by Hughes, Maya
With a newly refilled bucket, Reece guided me back down the hallway. More people flowed in from the other end, coming from the lobby. His hand guided me at the small of my back. Any time I slowed down, he added a little pressure to keep me walking.
“But the exit is that way.” I craned my neck toward the steel double doors behind us.
“I know,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
He grabbed the popcorn and pressed his other hand harder into my back. As he tugged me against his side, my shoulder rubbed against his chest. I peered up at him. His green eyes darted back and forth before steering me into the flow of traffic, turning into the theater everyone else walked into.
“This isn’t our theater.” My eyes widened. Someone was going to see. Someone was going to figure out we were going into the wrong theater.
“Shh. No one will know. I’ve been dying to see this movie and it looked like you were about to die of boredom in that other one, so I improvised one of the things on your list.”
We rounded the end of the narrow walkway that led into the theater. “Which one?”
His shoulder brushed against my chest and he spoke out of the side of his mouth again. “Breaking the law.” His lips curled into a smile.
I stared straight ahead as he led me to a half-empty row of seats.
“What if someone finds out?” I swung around, nearly shouting into his chest the second my butt hit the seat.
“Then we leave.”
“What if they call security on us?”
“Then we leave.” He sat back in the seat and took over popcorn-holding duties.
My leg bounced up and down and I perched on the edge of my seat, ready for an usher to come up at any second and haul us out of the theater. Maybe make us walk through the lobby shouting that we were thieves. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I was ready for someone to show up with a flashlight shining in our eyes and the police trailing close behind. The lights dimmed, signaling the start of the previews.
Reece reached around my shoulder and tugged me fully back into my seat. “Relax, no one is coming after us.”
I sat back, the tight muscles of my body slowly relaxing, and my eyes no longer trained on the entrance to the theater, now focused on the screen. The previews played. Movie franchises I’d never heard of flashed by with their fifth or sixth installment.
The lights went down even lower and the screen was filled with more action and color than I’d seen since that one time I tried my hand at chemistry. Every explosion, quip, volley of banter, and spectacular CGI had me glued to the screen.
Every so often, I’d lean over and ask Reece a question. He was wrapped up in the movie too, but he never shushed me or shot me one of those looks, the ‘if you ask me another question I’m forcing you to write the Pythagorean theorem one thousand times’ look. Or maybe that was just my dad.
I squeezed my hand around Reece’s arm during the last battle where the reformed bad guy sacrificed himself for the hero. Wiping the moisture from my eye with the back of my hand, I looked over at Reece. He stared back at me with an odd expression on his face.
Everyone around us erupted into applause and there were even a few whistles as the credits rolled up the screen. We got up from our seats and filed out along with everyone else.
“That was better than I’d have thought.” The place radiated with a fun energy. Everyone around us talked about what the final bonus scene meant, throwing out character names I’d never heard before.
“And you got to check something off your list.” His smile made me forget my name. I wanted to feel those laugh lines against my skin, wanted to lift my head from his chest when we were both covered in sweat and have him press a kiss to my forehead.
“What do you say we mark it off one more time?” Mischief leaked into his smile, and I couldn’t hold mine back.
“Where to next, my corrupter?”
12
Reece
The music from the club shook the sidewalk. People filed in through the doors. A bouncer stood out front, checking IDs and handing out wristbands.
“I’m not twenty-one.” She dug her heels into the pavement.
Grabbing her hand, I dragged her closer. “I know. Just follow my lead.”
“He’s going to know I’m not old enough.” She spoke through clenched teeth and tried to shake my hand loose.
“He’s not.” I tugged her along.
I walked up to the front of the line. When the bouncer spotted me, his hand shot out. I clasped it and we bumped shoulders as he said, “Hey man, haven’t seen you out in a while.”
As he clapped his hand on my shoulder, my head dipped. Yeah, the partying loses its shine when you end up with two black eyes in the morning. “Been busy killing it this season.”
“Nice kicks.” He nodded toward my blue and white striped Adidas.
“Thanks, got them a few weeks ago. Listen, I’ve got a sports reporter here with me, but she forgot her ID back in her hotel. She’s doing a story about me for Sports Illustrated. Do you think you can let her in? If not, we can go back to get it, it’s just a pain in the ass. I just figured you might be able to help me out.”
I glanced over my shoulder and prayed Seph hadn’t backed herself into traffic trying to escape. He looked her up and down. Black cashmere coat, scarf expertly tucked into the collar. Dark pants and sensible footwear. Hair in intricate braids wrapped around her head hidden under that red hat. Her stuffy meticulousness was working in our favor.
I squeezed her hand to keep her from squirming and let go before he saw.
His lips tightened and he nodded, lifting the rope. “No problem, man. Head inside.”
I held out my arm, letting Seph go first. She nodded to the bouncer, but she was practically vibrating out of her skin.
The door closed behind us and she grabbed hold of my arm. “I can’t believe that worked!” She jumped up and down with nervousness radiating off her.
