My One and Only Rival

Chapter 20

HER POV

MONDAY

A raindrop after raindrop began appearing on the glass window of the bus

I was sitting in one of the back seats, trying my best to prevent my eyes from closing shut

I barely got any sleep last night since I have an important exam tomorrow and I need to be as prepared as I can possibly be

There's a lot at stake

And the price I'd have to pay for getting a bad score would be far worse than having to listen to my parents about my grades 'dropping'

If the date with Ares does actually happen, it wouldn't be exactly the end of the world but I know our relationship is supposed to be strictly professional

My uncle is against mixing personal and work life so he would probably have a hard time understanding

I'm not dense nor blind, I'm aware of the fact that Ares has feelings for me

But can I meet his expectations?

There's something between us, something that I haven't felt before with anyone else, something I'd like to explore

But at the same time, that something scares me

That's why every time I'm around him, I try my best to appear unbothered by his words or actions, today won't be any different

He has an important match coming up this weekend and it could really be a turning point for him

I let him have rest days since saturday's match, mostly because my uncle suggested it, assuring me that it's necessary to ensure that Ares's body gets some break and rest

But that rest ends today

It's only 2pm but we're already meeting for the practice

Ares finished school earlier than me today so while he had time to go home and change in the meantime, I had to come here straight from school

Thankfully, my hands won't be that full today, since I'll have my uncle's help

He's going to help with Ares's training today and it was obvious that Ares looked forward to it way too much

Because as I arrived at the bus station, that was 10 minutes away from the gym, I instantly spotted a familiar face

He was wearing a compression shirt and grey sweatpants, a combination I've seen him wear many times before since it was practically his training outfit

Yet, every time I caught myself staring at it longer

His black hair was a little messy today from the rain, making it a little poofier than usual

As I got off the bus, I advanced towards him, making my way through the crowd

I never lost sight of him since he stood at 6'4 feet so it was a little hard to miss him

When I got closer to him I noticed his unsteady breathing, the little stain of sweat under the neck line of his shirt and drops, that weren't the one from the rain, on his forehead