A Night to Remember

Sebastian did not mean to tail Violet. He only assumed that she was sneaking out to let him sleep in while she fed the animals when she got up out of bed. After pulling on his clothes, he followed her outside, expecting her to head for the coop or the barn. But his girlfriend instead made a beeline for the bus stop.

When he first saw Kyle standing beside the road, Sebastian's heart sank. But neither his girlfriend nor her ex appeared to notice him, so the rookie sorcerer hid behind a nearby tree to decide what to do next. But their voices carried in the Winter air and Sebastian heard almost every word between Violet and Kyle. The conversation cut off any chances of the farmer getting back together with her ex. Sebastian felt relieved when Violet openly confessed her feelings for him and that she wanted to pursue their relationship further, but it also made him feel guilty for spying on her at all.

When the bus arrived to take Kyle home, Sebastian used the cover to slip out of hiding and return to the farmhouse. Bruno greeted him with a nudge to his thigh and the man went to the kitchen to brew a pot of fresh coffee.

The programmer sat quietly at the kitchen table, inhaling the familiar aroma of the dark roast in his mug when Violet returned home.

"You're back," Sebastian commented, sipping the warm coffee. He could feel the liquid caffeine travel down his throat, its warmth slowly permeating his body. The hoodie-clad man knew he could not jump straight to talking about his girlfriend sneaking off to talk to her ex-boyfriend. Since he heard their conversation, Sebastian knew she had not really done anything wrong, but it bothered him that she did not tell him. He wondered if Violet would be honest about where she had gone.

Violet smiled at him as she leaned back against the wall to remove her boots more easily. "Yeah, Shane beat me to feeding the animals, but I put that giant egg into the incubator. We'll see if anything hatches from it!" the pastel-haired woman said, wriggling out of her coat. She hung it up on the hook near the door and tilted her head curiously when Sebastian did not say anything. "Is something wrong?"

He did not want to start a fight, but he did not know how to talk about what he heard without the risk of Violet getting mad at him for invading her privacy. And yet Sebastian did not know how to express how he felt.

"You could have woken me up," Sebastian finally stated, threading his fingers through the handle of his porcelain mug. "I can still throw hay into a feeding trough before my morning coffee."

Violet's face fell, her bottom lip protruding from disappointment. "But I wanted to come back to bed and cuddle until brunch."

Sebastian blinked. He had forgotten about brunch with his mom and Demetrius. He glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was just past eight and they were not scheduled to be there until eleven. I could probably fall asleep again, he reasoned silently. I'm not even half-way done with this coffee.

In wordless agreement, Sebastian rose out of his chair and took Violet's hand. A giddy giggle escaped his girlfriend's lips as he led her to the bedroom and flopped onto the bed on top of her.

"You're really comfortable," he yawned, nuzzling the soft fabric of her sweater. Violet blushed and Sebastian smirked.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she demanded in a trembling tone, squirming slightly under him.

He lay his head against her chest. "Using you as a pillow," Sebastian explained, settling down to fall back asleep for a while. The man tilted his head back to see the pastel-haired woman's face. "I'll be your blanket."

Violet was quiet for a moment, but he could tell from her fidgeting that this was getting her a little hot and bothered. Good. Sebastian closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep again when his girlfriend spoke up.

"Are you mad that I met with Kyle this morning?" Violet asked, "Is that why you're teasing me like this?"

Surprised, Sebastian propped his body up with his shoulders and gazed up at her. "You knew?"

Her eyelids fell halfway over her deep blue eyes as her eyebrows rose, signaling her annoyance. "Of course, I knew," Violet told him, "There was another set of footprints in the snow and your boots were wet when I came into the house."

While Sebastian could move without a sound using a minor spell, he had not thought to literally cover his tracks. Well, fuck… He focused on Violet's face, trying to determine if she was angry with him or just irritated. Either way, he knew the first words that should come out of his mouth.

"Sorry…"

Violet rested her head on her downy pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "I suppose whatever you saw or heard made you realize it wasn't anything you should worry about," she concluded aloud, absent-mindedly massaging Sebastian's scalp with her fingertips. "Otherwise, you would have probably confronted me about it when I came home. Either way, I'm glad you didn't immediately jump to conclusions."

