leaves the family room and the arena. It’s not a long walk to Chasers, and the weather is warming up, so we spill out onto the sidewalk in a big, excited group.
People nod and congratulate us as we walk, but our fans are generally respectful of our space and privacy, so no one is weird about it.
Still, I make sure to stay between Indie and everyone else.
After a few blocks and chill interactions, she finally starts to relax beside me.
She’s quiet, taking it all in, but she’s also smiling and giggling along with Lola’s jokes and the ridiculous things Griffin says.
Indie stiffens momentarily when a cheer goes up as we file into Chasers, but when it becomes clear no fans or photographers are going to mob us, she relaxes again and looks around. “This place seems fun.”
My heart stalls when she looks up at me with a bright smile.
“Yeah, it’s our favorite.” I wave her into the big corner booth they always save for us after a game.
She scoots along the seat, while Blair, Logan’s girlfriend, and her brother, Reed, slide in from the other side.
It leaves Indie sandwiched between me and Blair.
Lola sits on my other side next to Mira, with a very amused Griffin beside his wife, and everyone else fills in around us.
“This okay?” I ask Indie quietly enough that no one else will hear.
“Yeah. I’m good, I promise.”