Tys 21st Birthday （33）

"So, where we going, anyway?" Ryan asked, having just gotten out of the showers and beginning to get dressed at his stall. Even though they'd lost, it'd been a great welcome-back game for him: plus four, no stupid penalties, and Coach Reilly complimented him on his speed, on which he'd been working to improve to the point of exhaustion.

"Hayes wants to check out Excel," Kasic told him.

Ryan gulped. "Great."

"What? Not a fan?"

"It's…fine. Just some memories there I'd rather not have."

"Well, that's where the birthday boy picked. Hey, you looked great tonight, man. You've been working on your speed, eh? Definitely shows, kid."

"Thanks. Had nothing but time out in Worcester. You know they scratched me every single game? Such bullshit."

"Oh, tell me about it. I told you, happened to me, too. Sellars is a fuckin' dickhead, for real. ‘Jonathan,'" he began in a mocking tone, "‘this is a professional organization, and this type of behavior is highly frowned upon.' Yeah? How ‘bout you frown upon deez nuts?"

"That's actually pretty spot on, man. So, why'd you get sent?" Ryan asked, then realized maybe he was overstepping. "I mean, you don't have to tell me."

"Nah, it's good." He looked around, making sure no one was within earshot, then leaned into Ryan and spoke softly. "It's not, like, common knowledge, so just keep it on the DL. But you know how Nick's the athletic trainer?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he's new. The old one quit halfway through the season last year after finding out that I banged his daughter and her friend at a party. They told me they were 21. Turns out, they were more like 17. He had a fuckin' fit, understandably, and came after me. I tried reasoning with him, apologizing, but he wouldn't stop. So, I ended up beating the shit outta him. Only a few of the other guys know about it." He shook his head, sitting down to put on his shoes. "It's always somethin' in this locker room, Baylor. You'll figure that out if you haven't already. Hastings is a saint, for real. I'd have fuckin' murdered us all, hid the bodies, and started over by now."

At that moment, Hayes came bounding through, a bottle of Canadian whisky in one hand and one of the coaches' bullhorns in the other. "Bus leaves in 10 minutes, bitches!" he yelled.

"You don't need to yell into a bullhorn, you fuckin' idiot," Seggy complained.

"And you," Hayes spoke into it in a normal tone, "don't need to fuck your teammates' fiancés."

"If it wasn't your birthday, I'd kick your ass, you mouthy little shit!"

"You ain't gonna do shit, bitch!" Hayes turned the bullhorn off and put it down next to Ryan's stall. "You ready, Rook? Gonna be a wild fuckin' night. Got a party bus, reserved a spot in the VIP lounge with full bottle service."

"Damn. Went all out, huh?"

"Yup. Figured what better way to spend those paychecks from the two NHL games. I mean, that and payin' my mom's mortgage for three months."

Ryan smiled. "You're a good dude, Hayes."

"Fuckin' right I am. Can't take it with you when you're dead, eh?" He took a swig out of the bottle and pulled out his phone. "So, Mar's gonna meet us there. I think she's bringin'…"

Ryan had an instant hot flash.

"…that chick Dani from her work. The gray-haired bitch with the huge cans? I swear, I'd hook up with her just to get my face in between those fuckin' things." Hayes offered the bottle to Ryan, who took it and immediately began chugging. "Yo, slow down, killer," Hayes said, snatching it back. "This is my night to get carried back to my apartment, not yours. Come on, let's get outta here."

???

Amara approached the VIP entrance to Excel cautiously, as memories of her and Ryan's night here crept across her consciousness and parked themselves at the forefront of her thoughts.

It's not gonna happen again. It was one time, and it's done and over with, she told herself, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to stay warm. December in Connecticut was no joke, nothing like Seattle. Even with the absurdly thick puffer jacket she had on, she was pretty sure her eyeballs were going to freeze if she didn't get inside soon.

"Um, I think you might be in the wrong line."

Amara turned around to find two younger girls, wearing next to nothing and shaking like crazy from the cold, staring at her. "This is the VIP entrance. The regular one is," one of them said, pointing, "over there."

She rolled her eyes and turned back around, moving up towards the bouncers. "Amara Hayes. Here for my…son Tyler," she told them, certain she knew him well enough to know that his smart ass had listed her as his mother. They quickly scanned the list, placed a pink wristband on her arm, and let her through. "Goddamn. Welcome, Mama Hayes!"

She turned to the two girls, stuck her tongue out, and flipped a gloved middle finger before turning and heading inside. After checking her coat, she headed upstairs into the VIP section and scanned the crowd for anyone she knew. The music was so loud she could feel it in her bones, and she was pretty sure it was still the same exact garbage song that had just been playing on repeat since the last time she was here.

