Page 41 of From Fake Dates to Forever Goals

My eyes open to an email from my father’s lawyer, informing me that my inheritance is being transferred to my account. The conditions were met: I cleared up my reputation and made amends with everything keeping me from my purpose.

I couldn’t be happier. It feels like all the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together, and I know who I have to thank for that—Ava. She hasn’t just brought joy to my life; she’s given me direction. I can feel my life shifting for the better, and it’s all because of her.

As I get ready for practice, my phone rings. The name on the screen makes me sit up straight. It’s Ava’s father.

“Uh, Coach Harrison, hello,” I stammer, my nerves suddenly on edge.

“I have one question, Sebastian,” he says, his tone firm.

I know this isn’t about the game. He must have seen the footage of me kissing Ava on live TV.

The silence between us feels deafening.

“Do you love her?” he asks.

The answer comes to me before I even have time to think, and it surprises me.

“I do, Coach Harrison,” I admit, my throattightening.

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence on the other end. Then his voice comes through, steady and deliberate.

“Make sure you don’t hurt her. Or else.”

“Not a single tear,” I promise him.

The call ends, and I realize I’m sweating. But one thing is clear—I’m determined to keep that promise. Ava means more to me than I ever expected.

Now that the game is over and I have a free week ahead, I decide it’s time to spend some quality time with Ava. We’ve shared incredible moments, but it’s been a whirlwind, and I miss the simplicity of just being with her.

I show up at her door unannounced, Chinese food in hand.

“You came!” she exclaims, flinging her arms around me.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever,” I say, kissing her passionately.

“I missed you too,” she whispers, holding me close.

She’s in her pajamas, her hair tied up in a ponytail, looking effortlessly beautiful. She opens the bag of food while I grab wine glasses from the cabinet. It’s going to be a cozy night with good food and movies.

“Are you sure you want to watch this one?” I ask, eyeing the thumbnail of the horror movie she’s picked out.

“I love horror movies,” she says, her ponytail bouncing as she settles onto the couch.

I would never have pegged Ava as a horror movie fan.

We curl up together, digging into our spaghetti Bolognese while the movie plays. By the halfway mark, I can’t help but look away from the screen, but Ava is completely engrossed.

“This is the best part,” she says with a laugh, taking another bite of her spaghetti.

Horror movies have never been my thing. As a kid, they’d keep me up all night.

Suddenly, Ava pauses the movie.

“Why’d you turn it off?” I ask.

“I can’t be the only one watching the movie, Sebastian,” she teases, scrolling through the list of films.

She finally lands on an old comedy.

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