The rest of the team cheered. Naomi slipped her hand into mine as we made our way inside. The place was crowded with typical weekend traffic. Since we were in enemy territory, there were quite a few Westbrooke Angels fans around. They gave us dark glares as we claimed booths and spots at the bar.
“You really okay to hang around for a bit?” I asked when I pulled Naomi close to me, so she stood between my legs. I chose a spot at the bar to keep close to the guys. They needed a babysitter when it came to drinking and I assumed the role since I’d given up drinking.
“I am,” Naomi assured me as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her fingers played with my tangled, wet locks. I took a quick shower before we left the arena because I knew we wouldn’t be going home until early tomorrow morning, and I still wanted to hold my girl close before then.
“Who did this for you?” I rubbed the smudged Mendell green and gold on Naomi’s cheeks. She looked like a proper fan with her flag-waving and painted face.
“The girl’s hockey team. I ran into them before the game,” she explained. “It’s cute, right?”
“Very.” I tightened my grip around her waist, kissing her cheeks and then her mouth.
The guys around us started whistling and cheering like the childish bunch they were. I blocked them out and continued to kiss her. Naomi smiled against my lips, distracted by my teammates. I could feel her heart racing when I placed a hand on her back to hold her close.
“Relax,” I said with annoyance in my tone when my friends continued to pester us. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do?”
Naomi kissed my forehead, trying to urge the wrinkles to disappear. I hummed at the effort, redirecting my attention back to her.
“I like when you kiss me like that,” she whispered. “Makes me feel like I’m yours.”
“You are mine,” I murmured, and massaged circles on her hips. “Aren’t you?”
Naomi nodded, looking pleased. “And you’re mine?”
“Without a doubt.” I playfully nipped at her neck because I wanted to hear that beautiful laugh. It’s strange to think that was something I only heard through my computer speakers at one point. A mic could never do justice capturing her delicate pitch. Nothing came close to watching her lean her head back as she giggled.
For the rest of the night, I tried to be social because Naomi insisted. I’d much prefer to slip into a booth and escape with her for the rest of the night. The guys on the team seemed to appreciate her presence, though. Lincoln and she led the charge in drinking games. Henrik downed Naomi’s drinks for her when she said she couldn’t take another sip. I watched them all, smiling more than I thought humanly possible for one night.
The longer we stayed out, the more crowded the bar got. I paid little mind to the newer arrivals. My team and Naomi took most of my attention. At some point in the night, I got separated from Naomi. Lincoln was throwing up in the parking lot. Henrik needed help with keeping him sitting upright.
“He’s back!” Lincoln cheered when I waved a water bottle in his face. “Finn, the Destroyer of Greates is back.”
I sighed and opened the bottle for him to have easier access to the water. “Drink, asshole. You’ll get alcohol poisoning.”
“I should have followed you that night,” Lincoln lamented between gulps. I was still holding the bottle, pouring the liquid into his mouth. Henrik laughed at the sight. Henrik was a humorous drunk. Any and everything was funny to him.
“I would have had your back,” Lincoln continued, and then grabbed my collar to pull me closer.
“Whoa.” I winced at the smell of his breath. “Relax, would you?”
“Tonight, I’ll stay by your side,” he slurred before letting go. “The Greates are upon us, but I will remain faithful.”
I snorted when he fell back onto a small patch of grass. Henrik’s laughter multiplied. I smiled a little because I suppose the entire ordeal was a bit silly.
“Ever faithful.” Lincoln punched the air with his fist. “Hoorah.”
“I think it’s huzzah,” Henrik teased.
“Huzzah,” Lincoln tried again.
I rolled my eyes and gave the bottle to Henrik to finish off. “Watch him. I’m going to get everyone else. We need to get out of here.”
Henrik nodded. He took his new job seriously and flopped onto the grass next to Lincoln. They both started laughing at how the stars looked in the sky. I glanced up, shaking my head. Everything looked perfectly normal. They’d gone off the deep end for sure.
When I went back inside to round up whoever I could find, I realized instantly something was off about the crowd. It hadn’t escalated to shouting yet, but by the time I pushed through the throng of people, I heard Sam’s slightly raised voice. He wasn’t too drunk to speak coherently. As he stood in front of Naomi, he looked sober. He blocked her from a pair of guys who were roughly the same height and possessed features similar enough to indicate they were related.
“Hey, are you alright?” I asked, grabbing onto Naomi’s arm, and pulling her into my chest. She was shaking, eyes wide with fear. My jaw tightened, and I was instantly ready to hurt whoever did this to her.
“It was…a misunderstanding. Can you stop Sam?” Naomi begged. My friend refused to back away from the guys as they stepped closer to him, too. This wasn’t deescalating anytime soon.
