Whispered Promises

Chapter 36 - Breaking Point

POV: Alexandra

The sun dips lower in the sky, casting a warm orange glow over the football field. It's our last training session before Saturday's big game, and the atmosphere is charged with a mix of anticipation and tension. I feel the weight of the upcoming game pressing down on us, and I'm determined to make this session count.

Levi arrives, his usual swagger toned down, replaced by a more focused demeanor. His eyes are serious, and I can sense the gravity he's placing on our final preparations. It's a different side of him, one that reveals just how much this game means to him.

"Ready for this?" I ask, trying to keep things light.

He shrugs, his gaze distant. "Let's just get it done."

I frown. Where's the usual back-and-forth? Levi never passes up a chance to tease me or throw a snarky comment my way. Maybe the pressure of the game is getting to him too.

We start warming up, and the silence between us is deafening. Our footsteps on the grass, the sound of our breathing in sync—it's almost too quiet. I can feel the weight of the game pressing down on both of us, but there's something else simmering beneath the surface, something unspoken.

We move into our drills, and the air grows thick with concentration. Levi's movements are sharp and precise, his focus unbreakable. It's a side of him I don't see often, the cocky playfulness replaced with sheer determination. As much as he frustrates me sometimes, I can't help but respect the intensity he brings to the field.

"Nice pass," I say after we pull off a smooth play. "Looks like we're finally starting to gel."

He meets my eyes, a flicker of surprise in his expression. "Yeah. Maybe you're not as hopeless as I thought."

I narrow my eyes, smirking. "Don't get used to it. You might actually have to admit I'm better than you."

His jaw tightens slightly, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. "Keep dreaming."

And just like that, the easy rhythm we'd found cracks under the weight of our words. We fall into more drills, pushing each other harder, the tension building with every step. It feels like we're testing each other—not just on the field, but on a deeper level. Like there's something unspoken we're both afraid to acknowledge.

The drills turn into a competition, each of us trying to outdo the other. I make a perfect pass; he counters with an equally sharp move. Every successful play feels like a challenge, every misstep like a personal failure.

"Come on," I tease, trying to break the tension once again. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

He gives me a look. "Cold feet? Hardly. I'm just trying to make sure you don't screw this up."

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "Oh please, like I'm the one who's going to drop the ball. You're not exactly known for your consistency, Levi."

There it is—just the spark of irritation I was aiming for. His jaw clenches, and I can see the flicker of annoyance in his eyes. "You're one to talk. The only reason we're even halfway decent as a team is because I've been carrying you this entire time."

"Carrying me?" I repeat, incredulous. "You can't be serious. If anything, you've been dragging us down with that oversized ego of yours."

Levi smirks, but there's no humor behind it. "Oversized ego? Funny, coming from the girl who thinks she's already a star player just because she can keep up with me on a good day."

I feel my pulse quicken, the teasing banter taking a sharp turn into something more heated. "You act like you're some untouchable god on this field, but newsflash, Levi—you're not perfect. Far from it."

His eyes darken, his voice lowering. "And you think you are? You've been riding on sheer stubbornness this whole time, thinking you can prove something to me. It's pathetic."

The words hit like a punch to the gut, sharp and cutting. I wasn't expecting that. "Pathetic? Is that what you really think?"

His expression hardens, the mask slipping just enough for me to see the frustration underneath. "Yeah, because no matter what you do, it's always about proving me wrong. You're so desperate to beat me, it's all you ever think about. You don't even care about the game anymore."

Something inside me snaps at that. "Don't you dare tell me what I care about, Levi. You think I'm obsessed with beating you? Maybe it's because you spend all your time acting like you're better than everyone else. I'm just sick of watching you act like nothing touches you."

Levi steps closer, the space between us shrinking, the tension building like a pressure cooker about to explode. "Maybe I act that way because I've had to be. Unlike you, I don't get the luxury of just playing for fun. I've got everything riding on this game—on my performance—so yeah, I'm going to make sure I'm better than you. I don't have a choice."

I laugh bitterly, the anger bubbling up. "Oh, spare me the sob story, Levi. You think you're the only one under pressure? Everyone's watching you, waiting for you to screw up, and you're too scared to admit you're terrified of failing. So you put on this act, this tough guy routine, but deep down, you're just scared."

His face flushes with anger, and his voice tightens, each word laced with venom. "And what about you, Alex? Hiding behind your stubbornness, pretending like you don't care? You think I don't see right through you? You're just as scared as I am—maybe even more."

I flinch, the truth in his words hitting too close to home. He's right, and I hate that he knows it. "At least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not. I'm honest about who I am."

"Honest?" he sneers. "You're a liar, Alex. You lie to yourself every damn day. You act like you've got it all figured out, but you don't. You're lost, just like the rest of us."

My breath catches, my throat tightening as his words sink in. The anger between us is white-hot now, blistering and raw. We're standing so close I can feel the heat radiating off him, our bodies inches apart, every word a dagger aimed straight for the heart.

I open my mouth to throw another insult, but the words die on my lips as Levi steps closer, his eyes burning with something I can't name. "You think you know me? You don't know the first thing about me, Alex."

My pulse races, my breath hitching as I glare up at him. "Maybe I know more than you think."

And then it happens. Like a dam breaking, all the tension, the frustration, the anger—it all spills over. His lips crash into mine with a force that steals the breath from my lungs.

The kiss is a collision of everything we've been holding back—rage, confusion, desire, and something deeper that neither of us wants to admit. His hands grip my waist, pulling me closer as I kiss him back, matching his intensity with my own. It's messy, frantic, a clash of wills and emotions, and it feels like everything we've been trying to ignore is coming to the surface in this one moment.

For a few seconds, nothing else matters. It's just him, his lips on mine, the heat between us burning too hot to handle.

But then reality hits me, and I pull back, gasping for air. Levi looks as shocked as I feel, his eyes wide, his chest heaving. There's a flicker of something in his expression—surprise, regret, maybe even fear—but it disappears as quickly as it came.

We stand there in stunned silence, the tension still thick between us. Neither of us says a word, the gravity of what just happened settling around us like a heavy blanket.

I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "I... I need to go."

Levi says nothing, just nods once, his gaze fixed on the ground. I can't read him. I don't know what he's thinking, and right now, I don't want to.

I turn on my heel and walk away, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts I can't make sense of. What just happened? How did we get here? And what the hell do we do now?

As I leave the field, the weight of the kiss lingers, heavy and unresolved. We didn't just break the tension—we shattered it. And I have no idea how to put the pieces back together.

I need Josy. I tried to call her on the way back to my house.

Straight to voicemail. This one time I need her, she isn't picking up.

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