The Hardest Fall

“I’m not holding you up. I’m a paying customer just like everyone else in here.” He looked over his shoulder, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking her way again. Zoe was up and leaning over the table to pull her friend up. All three of them made their way toward the small square section in front of the TVs that most of the customers saw as a makeshift dance floor. There were maybe seven, ten people already dancing. “Despacito” by Fonsi started up for the thousandth time that night, yet somehow, it’d never sounded as good as it did just then.

“Who are we watching?” I hadn’t even noticed Chris and Benji had joined us and were already looking over their shoulders until Benji spoke up. I was never going to live this down, yet that knowledge did nothing to pull my eyes away from the trio I was watching.

“Is that…your roommate?” Chris asked before JP or I could answer.

“In the flesh,” JP answered for me.

“Nice ass, man,” added Benji, our starting linebacker.

I shot him an irritated look, but his head was still turned away. All three of them were watching it unfold, and there was nothing I could do to stop it without looking like a complete asshole.

Zoe was slowly swaying her hips side to side, and her lips were mouthing the words to the song with Justin Bieber. Her girlfriend didn’t look as enthusiastic about being on the dance floor, so Zoe grabbed her hands and forced her to move with her. She laughed and twirled under her friend’s lifted arm and managed to pull her farther away from the edges of the tables. When the girl finally started to get into it, laughing along with her, a satisfied Zoe nodded and let go of her hands. Next thing I knew, the guy—her possible boyfriend—lined himself behind her and they started swaying together, all the while singing and smiling. Maybe I didn’t like Fonsi and Justin Bieber all that much after all.

Then both girls started to dance around the guy, their fingers walking all over his chest, all three of them singing and laughing. Zoe stopped when she had her back against his chest, the other girl did the same when she was at his back, and then as if they’d timed it, they swayed their hips to the beat in small, barely there movements, mesmerizing everyone watching them—my horny friends weren’t the only ones staring. They started to drop down, sliding their bodies all over him. Zoe lifted her hands and that simple white t-shirt that said Live It Up on the front rode up, displaying a few inches of the creamy skin of her stomach, not just to me, but to everyone who was watching them. My jaw clenched.

When Benji let out a groan, I hit my palm on the bar, hard enough to get the attention of my teammates and some of the other customers.

Their heads turned to me in surprise. “Can I get you guys something or are you just here for the show?” If my question had come out as a snarl, I had no control over it. “If you’re not here to drink, move to one of the tables, or maybe just head out since we’re pretty full tonight.” JP opened his mouth, but I lifted a finger in his direction. “Don’t even think about it.”

He raised his hands in surrender but didn’t quite manage to wipe the grin off his face. “This song is lit as fuck, that’s all I was gonna say.”

Chris eyed JP with interest but wisely didn’t make any comments before turning his gaze on me. “When is your next break? We need to talk about our training schedule this week.”

Benji pushed at Chris, fucking up his balance on the stool. “Dude, are you serious? It’s the first day of the bye. Take a day off for fuck’s sake.”

I had to force my eyes to stay on Chris and not look for Zoe as the damn song finally ended and an old Shakira tune started up. I was too chickenshit to glance her way. I sighed and ran my hand over my head as I exhaled a big breath. “Tomorrow I’m sleeping in, man. I’ll be in the weight room at nine AM, but not a second before that.”

“So you’re sleeping in one extra hour? That’s not sleeping in, dude. You guys are crazy. I’m taking a day to myself and sleeping in the whole day. I’d like to think I deserve my beauty sleep.”

JP snickered. “As if you have the balls. Coach would kick your ass straight to the end zone the second you showed up late to the meeting.”

Benji told JP to shut up with a grumble and turned to me again. “At least tell me you’re coming to the party they’re having at the frat house.”

“When is it? Tomorrow night?” I asked.

“I can’t believe I’m friends with you three. How do you not know about tonight’s party man?”

“Dylan, three pints—stat!” Chuck yelled out the order then disappeared back into the crowd.

I raised my hands up. “As you can see, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here every night this week. I need to pick up more hours.”

Benji got up with a huge sigh. “Okay, I’m done. You’re killing my buzz like no other. I’m leaving.” He looked at Chris and JP. “You guys coming or are you gonna hang out with this loser?”

Chris was the first one to follow his lead and get up. “I’d rather have stale beer at the frat than go home tonight. I’m gonna crash at Mandy’s place.” He rapped his knuckles on the bar top. “I’ll meet you in the morning?”

I finished filling the pints and placed them on a tray, ready to be taken out to the floor. “You’re on again with Mandy? When the hell did that happen?”

“We’re not on on, exactly.”

“What do you call crashing at her place? Don’t tell me you’re gonna sleep on her couch when you’re there.”

He gave me a one-shoulder shrug and his mouth curved into a satisfied smirk. “Just testing the waters to see if it’s time to be on again. See you tomorrow, man.” The relationship he had with his dad, our coach, was strained at best, and whenever he felt like he needed space, he was never in need of a place to crash.

Chris was the quiet one in our group. He was the team captain, a good leader out on the field, but when it came to socializing with people, he preferred to stay back. There was always a throng of girls following him like lost puppies, dying to get the quarterback’s attention, but he was more like me on that front than JP. However, unlike me, he didn’t mind random hookups, but even that only happened during the off-season, not when our future hinged on how we did this season with all the eyes we had on us, not to mention the combine was right around the corner.

“Yeah, see you.” Chris followed after Benji, who was chatting with some of our teammates on his way out, leaving me alone with JP. “What?” I asked.

“Just one question.”

I sighed. “What is it?”

“Do you like this girl?” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

“We’re just friends, JP. Not sure how many times I need to tell you that.”

“Yeah, sure. I get that, and friends are good, but…” He hesitated. “Trust me…not trying to get all sappy on your ass, but you deserve to have some fun, man. If not now, when will you? You know what they say: work hard, play harder. If you want her…” Wisely, he left it at that. “Just think about it, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I guess you tuned out the part where I said she has a boyfriend.” I neglected to mention that I was in fact very interested in Zoe Clarke and was only waiting for the right time to make my move, a time when she was unattached and uncomplicated—though maybe I was already too late after all.