Page 56 of The Flirty Forward

“Good old Chloe,” I mumble. “I’m ready to go; just tell me when you’re ready,” I say as I pull out my laptop.

He looks up at me and runs his gaze over me. “You’re not changing for the game?”

“Wasn’t planning on it. And yes, I know I’m too dressy for a game. Brielle always tells me.”

“You can wear whatever you want; you always look amazing.” He puts his water glass in the dishwasher. “Let me go change; I’ll be ready to go in five.”

I watch him go and look down at my outfit again. Maybe I should change. I sigh and stand up. In my room, I find the jersey that Sebastian gave me. Trying not to overthink it, I pull it on over a long-sleeved white t-shirt and slide into dark-wash jeans and a pair of sneakers. I leave my hair down since it’s already time to go. I grab my wallet and phone and head out to the living room. “Come on, Casanova,” I call out when I don’t see him in the living room.

He comes out a minute later with a smirk on his face. He stops when he sees me, and a slow smile forms on his face. “You’re wearing my jersey.” His voice is low and husky.

I scowl at him. “Don’t overthink it; it’s the only jersey I have.”

“I think I will overthink it because that’s my name on your back,” he says stepping towards me.

“Yeah, and how many other countless people wear your jersey to games?”

“Yeah, but they’re not you,” he says, taking another step closer.

“I think you need to take more pain pills,” I tell him. He stops advancing and frowns. “Because you’re obviously not thinking straight.” I grab my purse and laptop bag and phone and head to the front door, leaving him behind. He catches up to me on the stairs. “Are you good to drive?” I ask him.

“Yes.”

We climb into the car, and I take a moment to appreciate his car, just like every other time I’ve been in it. “I need to do some work on the way. Do you mind?”

“Go for it; I’ll keep myself company.” I glance over at him and he grins. I shake my head and pull out my bag. Now that I no longer have to hide what I’m working on, I can freely type. I get lost in my work, and the drive is over before I know it. I pack up my laptop while he pulls through security for the game.

“Man, I forgot what it was like coming in at this time,” Sebastian mutters as we wait in line to get into the parking lot.

“Yeah, it’s not fun being a mere mortal,” I tell him.

It takes a little while, but we finally park. He climbs out of the car and pulls a ball cap low over his eyes. “It’s gonna be a big game tonight with a full crowd. Stay close, okay?”

I roll my eyes. “I think I’ve got it. Thanks.”

We join the hundreds of others walking towards the front entrance. “Can’t you go in through like your own private entrance or something?” I ask as we get in line.

He pulls his cap down a little further and steps close to me. “Yeah, we probably should have, but since I’m not gearing up for the game, I just decided to go this way.” He steps closer and puts a hand on my back. “I don’t know; maybe we should—” he doesn’t finish what he was going to say.

“Sebastian Hart?” somebody calls out.

I watch as people begin turning towards us. His name begins to ripple through the crowd. I feel him step close to me, his front to my back. By now, most people in line have turned towards us. Sebastian lifts his hand, and the crowd around us cheers. People begin shifting and moving towards us. “Stay close to me,” he says in my ear, his body close to mine. I’m not used to him being this close, and I start to pull away. He stops me with a heavy hand on my side. “I’m just here to watch the game with my girl,” he calls out. Within seconds, the crowd around us has grown. People ask for his autograph, and others take pictures. The crowd seems to be growing by the second, and I start to feel panicky. There’s an anxiousness to the crowd, an excitement that seems right on the verge of being something more. And then a fight breaks out. Two guys start yelling at each other. Somebody gets shoved in the crowd and somebody shoves back. And then it gets crazy. I’m knocked away from Sebastian. Panic threatens to overwhelm me in the push of bodies. There are too many people in too small a space. The guy next to me gets shoved into me, and we both go down. I hit the ground and at least three other sets of feet. Immediately, panic claws at me. I try to get back up but can’t. There are too many people.

Suddenly, strong arms wrap around me and yank me to my feet. An arm like a steel band pulls me close to a hard body, and I know that it’s Sebastian. Then we’re moving. There’s securityaround us, pushing us through the crowd. And just like that, we’re inside and out of the crowd. Sebastian spins and turns so that his broad shoulders block me from view. Then his face is in front of mine. “Are you okay?” His eyes are darker than usual, and the tension from him is palpable. I get just a taste of what it must be to play on the other side of him in a game.

“I’m fine.”

His eyes scan me from head to toe before he pulls me into his arms. It shocks me, and I hold myself stiffly, my arms dangling at my sides. “I’m so sorry,” he breathes into my hair. “I should have never brought you through that way. One second you were with me; the next, you were gone. I watched you go down and lost years off my life.” He shudders. “Tell me you’re not hurt.”

I take a steadying breath, trying to slow my still-racing heart. I tell myself it’s because of what happened outside, not because of what’s happening right now. “I’m not hurt, Sebastian,” I tell him with as steady of a voice as I can. It’s obvious he’s worked up right now.

He pulls back and looks at my face. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. You already apologized. Besides, it’s not like you did anything to me.” I look around. “We should probably get to our seats.”

“I don’t know if we should stay,” he says.

I give him my best teacher look. “We did not come this far and go through all that to leave now. We are staying for this game.”

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