My grip tightened around my racket until my knuckles went white. My mouth was dry, tongue sticking to the roof like I’d been chewing cotton. Chris had said something in my ear before heading up to the stands, probably the usual last-minute push, but I couldn’t tell you a single word of it. Because somewhere under the noise, a quieter, more dangerous thought kept sliding in.
What if she didn’t come?
No. She would. She’d kissed me like she meant it this morning, like she was leaving me with something to carry onto the court that told me to go win. But still, doubt flickered behind my ribs.What if it wastoo much? Too public? What if she’d changed her mind about it all, freaked out, and gone back to the safety of Gwen’s house?
??I told myself to keep my head on straight. To focus. To worry about seeing her after. But the truth was, I needed her herenow. I wanted to walk out and see her in the front row, in some dress that would inevitably short-circuit my brain, her perfect hair, that soft gloss on her lips catching the sun. I wanted the curve of her shoulder in my eyeline when I played, the one I’d kissed this morning and felt her shiver.
Jesus.
Was I in love with her? Was that what this was? This soon? The thought came hot and fast, like it had been waiting for me to stop moving long enough to catch it. I didn’t have time to chase it down. Not now.
“Time to walk, boys,” someone said.
And suddenly my legs carried me forward.
The sunlight hit first, the rays bright, blinding, then the roar came, slamming into me in a wall of sound so big it felt like stepping into a storm. Every seat was filled, every voice swelling into one massive, rolling wave.
And then I saw her.
Front row. Navy dress. Eyes locked on mine.
My heart just…stopped.
The crowd vanished. The noise fell away. There was only her, sunlight pooling over her skin, lighting her up like some angel. Her gaze was fixed on mine with warmth in her eyes like something was pulling us toward each other.
My feet kept moving, but the rest of me stayed right there, stuck in that singular, altering second.
I smiled; I couldn’t help it. It was big, and stupid, and probably too much, but she smiled back, like she was handing me the win before a single ball was hit. And that was it. I was a goner.
Five days ago, I hadn’t known her name. Now, I couldn’t imagine stepping onto this court without her.
WasI in love with her? Yeah. Fuck yeah, probably.
And no matter what the scoreboard said today, I’d already walked out here with the only thing that mattered.
Her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jordan
THIRD SET:FOUR-ALL
The kind of scoreline that made your bones buzz like a live wire.
My legs screamed. My shirt was soaked in sweat, clinging to me like a second skin. I was running on nothing but pure adrenaline and fumes now, frayed at the edges.
Then I looked up and saw her in the front row in that navy dress. Hands knotted in her lap, mouth parted. Could tell she was just as wrought as I was by the way her chest was practically palpitating.
The world narrowed to that. Just that. Her presence cut through the noise, steadied my pulse, reminded me who I was. Not the washed-up has-been, not the guy with too many injuries, too many whispers circulated about him. This wasn’t about proving critics wrong anymore. It was about proving her right. Showing her why she believed in me.
I tossed the ball, swung, and hit the cleanest ace of my life.
The crowd erupted.
Kate stood, smiling like she owned me.
And I clenched my fist with fire in my blood.