Her touch was like kryptonite as she ran her hands through his hair. Sebastian muttered incoherently in reply. Rather than asking him to repeat himself, Violet continued. "But I want you to know that I love you and I'm not the kind of person who would even think of cheating." The farmer's breath was shaky, but she wanted to offer her assurances. "I know too much about what it's like to be on the receiving end of that pain to want to cause it."

Sebastian laid there, considering her words. How could he have even doubted her for a second? He heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head free of her fingertips. "I know that," the man conceded, pulling himself closer to her face and claiming her lips with his. "Just don't go sneaking off next time, okay? You can tell me anything…"

For some reason, tears began to well up in Violet's eyes and she wrapped her arms around him as they kissed again. "Okay," she promised. Sebastian could feel from the way her lips felt that she was smiling and the initial concern he felt faded out of his mind. She believed in him, and that was all Sebastian needed to know.

Violet wanted to disappear. Her face flushed, mortified that they were having this conversation with Robin and Demetrius. Was this the carpenter's intention when they invited the two of them over for brunch today? Violet supposed catching them in the act, although indirectly, may have triggered Robin's parental instinct. But usually, this kind of thing happened when your child was a teenager, and not with their significant other present! Sebastian glanced toward Violet, his expression mirroring her own.

But Robin persisted, despite the embarrassment of the younger couple. "As long as you pay attention to your partner, you're going to have great sex!" Demetrius nodded agreeably, shoveling a spoonful of omelet into his mouth.

Sebastian leaned to rest his face in his open palms, his elbows propping him up from the tabletop. "Mom, what the hell?" he half-asked, half begged his mother to stop.

The ginger beamed amiably at the couple across the table and served up some food onto each of their plates, careful to not give Sebastian any of the omelet. "Well, Sebby. It occurred to me that we never gave you a proper 'talk' when you were a teenager, because - well, you didn't really talk to girls then."

Violet noticed Sebastian's body language change. "I talked to Abigail!" he insisted, clinging to any excuse to escape this discussion.

Robin beamed at her son in a way only a mother did as she dished out a sick burn. "And if I believed for even a second that would go anywhere, sweetheart, we would have had our talk then." She popped a slice of pear into her mouth.

Sebastian reddened further and Violet felt a bit sorry for him, but at the same time she was not angry that he and Abigail had not ended up together at one point. It would have complicated things in their friend group if Sebastian and Abigail had dated and had a messy break-up.

The carpenter addressed the couple, "I decided it would be best to invite you both, in case you had any questions." Robin then addressed Violet individually. "I'm not sure if your parents ever had a proper discussion about sex with you, sweetie, so this is a good change for the two of you to get some wisdom from an older, wiser couple."

"You're my mom and we're in our mid-twenties already!" Sebastian protested, shielding his face with his hands. "This is fucking weird and embarrassing." Violet could not help but agree with her boyfriend, but she could see from Robin's expression that she was genuinely trying to be helpful in her own way.

"Language, son," Demetrius reminded the programmer calmly. "I know you're uncomfortable, but that is no excuse to talk to your mother that way."

Violet reached out to take one of Sebastian's hands and gave it a squeeze. His dark eyes flickered toward her, and she smiled encouragingly. "It's okay," she whispered. "Let's just get this over with?"

Demetrius grinned as the two nodded reluctantly to indicate they were ready to start. "My first piece of advice is to you, Sebastian," the man directed his comment toward Sebastian. "If your phallus doesn't slide in easily, your partner's body isn't primed for sexual activity yet. Take the necessary time to arouse each other with aural, oral, physical, and/or visual stimulation before attempting penetration."

Robin chimed in with a translation, "In other words, foreplay is essential!" Violet could tell Sebastian's mother was enjoying this on some level. His face was the reddest she had ever seen. Violet imagined hers was not much better.

Demetrius came to his second point, following his wife's example and using fewer technical words. "A vibrator - or any other toy - is your teammate in the bedroom, not a rival." He took Robin's hand in his and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. They exchanged a look that made Violet avert her gaze. It felt like she and Sebastian were a third and fourth wheel in the room. "Your goal should be to pleasure your partner, which will heighten the experience for you both."

Violet could only imagine how badly Sebastian wanted to flee the house; she was of the same mind. But they held hands under the table to fortify themselves for the upcoming onslaught of awkwardness.

