Page 33 of Flag On The Play
So I don’t speak.
Not yet.
I want to see what she does.
Roxy flags down the bartender and orders two shots of tequila.
Nova downs hers like a champ, then glances over at me out of the corner of her eye. “Hey.”
I keep my face neutral, sipping my beer. “Oh, I’m sorry, are you talking to me?”
She blinks, scoffs, and shakes her head as she turns to walk away.
Fuck. Idiot.
“Shit.” I grab her hand to stop her. “Nova. Wait. I’m sorry, alright? Don’t go.”
She looks at me, debating if I’m worth it.
“If I’m staying,” she finally says, “I’m gonna need another shot of tequila. Maybe two.”
I nod to the bartender. “You heard the lady.”
The second shot disappears just as fast as the first, and she lets out a small sigh, like she didn’t realize she needed that.
We knock back another. She licks a bit of lime juice off her thumb, and I swear my brain short-circuits for a second.
We start slow. Quiet comments. Shared looks. Snide remarks that feel more like foreplay than conversation.
“You throw a party like you play football,” she says, eyeing the crowd. “Loud, sweaty, and full of guys who think they’re God’s gift.”
I smirk. “And yet here you are, surrounded by it.”
She rolls her eyes. “Roxy and Delaney wanted to come.”
“But you didn’t say no.”
She tips her head, a teasing smirk on her lips. “Well, I didn’t say yes either. They just handed me a dress and a shot and said get in the damn car.”
“Good friends.”
“The best.”
Another drink.
“You still throw footballs better than you apologize,” she mutters.
“And you still argue better than you listen.”
“I listen fine. I just don’t have the patience to decipher your cryptic bullshit.”
“It’s not cryptic. I told you I wanted to see you. I told you I’m not the guy I used to be.”
She tilts her head. “Right, because one football party and some heavy thoughts make you a changed man?”
“No,” I say, smirking. “But you came. So either you believe me a little or you just missed the view.”
“Please,” she laughs. “If I needed to see some six-pack abs and an overinflated ego, I could’ve stayed home and watched ESPN.”
