𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 | 𝖩𝗈𝖻𝖾 𝖡𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗁𝖺𝗆

⁰². 𝗍𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗅 𝗌𝗂𝗑

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖱𝖣 𝖯𝖤𝖱𝖲𝖮𝖭

ALEX SAT IN the manager's office, her new uniform all black—simple and practical, but she wasn't complaining. She tried to get comfortable in the chair, her nerves still buzzing with the newness of it all. Meanwhile, Ethan and Layla were inside the office with her, and the conversation quickly shifted to something that made Alex want to shrink into her seat.

"So, I'm just saying, I only watch football for the cute players," Layla said with a grin, completely unapologetic. She leaned back in her chair, clearly proud of her confession.

Ethan's face instantly scrunched up in embarrassment, his eyes darting around as if searching for an escape. "Layla, are you seriously saying that right now?" he groaned, wishing he could disappear. "You're killing me."

Alex's lips twitched into a smile as she tried not to laugh. It was obvious Ethan was fighting the urge to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"Oh, come on," Layla teased, not missing a beat. "You know I'm right. I'm not even pretending to watch the game for the sport—I'm there for the eye candy."

Ethan buried his face in his hands, groaning louder. "You make me regret every conversation I've ever had with you."

Alex couldn't help herself. She chuckled softly, breaking her usual calm. "Well, at least you're honest about it."

Layla flashed her a grin. "Exactly! No shame in my game."

Ethan shot both of them a dramatic look, his expression one of pure exasperation. "I need a new job," he muttered to himself, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Despite Ethan's misery, Alex couldn't help but feel a little more at ease. The atmosphere was light, even if it made Ethan want to hide. It was kind of nice to see that everyone here had their own sense of humor, even if it did come at his expense.

"See!" Layla said, grabbing a picture frame from the desk and holding it up for both Ethan and Alex to see. "I don't know who these men are, but they're fine."

Ethan's expression didn't change as he spoke with a straight face. "That's me with the Bellingham brothers and Trent."

Layla looked at the photo for a moment, then burst into laughter. "You look so tiny," she teased, but quickly quieted down when she saw Ethan's glare.

Alex took a quick glance at the picture, and before she could stop herself, she snatched it from Layla's hands. Layla's eyes widened in surprise, but Alex was already focused on the man who stood taller than everyone else in the photo.

"Who is this man—he is fine," Alex said, her words slipping out before she could filter them. Immediately, she realized what she'd said, and her face flushed. "Sorry, I've just never seen... someone... so... you know."