Hell of a Night

I’m sitting at a table near the pool, nursing a black coffee, when I see Jimmy stumbling towards me. He has dark sunglasses over his eyes and he has not only a coffee, but a Monster Energy Drink as well. He’s suffering this fine morning. “How are you feeling right now, Casanova?” I ask the QB as he sits down in front of me.

“How the hell are you this chipper this morning?” He groans. “I feel like I got tackled by a 500lb man.”

“I’ve partied harder in college celebrating a UGA win.” I chuckle. “Last night was nothing compared to the shit I did when I actually lived here.”

“How many more football players are going to make their debut here?” Jimmy asks. “Are they solely going to be former UGA players?”

“Nope. There going to be a few Kansas City Chiefs players.” I reply. “I know Patrick Mahomes is coming with his high school sweetheart. I think Kelce is coming and I’m pretty sure Cheetah is coming.”

“You’re lucky I know who Cheetah is.” Jimmy questions him. “Can’t you say his name?”

“Calling him Tyrek is just weird.” I admit with a laugh. “Just like calling Kelce by his first name. It just can’t happen. Even when we dated, I never called him Travis.”

“You and Travis dated?” There is genuine shock in his voice. “Wow. That’s kinda shocking.”

“It only lasted 6 months.” I shrug. “It was the tail end of my senior year in college. He just got drafted to KC and my brother just started working there.”

“Was distance a reason why you didn’t stay together?”

“Fuck no.” I laugh. “Him not being able to keep it in his pants is why it didn’t work out. Distance had no direct cause in our break up.”

“Why would your brother invite him to his wedding then?”

“Because surprisingly Kelce and I are still friends.” I snicker. “Don’t know how that happened. I don’t make staying friends with exes a habit. I mean Aaron is an exception but he never cheated on me. We just broke up because we realized we were really better off as friends; at least with the second break up we realized that.”

“So it’s safe to say I won’t have any competition this weekend?” A smile dances on his lips, showcasing his gorgeous dimples.

“None whatsoever Mister Garoppolo.” I return the smile. “But even if you innocently flirt with me, there will be a ton of football players that will go into overprotective mode. Especially the O-Line from UGA. David may have been a former teammate of yours, but he was my friend first.”

“Duly noted.” He laughs. “But I’m pretty sure he’d approve of me. He knows I’m a good guy.”

“He has mentioned that I could do a lot worse.” I agree. “And besides, how much damage could innocently flirting with each other cause?”

“None whatsoever.” He replies. “Plus it’ll make the bride very happy.”

“That it would.” I laugh quietly. “Hey, want to know my super secret hangover cure?”

“Should I be scared?”

“Do you trust me?”

“I met you less than 24 hours.” He reminds me.

“Do you trust me?” I repeat my question.

“Don’t make me regret this.” He sighs, “but yea, I trust you.”

“Come on. Whataburger is calling our names.” I smile as I get up out of my chair. “Follow me to my room so I can get my car keys and we’ll head on out to get our food.”

“What the hell is Whataburger?” He asks as he follows me to my room.

“It’s the thing that is going to cure your hangover.” I smile, despite knowing he can’t see it. “Let’s go cure your hangover!”

**

“Ok these aren’t bad.” Jimmy announces with a mouth full of his bacon and cheese burger as we sit at a park bench. “These are kind of like In-N-Out burgers.”

“Bite your fucking tongue.” I playfully glare at him as I dip my french fry in my chocolate milkshake, earning a look from the man in front of me. “Don’t judge until you try it.”

“People usually only do those with the frosties from Wendy’s.”

“While they are good, I prefer Whataburger’s milkshakes more.” I shrug. “They’re thicker and are a lot more chocolatey.”

“So this is your hangover cure, huh?” He swallows another bite of his burger. “Why this place and no McDs or Burger King?”

“This place has better service.” I shrug. “And it has better fries and milkshakes. The amount of times Brandi and I drove through the drive through after a night of parting is pretty insane. And if we were still drunk, we’d go to Krystals or Taco Bell. Because let’s face it, those places are only good when you’re hammered.”

“How did you and Brandi meet?” He asks. “Because obviously it wasn’t because of a sorority. You are nothing like those friends.”

“She was my assigned roommate Freshman year.” I smile. “She was this sweet, naive northern girl that I felt like I had to take under my wing.”

“I thank you for that.” He sincerely tells me. “Brandi is a big important part of my life. And I was so worried about her making friends when she came down here. She never made friends easily back home.”

“I knew from the moment I met her, she would be a big part of my life.” I assure him. “I’d be lost without her.”

“What else can you show me from your college days?” He asks me. “I would love to get to know the college version of you.”

“You barely know the country singer version of me.” I counter him. “Why would you want to know college me more?”

“Because I have a feeling the college version of you is the best version.” He shrugs, a smile playing on his lips. “I want to know the version of yourself your fans don’t get to see. I want to know the girl that doesn’t give two shits what others think about her.”

I bite my lower lip, thinking about what I want to subject Jimmy too. “Fine. This weekend you’ll only see College Sutton. Be warned; she’s not for everyone. She can be a crazy bitch. But she means well.”

“Where do you want to go first?”

“100 Proof.” I reply. “My first real job and a place we would constantly hang out at. Oh the story those walls can tell if they could talk.”

“Come on, then.” He says, getting up from what he’s sitting; offering me a hand. A smile creeps on my lips as I take his hand and allow him to pull me up to my feet. “Ladies first.” He moves aside allowing me to walk in front of him.

“Are you sure you’re not doing this to check out my ass?”

“I plead the fifth.” He laughs, earning a laugh from me.