Page 4 of Offside Rule

A warm puff of air slipped from my mouth as I was sucked into his presence. He didn’t say anything, and yet the energy in the air changed.

Finally, he took me in, almost as if he’d only just noticed who the woman was that had been running alongside him for the last thirty minutes.

I could see the wheels turning in his head, his breathing fast and irregular as his chest rose uncontrollably. Well, at least in that moment we made it clear that I did, in fact, know football.

A smirk fought its way onto my lips, but I locked it down.

“You …” He came to his senses, and raised his hand to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead. The dark curls of his hair fell over his tanned skin, a combination of surprise and curiosity crossing his features.

I blew the whistle, forcing the game to restart. After all, he hadn’t disrespected me, fought his colleagues, nor used inappropriate language on the field. We could let it go.

A cheeky grin joined his expression. Xavier stepped back, but his body remained facing me. Before he turned away, he threw a proud wink at me, and warmth spread over my cheeks.

God. Why did he have to look so good? Even the drops of sweat on his arms and face looked hot on him.

I sighed, taking a deep breath.

Concentrate, Arianna.

They all started running again, and I joined them, forgetting about the knee pain that would inevitably return soon, and focused on Xavier for longer than I should have. His disposition changed for the second part of the game, determination reflecting in his posture and pointed stare. He looked like he knew what he wanted, and nothing was going to stop him.

I truly believed nothing could. He was smart on the field, not making any rushed decisions. Whenever he looked at his opponents, it seemed like he was analyzing them from head to toe and inside out.

When he flew past his adversaries with ease and shot a goal without so much as a struggle, he shook his head and glanced at me.

“Offside?” he mouthed, making sure I understood every letter. A cocky look rested on his face as he wiped his smirk with his thumb, hiding our interaction from any curious eyes.

I rolled my eyes, acting unimpressed when, in reality, my heart fought to grow a pair of legs, jump out of my chest, and climb right into his arms.

As the game carried on, Xavier secured a second goal for his team, bringing them to a tie. A score of 2-2 in minute 85 wasn’t great. Not with the chances they’d had.

My legs moved of their own accord as Xavier found himself alone among England’s players. He tried to get past them a couple of times, but he didn’t see a way out without losing the ball, and neither did I. I held my breath, sweat gliding down my back.

Suddenly his eyes found mine for a split second, and I didn’t know what had changed, but with a set look on his face, he sprang from between his opponents and ran for the goal.

He could do it. I could already see it happening.

Time slowed, the thumps of his steps vibrating through the ground to where I waited expectantly. I bit my bottom lip, running to the opposite side to get a better view of his moves.

Spain was going to win.

“Pass it to Isaac,” a man’s sharp and thick voice filtered through the cheers all the way to us. My body froze.

Was he insane?

Xavier had a clear opening, and I knew he wouldn’t miss.

He hesitated for a second after guiding the ball between the legs of another player, and threw a quick glance over his shoulder.

Then, with what looked like his last bit of hope and support for his teammate, Xavier launched the ball successfully to Isaac. I held my breath, walking closer, ready to call a goal. He was right there, with plenty of time to end the match gracefully.

Come on.

But when the ball flew over the goal, it felt like everybody in the stadium stopped breathing. Time slowed as jaws fell to the floor, then the sounds of desperation and anger from the tribunes filled the air around us. My shoulders slumped, feeling that miss as if it were my own.

So close.

After a quick scan of the revolted crowd cursing and throwing food over the fence onto the field, my gaze turned. I found myself sprinting to the center, where Xavier was already marching toward Isaac. Even from this distance, I could see the disaster about to break loose.

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