Her hair twisted into a high bun and wearing a blue, long-sleeved, knee-length bandage dress paired with silver heels, she stepped over to the railing that overlooked the dance floor. She immediately spotted a crowd of about eight blondes, and sure as shit, there was Ryan, smack-dab in the middle of them with his shirt completely unbuttoned and attempting to dance. "Of course," she said aloud, shaking her head, and watching them take turns pawing at his abs.

Dani had bailed at the last minute, which was a bummer. One of her kids was sick and her husband got called into work. "Trust me," she'd told her on the phone. "If there was any other option, I'd take it. Sorry, baby girl. Have so much fun!"

Though she tried to deny it occasionally, she knew she was way too old for this shit, for this scene, and times like this reminded her of it. The boys were young and could hang. They drank too much? A good puke, nap, Red Bull, shit, and a BLT later, they were back to almost 100 percent. She drank too much? The next three days were like tiptoeing through a fog-covered alternate reality. She'd much rather be out on one of her coffee dates with Jake than here.

Jake.

She'd been seeing him for about two weeks, having had their first coffee date on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when he'd picked her up after her shift at The Bull. He was 47, divorced, gorgeous, and the partial owner of a construction company with a few friends of his. They hadn't had sex yet, but they'd made out a little outside her apartment door after their second date. He'd ridden the elevator with her after she'd invited him up, but to her surprise, he'd quickly put a stop to it.

"What's wrong?" she'd asked, as he'd pulled away from her.

"Nothing. It's just, I don't meet many women I like, Amara. And I'm really enjoying getting to know you. I think it'd be better if we just took things kinda slow. That's all. In my experience, sex kinda…complicates things."

"Tell me about it," she'd added.

"So, let's behave then, OK? There's no rush." He'd kissed her on the forehead and promised to call her the next day, which he did.

She'd gone inside, half-grateful that he was such a gentleman, but also half-annoyed because she'd really wanted it. As much as she enjoyed being with both Ryan and Tyler, there was something about a good-looking older man's swag with which they just couldn't compete.

She'd started towards her room when there was a knock at the door; figuring it was him having changed his mind, she opened it without looking.

"Oooh, I saw that."

"Ugh, you're a literal stalker." She'd opened the door and Tyler had followed her inside, closing it behind him.

"What? I was comin' by to see how your little date went. Lemme guess: more coffee? Riveting conversations about your favorite color?"

"You know, there's this little thing called a phone," she'd teased, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. "You could've just texted me."

"Guessing it didn't go well since you're in here with me instead of blowin' him right now, eh?" he'd said, helping himself to a glass of water from the fridge.

"No, it went really well, actually. He just wants to wait to have sex, that's all. I'm pretty sure that's called being a gentleman."

"Well," he'd said, finishing the water, setting the glass down next to the sink, and approaching her. "I wouldn't know the first fuckin' thing about that. You all torqued up from kissin' him?" He'd backed her up against the counter and reached for the waistband of her pants, unbuttoning them.

Impulsively, she helped him get them off, as he'd scooped her up by her ass and set her on the countertop. "Hey," she'd told him, running her hands up his chest and across his shoulders. "I really like him, so this? Might have to stop soon."

"I get that," he'd said, shedding his pants and kicking them off. "But soon ain't right now. So shut the fuck up, kiss me, and let's get some cum all over this countertop."

She grabbed the railing and leaned back a little, closing her eyes. She'd fucked Tyler three more times over the past two weeks, but she knew it had to stop, with both him and Ryan. She hadn't expected to find someone else by whom she was so intrigued, but life, as it had a habit of doing, had made other plans for her.

Either way, she really didn't wanna screw things up with Jake.

A hand on her shoulder snapped her back to the present, and she spun around to see Ty with a drink in his other hand. "It's Jack. That alright?" he yelled over the music.

She smiled. "Of course. Thanks." It was his birthday, and he showed up by her side immediately with a drink for her. He was way more of a gentleman than he even realized.

He handed it to her and leaned in for a quick kiss. "Thanks for comin', Mom," he teased, as the super-hot cocktail waitress came by and asked him if they needed anything. "Nah, we're good, Heather. Thanks, baby."

He and Amara both turned back towards the railing and focused their attention on the dance floor.

"You hammered yet?" she asked him, taking a few quick sips of her drink, hoping to get there soon herself.

"Yep. Slowin' down for a bit. Been rippin' whisky since the arena. Not tryin' to be a fuckin' hot mess just yet."

"Too late for that," she teased, looking over at him, but his eyes didn't budge. He was still hyper-focused on the dance floor. She leaned over to his ear so she didn't have to yell as loud. "You should just go for it with him."

He shot her a look like she was crazy, pointing down at him. "Yeah, well. He's a little preoccupied at the moment." A few other guys had joined him and distracted some of the girls, but he had begun grinding with two of them, one in front of him and one behind him, and their hands were exploring all of his body.

