The Rulebreaker

“They’re not settling,” Mav says with a frown.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t call getting together with a Canó sister settling,” I say. “If anything, they’re the ones who are settling.”

“They are pretty hot,” Colson agrees. “Mav’s having fun though, aren’t you?”

“It gets old,” Maverick says. “Before you know it, I’m going pro too and who am I going to share that with? More women who don’t really care about me?”

“They take care of your stick though,” Leyla says with a laugh.

“It gets old,” Maverick repeats.

I wouldn’t know. Unlike Maverick, who literally looks at a girl and melts her panties, this is difficult for me. Leyla’s right. Hanging out with him and Colson isn’t helping my cause. No one with sense is actually going to come up and hit on me when I’m sitting beside two beast hockey players. They have reputations for being party animals and having short fuses. Two things that don’t necessarily make it so that other guys our age feel comfortable. Our food arrives and we all dig in quickly.

“What about an older man?” I ask.

“Like a sugar daddy?” Colson pulls a face. “Come on, Rocky. No.”

“Men are dumb and immature at every age,” Maverick adds. “What’s the point of going for someone with more baggage?”

“He has a point.” Leyla points a French fry at Mav.

“Want to switch plates?” Mav asks me after a few seconds.

I glance over at his. He got the lasagna. I got the spicy pasta primavera, but I can’t eat all of this right now. Eating and consuming alcohol at the same time isn’t my strong suit. Because he barely has any lasagna left, I agree to switch plates.

“Why don’t the two of you date?” Leyla asks pointing a fry between the two of us. “You already act like a couple.”

“Yeah right.” I snort and focus on the lasagna in front of me, hoping no one notices my sudden discomfort.

“Rocky’s like a sister to me,” Maverick says. “That would be weird.”

Fuck. There it is. The knife in my heart that I wasn’t expecting but also doesn’t surprise me. He friend-zoned me in just six words and it hurts more than I care to admit.

After dinner, we stick around, ordering more drinks. Normally, this is when I go home. I always have to be up at the crack of dawn for practice, but since that’s been canceled, I figure I’ll give myself a rest day. Besides, Tony’s has live music tonight and I never get to catch the local bands that come in. There’s a DJ setting up who has already started playing popular hip-hop music. Soon, the tables start emptying out and are cleared away, leaving people standing in an area that has a dance floor type of vibe. There are people dancing, but not a ton. I say this to Leyla who glances over at me with a laugh.

“Not yet. Let them get another drink in their system though.” She looks over to the dance floor. “The guy in the pink shirt is absolutely going to start dancing soon.”

I laugh, finding him quickly. He’s already swaying from side to side and bobbing his head as he raps along to the music. I’m not sure he needs another drink at all. A few guys come over to our table and based on their build and loudness I assume they’re on the hockey team with Col and Mav. I know a lot of their teammates, but not all. They only invite a handful of them over to play video games and hang out randomly throughout the week and weekend. I’m not sure what the requirement for the invitation is. I also haven’t been to many of their games since I’m always so busy with my own.

“That’s Rocky.” Leyla’s voice cuts through my daydream and I blink up at her. She shoots me a stern look. “This is Brian and that’s Chase.”

“Oh. Hi.” I smile at the two guys who are standing at the head of the table. Unlike Colson and Maverick, who look like a tattooed GI Joe and his badass friend, Brian and Chase look like literal Ken dolls.

“Hi.” Brian does a gesture with his hand that’s a sort of wave, but he makes it look cool. His piercing blue eyes stay on mine and I feel my cheeks warm. “You’re the roommate.”

“I am.” My smile grows.

“No wonder they don’t invite us over.” Chase nudges Brian.

“I guess we’ll have to invite ourselves,” Brian says, still looking at me.

I continue to smile because I’m not sure what to say but Leyla steps in for me, saying, “Or Rocky can invite you.”

“Yep.” I nod, letting out a laugh.

Brian chuckles. He looks at Maverick. “Where have you been hiding this one?”

“Careful,” Maverick says, jaw twitching.

“I thought you were with Madison.” Brian’s eyes narrow on Maverick.

“I never said that.”

I look away from them and back at Leyla, shooting her a look. She hops off the high stool and slaps a hand on the table. “Keke and I will be around. It was nice to meet you guys.”