Page 129 of Try Hard

“Ugh. Fine. I met her at a mixer, but it was one I’d been invited to through a work contact. I just… didn’t want to get too much into it, have you figure out who she was, and ruin everything.”

Eve pulled me closer. “Okay, yeah. I can see your point. But I’m going to be just as annoying over you two as you are about me and Ophelia.” She paused and looked at me. “Are you going to have the mystery woman call you Fia?”

I breathed a laugh. “Yes.”

“Okay, great. I love Andra, but I was ready to fight her for the rights to your name.”

“You don’t have to worry,” I said, kissing her cheek.

“God, you’re so sickening. I love it,” Rohanna laughed.

“Whatever you say now, I’ll be saying back to you soon enough.”

“Technically, I’d need to pine over her for twenty-odd years to reach the levels of ridiculousness you two did.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking. Just make sure your mystery girlfriend getsmygirlfriend’s name right.”

My stomach swooped. How long was it going to take for me to get used to her calling me that? Especially to other people? Those two decades really did make this whole thing something else…

Rohanna laughed. “Will do. Don’t want you murdering her now that I’ve finally found someone I like.”

Eve laughed. “So long as she’s not hurting Ophelia, she won’t be at the top of my murder list.”

“There’s something deeply unsettling about someone so friendly having a murder list.”

“Gotta keep you on your toes.”

“Right…” She shook her head. “Well. On that note, I’m going to go, and let you head to your match. Hopefully you’ll get that anger out on the pitch and I won’t have to worry about a far more serious crisis call tomorrow.”

I shot Rohanna a look. “I’ll keep her on the straight and narrow.”

“I’ve never been close to straight where you’re concerned,” Eve whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

We didn’t have time for sex before the match, but I felt like maybe we’d need to come back here afterwards. We’d been planning to go back to Eddlesworth, but… maybe we’d get to come here and celebrate…

I’d worried I was ruining Eve’s life, but here she was, looking happier than ever—which was saying something. And here I was, able to focus on things other than mean comments and spiralling thoughts. I was happier than ever too.

???

While it was only my second match, the routine already felt familiar. That was more to do with just being around Eve, but I liked it. I’d spent so much time ensuring I was constantly jettingaround the place, claiming it was all for work, when really, I was starting to accept, I’d been running from my life. If I didn’t stop, I wouldn't have to deal with all the things I didn’t like. Now, though, I was making connections, building something at home, becoming a regular at events. It was nice.

I parked Eve’s car and she switched her phone off. She’d spent most of the journey continuing to coordinate the fallout of her statement. Andra had been right when she’d said Taylor would be back in contact fast with details for the podcast. We’d barely been on the road for fifteen minutes before the email with the proposed date for recording and some initial suggested questions had come in.

She smiled at me before glancing around to check nobody was watching us. “Ophelia,” she said, taking my hand.

“Archer,” I replied, amused.

“Do you want me to keep my distance tonight?”

“What? Of course not.”

Her smile turned a little sad. “I can’t promise you it’s not going to be louder or busier out there tonight. I can’t promise how the fans that attend are going to have reacted to my message. We know they were trying to take pictures of you last week and I don’t really have any way to protect you. I know this isn’t the life you’d have chosen—”

“I would chooseyouin everylife, no matter what it looked like. Even at the height of your fame, if you’d tracked me down and asked me out, I’d have accepted without a second thought. That hasn’t changed.”

“You’re telling me that was an option this whole time? All those resources I had at my disposal and I didn’t even think of putting them to the very best use I could possibly have found?”

I laughed. “Maybe this was supposed to be our story all along.”