“You’ve got to sell it, that’s all.”
“You’re a bullshit artist to the extreme.” Her compliment hit me square on the chin like an accidental elbow that wasn’t meant to hurt but stung.
We walked inside, and she unbuttoned her coat.
I should have known there would be tweed under there.
She pulled it off and draped it over her arm like she’d just walked into a restaurant looking for the coat check. Berk hopped up and waved his arms from the far end. Being over six foot three had its advantages.
“You made it.” He punched my shoulder. “And this must be the elusive Seph. Reece has told us a lot about you.”
Seph’s gaze bounced from his to mine.
“All good things, of course. I ordered a few beers, and there’s a round of shots coming.”
“Didn’t you learn your lesson after last weekend?”
“Do I ever?” He grinned and handed out the drinks when the bartender slid them onto the bar beside him.
Seph held the glass between two fingers like it was a dirty diaper. She leaned against my shoulder. “It smells terrible.”
“It’s booze—most of it doesn’t taste too good either.” I lifted the shot glass. “Have you never had any alcohol before?”
She licked her full, pink lips. “I’ve had some wine at a couple of math department mixers. The bartenders just assume everyone there is a graduate student.”
“I can assure you this is nothing like that wine.”
Berk spun around with two shots in his hand then handed one over to LJ. “Bottoms up.” We clinked glasses and everyone downed their drink in one gulp. The strong sting of the alcohol shot straight down my throat. One was more than enough for me tonight. We’d be traveling the next day for our next game, and I wasn’t sitting on a bus for five hours with my head in a plastic bag.
Seph stared at her empty glass, inspecting it. Not a bark or a cough from her.
“You okay?” I said into her ear.
She stared back at me and licked her lip
s like she was still trying to make up her mind, testing the punch of it in her stomach and the flavor on her lips. “Can we do another one? Or maybe something with cherries?”
“Hell yeah.” Berk dropped another shot into her hand and turned to order a drink from the bartender.
LJ and I hung back and watched the two of them go drink for drink. “What’s her deal? She’s not still pissed after you almost let her drown?”
I shoved my elbow into his stomach. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
After she had two more shots and half of a bright red drink, I took the next one out of her hand and put it back on the bar.
“Wait,” she called out, grabbing the cherry floating in her glass and popping it into her mouth.
Berkley spun around with a pink and red drink in his hand, holding it out to her. “Don’t spoil her fun!”
“Pretty.” She grabbed at the frosty, sweet concoction with the stem from the cherry sticking out between her lips.
I plucked it out of her reach and slammed it into his chest. The frozen blended mixture sloshed out onto his shirt.
“Come on, man,” he grumbled, wiping at the mess.
“Let’s not send her to the hospital on the first night she starts drinking.”
She laughed at our back and forth and plucked the now knotted stem out from between her teeth.
Berk, LJ, and I exchanged a look.
LJs mouth hung open. “Did you just do that with your tongue?”
Seph’s eyes got wide and she nodded. “It took me a little longer than usual because the stem was so short. Why?”
Berk wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “You’re a freaking legend, Seph.”
My brain sputtered and sparks were probably flying within my skull. Grabbing a mental blanket, I smothered the growing flames generated by me picturing what else she could do with her tongue.
The music kicked up a level, and she spun around toward the people on the dance floor. “I’ve heard this song before.” Happiness radiated off her as she mouthed some of the words.
“Do you want to dance?” I pointed at the sea of bodies beyond the bar area.
“Dance.” She said the word like she was testing it out, something in a foreign language she hadn’t heard before. Staring up at me, she nodded. “Let me take this off though.”
Her fingers dropped to the buttons of her blazer, which had to be insanely hot in the packed club. Leather elbow patches and all, she shrugged the thing off and held it out to LJ. She smiled and thanked him when he took it. LJ dropped it onto the bar stool at his side.
Glancing over her shoulder, her fingers went straight to the buttons of her blouse. Berk and LJ’s eyes bugged out and my hand flew to hers.
“What are you doing?”
She stared at me and back down at my hand. “Taking my shirt off.” She said it like it was totally obvious that someone like her would be stripping down in the middle of a bar. When she opened it completely, there was a collective whoosh of relief that she was wearing one more layer and hadn’t lost her mind. She probably had on another tweed blazer underneath her shirt at the rate we were going.
“Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand, propelled by liquid courage, and pulled me out behind her. She popped up on her toes, trying to peer over the crowd. She looked like a curious meerkat until she actually jumped a couple times; then she just looked adorable. She searched for the perfect spot. There wasn’t much room, but she eventually found something she was happy with. Recognition lit up people’s eyes as I walked past. More than a few hands brushed against my back. Is this a meat market or a club? One and the same, I guess.
It wasn’t until we stopped that I realized what she had on. Under that thick wool and tweed, Seph wore a white camisole, the kind with super skinny straps going up and over her shoulders. It clung to her torso, which only made me want to take a closer look.
Her hands went up over her head just like any good woo girl. Shaking her hips and moving her body, she kept up with the beat of the music. I definitely wouldn’t have thought someone like her would have moves.
