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“Are you drunk? I hope I was one of them, baby doll!” he retorts. I glare at him, trying to suppress my smile, neither confirming nor denying it, but failing miserably. This earns me an award-winning smile from him.
He asks, “You want to go to Drai’s after this? The two teams are going, you guys can come with me! Plus, you won’t have to be the third wheel anymore,” he jokes, pointing over to my best friend and brother.
I laugh and nod at him, “These two have been at it all night! I’ll go anywhere to not be the third wheel anymore!”
“Anywhere?” he says, a cheeky grin on his face.
“Within reason, Knox! I’m not like the girls you know!”
He smiles at me, nodding, “I know you’re not, baby doll, you’re much better!” he says genuinely.
“Woah, woah, wait! Did you just compliment me?” I’m shocked that those words actually came from his mouth.
He grins and shrugs, “Don’t get used to it,” he winks. “But I have to shower, I’ll meet you here in thirty? If these two can keep their hands off each other.”
“Ok, but please be quick. I literally can’t look at them anymore without gagging.”
He laughs and hops down off the fence, jogging into the locker rooms.
Exactly thirty minutes later, he saunters out of the stadium with his gear bag draped over his right shoulder. He’s wearing a Giants cap, a red t-shirt that clings tight to his body, and a pair of blue denim jeans.
A playful nudge in my ribs drew my attention to Andy, her grin wide and her eyebrow arched in amusement. “You can stop checking him out, you know!” she whispered, her voice laced with teasing.
I rolled my eyes at her, my gaze dropping to my phone to check the time. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in my ears, but I resisted the urge to look up. I was far from sober, and I didn’t trust myself not to say or do something I’d regret. What I needed was food.
“Are you guys ready to go?” Knox’s voice cut through the noise, and we all nodded in agreement. That’s when Andy decided to make her announcement.
“Wait! We can’t go like this! I brought clothes for us! We’ll be ten minutes, tops!”
I groaned, exasperated. “You couldn’t have told me that a half-hour ago while we were waiting for Knox?” The boys laughed at our antics as Andy dragged me towards the nearest restroom to change.
Once inside, she placed her bag on the sink and handed me a violet dress paired with nude strappy heels. I stared at her, incredulous. Was she channeling Mary Poppins now?
“No fucking way am I wearing those! Kyle will literally not let me set foot in the club wearing these. Are you crazy?”
Ignoring my protests, she pulled out a bright yellow dress for herself, complete with matching blue heels. She grabbed my arm, pulling me into a cubicle to change with her.
“You’re wearing those tonight! You’ll look drop-dead gorgeous and all the football players will be begging for your attention. And don’t worry about Kyle! I’ll deal with him,” she assured me.
Despite my hesitation, I slipped into the dress and heels. After touching up our makeup, we left the restroom, ready to face the night.
As we approached the boys, their backs were turned to us. Andy whispered, “Now let’s give them attitude,” a smirk playing on her lips. We strutted over to them, the sound of our heels clicking against the tiled floor causing them to turn around.
“Uh-uh, you are not going out like that!” Kyle protested, pointing at me. Andy pushed him back, her glare fierce.
“Yes, she is. If she’s not wearing that, then I’m not going out at all,” she retorted, her gaze challenging him to argue further.
Kyle huffed, conceding defeat. “Alright, me and Andy are in this car. You two are in the other. We paid for both of them, so we might as well use them,” he reasoned.
“But why don’t me and Andy share a car and you two can share one?” I suggested, only for Kyle to drag Andy into the car and shoot me a look that clearly said, hell no.
They drove off, leaving Knox and me standing outside the entrance, waiting for our car. Knox’s gear bag rested on the curb, and he was unusually quiet. I turned to see him staring at me, his mouth hanging open. This was new.
Feeling slightly uncomfe.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I subconsciously rubbed my arms for comfort. “Knox?” I called out, but he didn’t respond. “Knox, what’s wrong? Is there something on me?” I looked down at my dress, searching for any imperfections. He finally met my gaze, shaking his head.
Our car pulled up beside us, and the driver greeted us before grabbing Knox’s bag. Knox held the door open for me, and I slid into the seat, pulling down my dress and clearing my throat. I could still feel his eyes on me.
“What?” I asked again. He let out a long breath, and I turned to face the window, watching as the city whizzed by.
“I’m going to have to fight a lot of guys off you tonight, aren’t I?” His words caught me off guard, and I turned back to him, laughing nervously.
“Why would you be doing that?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Look, I know I get extra feisty when I’m tipsy or drunk, but I promise I won’t start anything!” I assured him.
He chuckled, his ocean-blue eyes meeting mine. “I think I will be, baby doll.”
The flashes from the paparazzi’s cameras brought us back to reality. “Shit!” he cursed.
I grabbed his arm, knowing what it would look like if we both stepped out of the car together. “If we step out of this car, you’ll lose a lot of your female fanbase, and I’ll gain them as haters. I’ll stay in the car. You get out, and I’ll get the driver to take me around back, and sneak in?”
He simply replied with a firm, “No.” He swung the door open, the shouts of the paparazzi filling the air. He stood still, holding the door open and extending his hand towards me.
“Come on, baby doll, it’s alright. Just don’t say anything to them and keep walking. I’ve got you,” he reassured me, his gentle smile surprisingly calming.
I reached for his hand, shuffling across the seats before stepping out of the car. Naturally, I managed to trip slightly as my foot caught on the edge of the door.
As I grabbed onto Knox’s shoulder to steady myself, I felt his strong arm wrap around my waist, preventing me from face-planting onto the pavement.
“Falling for me, baby doll?” he teased, a smirk playing on his lips. I could feel an eye roll brewing. “Don’t roll your eyes at me,” he chuckled, causing a smile to tug at the corners of my mouth as I fought back a laugh.
“Wipe that damn smirk off your face, Carter!” I shot back, squinting against the blinding flashes of cameras as we began our walk towards the club, Knox at my side.
His hand remained on the small of my back, guiding me through the onslaught of flashing lights and screams.
“Is this your new girl, Knox?”
“Is she a girl from the game?”
“Isn’t she your best friend’s sister, Carter?”
“How much is she a night?” At that final question, Knox stopped in his tracks, spinning around to face the reporter who had dared to insinuate that I was a prostitute.