Sebastian's mother provided the third piece of advice, this time directed to Violet. "Be honest," Robin advised. "And by that, I mean don't tell your partner something feels good when it doesn't, or exaggerate how good something feels, or fake an orgasm." The woman's expression was dead serious. Leaning forward, the ginger proceeded to lecture. "You might be tempted at some point to make your partner feel good about themselves, but it doesn't help either of you in the long run."

"If your partner were to find out you were dishonest, for one, it could crush their confidence and they might be upset with you for lying to them," Robin reasoned. "Or you might get so caught up in the lie and protecting your partner's feelings that you end up not enjoying the intimacy at all."

Robin went on, but Violet was caught up in her own head. While the advice was not terrible, the farmer did not like that the presentation was sprung on her and Sebastian. What the younger woman really wanted was to spend more alone time with her boyfriend before she had to go to Emily's bachelorette party, but she knew that Robin also wanted to see Sebastian and this speech was coming from a place of motherly endearment.

Yoba, it was tough being polite. Her parents never tried to have a talk like this with her and at that moment, Violet could not tell if that made her relieved or sad. Had her parents assumed she would learn at school? Or just trusted her to know what to do? Did they not care? Or had they believed the other parent would talk to her about these things? Did her mom and dad assume that she would not be seriously interested in dating anyone since their relationship failed so spectacularly?

In addition to her unanswered questions, it was strange for Violet to think that, by contrast, her boyfriend's parents wanted to be so supportive. Especially after Demetrius' outburst when he found her in bed with Sebastian over the summer. Then again, Sebastian did well his first semester in college, so Demetrius might be trying to make more of an effort to be a better father figure. Better late than never, Violet supposed. And at least they aren't giving graphic details about their own sex lives.

By the time Robin and Demetrius each spoke their piece, Sebastian and Violet had to return to the farmhouse to get ready for Emily and Shane's parties. It seemed Sam was dragging his best friend along to the gridball game whether Sebastian originally planned to attend or not and the farmer had accepted Haley's invitation earlier this week. Besides, Violet wanted to make more time for friends this Winter and she had never been to a bachelorette party. It might be fun!

As they hiked down the mountain along the backwoods trail, Sebastian apologized for his mom's meddling. "Sorry you had to sit through that," he muttered, still recovering slightly from their brunch with Robin and Demetrius. "I wouldn't have had you come along if I'd realized what they planned on talking about."

Violet chuckled. "It was pretty bad," the farmer agreed, "but I think we'll get a good laugh looking back on it together." She reached out and put her hand in his coat pocket to hold his hand. "Besides, I'm choosing to interpret it to mean they're trying to be more involved in your life."

"That's optimistic of you," Sebastian grumbled, though he did not object to her analysis. Violet chose to take that as a good sign. "Maybe your mom was worried we were rushing things a bit?"

Sebastian paused and turned to face Violet. "Did you feel pressured yesterday?"

Violet scanned the area to make sure no one else was around before giving an answer. "No, I just…" How do I explain this? She had never put it into words before. "I didn't think I'd ever be ready for a long time," the farmer shared sheepishly. It was the truth, however. "So, it scared me a little how fast I felt comfortable with the idea." Her eyes gazed upward into his. "How much I'd want to…"

Her words trailed off as Sebastian's face inched closer. Violet found herself caught in those mesmerizing obsidian eyes once again. Caught in their trance, she closed her eyes and kissed him. The cold of the outdoors melted away and all Violet could feel was Sebastian's warm embrace and his intoxicating kisses.

They were interrupted by an alarm and Sebastian reluctantly pulled away to check his phone. He groaned audibly. "It's time to get ready to go now," he frowned, clearly disappointed with their timing.

"Not up for a quickie?" Violet teased, mostly joking. Mostly. Yoba, it felt like she was so easily turned on nowadays. Though maybe it was that all the stress from working at Joja Corp. had made her into a sexless worker drone for so long that she was only now beginning to relax and experience this part of herself. Or that her feelings were pent-up from the entire week while Sebastian was in ZuZu City all coming out at once. Either way, this was not fair; how could her body betray her like this?

Sebastian smirked, apparently pleased with the fact that his girlfriend was so openly asking for it. "No." He pushed past her gently with his shoulder before heading down the last leg of the trail toward the farmhouse. At first, Violet wanted to protest his blatant refusal, but he amended his statement when she caught up to him. "I'd rather our first time not be rushed, you know?" he shrugged, as if to diminish the weight of his words, but Violet knew he was being sincere.