The gap we’d created closed as more people filled the dance floor. Someone pushed against my back and I grabbed hold of Seph to keep us both from toppling over. My fingers ran along her waist, hitting that gap between her top and the waistband of her pants when she raised her hands in the air again. Her skin was silky smooth.
“This is an amazing song.” Her grin was infectious. She danced like someone who’d been out at clubs before.
“You’re a pretty good dancer.”
“I’ve watched a few tutorials to make sure if I ever got the chance, I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.”
“You’re a fast learner.”
“At everything but swimming.” She rested her hands on my chest and her tongue darted out, running along her lips. The lights from the club streamed over us. They were strong enough to shine right through that camisole top, and I got a full-on view of her pale pink bra underneath. It was a tease that made it hard to look away, which meant there were probably other guys who were also having a hard time averting their eyes. I craned my neck at the other people dancing around us.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get your coat? You’re not cold?”
“Cold? It’s freaking hot in here.” She lifted her arms and ran her fingers through her hair. The intricate braid that seemed to be a go-to for her slowly unraveled with each drop of the beat. She wasn’t just beautiful—she was stunning.
When she finished, flowing waves of hair cascaded down over her shoulders, way longer than I’d have thought from the style. Berk popped up beside us.
“I’ve got another drink for you.” He handed it off to Seph before I could stop him. She danced away from me while she wrapped her lips around the tiny black straw, and Berk blocked my path. “Let her have her fun.” He stood in front of me.
“Yeah, let me have my fun.” She popped up over his shoulder, balancing on her toes.
“She’ll be fine. I’ll look after her,” Berk called out.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.” Trying not to let myself get too wrapped up in what she might be doing and knowing Berk would never let anything bad happen to her, I gave her some space to let the music take her wherever she wanted to go. Craning my neck, I kept her in my view. Heads turned and people watched her; how could they not?
The music got louder and louder until I could barely hear my own thoughts. Berk and Seph drifted back to me, and we met in the middle. She rocked her head from side to side, sending her hair flying with each turn and shake.
Sweat made her skin glow and her top stick to her body, making it even harder not to stare.
“Let’s get you some water.” I slid my arm around her shoulders and guided her back toward the bar.
“This is awesome. I’m having so much fun.” She was practically bouncing up and down with the happiness that only comes from being super drunk. Ordering two bottles of water, I handed one over to her. She cracked open the top and downed the whole thing in what seemed like one gulp.
Rivulets of water streamed down the sides of her face. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“How drunk are you right now?” I yelled beside her face into her ear.
“I’m not drunk at all,” she yelled back.
Pulling back, I stared at her. Flushed skin. Droopy eyes. She’d been going drink for drink with Berk, who’d slung his arms around the shoulders of two women at the bar.
“If you’re not feeling it now, it’ll hit you like a Mac truck later.”
“I’m serious. I feel good, maybe buzzed—that’s what people call it, right? But I’m not drunk.” She stood proudly with her hands on her hips like she was a superhero for the booze not hitting her already.
Spinning her around, I ran my hands over her back, lifting her shirt by the hem.
She wriggled out of my grip. Whipping around with her eyes wide, she ran her hands along where I’d touched her. �
�What are you doing?” She smacked my hands away.
“Looking for your control panel. No one has ever drank Berkley under the table, so I’m going to go with you being an incredibly lifelike android. It would explain so much.” I pinched my chin between my thumb and pointer finger, eyeing her up and down.
She stretched her arms out to her sides, nearly clotheslining a girl walking by in wobbly heels. “Sorry!” she yelped, which turned into a laugh. Slowly, she touched one pointer finger to her nose and then the other. Each gesture pushed the corners of my mouth up a little, and I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t laugh as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Say the alphabet backward.” Her eyes darted up to the ceiling and she chewed her lips. “See?” I picked up my drink.
“ZYXWVUTS…” People at the bar turned around and gawked as she rattled off every letter. “And A.”
My eyes narrowed. “Fine. It will hit you in the morning.” I took a gulp from my beer.
She squeezed her water bottle, spraying me with a thin stream of water. The cold was a welcome reprieve from the stifling heat inside the club even though it was nearly freezing outside.
“Hey!” I grabbed it from her and shot some back. It sprayed all over her with a lot more force than I’d intended, covering her face.
She gasped, covering herself with her arm. The water dripped off her skin.
I clenched my teeth together and sucked in a breath. Shit. I was probably going to get a kick to the nuts.
She dropped her arm and faced me with her mouth hanging open. “You jerk!” Her shocked face quickly changed into a smile and I could breathe again. Most girls would have freaked out about water on their face messing up their makeup or hair, but she didn’t care. Now she was out for revenge. We wrestled with the bottle, each getting the other a little bit wetter before I let her wrench it away from me.
She held it out in front of her menacingly. “You’d better be glad I’m thirsty.” She squeezed the remains of the bottle into her mouth, spilling even more water on herself.