Page 22

CALEB

Kissing Amelia sent adrenaline through my veins more than the game itself. Her lips will be the death of me. And seeing her in my jersey? Fuck.

I blink rapidly, trying to clear my thoughts as I head for the locker rooms. The buzz of our winning game surrounds me, but I’m barely paying attention. My mind’s locked on one thing…her. As always.

I pull my helmet off, shoving it in my locker.

“Hayes, you’ve got a minute?” Coach Banks sticks his head inside the room, gesturing toward the reporters outside.

I nod and take my jersey off, digging into my bag for a white Driftwear shirt and slip it over for the press.

As soon as my foot steps out into the hallway, bright lights of cameras hit my eyes. A swarm of reporters surrounds me, firing off a bunch of questions.

“Caleb! Caleb! That throw was insane!” a reporter says, her voice unable to hide her excitement.

“Marcus played a hell of a game, that fake and run to the end zone was one of the best plays I’ve seen,” another man calls out.

Pride swells in my chest.

“Thank you guys. We showed out tonight. I’m beyond honored to be a part of this team and?—”

A microphone is damn near shoved in my mouth as an older man cuts me off with a condescending tone. “We haven’t seen you with Vanessa Noles in a while. This woman’s single right? Try not to break up another home.”

It’s the first time Vanessa’s name has been brought up since Amelia and I started this and the fact that he brought it up now pisses me off more than ever.

“Next question?” I bite out, clenching my jaw as I scan the crowd.

A blonde reporter now chimes in, fiddling with the wind dust cover on the microphone. “Is she a hookup or a fan that got lucky?”

My eye twitches.

“Never been a hookup,” I say firmly. “And a fan? Nah. If anything, I’m my girlfriend’s biggest fan.”

The simple word feels natural.

Gasps ripple through the crowd, chatter rising.

“Girlfriend?” the blonde repeats, shoving the mic even closer.

I glance around at the other reporters before meeting her gaze, leaning into the mic so everyone can hear me loud and clear. “Girlfriend.”

The crowd of reporters erupts into more questions, but I don’t stick around to answer. I simply flash a smile and offer a quick nod to the group, and head back toward the locker room to freshen up.

I finish and make my way over to the private lounge.

“Caleb! Have you seen this yet?” Marcus sprints out of the locker room, dressed in a gray sweatsuit, dropping his phone into my hand.

“Seen what?” I murmur, glancing down at the screen.

Our kiss. 1 million views . It’s only been an hour.

“You and Amelia are already crowned couple of the year.” Marcus lets out a laugh. “Look at the comments, even though that dumbass reporter talked about Vanessa, there’s none from fans.”

“Oh, shit.” I scroll, comments filled with our names, hearts flooding the screen. Some people are even saying they want to buy the shirt I was sporting from Driftwear.

Amelia, Maya, Tia, and Amir walk into the lounge, their faces lit with huge smiles.

“WOO VIPERS,” Tia giggles, waving her foam finger.

“Congrats on the win.” Maya says.

“That spin was insane.” Amir nods, giving Marcus and I a quick dap. “And Caleb that throw? Perfect aim.”

“Preciate it.” I nod back.

Marcus wastes no time, his gaze locking on Maya. “Oh, look who actually showed up. Couldn’t stay away?”

Maya arches a brow, her smile sweet as ever but her voice is the opposite. “I’m here for them—she motions toward Amelia and me— “Don’t flatter yourself.”

I can’t help but shake my head letting out a small laugh.

“Ow, my poor heart,” Marcus clutches his chest. “You don’t have to lie to me, angel.”

Maya rolls her eyes.

Amelia laughs, stepping beside me, and all I want to do is wrap my arms around her and kiss those lips but we’re not in public. I straighten, trying to keep my composure in check.

“You were amazing out there,” she says, glancing up.

“Thanks, beautiful.”

We make our way to the shuttle, exiting the stadium from the back entrance. The cool air greets us, which is much needed after tonight’s game. A small group of reporters somehow managed to get in the back past security, cameras raised high pointing it directly at us.

“Caleb! Over here, we have a couple more questions!”

Flash

Flash

Flash

I instinctively wrap my arms around Amelia’s waist pulling her close, as they start to swarm around.

“Amelia, right?” one of the reporters calls out, the camera flashes becoming more abrasive.

“Hi, yes that’s me,” Amelia says, her voice warm as she wears that gorgeous smile of hers.

The reporters' cameras begin clicking furiously again. “How does it feel to be the lucky girl dating Caleb Hayes?”

“I’d say it feels pretty good,” she says, a bit shy. “I’m proud of him.”

She’s proud of me.

I lift our hands, pressing a soft kiss to the back of hers, as we turn to head down the alley toward our shuttle. “I’m the lucky one here, not the other way around. Thanks guys, goodnight.”

Amelia’s gaze drops for a second before she glances over her shoulder and gives the reporters a small, hesitant wave.

We make it to the bus and as she walks past me to go up the steps, I can’t resist the urge to reach out, wrapping my fingers gently around the base of her ponytail. “We’re good at pretending, huh?” I murmur, my lips brushing the shell of her ear.

I hate that word. Pretending.

But I don’t want her thinking I’m trying to cross a line. It would only make everything more complex. I need to be smart. Maybe once the wedding’s over, once this passes, I’ll tell her everything I’ve been holding in.

“Yeah.” Her lips part slightly, voice barely above a whisper. “We are.”

She climbs the steps first, and I let the strands slip from my gasp, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth.

I watch her, my fingers flexing at my sides, itching to reach out to her again but I can’t.

She makes her way to an empty seat next to Maya, and plops down.

“I’m actually going to sit next to… him,” Maya grumbles, jerking her head toward Marcus as she gets up, but not before tossing me a wink. “Seat’s all yours.”

Why is she looking at me like that?

But I’m not wasting time, so I make a beeline straight for the seat next to Amelia.

Their voices begin to fade as the weight of tonight hits me. We pull out of the stadium and I rest my head back against the seat, weightless as it slides across the headrest and my eyelids grow heavy.

Amelia chuckles beside me and she shifts closer, her warmth surrounding me which is exactly what I needed.

I don’t remember much after that as exhaustion takes over and I doze off instantly.

For the first time in a while, I feel genuinely at ease.

I feel…at peace.