"Oh…" she whispered. Violet blushed at the romanticism in Sebastian's sentiment as they walked home together to get ready. The farmer almost regretted that they had other people to see that evening.

Samantha was excited she was invited last-minute to join the bachelorette party. While yoga was not really her thing, she was excited to go clubbing with the younger crowd in Pelican Town. They were all a few years older, but that just meant they could buy her drinks. Despite being underage, who was going to stop her from living it up tonight? Her brother Shane was getting married in the morning and Samantha had a feeling her soon-to-be sister-in-law would humor her for at least one drink. The 20-year-old would have to see if the other villagers might be just as accommodating.

Haley set up a drink station with fancy finger foods and non-alcoholic refreshments to start off the evening. Half the experience with a club was getting free drinks from guys hoping to dance with you anyway, the blonde explained with a wink.

Samantha was not sure where future sister-in-law got so many yoga mats, but she led the group to do a variety of poses and varying degrees of difficulty. Emily was surprisingly flexible, about as much as Samantha, who still participated in plenty of club sports to keep fit. While not all the villagers could do the more difficult versions of the poses, the bachelorette's entourage was fully stretched and hydrated to go clubbing. It was a brilliant strategy, now that Samantha realized that may have been Haley's intention. Hopefully this way no one would be super hung over or sore from dancing all night and ruin the wedding's ambiance tomorrow.

The women all got in their outfits to go out for the evening, lots of tight jeans or leggings and form-fitting tops of various lengths. Though Emily opted for a flowy skirt instead of pants and Leah ditched her usual suspenders and looser trousers for a pair of tight leggings. Samantha helped Haley get makeup on those who wanted it and before they knew it, they were ready to go.

Once they pulled on their coats and secured their cash and IDs in a safe place, the bachelorette party headed out. It was cold walking to the bus stop, where the party bus waited for them. The men had taken the local bus with Pam as their driver and Haley decided it would be best for the ladies to have a similar experience and not have to worry about a designated driver.

Samantha felt a little out of place riding on the bus with the villagers. They all knew each other, but she was an outsider. Still, the college student made it her mission to find out who would be best to hang out with for the evening.

Maru, who appeared to be closest in age to her, had not dressed up like everyone else but looked forward to the dancing. The nurse did not seem likely to be someone who would give Samantha any alcohol, so she tried to chat up the other women.

Abigail was a sure-fire target to sneak her alcohol. The purple-haired woman with longer, straight hair knew how to party and even offered Samantha a swig from the flask she had hidden in her top. Where she fit it, the younger woman could not even begin to guess, but it was strong stuff. The problem was that Abigail did not bring any cash other than a possible cover charge, so once the flask was empty, that was it.

Penny was vehemently opposed to drinking, even for someone old enough to do so legally. Samantha was not sure what her deal was, but she seemed uncomfortable wearing the leggings Haley leant her. Leggings were so comfortable; Samantha could not fathom why Penny was even here if she did not like alcohol or loud music and "dirty dancing with strangers."

Leah was the most mature of the group and agreed to let Samantha "have a little fun" once they got inside the club, so long as she was careful not to get caught. Score! Violet, the farmer, was equally chill with the idea and promised to keep an eye on her drink if she wanted to dance before she finished one. Having older acquaintances had its perks!

When the bus finally pulled up to the club, there was already a line outside the building wrapping around the block. Haley pulled a "Bachelorette" sash out and threw it over Emily's shoulder. She passed out little plastic "Bride Tribe" tiaras, which the women all wore. As they exited the vehicle, the bouncer saw them and waved them over.

"You ladies look like you know how to have a good time," he said with a wink as he unhooked the queue line to let them pass. There was some grumbling from those in line, but no one was actively rude to the bachelorette's entourage.

"Fuck yeah!" Abigail shouted, throwing her arm around Samantha's shoulders, and dragging her inside with the rest of them. The older woman winked at her, and Shane's younger sister realized she avoided being carded altogether and therefore not given a bracelet that warned the bartenders not to serve her drinks.

Samantha grinned. This was going to be a great night!

