The bar was jam-packed when Mat and I, plus some of his teammates walked in. It seems like all the people in Boston knew that the Islanders is hitting this bar tonight and so they all huddled in.

The last time I went on a bar this crowded was back in college. When Collins dragged me into a party at a bar in Hastings to come celebrate the birthday of the school's quarterback.

As we walk heading to an exclusive lounge reserved for us, I couldn't help but notice a lot of girls or should I say puck bunnies saying their Hi's and pawing into the guys and on Mat as well.

Which made me annoyed and at the same time conscious knowing the fact that I am just literally just next to Mat holding his arms.

Seriously, how disrespectful!

I am not talking about Mat. I am talking about those girls. See, this is the reason why women are divided. Every one just doesn't know how to distance themselves.

Or maybe, they just didn't see me right there and I am not a threat to them. Knowing that they are all wearing a full make-up and wearing way too sexy outfits. And yet, here I am wearing only but jeans, a white tank top and a leather jacket.

Threatening doesn't it?

But Mat doesn't seem to care, I should appreciate that. There are tons of girls begging for his attention and all that but instead of stopping on his tracks and maybe flirt with them, he just gave them a slight nod and ignores it. But I don't know why I still feel weird.

Okay. I am jealous and feels a very strong urge of overprotectiveness, I'm just gonna say it.

We reach the lounge at the far end corner of the bar where there are less crowd, guess this is where the VIP's chilling their butts off. Everyone else settled on the U-shaped black leather couch and started to order their drinks.

I settle next to Mat, still holding his arms for a mental support because everything is still a new culture for me. I may hit the bar for drinks with Collins but never like this, being surrounded with NHL players who basically gets all the attention and I don't like that.

"What are you drinking?" Mat asked as he grabs the menu on the small table in the middle.

"Just water." I said, I don't want to have any bit of an alcohol on my system tonight. I am already on edge and I don't think alcohol is a right way to add unto it.

"Water?" Beau echoed. "Oh come on! Don't be silly. You'll have a beer."

Anthony Beauvillier, one of Mat's teammates I met in the hotel's parking lot earlier. He is friendly, so friendly.

I secretly poked Mat and lean on his ears. "Is he always like this around people he met for the very first time?"

He snickered.

"No. You just happen to be my girlfriend."

I smouldered. "What? Is that some kind of a part of the bro code?"

He laughed at me and kissed my forehead. "Of course it is. Don't you like it? You want him to be rude on you or something?"

"No." I answered. "I just find it strange."

"He's always strange." He said giving me a light kiss on the lips.

"Yo! Lovebirds." Beau cuts off calling at us while raising a bottle of Bud Light. "Keep that in your pants and save it for later. We're here to celebrate our win. Now come on, grab some drinks."

Mat grab two bottles of Bud Light served by the waiter on our booth and hand the other one to me. "Come on, just one bottle will do."

I accepted it. Okay, just one bottle tonight and I'm good. Mat's teammates seems to be fine anyway, they are friendly and I have talked to some of the girlfriends who came along and they are lovely too.

Maybe I should have a little faith on myself that I am not gonna make a fool out of myself in front of everyone.

Besides, I am dating Mat. Therefore, I should start in getting used to it. I can handle my anxiety pretty well, I'm a grown up now.

I can do this!

-

Three bottles later, I already realized that I can’t believe I was ever nervous about coming to the bar tonight, because holy cow, I’m having a blast.

Mat's teammates are hilarious and I'm pretty impressed about their ability to engage on a very sensible yet funny conversation about same sex marriage. I’m not going to lie, but I honestly didn’t expect all these hockey players to have articulate opinions about non-hockey-related matters, but they have a lot of insights than I gave them credit for.

I didn't engaged myself and just listened to how funny this conversation is getting. I am weird myself and when it comes to debates, I lack sense of humor and I don't want to spoil this up.

Beau, Mat and Stacy, Beau's friend who clearly doesn't look like a friend is totally up for the same sex marriage and have been giving a lot of lectures and ridiculous reasons to the other guys on the team who decided to dive in unto their conversation.

"The world will be a better place if people just let them love whoever and whatever the hell they want!" Beau announced.

