Henry leaned against a jet black sedan waiting at the curb. He looked up, tipping his hat up to see me arrive. His blue eyes lit up and a smile filled his face as soon as he saw me. Warm fuzzy feelings floated through my core as he looked at me and I knew my smile matched his.
He wore dark jeans with distressing that looked like the real thing rather than store bought. His dark blue t-shirt brought out the brightness of his eyes and the gold of his hair. It also showed just a hint of the muscled definition beneath it. He was dressed more casually than I was, but he carried himself with such confidence he could have been wearing a suit or a crown.
"Hi," I greeted him, again unsure as to what to do. We'd kissed once, so was that now the default greeting?
"Hi," he replied, leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek. He had saved me once again with what to do. "You look amazing."
I couldn't help the heat that flashed across my cheeks and chest. "Thanks. I hope it's the right thing to wear to a rugby game."
"A rugby match," he corrected gently, opening the cab door. "And it's perfect."
I grinned at him as I slid across the leather seats. It was a ride-share car, but it was definitely one of the nicer ones. I wondered if Henry had paid extra to impress me. As if he had to do anything more than smile to do that.
Henry slid in behind me, our legs touching from knee to hip despite having extra room as he pulled off his hat.
"There is one small hiccup that I wanted to warn you about," Henry said as the driver pulled away from my apartment.
I raised my eyebrows. "Hiccup?"
"Andre and Valentina will be joining us," he said, his voice sounding about as enthusiastic about it as I felt. Which was not at all. "I'm sorry. It was a condition of getting the tickets."
I tried to keep the disappointment off my face. I wanted this time with Henry all to myself. I didn't want to share him with his friend. I had this terrible vision of Henry spending the entire game talking to Andre and leaving me to figure out what was happening on my own. I felt a little betrayed.
"Their seats aren't next to ours," he assured me, putting his hand on my knee. "They're behind us. Andre promised that we wouldn't even know they are there. I just wanted to tell you ahead of time. I didn't want you to see him there and think the worst."
I had two ways to react. I could be upset or I could roll with it. Rolling made for a more pleasant evening, so, I was going to make the best of things. He didn't have to tell me about Andre, but he did.
"I appreciate you telling me." I put my hand on top of his and smiled. "And we're going to have a good time. Even if they are crashing our date."
Henry's worried look vanished and he smiled again. "Thank you," he replied. "I promise, you won't even know they're there."
The car drove up to RFK Stadium. There were more people about than I expected, considering that rugby wasn't a terribly popular sport in the US. I was surprised we were even at a stadium this big. Henry hopped out first and offered me his hand to help me out. I took it, more to hold his hand than from actual need of assistance. He then pulled on a nondescript light blue cap, hiding his hair. I wondered if he would take it off once the sun set, but I didn't mind. He was one of those rare individuals that actually looked good in a baseball cap.
"Who's playing?" I asked, looking around. "There's a lot of people here."
"It's a rather big game," Henry explained. "New Zealand All Blacks vs Ireland. It's a big match. Both are considered very good."
"The All Blacks?" I asked, wondering about the name. It seemed like a strange choice.
"Yes," Henry nodded. "Their uniforms are all black. Back in the early days, the teams were called for their colors. The English team was known as The Colours for awhile since they wore red, white, and blue hoops on their uniforms."
I could hear the British sounding U in the way he said colours and it made me smile. His accent was amazing.
"Oh, that is a much simpler answer than I was expecting. When were the early days?" I asked, thinking he probably meant the 1930s.
"Late 1800s," Henry replied. He laughed when my eyes went big. "The sport's been around for a long time. These international games have been happening for well over one hundred years."
His grip stayed tight on me as we walked toward the entrance. I kept close to him, not because of the crowd, but more because I wanted to be near him.
A group of men wearing black face paint and black jerseys cheered as they walked into the stadium in front of us. They called out to another group wearing similar jerseys. All around me I could hear excited calls and the sounds of a big sporting event.
"Are we cheering for them or Ireland?" I asked as we joined the line to get in behind the All Black fans. I was glad I had opted not to bring a purse, instead just carrying what I needed in my pockets. It would make getting through security that much easier.
"You can cheer for whomever you'd like," Henry assured me. He put his hand around my waist, keeping me close as we waited to get through security. I loved the way his hand felt on me. "We're here for a good time."
I chuckled. "But who are we rooting for?" I bumped my shoulder against his. The other team, Ireland, seemed to be wearing green and white, so Henry's dark blue shirt declared him for neither side. "Sports games are so much more fun if you pick a side. You must have one you like better."
Henry grinned. "The All Blacks," he said. The group in front of us in the security line turned and cheered. They held up their hands for a round of high-fives which we both willingly gave as security called them through the metal detectors one by one.
Henry and I made it through the gates without issue and stood in the main entrance of the stadium. The All Black fans waved to us as they headed up a set of escalators. I thought I saw Andre, but before I could say anything, Henry grabbed my hand and pulled me in a different direction.
He led me to another gate entrance. It was quieter here with many of the fans already in their seats. It was almost private here. Instead of going into the stadium, he pushed me up against the wall and kissed me. His hips pressed into me, his lips tasted mine and I couldn't help but whimper with sudden desire.
The crowd vanished from my mind and only Henry and his kiss existed. I'm sure we had a few people stop and look at the two of us, but I didn't care. He was kissing me. I didn't have to wait until the end of the night and I couldn't have been happier.
"I didn't want to wait any longer," Henry whispered, pulling back only slightly. "I've wanted to do that all week."
"Okay," I murmured, dizzy on the after effects of his kiss. I looked up into his ocean eyes and my heart fluttered with the warm way he looked at me. "I'm glad you didn't wait then."
He grinned and gave me a short peck on the lips. I wanted more, but we were in a public place. Besides, I could hear the chant of the crowd growing louder in the stadium. I wanted to kiss him all night, but I also wanted to see the game. Rugby was obviously an important part of who he was, so I wanted to learn more about it and him.
"There you are," a deep voice said from behind Henry. Henry scowled slightly and rolled his eyes. He managed a smile on his face as he turned to look at Andre.
Andre stood just as giant as before. He wore jeans and a dark purple shirt. A woman that looked like she lived in the gym stood next to him. I assumed that had to be Valentina. She looked far too intense with jeans and a gray tank top. Her brown eyes never stopped scanning the sports fans walking past us to get into the seating area.
Either way, Valentina and Andre looked to be a pair. Jaqui would be so disappointed.
"I thought you were going to head inside before us," Henry said, turning to face his friend, but looping his arm around my waist. "We'll be right in."
"Just making sure you find your seats," Andre told him. The two men had a conversation with their eyes. I wondered what was going on between the two of them. It didn't feel quite as friendly as it did the other day.
"Come on, Aria," Henry finally said, breaking his eye discussion with Andre. "Let's go to our seats. Do you want anything to drink?"
"I'm good," I said. Beer here would cost an arm and a leg. Besides, I wanted to focus on Henry and the game, not on my drink.
Henry took my hand and walked past Andre and Valentina as if they didn't exist. I gave them both a polite smile and followed my date into the stands.
Our seats were pretty good. I'd never been to this stadium before, but we were high enough to see the complete play of the field, but yet still close enough to make out all the players. Henry pulled his cap down over his hair and we headed to our better than average seats.