Dolce Vita

October 2013

She was wearing cutoffs.

That was the first thing Roman noticed. Long tan legs and a pair of light wash denim shorts. His eyes traveled up her body, she had her back to him so he settled for watching her long, carmel colored hair swish around every time she moved. He barely even looked away from her when Craig took the stool beside him and ordered a drink from the bar. His teammate watched him for a few moments in curiosity before he looked out to where Roman was looking.

When Craig saw Sloane he let out a chuckle and warned Roman, “Better not let Kim catch you staring at Sloane.”

Roman turned to Craig and asked, “You know her?”

He shrugged, took a drink of his beer and told him, “Met her once. She was at a game with Kim and Kelly.”

“She was at a game?” When Craig nodded to this Roman asked him, slightly more urgently, “Which one?”

Letting out a chuckle Craig said, “I don’t know. One in February I think.”

Roman looked back at Sloane, she was mid laugh, her head was tilted back, her hair hanging low and he got a good look at her pink lips. Craig once again followed Roman’s glance before he turned to his younger teammate, clapped his shoulder with his hand and let out a chuckle, telling him, “Good luck with that man.”

Roman looked around the bar, his eyes settling on the head of red hair that he knew belonged to Kim, before he pushed his way through the crowd to get to her. He sat down in the booth beside Kim, making her and Colin both raise their eyebrows. He glanced out toward the other side of the bar, finding Sloane once more before he turned back to Kim and quickly asked, “So your friend Sloane-"

Kim interrupted him to tell him, “Single and twenty-three.”

“Thanks!” Roman called out as he got out of the booth and went back to the bar. This time he took the empty spot beside Sloane, away from Craig who was having a conversation with Mike down the bar from them. Sloane looked over at him as he sat down, Roman smiled at her and asked, “This seat wasn’t taken was it?”

She seemed to contemplate his question for a few seconds, her eyes on him, taking in the dress pants and the light purple button up with rolled sleeves and no tie. He’d discarded that and his suit jacket in his car before heading here with the guys after their first win of the season. Roman kept his eyes on Sloane, watching her the same way she was him, and he caught her smile gently, his own demeanor relaxing when she shook her head as an answer to his question.

Roman ordered himself a drink, glanced at her nearly empty one and ordered her another as well. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Roman, Sloane asked him, “So you play with Colin, right?”

He nodded and asked, “How do you know Kim?”

Sloane nearly laughed at the use of ‘Kim’, she would never get used to that. She told him, “Kimberly and I go way back. We’ve been friends since like the sixth grade.”

“So how come I’ve never met you then?” He was curious and Sloane knew it.

She simply shrugged and smiled politely at the bartender when he set their drinks in front of them before she said, “I wanted to make sure their relationship was gonna work before I let her drag me to games and bars with you guys.”

Roman looked at her for a fraction of a second, long enough to realize that with the way they were sitting he got the perfect view right down her shirt. Long enough to know that what she was wearing under her black top couldn’t be classified as a bra. Not long enough to get caught however.

He shook the thoughts of what that lace material might look like on his floor out of his head and turned to her, looked at her face this time, and asked, “You didn’t think it would work out?”

“I just know Kimberly, she’s her own worst enemy when it comes to relationships.” Sloane explained to him, taking another drink.

“So how exactly did you know I played with Colin if this is the first time you’ve been around us?” Roman asked her with a small smile, Sloane looked over at him and smiled.

“You look like a hockey player.” She stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. For a second Roman thought she was serious, and that maybe in Tennessee he did stick out, and then she smiled.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Oh I do?”

She nodded, “Yeah, I figured that or you were a model, and then I saw you talking to Kelly’s boyfriend so I put two and two together.”

“Okay, well… you know what I do, so I think it’s only fair I know what you do.” Roman told her with a nod of his head when she raised her eyebrow at him.

Sloane shrugged, took another drink from her cup and then told him, “I write articles for an online magazine thing.”

“Anything I might know?”

Sloane couldn’t help but chuckle, and when Roman sent her a confused look she explained, “Probably not. My target audience is female’s ages 18 to 30 sooo….”

“So no.” Roman stated quickly, making them both laugh. After a few seconds of silence Roman asked her curiously, “Can I expect to see you around more now?”

Say yes. Say yes. Say yes. Say yes.

“Well that depends.” Sloane told him, and the smile on her face made Roman realize there was no way around it, he was done for.

“On?” Was the only thing he could manage to get out, and when Sloane stood up and held her hands out for him he looked at her in confusion.

“Whether or not you dance with me.” He didn’t really dance but he jumped out of his chair quickly and took her hands, letting her lead him away from the bar and toward the crowded dance floor.

Her fingers looped through the belt loops of his dress pants and pulled him near her. Roman took a moment to think about what exactly he was about to do, before he let himself relax and his arms wound around her waist. His hands were pressed flat against her lower back, half on the waist band of her denim shorts and half against her hot skin where her top had ridden up. It was only now that he realized just how much smaller she was than him, that even in wedge sandals at least 4 inches tall she still barely came up to his chin. He guess that without shoes she’d hit around his collar bone, if that.

Curiously Roman looked down at Sloane, who was looking up at him as they moved to the music, they were pressed together so close that their movements were practically one. He saw her smile at him, and his eyes fell to her lips, he wondered what they felt like, if they were as soft and plush as they looked. He had never wanted to ruin someone’s lipstick as much as he did right now.

Instead of doing that however he leaned down so she could hear him better and asked her, “How did you know I’d be any good at this?”

Sloane wrapped an arm around his back, leaned into him, and looked up at him with a bright smile before she said, “Because you’re cute.”