THREE

Fruit punch to a men's party?

This has got to be the worst idea out there and I make a mental note of finding out who the event's organizers are so that I never have to use them.

Come to think of it, they probably did it on someone's order to try and reduce whatever chances there are of Rivers and I fighting. A knowing smile fights its way to my face upon the realization. They need us on our best behaviors tonight while celebrating the team's 45th annual anniversary that I couldn't give a shit about. If Rivers so dares to provoke me tonight I would have no choice but pummel his face as he desires. It's not just the alcohol. It's the guy himself.

I look around trying to locate the bar, frustration and annoyance overwhelming me when I finally catch sight of it. It's mediocre with only one male bartender who seems to be doing more wiping than serving. I trot my way to it, my eyes trying to make a choice of the drink I want before I get there. I end up ordering a scotch whisky which seems to be the only good stuff tonight.

Good thing I won't be here for long. After my deal with Liverpool is done, I'm sure that the last thing I'd have to worry about when going to a team's party, will be alcohol. Liverpool has got to be high-end.

"Apple juice for you, Mr. Cullen," the bartender says in a not-so-low voice as he slides the drink across the island to me.

"What the heck is apple juice doing in a bar?"

"Special orders from one... ," He reads a note..., "...Klaus. He said to give you this as you have a problem with alcohol."

I can't help but chuckle. A problem with alcohol? That's a joke. Just because Levi and I decided to give Rivers a beating of his life, when he clearly deserved it, at a party now the assistant coach seems to think I have a problem with alcohol? He can't be serious.

"Apple juice," I mutter.

Levi comes over and pats me on the shoulder dropping his own drink on the island.

"At least you are not the one drinking the cantaloupes," he says.

"The punch was for you? I thought it was for me and Rivers."

"No. Nielsen and Adams agreed that it would be the right thing to do."

After the fight, I chose to pay a fine and two weeks of suspension while Levi chose to attend weeks of therapy until further notice. That's where Nielsen comes in. Adams is the team's nutritionist who uses her spare time researching what foods soccer players should avoid and determining how much weight we've gained from short breaks. She's one slender woman which explains her borderline distress over excessive fats in our bodies.

I audibly gag and realize that they must have planned this specifically for us. I wished they would have asked us why we beat him up or maybe the video should have been a bit longer and capture the shit he was saying.

"But don't worry. I'm sure Liverpool's high-end," he muses.

Exactly my point.

Levi goes quiet no doubt mulling over which teams would show interest in him. He's been quite on the bench this season than on the field thus decreasing his value. It's all Andreas Günther's fault. And Rivers too.

"I'm gonna miss you bro," he confesses and suddenly I'm teary eyed as emotions bubble from the pit of my stomach shooting straight to my brain. Levi is like- Levi is my brother. When I was starting out in the academy, Levi was there to help out. He'd joined the year earlier so he knew all about the training. I wanted so bad to be like him over the years as I admired everything he did. The way he did the drills, the way he would do as many sit-ups and push-ups as he could, the way he would push his teammates to be the best in friendlies. It didn't matter how small or big the opponents were. To Levi, they all deserved to be treated like the teams' hugest rivals and that was what I wanted. Levi was my sensei in football.

I knew I had the talent but he made me own the passion. He made me know what it felt like to have soccer so close to one's heart. He helped refine me into the next huge star Liverpool would have in their turf.

"You sound like we ain't gonna see each other again," I joke lightly but Levi looks deep into my eyes making me realize the weight if the topic.

We never really knew that it would come a time that we would have to be separated. I thought we would sign to the same team one day but Levi had continuously told me, That's not how it works kiddo. 

Truly, it doesn't work like that. We are meant to let go at some point in life.

Without warning, Levi jumps down from the stool making the soles of his moccasins slap the tiles with a loud smack and pulls me into an embrace.

We have never done this before.

I'm sure this isn't part of the bro code. Huge emotional hugs weren't really my thing but this is Levi. He pats my back over and over that I'm afraid I'm gonna throw up.

"Hug me back you idiot. You think you are too old for this?" He nudges as he squeezes me tighter and slowly my arms slide up his own back and give a gentle squeeze.

