"Ready! We're gonna win!" Olei clenched his small fists.
Then Silas's arm slid naturally across Olei's shoulders, and that burning hand landed on my waist without warning. His palm was wide, strong, electric, heating my whole body. I tried to pull away.
"Don't move. Unless you want us to fall." His voice was flat.
He always had the most righteous excuses for the most domineering control. I gave up struggling.
The whistle blew. Race on.
"One, two! One, two!" Olei shouted the rhythm, excited.
We moved forward in sync.
Silas's arm held my waist steady. "I've got this."
I wanted to roll my eyes, but damn it, under his lead, we were fast and stable. Families were already tumbling around us, cheerleaders encouraging them as they scrambled up only to crash down again. We never stumbled once, staying in the lead the whole time.
When we crossed the finish line, second place was a dozen feet behind.
"Yeah!" Olei jumped, face flushed. "We're first!"
His smile blazed like a little sun, eyes crescents. First time I'd seen him this happy.
"Good teamwork," Silas said, smiling.
Kids from my class swarmed over, envious. "Olei, you guys are the best family ever! Our parents all fell down."
Best family ever. Something struck my heart.
Olei held my hand and Silas's, pride all over his little face.
The relay and obstacle runs went just as well. Silas was the star—his speed was insane, giving us a huge advantage.
At the end, the organizers gave the winning family a prize—a beautiful photo album filled with shots from today.
I flipped through it. Pictures of us from every angle. Sweating through the obstacle course, Olei cheering after we won the relay... and one from the three-legged race—Silas's hand around my waist, me turning my head just as our eyes met. That moment, frozen.
"I'll keep this." Silas's voice murmured near my ear.
I looked up at him.
"If you want to see the photos, come to me anytime." His tone was casual.
But I knew this wasn't a simple invitation. It was a hint to close the distance. I didn't answer.
At noon, Sarah led the parents off the field toward the cafeteria. Silas left with a reluctant Olei. Before going, he glanced back at me. That look made my cheeks burn.
After the parents left,some teachers stayed behind to clean up. Marcus and I got paired.
"Who would've thought," Marcus said, rolling up a banner, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Anthea, you and Mr. Thorne had such great chemistry today."
I ignored him, picking up balloon scraps.
"Mr. Thorne's quite the catch," he stepped closer, looking at me. "Rich, powerful, not bad looking either. You were practically glued to him today. So you really landed him?"
"Marcus, focus on your work." My voice was ice.
"Just curious." He smiled, and that smile made my stomach churn. "I saw your file. You're just some ordinary elementary teacher, living in a school-arranged apartment. So how'd you hook a guy like that?"