Shane emerged from the bathroom, sporting the ZuZu City Tunnelers logo Alex painted on: a miner's hard hat overlaying a pair of crisscrossed shovels on one cheek and the team's bright green and blue stripes on the other. While the jock was no artist, the mayor had to admit it looked pretty good.

"That looks dope, Shane!" Sam yelled when he saw the results. The blond clearly wanted to be here while Sebastian, who had settled down on the couch and not budged from his spot since he arrived, did not. But Shane appreciated the other villagers coming out to celebrate his last night as a single man, even if a gridball game was not their idea of a good time.

Alex strode out of the bathroom, looking pleased with himself. "Anyone else want me to paint their face?"

Zach declined and gave Shane a mischievous snicker as he pulled on a red-and-black wig "I don't need that shit on my face." Since they would be wearing layers anyway, it would probably be the only indicator that he was not cheering for the same team as the rest of the group.

Shane knew the lawyer was smack talking and played along. "You're going to be eating those words when the Tunnelers trounce the Nighthawks tonight!"

The lawyer rattled on with some statistics, which Alex argued were meaningless because this was a home game for the Tunnelers and their quarterback was fire lately. Shane inserted his own commentary occasionally, but the two were way more dedicated to the debate and so the mayor eventually abandoned their chat to talk to Elliott, Sam, and Sebastian.

Shane was not surprised that Sam came, they used to be coworkers and spent a lot of hours commiserating while working at Joja Mart. The thirty-year-old was more curious about Elliott's presence than Sebastian's, since he figured that the computer guy might have been dragged here by Sam.

Elliott was dressed more casually than normal, which kind of threw Shane off-guard. He did not know that the eccentric guy even owned a regular t-shirt, but it was the right shade of blue. Not that anyone would see it since it was supposed to get chilly tonight and any hardcore sports fan knew to wear well-insulated clothing to a game in this weather.

"I look forward to experiencing first-hand the natural camaraderie that occurs when strangers all come together to cheer for their regional representatives!" Elliott declared. His smile was genuine enough, though. Shane wondered how many questions he would have to answer regarding the rules for Elliott. Better try to get it over with now, so that way the game would not be interrupted too much.

Shane was most of the way through his general overview with Elliott, with a little help from Sam here and there, when Zach hopped up onto the coffee table. "Men of Pelican town!" he announced in a voice that grabbed everyone's attention. "Pam has the bus ready for us, let's move out!"

The club was dimly lit and noisy, and the bass was turned up just enough that it could be felt in her chest like a second heartbeat. Haley went to the bar to grab a drink and found once again that some random guys hit up the bartender to provide her with one. She spoke to him long enough to be polite but used the excuse that she had maid of honor responsibilities to her sister tonight and hoped he had a good time.

Emily was vibing at the center of the dance floor and despite the crowd, the people around her provided a wide berth. Leah, Violet, and Samantha kept as close to the bride-to-be as they could without the risk of throwing off Emily's groove. The blue-haired woman whipped her flowing skirts and limbs around in a mix of styles, most of which Haley could not quite identify. But her older sister was having fun and that was the point of a bachelorette party.

Penny was a wallflower most of the night and only stopped being a stick in the mud when Maru coaxed her onto the dance floor. The nurse surprised Haley with her moves. Other than twerking, which only worked for some songs, Maru's uncoordinated way of moving somehow did not make her look like a total dork. Haley supposed since Maru was dressed in her tragically unflattering overalls, the dancing went with her aesthetic.

Abigail was clearly drunk and having a blast. Lots of guys tried dancing up on her but she "accidentally" elbowed those who tried so hard that most of them took the hint.

Haley, meanwhile, danced with a few guys, but none of them were really her type. She kept trying to get Leah's attention as she worked her way toward the center of the floor again, but the mob was so crammed together, it was difficult to maneuver. After several failed attempts, the blonde decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up. It was hot in the room, and she needed to cool down.

When she emerged from the bathroom stall to wash her hands and dab cold water on her face, she saw Samantha standing by the sinks. "Great! You got my signal."

"What signal?" Haley did not look up from her hands until she was finished. When she turned toward the college student, Samantha was right in her face, her face flushed slightly from the alcohol.

