Brandon nudges me with his elbow then gestures with his chin at a group of girls all wearing my jersey. “I bet you clean up around here.”
“Hardly,” I laugh.
Maybe I should play along with what he’s implying. But then again, it won’t take him that long to pick up on what the rest of our team has already noticed about me. For as many “fans” as I may have, I never take one home with me. They used to ask, tease me about it even, but I never really gave them an answer as to why. Ijust let the mystery hang over us like a curtain blocking my personal life from their view. Eventually, they stopped trying to push me towards any puck bunnies, and let me be. We all still laugh about it behind closed doors, though. They think it’s hilarious that I have this hardcore fan base of giggling young women. Even funnier to them is the fanfic and face casting they use me for. I find that more concerning than anything.
Big Mike claps me on the shoulder with his large hand. “It looks like you’re well loved around here.”
“That’s what I was just saying!” Brandon exclaims.
“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “A few more games like the one you played tonight, and you’ll have your own little fan club going for you in no time.”
He looks visibly horrified at the thought. And for whatever reason, that makes me smile.
“Oh no!” Danton yells out as he joins us. He points at Brandon. “He’s shy!”
“Is he ever!” Momma B says. She puts her arm around Brandon which just makes him look even more like he’s ready to crawl out of his skin.
“Alright, alright,” I say as I extract Brandon away from them both. “Give the kid some space. Let’s not ruin his big night.”
“Yeah!” Roysy exclaims. “We should be focused on getting him laid!”
“Or…” I gesture towards Brandon’s parents.
Roysy cringes, but they’re cracking up, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.
“We could get him a beer,” I say, “and behave like halfway civilized men for the night.” I put my arm around Brandon, and I can feel his shoulders relax. “Come on. Let’s get you something to drink.”
Brandon
When we reach the bar, the bartender’s face lights up into a beaming smile.
“Hey, Ryan,” she says, with a flirty wave to Ryan as she hands him a bottle of their branded beer before he’s even ordered anything.
“Hey, Nicole,” Ryan greets her. He leans over the bar and gives her a kiss on the cheek. No wonder he wanted to order at the bar. He’s either trying to nail or is already nailing this bartender.
I hate the flash of jealousy that rises through me about that.
“Who’s your friend?” she asks Ryan.
“This is Brandon,” he says, grabbing me by my shoulders and pulling me closer to the bar. At least this time he didn’t call me Baby.
“Hey.” I nod my chin at her.
“He played his first game with us tonight.”
“Oh!” Now she looks me up and down with great interest. “It’s a little late in the season for rookies, isn’t it?”
Ryan leans in close. “Lowly teams like the Mules tend to test some fresh meat at the end of the season.” Ryan’s face is wicked as he takes a long drink from his beer.
She bats at his arm with her hand. “You’re terrible, Ryan. The Mules aren’t lowly.” She turns her attention back to me, slides a beer in my direction, and gives me a wink. “Maybe cutie over here is the spark you all need to push you into the playoffs.”
Ryan turns his attention to me. His lips are quirked up in a half smile and his eyes are twinkling. It makes him look like he’s appraising me. He takes a sip of his beer and his Adam’s apple does a slow bob up and down that I try not to stare at. I’m failing.
“Maybe he will,” he finally says, then thanks Nicole for the beers and pulls me away from the bar. When we’re far enough away, he says into my ear, “You should hit that.”
Interesting. Especially considering I’m one hundred percent sure she’s into Ryan. “I think she’s more into you.”
“She’s not my type.” Ryan shrugs, then takes another sip of his beer.
