Hollow

Thirty Five | Steel

"What do you guys want? I'll go order for us." I stand taking my purse and phone.

"Iced tea, please." Jas replies.

Omar nods. "Same."

"Americano for me."

I nod and walk toward the counter to order. I place the orders, settling on a Strawberry Acai for myself. Minutes later, I walk back to our table with the tray with our drinks, handing everyone their drink before sitting back down.

"How have you guys been?" Omar asks, taking a sip of his iced tea, lazily placing an arm around his sister's shoulder.

"I've been better. It feel like it's been forever since I saw you." Jas replies.

"The navy does that to you." He sighs.

I sip on my coffee, watching Omar explain how he sustained a minor injury and came back home to heal better for a while. I feel a hand tuck strands of hair to the back of my ear and Gabriel sends me a playful wink before averting his attention back to his friend. I resist the urge to smack him but I hold it in and excuse myself to go to the restroom. Jas insists on coming along and we walk away, leaving the guys to the conversation.

"Did you see that?"

"You mean Gabriel looking at you like he wanted to take you on the spot?" Jas laughs.

"Not happening."

"It's only a matter of time, you'd look mad cute together." She shrugs, fixing her hair.

"You do realise I have a boyfriend?"

"You're finally admitting it!" Jas gasps, holding her chest. "I can't believe you're finally admitting it. Wait until I tell Paris about this!"

<<·>> <<·>> <<·>>

The release party is in a few days and the amount of work on our hands is taking a toll on me and the fact Killian is still in Mexico disputing matches doesn't make things better either. I decide to Facetime him and luckily, he picks up on the fourth ring.

I almost choke on the lasagna in my mouth when I see him standing in front of the camera with only a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping from his hair all the way down to his chest.

"You okay there?"

I nod breathlessly, grabbing the glass of water in front of me and taking a careful sip, my gaze not leaving him as he dries his hair. He lets out a deep chuckle before disappearing. He returns a moment later, sporting dark shorts and a grey v-neck.

"You didn't have to change on my account." I taunt, a mischievous smirk on my face.

"Yeah, right." He chuckles, shaking his head in amusement as he moves around his room before hoping on his bed. "I'll pretend you were not drooling seconds ago."

"I was not drooling."

"If you say so."

I lay my head against my cheek. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, my beautiful girl. And I can't wait for this to end, you'll have me on your hip 24/7."

"About that...are you ready for your big day tomorrow?"

He runs his hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. "All I can think about is how much I don't want to disappoint the fans and my country."

"I don't care if I have to recite this as a prayer for you to get this through your mind but I want you to remember that you're a fucking champion!" I drop my fork instantly and position my phone at a better angle before sitting up. "You guys will win that match tomorrow and we'll get so fucked up we won't remember anything tomorrow."

"I know but I c—"

"Baby, listen to me. Whatever happens, I am and will always be proud of you."

A small smile appears at the corners of lips as he looks at me. "Thank you, I really needed to hear that." He says after a while.

I hum in agreement. "Did you talk to your family?"

"Yeah, we're actually about to hop on a call in a few. We usually pray together the night before a match or whenever they can't make it to my games."

"That's actually a great idea." I reply, bringing my apple juice to my lips, taking a sip.

"Is everything okay with you? No stress at work?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Are you sure?"

I nod, shooting him a smile. "Just thinking about how blessed you're about to get. You'll be seeing my beautiful self everyday after this." I state, munching on my lasagna.

"With everything I have planned, it'll be a miracle if you manage to walk." He taunts making me almost choke on the food in my mouth.

I reach for my glass, quickly gulping down my juice to relax my respiratory tract. You'd think Killian would sympathize with me but no, he erupts in a fit of laughter mocking my pain. "It's not funny."

"Oh, but it is." He retorts, his voice still filled with laughter.

"You won't be laughing after I'm done with you."

He raises a brow, smirking. "That can be arranged."

"I'm hanging up."

"I guess I have to go too." He chuckles.

"Get some rest and say hi to your family for me." I tell him, waving him a kiss that he pretends to catch. He brings the hand to his cheek and grins goofily.

"Good night baby."

"Good night."