Page 83 of Hate To Love You

“Damian, be a doll and go grab us some popcorn,” Lainey demands, giving Damian her best puppy dog eyes. He rolls his and scoffs as he pops a brown m&m into his mouth.

“Go get it yourself, Princess,” he mocks. Lainey huffs and leans back in her seat, crossing her arms.

“Fine, then you don’t get to share the blanket with us. Good luck when your legs start to freeze off,” Lainey’s snarky tone makes me giggle.

“I don’t need your blanket. It’s not even that cold. You guys are just babies.”

I elbow him in the side, making him drop some of his snack on the ground.

“Hey! What was that for? M&m’s are expensive you know,” he whines.

Shaking my head, I laugh and turn back to the field.

The crowds’ cheers get louder, and the stadium lights flash as both teams rush the field. Weston U in their purple and black jerseys and Ellington U in their green and white.

I’ve overheard a few people say that Weston U is a hard team to beat, and that they can get pretty violent. I’ve also heard a lot of people talking about some guy on Weston U’s team named Connor Walsh. They’ve said he’s a monster on the field, and a few even said they heard he was going after Ryker tonight.

I’m not sure why, and I didn’t feel the need to ask. I know Ryker can handle himself and I’m sure it’s all just gossip anyway.

My eyes follow Ryker as he runs to his position. After I left the last game, I did some research. Ryker’s position is called the fly-half. It’s a weird name, but then again, all of them kind of are.

Ryker’s job is to lead his team’s defense and attacks on the other team. According to Google, the fly-halves have to be aggressive, they have the best kicks, and they have to be aware of everything going on at all times to make the right calls.

It seems like a really stressful job, and apparently, it’s one of the most important positions. I can see how Ryker could be the best fit for it.

When he’s in position, I see his head turn to search the crowd, and when his green eyes land on mine, my heart stutters, and I can feel my cheeks heat. His smile makes me clench my thighs because holy shit balls, he’s so freaking sexy.

Jesus, who am I?

“Your man looks mighty happy to see you,” Damian nudges me lightly, winking. A small laugh leaves my lips.

“Shut up,” I say, not even correcting him for calling Ryker ‘my man’.

Ryker turns back to focus on the start of the game, and when the whistle blows, the crowd goes nuts. Two girls behind me stand and scream as they jump up and down. One cheers for Holland, and the other cheers for Ryker.

To my surprise, my blood boils and jealously rages through my veins. I know he has fans, and I know most of them are girls, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I know being with Ryker is going to be challenging. Girls throw themselves at him, and that’s just something I’ll have to get used to. It’s not really something he can help.

Watching the guys run across the field, my heart pounds and my hands tap against my thighs nervously. Rugby is a contact sport. It’s kind of scary to see the way these guys get tackled, and seeing Ryker get hit is making me cringe.

The last game I went to, I was hoping he’d get thrown to the ground. Now, I can’t stand to see him hurt.

My eyes follow him up and down the field, every so often landing on his roommates. I believe Pat is the team’s captain, and according to my rugby research, Holland is the hooker, and Mason is a fullback.

I really didn’t look into those positions much, but it seems like each of them has an important job, and they’re all doing really well.

“You hungry?” Lainey leans into my side, yelling in my ear so I can hear her over the loud voices. My stomach growls at the thought of food. I hadn’t realized I was hungry until she mentioned it.

I nod, yelling back, “Yeah.”

“What do you want? I can go get us food from concessions,” Lainey offers. I feel the need to stretch my legs, so I offer to go instead. I have to pee too, so I might as well.

Standing up, I tug my coat on tighter and begin to make my way down the aisle. Ellie’s hand shoots out to grab my wrist, her blue eyes peering up at me.

“Can you grab me a slushie? The red one?” she smiles sweetly. I nod, chuckling.

“Yeah. Lainey, cheese fries?” Lainey nods enthusiastically without looking away from the field. I follow her gaze and find it landing on Holland. My eyes narrow with suspicion, but I keep heading for the concession stands, shoving away my curiosity.

---