“Oh man, don’t tell me that,” Ethan whined. “I’m not twenty-one for another four months.”
“Poor baby Walrus, afraid to sneak in?” I teased him.
“Not afraid,” Ethan scoffed. “I’ve done it before. Not on a hockey trip, because if Coach finds out?—”
I gave Ethan a playful shove.
“Hockey season is done. Relax.”
“I want to be sure I’ve got a spot next year. Last thing I need is to be on Banning’s shit list.”
“Let’s not even mention him, all right?” I countered. “Are we done here?”
“A little eager to get going?” Finn quipped.
“Damn right.”
I wanted a couple of drinks to loosen up and then I’d find my distraction for the night. Or, for an hour. Hell, given how excited I was from that win, I’d probably come in record time. Hopefully, more than once.
Everyone headed back to their rooms to change into casual clothes and then we hit the street, the frat house, and the real celebrationfinallygot underway. The chapter in Chicago was massive, with twenty-five brothers and a house that was more like a mansion than a college hangout. And the party? I lost track of how many students packed into the place; it was well over a hundred. We played drinking games and pool, then smoked on their rooftop deck overlooking the city.
But the longer the night wore on, the more frustrated I got.
Plenty of my teammates were hooking up, and now it was my turn. It was time to head on out. I scanned the room for Finn and found him and Kayden and Maddox talking with Ethan and several frat brothers.
Downing a last shot of vodka, I made my way over to my teammates.
“Hey, I’m taking off,” I told Finn.
“Already?”
“It’s after midnight, Finn, and I want to hit at least one bar before they close.”
“Okay, you want company?”
I shook my head.
“Nah, but thanks. I need to be alone for a bit.”
I’m sure some of the guys would be down for a gay bar, but I wasn’t prepared for that conversation. Not tonight. Not even with Finn. The focus was our win, and I wanted to leave it that way.
“Be safe,” Finn offered. “And text me when you’re heading back to the hotel.”
I nodded, gave my friend a hug, and said my goodbyes to everyone else.
Heading outside, I started googling local gay bars, trying to find one that wasn’t too far or too expensive.
When the name Moonbeam popped up, I dropped my phone.
CHAPTER 7
DAMIEN
“You sure you’re okay to stay here for a drink?”
It was the third time in ten minutes that Selwin asked me that question. I didn’t care what kind of bar it was, if I could get a strong drink, I was good. I hadn’t seen my friend and former teammate in person in over a year, and we had a lot to catch up on. Besides, it was a change from the usual sports bars or pubs back in Vermont. Moonbeam lived up to its name, with midnight-blue walls, velvet booths, and sparkling lights that lit up the ceiling and dance floor. And on a Saturday night, it was packed.
We’d snagged a couple of seats at the bar and settled in.