"When you said whatever? Did you mean, you want to marry a goddamn puck if you want?" Derick Brassard remarked.

"Yeah!" Beau responded right away.

"So how are you going to fuck the puck?" Bailey challenged while grinning.

"Oh! This is getting gross." Stacy who's seating beside me said as she drinks her glass of piña colada.

"Dude! I tell you. Seeing a puck hitting the goal is more like a flamingo's orgasm. I'd surely marry a puck!" Beau reasoned out which made everyone else in the booth grin weirdly at him.

"So the idea of making love is to slap it using your stick?" Mat said trying not to laugh hysterically.

"No. Poking it with a stick. Figuratively! Aren't you a hockey player? Poke check Barzy!" Beau said in a serious tone which made everyone laugh in hysterics.

"Beau, using hockey terms will never let you get laid." Stacy commented. "It's weird!"

"Hockey terms are already dirty and you made it even dirtier. Stop ruining the sport's reputation bro!" Derick said in between laughs.

"It's not my goddamn fault! Fuck those people in the past who doesn't know how to distinguish dirty and appropriate!" Beau responded which sends another wave of laughter.

We even caught the attention of the people from the neighboring booths.

I mean, we already have ever since we arrived here and even if I am having a blast at the moment, I still feel so conscious.

"Oh my god. You're gross!" Stacy commented looking at Beau.

"What?" Beau said. "Jade, what do you think?" He asked beaming on me.

"Well, what's the point of living on a free country when we can't marry whoever and whatever we want, right?" I answered humorously just for the sake of not spoiling Beau's silly reason, because this is so funny and awkward at the same time.

"That's what I am talking about!" Beau said offering his hands for a high-five and so I slapped it.

"Then what about the sex part then?" Bailey asked.

"That is for Beau to find out!" I said which sends Beau to start telling about how but everyone shut him up because obviously, it is getting grosser and grosser.

Plus, everyone is already hitting the dancefloor when One Dance by Drake started blasting on the stereos which gave everyone the excuse to stop hearing about another ridiculous ideas coming from Beau's mouth.

Mat also stood up grabbing my hands with him.

"Come on! Let's dance." He said as he drags me to the dance floor.

"No." I said trying to protest but it's already too late. We are already in the middle of the dancefloor getting surrounded with people who are currently dancing on the song.

I don't know how people dance to this song because I seriously can't and I am not a fan of Drake. However, my boyfriend in front of me is starting to move guiding me to start moving too.

"How am I supposed to dance in this kind of song?" I yelled in order for him to hear.

"Oh shut up babe! You even dance to rock songs. Let alone this!" Mat barked back.

Yeah he is right.

I have a huge obsession with classic rock and I even dance to one of it every time I am in the house during my free day, blasting rock songs on the speakers filling the whole floor with it.

As the song goes on, I started moving trying to enjoy myself. Mat spins me around and I couldn't help but laugh at the silly move.

"Look at you! You can dance." Mat said plastering his gorgeous smile as he moves with me.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, I can dance! The music is just painful."

"Painful?" Mat objected. "Babe, we need to work on your taste in music."

When the song finishes and get replaced by an EDM songs which made the whole crowd gone wild, I went back to our booth to drink the water I ordered earlier. I promised to drink only one bottle of beer tonight but it all turns out I already consumed three and I have no plans on another refill.

I don't feel like drinking too much tonight because this whole thing does make me uncomfortable despite of the funny conversations and Mat's company.

As I return back to our booth, living Mat and his teammates party their asses. I saw girls walking towards him every other minute, touching his bare arms and there's even one who kissed him on the cheeks. Bitch!

Urgh! I get it. He is popular.

I shouldn't feel like this and I shouldn't let those girls get into my skin because I already knew that there are tons of girls out there who wants his attention so bad.

I am his goddamn girlfriend! And not that it's as if he's reciprocating those actions back, he even just smiled at them and secretly distance himself which I should give him a credit for.

But I just can't stop myself from feeling annoyed about how popular he is. The fact that I couldn't keep up with it, I also don't appreciate having the evidence of his popularity smack me in the face every other second.

But what can I do? This is his life even before I came into the scene so I clearly don't have the right to change it.

I can't change it, and neither does he!