Chapter Four
I needed this night out.
I always did- I wasn’t good at sitting at home doing nothing, as last night had reminded me. I’d visited my parent’s house after I got the news, trying to find something that made me feel at home and normal and not as though I might be about to change everything in my life forever. But all it had done was remind me why I might want to leave in the first place.
I pushed those thoughts from my head, and slipped into a shower- ah, the water pressure was good for once. I had lived in this place since I left home, even though I could probably afford somewhere nicer by now. I was a creature of habit at my very heart, and besides, moving somewhere new would be a hassle.
Just like moving to Philadelphia would be. I had tried to keep the decision out of my brain since the night before, determined to keep focused on training and everything else until I felt like I knew for certain one way or the other- but it was hard. I’d slept badly last night, tossing and turning as I went over the implications to each decision in my head. I was bad at this. Which was why I planned to go out and get utterly wasted tonight.
I climbed out of the shower, got dressed, and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. And I would get to see that cute journalist again. I was surprised when she agreed to come out with us, doubly so when she raised her eyebrows and shrugged and said that I could take her there. I’d noticed her watching me in training- and hell, I was watching her straight back. I knew practically everyone in this town, and having some fresh blood was…exciting. She was exactly my type, too- short, dark hair, blue eyes. Some of my teammates always teased me, because they thought that I tended to go for women who looked just like me- well, call me a narcissist, because I was seriously into this Emily woman.
I stepped outside and rubbed my hands together-it was freezing out, and it was only just past the last month of summer. Where had all that hot, hazy heat gone to? I climbed into my car and turned the heating up as high as it would go, and then realized that I had no idea what apartment she would be staying in. I guess I would just have to go up and down the street a few times and hope for the best- that was, if she hadn’t chickened out by now, of course.
To my surprise, I found her standing on the street, wrapped in an enormous grey jacket, by the time I came around. I leaned over to the window, winding it down and gesturing to her.
“Hey, Emily!”
She jumped a little, and turned towards the sound of my voice- she flashed me a grin as she slipped into the front seat next to me. The rest of the street was dead, which was a relief- I knew if anyone caught be picking up this new chick, it would be the talk of the town.
“Thanks for giving me a lift,” she placed her hands over the heaters to warm herself up. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” I responded, and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on, quit with the mysterious crap,” she ordered, her voice playful but firm. “Or I might just jump out right here.”
“Alright, alright,” I sighed. “We’re going to Dino’s.”
“And what’s so special about Dino’s?” She looked out the window, taking in the streets we were passing through. I wondered how long she’d been here- and how long she’d be staying.
“It’s just been our bar for a long time,” I explained. “They let us drink for free there after matches and it can get…pretty wild.”
“Oh yeah?” She leaned towards me, interested, and I noticed that she was wearing a skirt- it eased up over her legs to expose he knee, and I wondered how she would react if I reached out and put my hand on her bare flesh. I shook the thought from my head and turned my eyes back to the road.
“Yeah,” I shrugged. “Fights, hook-ups, that kind of thing.”
“What- all taking place at this bar?”
“Yeah,” I flashed her a smile. “Sometimes, uh, on the bar.”
“You serious?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Well, after everyone else has gone,” I replied. “It’s just…you’re going to be in for a wild night, I promise you that.”
“I come from the city, I’m sure I’ll be alright,” she dismissed me playfully. Our eyes met in the mirror, and I raised my eyebrows.
“That sounds like a challenge,” I remarked.
“Maybe it is,” she shot back.
“What kind of shit did you get up to in the city, then?” I wondered aloud. Apart from when we travelled for matches, I hadn’t spent a full night anywhere but here. That said, I’d heard some pretty incredible stuff about the urban nightlife around these parts- maybe she could give me the inside scoop.
“Oh, everything,” she shrugged. “Anything you could imagine, really. And then some.”
“You’re not giving me any details,” I pointed out.
“I’m trying to keep some kind of professional demeanour,” she protested.
“Might as well give that up now.”
Suddenly, we were outside Dino’s- I pulled us up to a halt in the parking lot, and could already see that the guys had got the party started inside. Emily cocked an eyebrow as we got out of the car, taking in the mish-mash of voices and music and the clink of glasses.
“You ready?” I dared her, and she lifted her chin and met my gaze.
“For anything.”