Page 58 of Spring Tide

There’s a quiet moment right before our eyes catch. A deep furrow tangles his brow, his warm brown eyes swirling with confusion. He glances around, once to either side, before nodding toward a nearby bench. I trail behind him, chewing at a cuticle as we settle onto the cold wooden slats.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, voice low and measured. It’s not accusatory, but he doesn’t exactly sound excited.

“I came up with Eden to watch you play.”

“Ah.”

“You didn’t answer my texts.” I bite off a tiny sliver of my fingernail, then carefully tuck my hands beneath my thighs. “I’ve been worried about you.”

“I’m fine, just been busy.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, Harper.” He manages to plaster on a half-assed smile. “I’m okay.”

“Do you have a room here?” I ask, voice dipping to a whisper. “I could help you with a postgame recovery session if you wanted?”

“I’m driving back tonight. I have an early morning shift at the pier tomorrow.”

The faint, salty sting of disappointment settles in my gut. “Oh, um, yeah. I guess I should’ve realized that.”

“You’re staying, though?”

“Mhm, I’m rooming with Eden.” I attempt a lighthearted chuckle, but the tone is brittle and hollow. “I promised to try and keep her away from Fletcher tonight.”

“Good luck with that. That guy looks at her like a dog in heat.”

I free my hands, tracing the worn initials carved into the bench seat. “You think so?”

“Definitely.”

That brings a genuine smile to my face. “Maybe they should just stop fighting it and hook up again. Might cut some of the tension between them.”

“Didn’t you say they went through a bad breakup not too long ago?”

“Yeah, but—”

“And you think sex is the answer to their problems? Makes perfect sense.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Look, we’re heading to the stadium in a minute.” He avoids my gaze, zeroing in on the shuttles idling under the hotel awning. “I better get going, but thank you for coming.”

“Sure.” I swallow back my words of protest, tucking them into my back pocket for another time.

* * *

It’s beenan ear-splitting rush of excitement for the past three and a half hours. The student section was small but mighty tonight, especially compared to our traditional home games. It also helps that the Coastal Ospreys decimated the Hanford Hawks, ending the game with a score of 42-14.

Throughout the entire game, I only caught one tiny glimpse of Luca stumbling on the field. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, considering my gaze was laser focused on his knee the whole time. If he was truly in pain tonight, or if he was holding himself back, then I surely would have noticed.

I wait until the majority of fans file out before attempting to find Eden. We agreed to meet near the press entrance to the locker rooms, but it’s proving difficult to push through the media swarm.

I shuffle to the side, pressing onto my tiptoes and using a pillar as leverage.

It takes me nearly fifteen minutes to spot the familiar head of black hair bobbing through the crowd. I suppose I should’ve been looking for Fletcher in the first place, considering she’s tucked against his side now, their hands carefully intertwined.

I clear my throat as I approach them, gesturing wildly to catch Eden’s attention. Once she spots me, she shoves Fletcher out of the way, her cheeks flushing a brilliant shade of red. He leans down, brushing her hair back with a playful roll of his eyes.

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