"I just wanted to let you down easy." The dark-haired woman shook her head, "I'm flattered by the eyes you've been giving me all night, Haley. I really am! You're super pretty, but it's just too weird for me," Samantha explained, though her words confused the blonde. "Shane's marrying your sister tomorrow, and I don't subscribe to the whole in-law kink, you know?"

Haley blushed when she realized what Samantha was implying. "I wasn't trying to get your attention!"

Samantha's large, dark eyes stared at her. "Oh!" She pawed at Haley's arm playfully. "Wow, what a relief! That would've been like, super awkward…" The girl cackled and looped her arm through Haley's to escort her out of the bathroom.

Shane's sister lingered away from the dance floor so her words would not be completely drowned out by the music. Samantha waggled her eyebrows at her future family. "So, who were you looking at, then? Someone from Pelican Town or a hot stranger?"

Haley was hesitant to tell Samantha much. They hardly knew each other, and she was not sure how well the college student was keeping secrets. "It doesn't matter, she's clearly not into me anymore."

"Anymore?" Samantha's mouth fell open. She gasped and clung to Haley's upper arm. "Then it's gotta be someone from Pelican Town! Tell me, tell me, please! I'm dying to know!"

The blonde tried to shake off her persistent woman, but with no luck. Samantha only continued to pester her, until Haley finally exhaled in a huff and rolled her eyes. "Fine, it's Leah!" she revealed. "But she doesn't get that I'm trying to flirt with her, even when I literally strip in front of her." Her frustration was obvious as she remembered the spider web "incident" at Spirit's Eve. The artist did not even try to sneak a peek at Haley after she was "forced" to remove her shirt to "escape" the sticky trap.

Samantha was practically vibrating trying to keep her mouth shut, but it did not work long. "Oh em gee, Haley!" Shane's little sister shrieked. "Why don't you tell her?"

Haley pursed her lips. "I thought I was only into guys, but Leah made me…" her blue eyes darted instinctively toward the redhead on the dance floor, laughing and having a good time with Violet, "... question that. I don't know how to tell her that I'm honestly into her." Haley made a confession, "I feel like she won't believe me." It had been a long time since the blonde felt this insecure. Haley hated it.

The raven-haired woman gagged, "Ugh, you old people and your inhibitions!" she growled in frustration. Samantha grabbed Haley's hand and held it between hers. "I'll help you!" she vowed. "I know I can get you two U-Hauling in a week."

Haley did not understand the slang completely but got enough from the context of the younger woman's excitement. She eyed Samantha skeptically. "How? This better not be any stupid 'fake dating' thing…"

Samantha giggled at the idea and Haley was not sure if she should be relieved or insulted. "Oh, we don't even have to pretend to boo up," the college student assured her. "All you have to do is let me into your bubble and Leah's imagination will run wild!"

"My bubble?"

Samantha's dark eyes darted toward the dance floor, "C'mon, I'll show you what I mean!" The two made their way back onto the dance floor and Haley noticed that Samantha was much closer than normal. While clubs were not exactly known for providing enough personal space for everyone, even Haley became a little flustered with Samantha so nearby. She acknowledged another pretty girl when she saw one, even if neither of them was interested in one another romantically.

Shane's sister reached out, touching Haley's arm casually, and winked as she bobbed her head toward Emily and the other villagers. The blonde did not want to make it obvious she was looking, so she twisted her body as she danced. Leah was staring in their direction, standing completely still. Haley glanced back at Samantha who flashed her a giddy, buzzed grin that practically screamed "I told you so!"

Could this seriously work?

Zach was never going to hear the end of this from Alex and he knew it once the final whistle was blown, announcing a victory for the ZuZu City Tunnelers. It had been such a close game, but then the Nighthawks' star quarterback was sacked. Though the hit laid him out flat and knocked the breath out of him, there did not seem to be any physical harm done. Unfortunately, it resulted in the Nighthawks' MVP dealing with a bad case of the yips for the entire fourth quarter.

The blond sighed and handed Alex the $20 he bet on the game and Elliott's mouth ran a mile a minute raving about the excitement of the sport and how he wished he had discovered the joys of spectatorship sooner.

It took a while for the fans to mill out of the stadium, and many of them lingered in the bleachers, still bellowing to celebrate the home team's victory. Shane and Sam were among them, while his sister's boyfriend, Sebastian, decided to just settle in his seat with his phone until the others got it out of their system. Probably texting Violet or something, Zach assumed.

