“Bit late for that now.”
I run a hand through my hair. “I think I’ve messed it up.”
That wipes the grin off his face. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, frustration creeping in. “That’s the problem. Everything was fine. Better than fine. And now she’s… different.”
“How?”
“Distant. Off. Like she’s already decided something that I don’t know about ”
He leans forward slightly. “What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Think harder.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I say, sharper now. “I went to that stupid ball, came back, fell asleep, and now she’s acting like I’ve…”
“The ball,” he interrupts.
“What about it?”
“You sure nothing happened there?”
I pause. Then… “Sienna was there.”
His expression shifts. “Right…” He raises an eyebrow as if I did something I shouldn’t have with Sienna.
“It wasn’t like that,” I say quickly. “We spoke for about two minutes. That’s it.”
“You get papped?”
I hesitate. “…Maybe.”
He exhales, shaking his head. “Mate.”
“I didn’t even think…”
“No, you never do with that stuff.”
I lean back against the locker, rubbing my face. “Shit.” Because now it’s starting to make sense. If she’s seen something…
“Check your phone,” he says.
I don’t. Because I already know. And I don’t like it. At all.
“Championship week as well,” he adds. “Great timing.”
I let out a breath. “Yeah.”
Because that’s the other thing. Training’s only going to get more intense from here. More time here. Less time anywhere else. I’d been looking forward to the game. To her being there. Freya in the stands with Theo and Isla. Something real in the crowd for once. Not just noise and faces. But now… I don’t even know if she’ll speak to me by the end of the week.
Before I can say anything else, Scott appears, towel slung over his shoulder, that familiar smirk already in place.
“What’s this?” he says. “Group therapy?”
“The mans in love,” Noah says.
