AIDEN
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Caleb looked down at me as I pulled up my knee pads. "You really agreed?"
I sighed and pulled over my jersey. "She needed help, and I was there."
Caleb lowered his voice. "You understand that you've been obsessed with this woman for the past three years."
I didn't respond to him and stood up, fixing my arm sleeves.
"You two will eventually split and go your own ways."
I halted in my tracks and turned around, fixing him with a glare. "Stop overthinking. Things will go well."
Caleb took off his top and changed into his game uniform, shaking his head. "You fucking stress me out every day. Now you have to drop this bomb right before our match when you had a whole week to inform me."
I chuckled, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Listen, she needs this, and I'm fine being her experimental mouse."
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. His shoulders loosened up before he met my gaze. "The woman just got out of a toxic relationship, and you expect her to fall for you?"
I didn't allow him to further question my motives as my team gathered up in a hurdle. Sure, the chances of her actually falling for me were certainly low. However, it didn't mean the chances were near zero—although I had around three months to execute whatever I had planned.
So far, nothing.
Relying on my charms had not been useful—the girl was immune to it all. Every time I tried to allure her, she would peer up at me in utter distaste, driving my confidence to cower in defeat. Nonetheless, her reactions now had upgraded slightly: rather than distaste, it was typically boredom, but progress was progress.
Caleb stepped on my foot, snapping me out of my scheming daze.
I looked around at my teammates, and it dawned on me how much this day meant for us. It wasn't just about Hana watching me play; we were facing our long-time adversaries. The match came a little earlier in the season than we had hoped, yet it provided us with the perfect opportunity to prove our competency today and in the finals.
"We have done this several times, boys. It's a difficult game, but I don't want us to deviate from our goal." We all placed our hands in the middle, with mine on top. "Let's show these Nottingham bitches how to win."
I took in the boisterous scene unfolding in front of me. The boys were hollering and slapping each other's backs, creating a raucous atmosphere. In the midst of it all, I happened to glance at my coach, who reciprocated my gaze and nodded at me, silently conveying our nonverbal communication.
"Don't let what happened last time repeat," his eyes seemed to say, and I nodded. That would be the last time I would lose my self-control during a match.
At that, Coach's lip curled into a small, knowing smile.
We made our way out of the locker room and stepped into the already bustling gymnasium of ULC. The space was filled with spectators, representing both Nottingham and ULC. The atmosphere was thick with a competitive edge as fans passionately waved banners bearing the colours of their teams—a sea of purple and yellow.
The collective energy sent a thrill of excitement coursing through us as we focused on our pre-match warm-ups and stretches. However, I could not focus on any of my stretches as my gaze flicked over to the four seats I had reserved for Hana and her friends. The match was going to start in less than ten minutes, and my mind began already filling in their thoughts on her absence.
YOU ARE READING
Veiled Echoes
RomanceAiden Lee's dreams revolve around a single goal - obtaining a sports scholarship to attend University College London. What he never expected was that a chance encounter three years ago would consume his thoughts and linger in his memory. When fate p...