Page 82 of Brick Wall
We mingle for a bit with an open cocktail bar, and then are ushered to our seats for a formal dinner. Our club owner makes a speech, a similar one to the previous year, but we have something extra to celebrate tonight.
Not only did we win our final regular season game last night, but we also found out we won the first-round bye for the playoffs, which is a huge win. It means all our games will be played at home leading up to the ultimate game. Because of this, the holiday party is far more enjoyable, and I feel less guilty having a beer, knowing I have two whole weeks before the next game. I think a few guys feel similar to me, as many are enjoying the open bar.
I’m currently sitting at a table with guys from the O-line. Our left tackle, Anthony, is on my left, and his wife and Annie are on my right. Annie is sitting next to Scarlett with Cal on the other side of her.
I hear Scarlett laughing at something Annie said, and it makes me happy that Annie and Scarlett get along so well. It would be great for Scarlett to have more friends on the East Coast. I worry about her sometimes, especially during her transition from the West to the East Coast, but she seems to be thriving lately.
Servers place the entrée, which is surf and turf, down in front of us, and we all dig in. It’s delicious.
After dinner, the dance floor opens, which means most players are conversing with each other at the bar. There’s not much dancing at this event besides a few guys and their wives.
Annie and I start to make our way to the bar for another drink, but as we cross the ballroom floor, I turn to face her instead. “Shall we?” I randomly say, holding a hand out to her, feeling compelled to hold her close. A romantic, slow melody is now playing through the speakers, a song about two people falling in love.
Annie just nods as she takes my hand, and I instantly feel relieved to hold her in my arms. She wraps her hands around my neck, pulling me closer to her. I place my hands around her waist, letting one hand slowly drift down near her ass. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I can’t help but think how well she fits there. How well we fit together.
I take a deep breath, and all I can smell is her sweet lavender scent, making me want to stay in this moment forever. I don’t even care right now that there’s only a few other couples on the dance floor.
Unfortunately, the moment doesn’t last long, as the music switches to an upbeat dance song that I immediately dislike. Annie and I slowly leave the dance floor and head to the bar, our original destination.
At the bar, we run into Quinn and his core receivers crew. I introduce her to some of my teammates she hasn’t met yet, and we talk primarily about sports.
However, I quickly realize I haven’t gone to the bathroom in quite some time, and all those beverages are catching up withme. I gently grab Annie’s elbow with my hand and whisper into her ear that I’m heading to the restroom, and I’ll be right back. She gives me a soft smile and nods in return.
I quickly do my thing and promptly exit the bathroom door to return to Annie. When I turn the corner, I bump directly into the hyena. Dammit.
“Hi, Sebastian.” She gives me a flirty smile.
“No,” I firmly say to her, trying to sidestep her. I’m not in the mood.
She halts me in place somehow, which is impressive since I’m well over three hundred pounds. It’s probably her deal with the devil that allows her to do that.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” She bats her eyes and looks so innocent.Please.
“Don’t. Don’t stand there and act innocent. Annie is the best. Please do not talk to her tonight. Don’t even look at her,” I angrily say to her.
“Oh no, does she not like me for some reason?” she calmly questions, but then quickly snaps her fingers. “Oh! She must have misunderstood me when we were chatting in the bathroom months ago! I didn’t mean to imply that she was not good enough for you. I was telling her it was the other way around. You are clearly not good enough for her.” Athena gently places her hand on the fattest part of my body, my stomach, and pats it. “Tell her I say hello and that she looks beautiful tonight!” With that, Athena removes her hand from my belly and saunters off.
I stay in the dark hallway for a few minutes to recover from that conversation, or whatever that was.
When I return to the ballroom, I see Annie near the bar, happily chatting with our star quarterback and our star widereceiver, Myles Jones.
She laughs at something Quinn says, and I can’t help but think how good the two of them look together. Annie is about two inches shorter than him, and their body types complement each other. She looks like a model with her sparkly gold dress and her light brown hair down and glowing.
What the fuck is this beautiful woman doing with me?
You are clearly not good enough for her.
Fuck. Is Athena actually right?
I need to go lie down. I need air. No, I need to leave.
I quickly text Annie that I’m not feeling well and to enjoy the rest of her night. I don’t want to ruin her night, too.
Chapter Forty-Two
Annie
“Have you seen Sebastian?” I ask his sister by the dessert table, where she’s grabbing a brownie off a platter.