I guess I'll have to tell mom now that they're official, the lawyer recognized with a silent groan. But that could at least wait until after he returned to the city. Zach could blame the bad cell signal in that sad little town that did not even have proper roads.

It was nearing midnight by the time the bachelor party finally escaped the ZuZu City Tunnelers' stadium and Zach was slightly disappointed this was not a regular bachelor party with drinks and strippers, but the mayor's status as a man in recovery and someone very loyal to his bride-to-be made the fun activities impossible. The blond would have to wait for someone else to get married to have a rowdier evening, he supposed.

Other than the devastating loss of his team, the night was not a complete bust, though. Alex could dish out as much smack talk as he could and serve it right back. If the man had not known that the wannabe pro gridball star had a thing for a girl back in Pelican Town, Zach might have mistaken the tension between them as flirting, rather than competitive rivalry.

Zach knew that Alex had not beaten his running times and it bothered the jock to no end. It was a fun topic to casually bring up in conversation that Alex was not the best at everything, even if he was an Adonis in his own right. Zach purposefully fanned the flames just to see the fire in the athlete's eyes.

As they finally approached the sidewalk, the blond surveyed the area for Pam's bus, but it was nowhere to be seen. He called her on his phone and after a brief discussion, Zach discovered she could not get close enough with all the pedestrians pouring into the street and the resulting traffic jam and was stuck about half a mile away.

He signaled for the bachelors to follow him to find their ride home and the herd of fans began to thin out after a few blocks. They were passing a nightclub by the time Zach saw the bus. "Hey, it's over here, guys!" the blond called, waving everyone over.

But he heard a voice shout in alarm. "It's Emily, don't let her see Shane!" It was Sam. Both he and Alex literally tackled Shane into the sidewalk as Zach turned to see that a human shield had formed around the blue-haired woman. The problem was, several were clearly intoxicated while others were not tall or brawny enough to stop Emily from seeing her fiancé, thus rendering their attempts ineffectual.

Haley quickly adapted to the situation, grabbing her sister's hand, and dragging the woman away, her commanding presence alerting passersby to form a path. Barbie was surprisingly forceful, Zach supposed. It was kind of hot.

Only once the bachelorette party was safely on their own party bus did Sam and Alex release Shane from his dog pile prison.

"Sorry, fam!" Sam apologized. "You made it my duty to make sure Emily did not see you today and I take that responsibility very seriously."

Shane rubbed his elbow, which he scraped slightly on the sidewalk. "Yeah, I know. Let's get going…"

Zach was glad he was not sticking around for the ceremony tomorrow. This small-town crowd was cramping his style. As they boarded the bus single-file, he pulled Alex to the end of the line with him. "Hey, man. I'm leaving in the morning and probably won't see you," the runner explained. "I feel kinda bad that I traded our good seats without asking you so we could set up this bachelor party," Zach grimaced.

Alex shrugged, "Nah, it's cool. I get it. Shane invited you to his party and you wanted to help out."

While the lawyer could appreciate the brunet's understanding, Alex was detracting from the point. He wanted to make up for being a dick and triggering the jock's PTSD on the beach the last time he was in town. "Since we didn't get to hang out solo properly, is there any chance you'd want to hit up the Finals later this month?" Zach inquired.

Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean the one in NuNu? The game?"

The blond chuckled at Alex's confusion. "Yeah, Slowpoke. I thought the problem was with your legs, not your head."

Too stunned by the offer, Alex did not comprehend Zach's teasing. "Wow! I don't really have the cash to book a place to stay this short notice, but thanks anyway," Alex replied regretfully.

Zach scoffed, offended that the jock assumed he was such an inhospitable host. "You don't have to book a hotel, you can just crash on my couch," the lawyer offered.

"For real? That would be awesome, man!" Alex accepted the invitation empathically.

Zach clapped him on the shoulder. "Great! I'll send you the details later." He tilted his head toward the door of the bus. "For now, let's get the groom home, shall we?"

Shane stumbled into his home late that evening, most of his stuff was already moved into the mayoral manor, but he still had a few things in the guesthouse of the farm until he officially changed residences tomorrow.

He flicked on the light in the bathroom to brush his teeth and wipe the paint off his face before he fell into bed. But when he removed the towel from his face, he froze. "Oh, fuck!"