Page 90 of Adrenalina (The Rush World)

Jia throws the ball into the air. The wires of her racket hit the ball and it lands out of bounds again.

The crowd cheers.

“Fuck, yes!” I say as the crowd cheers and claps.

Vio’s face is immediately on me. She smiles and I return it.

She doesn’t care about the people exclaiming around her because we just stare at each other with massive grins on our faces in the middle of the noise.

Her breaths are short after playing a long match, but the way the lights hit her eyes makes me want to jump over the barricade and hug her.

The only thing I can do from a distance is wink at her.

So I do. A blush creeps up on her cheeks. But she looks away before I have time to soak up how beautiful she looks with a rosy hue on her perfect face.

Chapter40

Xavier

“You don’t have to take me anywhere. It’s not like I’ve won the championship or anything,” Vio tells me, but I roll my eyes at her comment.

After her win, I suggested I take her to dinner. She needs to celebrate the little things and I’m determined to make her enjoy every single one of her wins.

“Vio, if you tell me that again, I will pull my hair out,” I tell her.

She chuckles. “Sorry, I’m just not used to going out after matches. Most tennis players go out to clubs or let loose after a match. It’s never been my scene even though I do enjoy going out sometimes.” Her dimples become more apparent as she smiles at me in this lighting.

God, she’s fucking adorable.

“Well, even if you don’t go out. You should celebrate. A lot of people don’t make it to the third round,” I point out.

We are close to the restaurant. I come every time I’m in Australia for the grand prix. It’s a Chinese fusion place that is to die for. All the food is delicious and fresh.

“I guess so.” She shrugs as we make it in front of the windows of the restaurant.

Walking ahead of her, I grab the handle and open the door for her. Vio thanks me with a nod before walking in with her head down, avoiding eye contact with the front desk lady.

“Hello, welcome in. What can I do for you?” I look at her name tag. It says Lily in small back letters. Her Australian accent throws me off before my brain registers the English words coming out of her mouth.

“Lily, we would love a table for two.” I smile at her, and she nods and grabs two menus from the side of the desk.

“Follow me.” She walks us to a table in the back. It’s round and has two chairs on either side. It’s situated right next to the window so we can watch people walking the streets, ready for the night ahead of them.

“Here you go. A waiter will be with you shortly.” Lily walks away once both Vio and I thank her in response.

Vio’s eyes observe our surroundings. The place is small, more on the intimate side. It’s not a fancy restaurant in any way, but its interior décor and paint allow the place to be unique. Chinese-style art is spray painted on the red walls. It’s very colorful and vibrant even as the night consumes its dim lighting. Vio is still taking in the restaurant, and I watch her movements. The red light reflecting on her skin with the neon sign hung on the wall above us. It’s too high for me to see what it says.

“This place is my favorite. It’s not necessarily Chinese food, but their sweet and sour pork is life-changing.” I wiggle both of my eyebrows in her direction.

Vio peruses the menu. “What about the Kung Pao chicken? Is it any good?”

“Everything here is good.” I nod in response.

She looks satisfied with my response and then goes back to the menu right in front of her. I set my menu aside. I come here every year and it’s pretty much always the same food. So I opt for watching Vio bite her lip softly as she thinks about what to order.

Her hair is freshly washed, and it falls onto her shoulders, starting to form waves as it dries. The small freckles on her nose and cheeks are in miscellaneous spots. I’ve only ever seen them on occasion because I don’t allow myself to look at her for long periods of time. It’ll only make me more obsessed with her.

Which is precisely what’s happening currently.

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