No way in hell could Robert finish the oversized slab of meat, but he ate most of it. Amber and their conversation about sharing a toast popped into his head. He raised his water goblet and called her on FaceTime. The call went unanswered, so he tried again. And again. Disappointed, he dropped his phone on the table.
“Calling your girl?” Lewinski asked, draping an arm over the back of Robert’s chair.
“Yeah. But she didn’t answer.” His phone buzzed in his hand with a text message.
AMBER: Sorry I missed your call. It’s loud here. To my all-star and the Bucks!
A photo came through of Amber holding a bottle of beer in the air, but it was just her hand. He wished he could see her face, but the photo cut off at her forearm.
Lewinski leaned in to look at the photo. “Cute chick,” he joked.
Robert elbowed his friend and pressed his phone to his chest for privacy. He took a selfie, also holding up his drink, and sent it to Amber.
ROBERT: To my girl, who inspires me.
A bunch of smiley face emojis with heart eyes and kissy faces were her reply.
24 hours later, she was in his arms and in his bed. He tried not to think about the fact that they only had a few days together before he had to leave again and relished in the moment. Every part of him felt relaxed and content, and he wished he could stay just like this, with her head resting on his chest while they quietly watched TV, until he had to catch a plane to Atlanta.
His phone dinged and broke the tranquility.
“You’re a popular guy.” Amber lifted her head and looked toward the nightstand. “Someone’s always blowing up your phone.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’ll let it go to voicemail.”
“I’m kidding. See who it is.”
“I may regret this.” He reached for his phone, read the message from Manny about the upcoming annual holiday bash, and said, “Cool.” Then tossed the phone on the bed. “Do you like Halloween parties?”
Amber jumped to a sitting position and spun around to face Robert. “I love Halloween parties!” The words came out like a squeal, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
He laughed softly, amused at her overzealous reaction, which he found endearing, and sat up in bed. “Are you sure? I don’t want to twist your arm or anything if you’re not really into it.”
She shoved him, playfully, but he didn’t budge, and she stopped to stare at his chest. He was used to colliding with behemoths on the field, so her weak push barely registered.
“It’s my favorite holiday. Is someone having a Halloween party?” she asked.
“Yeah. Manny. You remember him. Right?”
Her brows scrunched together in thought. “No. I haven’t met any of your friends. We have such limited time together, so it’s always just us.” She shimmied closer to him, and her lips crashed into his with a kiss that knocked him over, and his back hit the headboard.
“What about this Halloween party?” she asked.
Halloween was the last thing on his mind now that his hormones were doing backflips. He tried to kiss her again and slip his hand under her tiny tank top, but she pulled away.
“Halloween party?”
“What?”
“You got me all excited about a Halloween party and then just dropped it. Who’s having a Halloween party?”
“Oh.” Were they really still talking about this stupid party? The expectant look on her face told him they were. “Manny. You met him that night at Last Call.”
Her eyes opened a little wider as realization hit, and she snapped her fingers. “The guy with the shots.”
“That’s Manny. He’s my best friend. He drove me to my first few appointments and picked me up. I can’t believe that we haven’t hung out yet.” But that was the downside of football season. He missed his family, and barely saw Manny. Amber occupied all his free time, because he had so little of it this time of year. The party would give him a chance to introduce her to his crew. Flashes of some of their crazy college days and wild parties passed in his head. Maybe meeting everyone together wasn’t the best idea, but they’d matured. A little. OK. Not really. But he knew Amber would be up for it.
“He seemed like a fun guy, so I bet the party is going to be awesome.”
