Page 105 of Drop the Gloves
Riley loved this sort of party, especially mid-season.Aside from all the team bonding, it was nice to let loose.Riley desperately needed to let loose in a way that wouldn’t result in fights or penalties or black eyes.He’d been on his best behavior on the ice (for him, anyway), like he had something to prove to Evan.The strain was getting to him.
You think you don’t have to play the way I do?Well, I can play your way too.Just watch.
So he’d dressed up in his nice khakis that made his ass look good, his fancy loafers, and a light-green button-down with short sleeves.It was the shirt that his sisters assured him brought out his eyes, showed off his arms, and that he could unbutton to be ‘as slutty as he wanted.’And then, because he’d already dressed as fuckable as he could, he decided to go the extra mile and do the little things that only Evan would appreciate: he styled his hair to show off the curls, left the day-old stubble, and used a bit of mascara to bring out his eyes.
Yes.Riley knew he had nice eyes and wasn’t afraid to weaponize them.
As he checked himself out in the mirror, he had to admit he’d done a damn fine job.
Of what?he asked himself as he put on his jacket and headed down to his car.Are you even trying to sleep with him right now?Because you probably could without the extra effort.
Showing him what he’s missing, duh.He looked at himself in the rearview mirror and winked.And that I don’t need him.
Riley had purposely gotten to Lawson’s place on the early side of things.He wasn’t emotionally equipped for taunting his kind-of-ex while sober, and he didn’t trust himself to pre-game alone.Getting drunk at your team’s holiday party was acceptable; showing up already smashed less so.
“Barzy!Welcome.”Lawson grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a hug, their arms squished uncomfortably between their chests.The bro-est of hugs that was more chest bump than embrace, as if there was some need to assert dominance or the gesture would appear too soft.Riley refrained from rolling his eyes.“You’re just in time.Woodsy is making martinis.Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.”
Riley tucked his jacket into the massive hallway closet and followed the chatter to the kitchen.
“Evening, boys,” Riley said as he stepped inside.“Somebody hand me a drink, stat.”
“Look who’s all dressed up,” Woodsy said.“You know this isn’t a club, right?No one to pick up at the team holiday party, Barzy.”
That’s what you think.
“Some of us just like to look nice.”He found a cooler next to the kitchen island and dug around for the beer with the highest ABV he could find.“You should try it sometime.”
One beer, two martinis, and a round of shots of something that tasted like ass later, Evan showed up.He’d clearly not taken the same approach as Riley, because he was wearing possibly the ugliest Christmas sweater in existence, complete with pompoms and tinsel and a strange design that Riley was a bit too drunk to understand.But Goddammit, Riley still wanted to climb him like a tree.
Which is why Riley very pointedly turned away from Evan and rounded up people for a game of pool before his dick got any stupid ideas.
Lawson, like many people with too much money and a large basement to fill, had a pool table at one end by a wet bar.The wet bar was actually nice—perfect for keeping Riley liquored up while he played—but the table was crap.Ugly brown felt, inadequate clearance on all four sides, no ball return, and cue sticks that were begging to be shaped and properly chalked.
All of which he apparently said out loud while racking with a shitty plastic rack, because Big Katie said, “You got a lot of opinions about tables.I’m just happy when I don’t have to share a cue.”
“Did you, like, major in billiards?”S’more asked, proving once again that Riley shouldn’t feel bad for him for the stupid nickname.
“If you make over 7 mil a year, shouldn’t you be able to maintain a pool table?”Riley snapped.He closed his eyes to regroup, then let S’more break as an apology.
They played more rounds than Riley cared to keep track of.The only sign he was doing well was that he got to keep playing.Half the team seemed to cycle through, either to watch or lose to Riley.But he was sobering up too much, so mid-game he passed his cue off to Dalty and disappeared back upstairs to find food and booze.Lots of booze.
“Hey!Mr.Pool Shark.”
Riley whirled around (too quickly—oof, his stomach) to see Nover pointing above Riley’s head.Riley looked up and spotted the mistletoe hanging in the doorway.
“Wha?You want a kiss or something?”He pulled the massive winger in and kissed him on the cheek, just like he had to Evan a few games ago.It wasn’t half as good, but he wasn’t surprised.“Merry Xmas!”
Nover laughed and handed him a glass of water.“You should slow down.”
“It’s a party,” Riley said.He took the glass and might’ve dumped it down the sink, except Nover blocked his way to the kitchen and watched him until he drank half of it.“Happy, Mr.Buzzkill?”
“I will be happy if no one throws up,” Nover said and patted Riley’s shoulder.“Not my house, but still my team.Take it easy.”
“Take it easy,” Riley mumbled as Nover walked off.He still had the glass, which gave him the perfect excuse to head to the kitchen for another drink.Though before he took two steps, he looked up and saw Evan.Their eyes locked, and for a second, Riley forgot why he was upset.Did it matter, when Evan wasright there, and did he really care if they lasted a lifetime or one more night, so long as Riley got that last hour or two with him?
He took a step forward, then another.
“Riley,” Evan started, and Riley stopped and shook his head.
