Page 67 of Red Zone Realizations
“Glad this is home and early. We need a break after all those away games. All that travel on top of the game really takes a toll on Colin,” Chrissy laments.
“Thank God it’s a bye week next week,” Nash says, and we nod. “All the guys could use a break.”
Chrissy perks up. “We should all go out and do something fun!”
Nash and I look at each other, then back at Chrissy. Her idea of fun is fancy dresses and espresso martinis, and that’s not either of our vibes. Nash speaks up first, “We should go dancing!”
We all light up. “Yes!”
“Okay! Next Monday night, we’ll all plan to meet at Whiskey River.”
I give her a confused look. “Monday?”
“Monday is the boys’ Saturday. And it will be easier for Colin to schedule.” I nod, understanding. The team is used to a certain schedule, and just because it’s finally their break doesn't mean they will lose that routine.
I turn to Nash. “Has Wyatt ever been two-stepping?”
She tilts her head, thinking. “I don’t think so. They have country bars in Wisconsin, but they don’t really two-stepthere.” Wyatt is from Wisconsin and Nash met him when she went there to play college volleyball.
“Maybe he’ll like two-stepping and fall in love with Texas.” I try and reassure her.
The smile on Nash’s face doesn’t reach her eyes. “Maybe.”
Chrissy claps her hands a few times in a quick burst. “This is going to be so fun!”
By the time plans are made and rides are settled, the boys are in the tunnel ready to run out onto the field. After they’re announced, we made a quick run to the private restroom to be sure we are back and ready for kickoff.
I didn’t think when I met Noah that he would come with all these wonderful people. I never disliked Hunter’s friends, but we didn’t click either. Somehow, even in the short time that I’ve known Chrissy, I know that if I ever needed anything, she would come to my aid no matter what. No questions asked. If I ever got in a fight, Nash would back me up in a second. If my car was ever stranded on the side of the highway, Colin would be there to give me a ride.
Sadly, I can’t say the same for my own family.
I have no clue who here knows about my engagement. Noah could have told everyone or no one, but nobody has so much as whispered anything about me in earshot. That doesn’t mean there’s no gossip going on, but with the homey feeling I get from this group, I doubt it.
It’s time to focus all my efforts and energy into people who put their effort into me.
Spirits are high Monday night as we all gather around the marble island with a waterfall edge in Colin and Chrissy’sbeautiful kitchen. After a huge win over Tennessee yesterday, everyone is in the mood to celebrate. With a week of rest in front of them, they have plenty of time to nurse their inevitable hangovers.
Jaden is playing pop music on the aux. Everyone has their drink of choice in hand. Chrissy even had a pitcher of margaritas prepped for us when we arrived. That’s what I’m sipping on. I can easily go to vodka soda or vodka cranberry at the bar and not get too far into mixing my liquor. I look around at everyone, probably fifteen or twenty people altogether. Some of the guys brought women I’ve never met.
Nash, Chrissy, Wyatt, Colin, Noah, and I are all hanging around. I’m checking out Chrissy’s cowgirl boots, which are sparkly, of course. Nash’s look like she actually wears hers to work on a farm, and not just to dance in a couple times a year. Hers are perfect to pair with Wyatt, whose boots are in even rougher shape.
I appraise Noah over the top of my margarita glass. He usually has more of a casual city or athletic style, depending on what we’re doing, but tonight he pulled out all the stops. My eyes rove from his black ostrich boots to his Wrangler jeans, and I snort a little laugh over the top of my drink at his overly large belt buckle. I have no idea where he got that from. I’ll have to ask him in the Uber. I lick the salt off the rim of my glass to accompany my next sip as I continue my perusal, taking in the long-sleeve shirt he wears. It’s more casual compared to Wyatt’s actual pearl snap shirt, but the fabric hugs his biceps, and is thin enough to see the outline of his collarbone.
I must have lost track of Chrissy because she suddenly appears to my right carrying a black tray full of pink Starburstshots. Nash shakes her head. “No! No way!” Chrissy deftly ignores her, passing around the shots.
She looks Nash directly in the eye. “We’re going to have a good fucking time tonight. So drink the fuck up.”
Nash’s eyes dart to me, then to Wyatt next to her before she shrugs and holds the drink out for the rest of us to cheers with. Our drinks meet hers in the air then and we all tap the bottoms on the table and shoot it back. The sweet, fruity flavor hides the bite of the liquor well, and I lick the excess off my lips. “These are so dangerous!” I laugh.
Noah catches my eye with a knowing look, and I give him an innocent smile back that saysI promise to behave. I feel his smirk all the way to my toes.
I’m sure we’re a sight to see. Four Uber XLs pull up to the local country bar, and six huge dudes climb out followed by six ladies in varying states of going-out attire. Everyone is shuffling, the ladies are throwing their bags over their shoulders, the men are clapping each other on the back as we make our way up the wooden ramp toward the entrance. It’s completely empty. I guess that’s what Chrissy meant by Colin’s scheduling.
The bar is dark, but the accent lights are swirling. In the middle there’s a huge dance floor with a wooden guardrail around it for people to sit on barstools. A few Hurricane couples are already spinning their way around the sawdust floor to the country song playing over the speakers. Noah and I are standing behind Wyatt and Nash while they order their drinks.
While they wait for the bartender to grab their beers, they turn to us and Wyatt says, “When I was in college there were only two bars in the whole town. Tuesdays they had quarter night where all well liquor was only twenty-five cents.”
“I am so jealous. Houston has never seen drinks cheaper than five dollars, ever. How could you not get shit faced when it’s that good of a deal?”
