13. Chapter 13

Entropy had only played a few songs before I felt the burn and wave of alcohol flow through my system. Those shots of tequila certainly didn't help. Several people in the bar recognized me and bought me more shots and drinks, congratulating me on the game tonight and that we were undefeated. And damn, I felt good and loose, especially after our win today, even though Houston hadn't been too hard to defeat.

After bringing Aspen some water, I tucked myself against a pillar to see him play up close. He was sweaty already, and his shirtless smooth skin glistened and gleamed under the harsh lights as his wavy hair got curlier from the moisture and stuck to his skin.

For some reason, Aspen searched for me, and when our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat with his broad smile and those little dimples, and I couldn't help but smile back.

Our friendship had quickly grown close. Aspen was so easy to talk to and incredibly open and honest with this charismatic vibe. He sucked me in with his charm, as he did with all the girls below the stage. Because of him, I had been rethinking how I handled my life, no longer satisfied doing what made everyone else happy, but making myself happy. I wanted to be carefree, to embrace all the possibilities. At twenty-one years old, I lived more like I was forty-one. The only thing that brought me joy was football, but life had so much more potential than that.

I was drawn back to the present as soon as Aspen started to sing ‘Hold Back the River.' The crowd grew quiet, watching him strum his acoustic guitar. The girls scooted in closer to the stage, looking up at him. Girls always looked at him, but I had yet to see him find someone. We talked about it a little while running yesterday. He seemed to have as much trouble as I did. While mine stemmed from trust issues and self-doubt, I suppose Aspen just waited for someone to literally fall into his lap. I didn't think it worked that way, but what did I know?

Aspen's face grew serious, and his eyes slid closed as his brows pinched, getting lost in the song and trying to stay on key. His voice was smooth with a slight huskiness to it, and he kept it in perfect tune, at least from what I could tell, though I was no expert. Then Ethan tapped on the edge of a drum in rhythm to Aspen's guitar.

As the beat slowly picked up and he delved deeper into the lyrics, he glanced over at me. That weird kick in my heart and stomach happened again as I watched him grow lost in the song with his dark eyes never leaving mine, and I couldn't look away if I tried. I was completely glued to him as he sang with so much emotion. Aspen was an emotive guy in general, but when he sang, you could feel what he was feeling, like he was singing right into you. His pull was magnetic as the music washed over me, and my heart kicked up a few more notches.

Something happened to me as I got lost in the song with him until I realized it was attraction. My breathing increased at the realization because I couldn't. This was only for fun, but Aspen was luring me in, and I struggled to deny it. What did that mean? I'd never once been into guys before. What was it about him that drew me in?

As soon as the song cranked up, he pulled away, instantly severing our connection like the snapping of a rubber band as it hit your hand, and I nearly gasped from it. He finished the song, singing to the crowd and the girls at his feet. I shook my head from the growing dizziness caused by the shots and beer. No, that had to be Aspen. He was so fucking charismatic. It was him and the song, and you felt it with him as he sang and played. I huffed a laugh at myself for being such an idiot and chugged the rest of my beer before walking away to order another one.

After a few more sets, Entropy ended the night playing ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl' by Jet. And the girls went nuts as he danced around on stage, bending down to sing closer to them. God, not only was he a talented singer, but he put on an amazing show. He could fucking do this for a living if he wanted. I'd heard some of his original songs that he would tinker around with, but I had no musical talent whatsoever, so what the fuck did I know?

It took the band about twenty minutes to pack up their gear as the girls kept interrupting their work to talk to them, especially Aspen. He and Mac were the only single dudes, so they got the most attention. And I just sat there with my eyes glued to Aspen, hoping… What was I hoping for? Hoping that he wouldn't pick one of those ladies and take her home. Every time he smiled at one of them, my heart stopped and my fists clenched.

Jesus, what was wrong with me? I reminded myself several times that my reaction to him was from all the drinking, but my mind kept calling me a liar.

The band finally finished packing up and made their way to the bar to order more drinks. And as Aspen walked closer to me, cool, fresh air hit my lungs and washed over me. Aspen did that. He pushed away stormy clouds and brought his sunshine with him wherever he went.

"Shit, Asp… what a fucking amazing show," I said over the music now blaring through the speakers as the crowd either dispersed or headed to the bar.

"Thanks, man. It's fucking fun up there."

"It shows. You have such a good voice and stage presence. I wish I'd seen you all sooner."

He wiped his face with a drink napkin and smiled at me. "You're here now. I'm glad you came."

"And that James Bay song… wow. Holy shit, man."

Shut up, Coop. Stop fangirling over your roommate.

He clapped me on the back like a friend or brother, clearing my head of this ridiculous assumption of my growing attraction to him. What an idiot for seeing something that wasn't there. While I was relieved, I also felt a little disappointed.

Some girls came over to talk to him, and a couple spoke to me, too. We chatted it up, and I tried to find interests or commonality to shove Aspen out of my mind, but I couldn't find anything of interest in her, which grew increasingly annoying. Did Amanda mess me up that much, or was something else going on?

