Downfall of the nation's hero

Chapter 14

Ren greets me with what I'd call a very awkward hug. I can feel her arm muscles twitching as she attempts to figure out how to position herself. Not sure if it's because she's trying to be considerate of my broken arm, if she doesn't want to show affection for everyone to see, or if it's just our horrible dynamics. Ellie must have noticed as well because her not-so-subtle laugh rings in the background.

"Can we ehm..." Ren's voice trembles when she pulls away. "Can we talk in my room, maybe? Or somewhere else?"

I give her a warm smile. "Your room is fine."

Her posture eases a bit. "Okay, let's go."

And so she leads me to the part of the dorms where I haven't been before. It turns out Ren lives on the third floor on the opposite side of where me and Sophie reside. When we get to room 306, Ren stops, unlocks the door, and lets me in. I don't know what I was expecting, but I can't hide how surprised I am to see everything so neatly organized. It's a single bedroom, so she doesn't have a roommate. Her walls are covered with photos of her friends, teammates, and even family members. But a little card on her bedside table catches my attention the most. I recognize it.

Ren's arms tug around my waist as she hugs me from behind. Her lips gently kiss my shoulder, my neck, and stop at my ear. I desperately want to turn around and kiss her back, but my curiosity gets the best of me.

"Where did you get that?" I pick up the card and show it to her.

It is a very old photo of me from when I was eleven. Back then, I wasn't this famous, and the only media people attending my games were those contacted by my mother. Not many people cared about me and my game at that time; sometimes, I wish it had stayed that way. The special thing about this card isn't its age; it's the autograph on it. This card was the first one I had ever signed. It was for a little girl who attended our first game against Ren's team and came up to me after it was over. 'For Joy, my number one fan' is written on it.

Ren chuckles when she sees what I'm talking about. "It's my sister's. She kind of is your number one fan in the world." She carefully takes it away from me. "Joy gave it to me for good luck."

"She kept it for this long?" It almost makes me tear up. Almost.

"Of course," Ren lights up when she gets to talk about someone so important to her, "you are her favorite player, Audra." Then, she pretends to grab her heart in agony. "It hurts me so much. You have no idea how hard it was for me to accept it."

I turn to face her and grin at her. "I'm your favorite person's favorite player." I say teasingly.

Ren grabs my waist again, pulling me even closer. So close that our lips almost touch. I can feel her breath on my cheeks, sending a shiver down my spine. "Who is your favorite player?" She challenges me, and my knees almost give up.

"Me, of course." I answer when I lean over to whisper into her ear, making sure she feels my little gasp for air before I carefully bite her there.

I can sense her tense as a soft moan comes out of her mouth, making me crave more. She retaliates quickly, pushing me to her bed. A dull pain echoes throughout my arm with the impact, but I try my best to hide it from her. I don't want Ren to hold back, I don't want her to stop. And she doesn't. She carefully gets on top of me, pinning me down. My breaths get shallow, anticipating what's about to happen. Her devious smirk on her face means only one thing - trouble.

Ren takes off her hoodie, revealing the body I've been longing to see again. I bet she realizes how much power she has over me because the way she's eyeing me is making me not so subtly forget how to breathe. She leans in for a kiss but stops right before our lips touch. That smile, her mouth curves into when my back arches under her touch, is cruel. How can I resist her?