𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 | 𝖩𝗈𝖻𝖾 𝖡𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗁𝖺𝗆

¹⁶. 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗄𝗌 & 𝗀𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒

━━━━━━━━━━━━━   𝖩𝖮𝖡𝖤 𝖡𝖤𝖫𝖫𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖧𝖠𝖬

I HAVE NO idea why I'm stressing myself out over this. It's just a regular game—something I've done a million times. But this time, Alex is going to be watching.

She's probably not even thinking about it the way I am. She'll sit there in the stands, maybe with Layla and Ethan, probably laughing at something stupid Ethan says, and I'll be out there... trying not to look like an idiot.

I've never cared about who's watching before. I mean, sure, I've had big crowds, important scouts, even my parents, but this feels different. She feels different.

I got up from my bed and walked to my bathroom. My eyes immediately landed on the vase with the petals still sitting on the counter. It made me smile. I'm glad she found it cute instead of embarrassing. I was really trying for her—because this isn't something I do. I don't just invite some random girl and her friends to my house.

The thought made me pause, leaning against the sink. What does her mom think of me? I mean, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't send my daughter to a guy's house I've never met.

That thought made my stomach twist a little. Alex really never talked about her mom, and here she is, miles away from home, in a house with two strangers. Does she trust Alex that much, or does Alex keep this from her?

I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. It wasn't my place to worry about that, but at the same time, I wanted to make a good impression. If I ever meet her mom, I'd want her to see I wasn't some guy trying to mess with her daughter.

But I knew that wasn't the focus right now. I needed to stop overthinking. Today wasn't about her mom or the vase or anything else. It was about proving myself on the pitch—playing my best game. For me, for my team... and maybe a little for Alex too.

I think I'm starting to get more comfortable around Alex. With her friends, Ethan and Layla, it was pretty easy to click. They're extreme extroverts, loud and full of energy, always filling the space with their presence. But Alex? She's somewhere in between—this mix of introvert and extrovert that keeps me guessing.

I'm definitely an introvert.

I can tell Alex is trying not to be shy around me, though. She hides it well, plays it off like it's no big deal. For me, it's different. It takes time. I don't open up easily, not in the way her friends probably do. A small part of me wonders if that'll bore her—if she'll lose interest in trying to figure me out.

And then there's what happened yesterday in the backyard... yeah, I don't want to talk about it. Honestly, I don't think Alex does either.

But even thinking about it now, I can't help but laugh a little to myself. She was trying so hard, and I was trying so hard not to let her see how badly that hurt. It was embarrassing for both of us, but... it was also kind of endearing.