Even though I don't say it. I will miss him so much.

We hold onto each other for awhile but then I start to feel a lot of stares thrown at us. How could I forget?

The ladies!

I try fighting him off me but he's like a mass of tuxedoed rock.

"Get off me man. You are decreasing my gangsta points," I say and I feel smile on my neck. Girls usually don't like the sappy kind. They are a baggage, so they say. Of course I wouldn't want that title hanging down my neck especially not tonight when I'm looking forward to a heated night with a brunette that lives across my condo unit. Although we've hooked up once before, she's one good company to keep around especially after a nasty day with Andreas Gunther and Jaxon Rivers.

He loosens his grip but doesn't entirely go.

"Isn't that Ryza?" He exclaims, "damn she's hot!"

My brows quirk.

Ryza Arnold? Looking hot?

That's a first.

Well it's definitely not a first that Ryza's hot. She's always been but the fact that Levi acknowledges her as being hot tonight, I have to see for myself.

Faking disinterest as much as possible, I spin around my eyes flitting around the room trying to locate any sign of an oddly dressed woman but I see none.

"Where?" I ask with my voice low trying to hide my anticipation.

"On the screen. Lady in red," he points out.

Ryza has always been such enter....Who the fuck is that?

"Is that Ryza Arnold?" I confirm from my friend who looks like he is one blink away from an eyegasm.

I can't really blame him. Ryza looks ten times hotter than she usually does. Ethereal fits quite best. The front of the dress dips so provocatively yet so conservatively, leaving me with a throbbing migraine of how the two can even co-exist. It's the non-verbal way of saying For me to know and for you to find out, and damn I find myself determined to find out. The dress flows sensually on her soft curves, hugging her in all the right places and then I see the slit... Bloody hell!

"Fuck," I mutter as low as I can but of course Levi hears me. He turns to me with a wide grin on his face but I return my attention to Ryza. No, the slit. No, the slit on Ryza. 

I'm damned.

It slices up the impressive mass of tanned thigh and I swear all the emotions in my brain earlier fuse into hot blood and lust, riding straight to my cock. I have to draw a hiss of air otherwise, I'll jerk off in my tuxedo which cost me a lot for this boring event. Well not that boring, apparently.

It travels on only for it to stop somewhere very high up her thigh. I surprisingly find myself annoyed by both Ryza and the slit for driving me to the edge just to leave me hanging. The heels she has on don't help either as the strings twine up her calf leaving me with images of my bed, ropes and lots of leather.

Is Ryza into leather?

I know I'm in deep shit if that's the question I'm asking myself.

I want to entertain my hallucinations on Ryza when one thing comes to mind-actually two things.

Rivers' girlfriend.

"She looks fine. Nothing I've never seen," I say feigning disinterest but only I know how much heat she aroused in me. I was literally eye fucking her just seconds ago.

"Wait, isn't Rivers' her boyfriend?"

Yes, he is and I know what you want to tell me . I'm staying away, I want to say.

I look down in my glass.

"Yes he i-"

"Then why is Lori Paltrow in his arms," he cuts me off.

I only intend to have a look at Lori Paltrow in Jaxon Rivers' arm but the moment I raise my eyes, I'm met with Rivers trying to shove Ryza out of the carpet with such force. My eyes grow still and dark as Ryza's face becomes even more frightened no doubt by his rejection. She tries to plead but the idiot is intent on making a scandal and no, I can't take any of that.

"Shit the guy's a douche f..."

Levi's words drown out in the mellow classical music and all I can hear is the blood racing in my system. I itch to protect her and before I process what I'm doing, I'm walking out on Levi straight for the carpet. My fist is literally trembling eager for hard contact with my rival's face.

°×°×°×°×°×°×°

A/N

We're moving which is a good sign but do you know what is not? 

Your votes and comments !

C'mon guys you know you can do better than this. I believe in you. 

Moving on, allow me to say that this is my first time writing a man's POV so go easy on the criticism. I'm also a fan of soccer which I'd rather call FOOTBALL, and my best team is Liverpool FC though we ain't having such a tremendous season.

What's your fav football/soccer team?