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A tall, willowy woman steps out and bends down to grab the box.

“I found super glue in my truck and stuck it to the bottom of the box at the last minute so it would be difficult to pick up, so we could watch the action,” he whispers.

“Smart idea,” I say in the same soft voice. I wish I had thought of that. Nice touch, Sebastian. He’s already grown so much in just a few short hours.

The woman tugs at the box with no luck. She steps out of view for a second and then returns with something to open the box. It’s mostly shadows from our vantage point, but it’s enough.

“She’s opening it.” Sebastian giggles.

Tissue paper ripples through the air, and then a scream to match.

“WHAT THE—” A string of curses flies from her mouth. “Ugh, gross! Ugh, I’m stuck!”

I raise my eyebrow at the man chuckling next to me.

“Hey, I didn’t get her stuck. That was karma,” he insists.

We observe the Hyena struggle for another quick second before Sebastian turns his key in the ignition and drives off down the street.

I turn my head and survey him for a minute. Sweat is dripping down his face from that brief sprint, but his side profile reveals a permanent smile plastered on his face. The worry from earlier has completely disappeared.

“I have so much energy!” Sebastian bounces in his seat, almost hitting his head on the truck ceiling.

“Want to grab a beer?” I ask, not wanting the night to end either. My heart is still racing, and my body is on cloud nine.

“Yeah. Any preference?”

“I don’t really know any places yet.” I haven’t checked out any local spots since moving here. “Know of anywhere good for tonight?”

“I know a place. It’s pretty chill and close by.”

“Sounds great.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, we are sitting on two barstools at a dive bar somewhere near the stadium. The place is half empty, but filled with chatter and energy.

The floors are sticky, and the servers are blunt, but the beer is cold, and no one is bothering us for an autograph or even looking in our direction.

“Did you see her face?” Sebastian asks with a gigantic smile.

“No,” I say honestly. It was too dark. “Did you?”

“Yes! She was pissed!”

I’m not sure whether that’s the truth or if he just pictured her a particular way, but I let Sebastian chat for five minutes straight, retelling the entire situation we just partook in.

Man, he seems so happy and carefree now, nothing like the man curled into a ball just hours before.

We chat about a bit of everything: locker room pranks, guys in the league, terrible exes, and more.

I gesture to the bartender for another round of beer. I’ve lost count, but two pints appear in front of us.

Sebastian takes a sip and places the beer in front of him. He turns to face me and asks, “Wait, how did you know where to find me?”

“Huh?” I mumble while taking a sip of my beer.

“How did you know I was at the stadium?”