I turn back to the woman I’m most concerned with. “You doing all right?”
Avery gives me a huge smile. “I’m greattttt.”
I chuckle while making a mental note:I’m going to make sure she gets home okay tonight. “I bet. Did you drive here?”
“No, I took a Lyft.”
Suddenly, the woman who spoke last, Amari, appears in front of us with waters. “Parker, I want to see you drink this before going home.”
She takes the water, and I grab a second for good measure.
The song shifts and suddenly a banging Charli xcx remix is on.
“Oh, I want to dance,” Avery bursts out. She chugs a few more sips of her water and hands me the glass. “Hold this, will you, Mr. NFL Guy.” She giggles as if she’s made a great joke, and I can’t help laughing.
She’s kind of cute this way.
Before I can blink, she’s out on the dance floor with five of her teammates, and I readily take in the sight.
Those long legs, that long shiny hair, that beautiful face. There’s so much to appreciate.
Unfortunately, my reverie is broken by Ty.
“Hey, I’m sorry about Nate. He started harassing a couple of girls on the dance floor so I made him leave just now.”
Ah.It’s good to know it wasn’t just me. “Was he like that in school?”
“Yeah, especially when he drank. Not my favorite teammate.” Huh, okay. Maybe Ty is all right?
Chance comes up beside us. He and Ty being wide receivers, I feel more compelled to make sure we get along than I do with Nate, a running back.
“I’m going to grab another round. Do you guys want one?” Chance asks.
Ty says yes, while I decline.
“You’re double-fisting anyway,” Chance teases.
“They’re both waters. One belongs to her.” I tilt my head toward Avery on the dance floor.
“I’d hold her water too,” Ty jokes as Chance leaves to get their beers.
By the time he’s returned, the song has switched again, but the ladies stay out on the dance floor. The guys and I chat while they nurse their beers, with Chance sharing more about his girlfriend, a lacrosse player who’s staying in school to finish her senior year next year.
“She sounds great,” I say, acknowledging his enthusiastic ramblings.
Finally, after two more songs, my water-glass-holding duties are fulfilled when Avery comes stumbling over.
“I need every drop of those,” she says to me as I hand her one after another, sacrificing my own.
“You looked like you were having fun out there,” I say after she’s done drinking.
She smirks. “Good to know you were watching.”
Her voice sounds steadier than earlier. The dancing and water must have helped her sober up.
“Chance, let’s go back up to the VIP section,” Ty says with a wink to me while they walk away.
I lock eyes with Avery, and yeah, she’s looking clear-eyed. “So what’s next, more dancing?”
