"Of course," she responds without hesitation.
"You haven't drank, right?" Simon asks Alec.
"Just one when we got here. Have you?"
"A few, yeah."
Alec breathes in, and I get lost in watching his chest rise and fall. "I could get her home and circle back to get you guys once the game is over."
"Nah, don't worry about it. We can be normal people for a change and take an Uber. It'll be fun."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. But..." Simon stands. "A word, in private?"
Alec rubs my leg before rising to his feet and following Simon out of earshot range.
"I'm sorry I ruined your night," I say to June.
She turns toward me in her chair and pulls her leg up and over onto the other. "Tonight was great. You didn't ruin anything. I was happy to have you here."
If only she knew how badly I needed to hear that. That I didn't fuck things up. That I'm not ruining her life. Because I've already ruined mine and I can't stomach the thought of making hers bad.
Through blurred vision, Simon slaps Alec on the shoulder and the two of them part but return their places in front of me.
"Ready to go?" Alec holds out his hand.
I slip mine into his and allow him to help me up, my body strangely heavy and not as responsive as I'd prefer. The goal was to numb my anxieties, not get shit-faced, and here I am, way past the point of the level of intoxication I was going for.
"Are you mad at me?" I ask Simon.
He touches my chin with his thumb and index finger. "Never."
"Okay, good. Thanks."
"Get her home safely, please," June tells Alec and then looks at me. "Call me tomorrow?"
"Yeah, duh." I snatch my phone off the chair and shove it into my pocket, but then remember I came here with a clutch. "My bag..."
Alec holds it out in front of my face. "I got it."
"You're the best."
"And you're drunk." He wraps his arm around my body and tilts his head to the door. "Let's get you home and in bed."
"Mmm. Bed." I let him guide me, shooting a wave at Simon and June on the way out.
The noise from the stadium hits me once we're out of our little secluded area, my senses blaring in what seems like every direction. "God, why are the noises and lights so bright?" I squint my eyes and recoil into Alec a bit.
"Put these on." He takes his sunglasses off the top of his head and offers them to me.
"Have you had these all night?"
"Yep."
"Oh." I slide them onto my face and the relief is instant and a tiny sobering.
Alec navigates us through the crowd, and once we're outside, a sort of continued relief washes over me. He leads us silently the rest of the way until we eventually reach the car.
