They stood by the high-top table at the edge of the crowded room, the victory party music pulsing around them like a living heartbeat.
Loud music thrummed through the speakers, laughter rose in waves, and the warm glow of triumph still clung to the air, champagne flutes clinking, jerseys swapped for sleek evening wear, the scent of sweat, cologne, and spilled drinks mingling under the low lights.
Stan took a slow sip of his whiskey, the burn spreading through his chest and loosening the knots of earlier tension.
Sophie refilled her glass with something sweet and fruity, her body brushing close enough that her hip grazed his thigh. The heat of her proximity cut through the haze of alcohol and the tangled emotions that had been simmering between him and the women in his life.