Instead of letting my frustrations get to me, I wanted to take up Aspen's method of living and let things happen when they happened. If I didn't, it would fucking stress me out, but living like that didn't come easy for me after spending a lifetime trying never to make waves and please everyone.

Aspen and I did three more tequila shots with salt and lime with the girls and his friends, and my head was really spinning now, so I had to chug a bunch of water afterward.

One of the girls I talked to seemed a little worse for wear from the alcohol, too. She leaned on me, looking up with eyes as dark as Aspen's. Stop comparing women to Aspen. She had long, sleek, brown hair and was pretty, but I felt… nothing.

"You're really cute," she said.

I smiled at her and said thanks instead of repaying the compliment. Usually, I'd blush like a moron at the compliment, but alcohol dulled the senses.

"I'll be right back," Aspen said, looking back and forth at me and the girl clinging for dear life to my arm. His face was blank, and I didn't know what to make of it. "Gotta pack up Ethan's van with our instruments and shit. Hang tight."

While they were gone, I talked to the girls who had been hanging around us. Well, they did most of the talking, and I did most of the ignoring, watching Aspen move about on the stage.

Fifteen minutes later, Aspen and his friends returned, and I could breathe again.

"Let's go home," he said.

"I need to call an Uber. I didn't drive."

"Good, because I wouldn't let you drive in your condition. Sophie is driving us all home since she's our designated driver."

Sophie looked at me and shook her head. "Sorry, there's not enough room for another person. We're crammed as it is with six people and all the instruments."

I shrugged. "That's cool. You all go ahead. I'll meet you at home, Asp. I don't mind calling an Uber."

He shook his head and grabbed my arm. "Nah, man. I won't let you go home alone. I'll ride with you."

"Yeah, okay, thanks."

After his friends took off, I scheduled a car on my phone app before we headed outside. The night was balmy, but being almost October, things weren't as sweltering. 6th Street still buzzed with life, since it wasn't closing time yet. The closed-off street was packed with people wearing orange who"d come to watch our game earlier. It was strange and humbling to see all these people root for us.

"Thanks for coming to see me, Coop. I'm so happy you got to come," he said for the tenth damn time tonight.

"It was fucking fun. Once we're in the off-season, I'll be able to watch you guys play more." But would I? By next semester, I had plans to live with Bryce. After I'd gotten to know Aspen, I didn't really want to move out. I liked living there, yet Bryce depended on me. Shit. I'd worry about that all some other time when I hadn't had so much to drink.

A few minutes later, the car pulled up, and we both climbed into the backseat. Aspen sat practically on top of me, leaning over from drinking so much. I wasn't faring much better. But when his hand landed on my knee, and he idly played with some frayed strands from my ripped jeans at the knees, my heart skipped several beats. He did that to me a lot tonight.

I kept my body completely still, not wanting to move and sever this electricity coursing through me. Shit, my body had been so needy.

It didn't take long to make it home, and Aspen and I practically spilled out of the car. We made our way up three flights, and when we reached our door, I leaned against the stucco wall, watching him unlock it with his curls falling in his face.

As soon as I closed the door behind us and locked it, Aspen turned and crowded into my space, shoving me against the wood. He stood so close to me, allowing me to inhale his fresh rain and grass scent mixed with sweat and alcohol. My breath caught, staring into his dark eyes, looking up at me. No matter if you were a man or a woman, you recognized lust when you saw it.

"What?" I said stupidly before I realized my hands rested on his hips.

"It's been two weeks, Coop. I want another taste of you because you're fucking delicious. Feed me."

Holy fucking hell.

Just like that, my dick grew hard. Not only from how Aspen talked, but his words sounded desperate. He made it sound like only I could sustain him. It was a powerful sensation, and ego-boosting. No girl had ever talked to me the way he did.

I swallowed as his dark eyes tracked the movement along my throat. "What if… I want to taste you?" I asked. Did I actually just say that? I definitely wasn't a dirty talker, but I wanted to be. I wanted to be a lot of things I wasn't—brave, bold, daring, sexual.

Aspen's big, dark eyes widened as his grin grew. "That sounds even better. I wouldn't be opposed to that. Are you sure? Don't feel obligated, Coop."

God, I liked the way he always made sure I was comfortable with whatever we did.

"I want to try." Did I? The thought was a little scary. Not just for obvious reasons, like him being a man, but would I do horribly? Would I hate it and ruin the moment? Would I like it too much? Aspen seemed to fucking love it and wanted more, but I didn't live like him. He embraced life without fear. He was the trapeze artist who flipped through the air without a net while I walked precariously across a tightrope with my pole for balance, going in one direction, careful not to trip before reaching the other side.

"You got it. But I still want you, so get into my bed… or yours, and get naked while I have a quick shower. I"m all sticky and stinky."

Shit, my cock jumped behind my zipper at his demand. I should probably question things more, mainly my reaction to him, but for tonight, I couldn't be bothered. I was ready to explore more.