"You know he's an attention whore. I'm telling you, he feels it, too."

Ty leaned into her ear. "And so, what? I just go down there, grab him, and start makin' out with him in the middle of a crowded club in front of our entire fuckin' team? That'll go over real well."

"That's not what I said. But if you invite him over later tonight, I guarantee you he shows up."

"Alright, fuck this," he said, turning away from the railing and grabbing her by the hand. "I'm ready to be a hot mess. Shots?" he asked, leading her back towards their table and sitting area in the lounge. They sat down together and he flagged Heather, ordering two shots of Jaegermeister, which arrived within a minute.

"Oh my God," she complained, picking it up and sniffing it. "People are still drinking this? You know how many nights this shit had me on my literal deathbed?"

"Oh, suck it up," he said, clinking her glass and throwing it back. A couple of the other guys waved Hayes over to where they were standing. "Hey, I'll be back, OK? Anything you want, let Heather know. It's all paid for, babe."

She watched him walk away, slammed the shot, and sucked down the rest of her Jack, promptly ordering another when Heather came around again. She was starting to feel pretty good, but, as usually happened at these things, she found herself alone again. Since the outside sitting area was closed due to the weather, she grabbed her phone from her clutch and decided maybe it'd be fun to send Jake a few flirty texts.

A: What are you up to, sexy?

J: Lying here, thinking about you, actually.

A: Good to know. Thinking about you, too.

J: Can't wait to see you again.

A: Out with some friends right now. What if I swing by afterwards? We can, you know...talk. Or something.

J: Was trying to be a good boy, but you're making it really hard. In more ways than one.

J: Text me when you're on your way.

She'd just finished her drink when Ty came back over, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. "Come on, let's go dance. I know I'm fuckin' terrible, but it's my birthday, so you can't say no."

"Ugh, fine," she complained, following him as he led her towards the stairs and stopped at the top of them.

"Maybe you should take the lead," he slurred, swaying a bit.

"Hey: no coke tonight?" she asked.

He shook his head no.

"Good. Keep it that way."

"Yes, Mom."

She pulled his hand and led him down the stairs to the first floor of the club. When they got there, he sauntered behind her with his hands around her waist, and she noticed a lot of eyes following them as they made their way out onto the dance floor. They carved out a little spot for themselves and he immediately grabbed her, pulling her hips into his and moving them against her in time with the music. Her hands wrapped around the back of his neck, and she pressed her forehead against his chest, looking up at him periodically.

"So, how's your little boy toy? You guys fuck yet?" he yelled into her ear.

"First of all, my little boy toy would be you, considering Jake's almost 50. And second, wouldn't you like to know?"

"You like him, eh?"

She nodded. "I do. A lot."

"So, soon I'm not gonna be able to do this anymore, right?" He reached a hand down under her chin, forced her face upwards to meet his, leaned down, and kissed her. She knew a lot of people were watching, but she didn't care; she ran her hands up his arms, through his hair, and kissed him back.

For a while.

"Maybe you won't want to anymore if things work out with a certain someone," she said after he'd finally broken the kiss.

"I'll never not want to. But I'll do whatever I gotta do if it means you're gonna be happy."

She blushed, pulling his ear down to her mouth. "You do know there's a ridiculously tiny part of me that's madly in love with a ridiculously tiny part of you, right?"

He nodded. "Same."

"Just making sure."

"So, you really think I should go for it with Rook?"

She nodded vigorously. "You two are seriously hot together. I could watch you guys kiss forever."

"What if he's not feelin' it?"

"He's feelin' it, Ty."

"But what if he's not?"

"One way to find out, right?"

They danced for a little while longer, when Tyler decided he wanted to go back upstairs because he could no longer see straight. The two of them held hands as she led him off the floor and towards the stairs. She happened to look up at where they'd been standing against the railing earlier and locked eyes with Ryan. She wasn't sure how long he'd been watching them, but he nodded slowly, then shook his head.

"Shit." She could sense he was pissed. She snagged Osi, who happened to be passing by at that moment. "Hey," she called, grabbing him and giving him Ty's hand. "Get him back upstairs, OK? He's ripped up." She kissed Tyler quickly on the cheek. "Happy birthday, you fucking stud. I gotta go."

She made her way quickly towards the coat check, threw it on, left the club, and prepared for the freezing, 15-minute trek back to the apartment. She'd seen that look in Ryan's eyes before, and it meant he was prepared to start some shit. Knowing he would follow her out of there, she left, ensuring that he wouldn't stay and fuck up Tyler's birthday. She tried to get just enough ahead of him that he didn't catch up to her so they could hash it out at home instead of outside in the freezing cold.

No such luck.

"Hey, wait up!" he called, jogging to catch up with her. "Um, so what the hell was that tonight? Still just friends?"

Here we go.