Teamwork

Tom definitely doesn't tell her that there are going to be cameras when he invites her over to the apartment. Apparently the guys are being filmed for a special on some big game they'll be playing on New Year's Day but of course Julia knows nothing about it so when a strange man opens the door for her on Tuesday afternoon, she's thoroughly confused. He lets her in without any question at all and Tom waves to her from where he's standing in the kitchen with Mike, talking to a group of men while another few strangers linger on the sofa that's somehow been turned into a huge bed.

She stays where she is by the door until Tom finishes whatever he's talking about and comes over to greet her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. It isn't until she glances behind him that she sees practically everyone in the room watching them and she blushes, pulling away from him a little. He looks over his shoulder before letting out a quiet chuckle and then he grabs her hand to tug her over to the living room. Mike joins them as Tom introduces her to their friends from back home in Toronto and he just stands there smirking like a little shit while she endures the awkward questions like is she Tom's girlfriend or are they just hooking up. Tom tells them to fuck off but that in itself is enough of an answer and then he excuses himself to retrieve his shoes from his room, leaving her there to deal with the looks.

Mike grabs her elbow and gently tugs her over to the little area at the beginning of the hallway and she takes the opportunity to ask him what the fuck is going on with all the cameras and the extra people. By the time he's finished explaining, Tom is just now returning from down the hall and she wonders aloud if now's a good time for them to be going out considering he has an apartment full of friends, his family in town, and a camera crew following him and Mike around, but he insists so they finally take their leave. Julia hears their friends start questioning Mike before she even shuts the door behind her.

While they're having lunch at the little french cafe down the street from the apartment building, Tom invites her to the Winter Classic game but when he adds on that she can hang out with his friends and family during it, she has to politely decline. That's a whole other level that they're not even close to, considering that their current status is nothing more than a friends with benefits type situation, if they can even really be considered friends. She's never been involved in an arrangement like this before and it's still very much uncharted territory for her.

She watches it on tv instead, all piled up under some warm blankets on the sofa in her pajamas, and after they win, she texts both boys to congratulate them. Mike only thanks her but Tom asks her to come out and celebrate with them. She declines at first because his teammates are all going to be there, along with his friends from home and possibly his family too, but he's persistent, even offering to come pick her up. She really shouldn't-- knows it's probably not such a great idea-- but he says please followed by about ten frowny face emojis and she caves. She does refuse to let him drive all the way over to her apartment though, telling him she'll just meet him at the club where they're gathering before she drags herself off of the couch to go and make herself presentable.

It's incredibly packed when she finally gets there. There's barely room for her to squeeze through the crowds to get to the tables at the back where Tom had told her they'd be. He's sitting in a booth with Mike and a few other guys she doesn't know but he immediately jumps up when he spots her weaving her way through the masses of people. He's grinning when she reaches him and he leans in to kiss her cheek, leaving her to wonder to herself when that became a thing he does as he leads her over to the table. He lets her slide in at the table first before he squeezes in next to her, draping an arm over the back of the booth behind her.

"Guys, this is Julia. Jules, that's Burky, Chimmer, and Brooksie."

She's pretty sure she has no idea what Tom just called his friends but she smiles politely anyway and says hello to them. Mike notices her confusion from across the table and laughs before clarifying. "Brooks," he says, pointing to the man next to him and continuing on around the table. "Jason, André."

That sounds like actual names and she shoots Mike an appreciative look but he just chuckles again and takes a sip from the bottle in his hand. Tom gets up to go get drinks, leaving her with three strangers but at least Mike is still there. The one sitting next to him, Brooks, strikes up a conversation by asking her what she does and she tries to answer in a way that doesn't sound completely and utterly boring. Granted, there aren't many jobs that would sound exciting to them considering what they do for a living. Still, they at least look like they're interested in what she's saying and pretty soon Jason is asking her questions too. André, the young one next to her, stays pretty quiet but she figures he must just be kind of shy. Mike just watches her with a little smirk on his face, taking no time at all to charm his teammates just like she charmed him and Tom.

They're all laughing at something she said when Tom returns to the table with another beer for himself and a jack and coke for her and she's slightly surprised that he remembered what she drinks but she takes it from his hand and thanks him as he scoots back into the booth next to her. She does wonder what exactly he's told his teammates about the odd sort of relationship she has with both him and Mike, but no one is giving her any strange looks, so she assumes they must not know. Tom doesn't say much when he returns; instead, he and Mike both just kind of let her talk to his teammates while they sit back and listen, entertained. She even manages to get André talking as well, which is a feat in itself because he's not usually very chatty with people he doesn't know.

More teammates come over to say hi when they finally take breaks from their dancing and drinking and see her sitting there squished between Tom and André. Most of them have nicknames too so she struggles to keep up as Tom introduces them all, but she does her best to be friendly and engaging to each and every one of them. Weirdly, she hopes that if Mike and Tom's teammates like her, that maybe they'll keep her around a little longer. Her favorite teammate so far is Ovi, or Alex as Mike had clarified for her. He's boisterous and exuberant, sort of a 'larger than life' kind of character, and he's incredibly friendly and welcoming into their little inner circle.

Not all of the inner circle is as completely open and welcoming as Ovi though. Brooks had sat at the table and talked to her, had watched his other teammates talk to her, and he liked her well enough. But then he caught the looks Mike kept giving her from across the table. He started paying closer attention to the two of them, especially when Tom wasn't looking, and he didn't like what he saw. It isn't until later though, when they're all out of the booth and half of the guys are out on the dance floor while some are at the bar and some are just standing there talking in the corner, that he really has a problem.

Tom's left them alone for a minute to go to the bar and Brooks can hardly believe his eyes when Mike pulls her in close, his hand resting dangerously low on her back as he leans down to whisper something into her ear. She doesn't seem surprised at all though, looking up at him with a smirk before taking a sip of the drink Tom had gotten for her. He waits, inconspicuously watching from his seat between Chimera and Orpik in the booth, and it's only a few seconds before Mike takes the glass from her and sets it on the vacated table behind him before grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him towards the bathrooms.

Brooks scowls, finishing his drink and then lightly shoving Chimera to let him out of the booth so he can find Tom. It doesn't take long to spot his head sticking out from the shorter people around him and Brooks makes his way over to the bar where he and Schmidt are having a conversation. "Need a minute," he says to Tom once he reaches them, and then they both look over at the third man standing there.

"Yeah, sure," the blond shrugs before wandering off with his beer to find someone else to talk to.

"What's up?" Tom asks, turning to face the bartender as she sets a new drink in front of him.

"This girl-...Is it serious?"

Tom shakes his head and swishes the liquid around in his glass, staring down at it instead of meeting his teammate's eyes. "No, why?"

"I know it's not really any of my business, but I'm pretty sure there's something going on between her and Latts."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know?" Brooks repeats incredulously. "So, what, she's sleeping with both of you?"

"Yep."

"And you're okay with that?"

Tom shrugs, staring straight ahead at the shelves upon shelves of bottles on the wall in front of them. "Me and Latts, we kind of....picked her up together."

"You didn't answer my question, man."

"I know," he says solemnly before tossing back most of his drink all at once.