Page 40 of Scoring Chance

“See ya,” Hartman called before I walked out.

I hurried to the elevator and pulled my phone out of my pocket. As soon as I was in my car, I called the Pie, our favorite pizza spot, and ordered a dozen options and some salads. Then the panic started to creep in and I thought of the one person I knew could talk me down. Someone that would know what to do without teasing me for being nervous about having the guys over.

I called Amelia. She answered on the third ring. “Hey, how was practice?”

Her voice soothed my racing heart. “Good. A little too good.”

She giggled, and I relaxed into my seat. “What does that mean?”

“Well, things were going really well today, so I asked the guys if they wanted to come over tonight for food and to hang out.”

“Okay?”

“They all agreed,” I rushed out.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

I huffed out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Oh, Derrek.” She laughed. “What do you need me to do?”

I was so grateful she knew me so well. “I ordered pizzas from the Pie, but they won’t be ready for forty five minutes. I’ve got to get home and clean a bit.”

There was a moment of silence before she spoke. “That’s perfect. You go home and get started. I’m off in about twenty minutes. I can go pick up the food and bring it over. I’ll help you set up when I get there.”

My shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll see you soon.”

I ended the call feeling like I hadn’t made a complete mistake and headed to my apartment. It was a two bedroom with a decent sized living area, but it was smaller than most of the guys’ homes. I never needed much space, until now.

I parked and cursed at the elevator for being so slow. As soon as I stepped through my door, I started picking up jackets I had hanging over the backs of chairs. I made sure all the trash in the living room and kitchen was collected before throwing out the bag. I had a decent sized sectional aimed at a large flat screen. I made sure my Xbox and PS4 were plugged into the TV so we could play games.

I’d just pulled out the broom when my phone rang.

“Hey Amelia.”

“Hi, I have the food, but I need your address.”

I forgot she’d never been over. I gave her directions before hanging up and doing a quick sweep in the kitchen. The doorbell rang as I was finishing, and I opened it to see a high stack of boxes.

I took them from her hands with a laugh. “I didn’t see you behind these.”

She laughed and held up a large bag with a few salads stacked on top of each other. She helped me spread things out on the counters and looked around.

“Quite the bachelor pad you have.”

I took in the blank light grey walls and minimal furniture. I had done zero decorating since I moved in. I had a couch, coffee table, and matching entertainment center, and that was it. I didn’t even have a dining room table. I decided on a larger couch rather than wasting space on a table I thought I’d never use.

“I’m going for the minimalist look.”

Her lips twisted in a teasing smile. “I got that.”

I laughed and walked into the living room. “Do you think it will be okay?”

“You have pizza and a TV. I think you’ll be fine.”

I looked around, still feeling unsure. “I’ve never had the guys over before.”