𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐓! ʲ ᵇᵘʳʳᵒʷ

009. 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬

"I was starving," Marren groans as she cut into her steak. We were nestled in my hotel room, having a movie night. While the rest of the team and majority of the crew went out together, I texted the few friends I have asking if they wanted to have a movie night. Shayla and Marren jumped at the opportunity, but Tee politely declined. We UberEats-ed food, all agreeing on steak. I bite into mine, sighing through my nose. "This is great."

Shayla nods, dipping hers into a pile of ketchup. "Ew," I gag. "What?" She asks defensively, eating the sauce-covered meat. "So, uh, since no one else will ask, I will," she announces, taking a sip from the styrofoam cup. "Is your cousin single?"

I shake my head, dipping my own piece into steak sauce. "Nope. Married, actually." Shayla sighs heavily, hanging her head. "Who's your cousin?" Marren asks, her eyes glued to the screen. Young Ryan Gossling hung from the ferris wheel, talking to Rachel McAdams character. "Brock Purdy," I answer, stabbing the broccoli with the fork. "I can kinda see it, actually. He's a cutie," she says after analyzing my face for a few seconds.

"So, by default, I'm a cutie too," I grin, winking. "If I can't have Brock, I'll just have to have the next best thing. Talullah," Shayla sighs, placing her hand on my shoulder. I roll my eyes, trying not to smile. "You're so dumb," I laugh, pushing her off. We eat, chatting casually as the movie plays in the background. There's a hard knock at the door and Shayla gasps. "Are you expecting someone? Specifically, a 6-foot, blonde quarterback?"

I swallow the bite of steak in my mouth, placing the box on the nightstand. "No," I answer, glancing through the peephole. Tee stands there, a takeout bag in his hand, surrounded by a few members of the team.

"Guys," I whisper, turning back to the girls. "It's some guys from the team." Marren turns her head, her eyes wide. "Is Joe with them?" I shake my head, covering the peephole, as if they can see in. "Well, what are you doing, open the door!" Shayla scream-whispers, motioning to the hotel door.

I frown, throwing my hands up. I turn back to the door, smoothing my hair down before twisting the knob and pulling it open.

The groups attention lands on me and their quiet whispers come to a halt. I lean on the door, giving an awkward smile. "Wow, I don't remember ordering delivery twice."

Tee grins, trying to play cool, but there's a slight edge of something nervous behind his signature grin. "Brought you some dessert. Didn't want you to miss out on all the fun."

I take the bag from him, quirking an eyebrow. "How would I miss out, when the fun's here?" I ask, jamming a thumb over my shoulder and into the room. DJ peeks over my shoulder, examining the room. His eyes light up- "Is that The Notebook? I love The Notebook, can I watch?"

I'm a little taken aback at first, but I push the door open wider behind me. "Be my guest." DJ, followed by Tee and the remaining boys in the hallway shuffle in, unsure of themselves. "C'mon, Sam," DJ begins, nudging the ridged man. "Don't tell me you're too cool for The Notebook." Sam shifts uncomfortably, taking a seat on the open couch. Tanner looks around the room, seemingly searching for something. "Is there something wrong, Tanner?" I ask, scooting Tee's legs out of the way so I can sit back down on the bed.

"Is Joe not here?" he asks, his brows furrowed. I carefully eat the last bite of my steak, putting the plastic fork in the box. "No, why would he be?"

He sits beside Sam, shrugging. "Just, you know..."

Shayla shushes them, her eyes glued to the screen. "Who cares about Shiesty when young Gossling is right there?" The guys start laughing, the conversation quickly picking up. The mood is light, and we must eventually get too loud, because there's another knock at the door.