Veiled Echoes

C H A P T E R 8

HANA

The reason I was late had not been Johan.

I had taken a moment in the bathroom of the Sports Dome to process my thoughts and twenty minutes spent in solitude, trying to control my self-doubt and questioning if my decision was truly for the best. Rae had patiently waited outside my cubicle, reminiscing about our first meeting at the club.

That night at the club, I found myself with a girl who couldn't stop talking while I held her hair back, I was surprised to learn all about her life. From her parents' immigration story to the near-death experience she had with a car—all the while the alcohol in my head was making me increasingly irritable. Despite my growing annoyance, she had somehow managed to shift my focus away from my reasons for turning to alcohol for comfort.

Like that night at the club, Rae had successfully pulled me out of the cubicle. When I walked out of the bathroom, Ethan passed me the bottle of water. All the while I walked inside the stadium, I braced myself for whatever the outcome of today was.

Justin had never allowed me to attend his basketball games. Near the beginning, I had brushed it off, thinking he had been thoughtful that I may be busy and did not want to make me feel guilty. However, despite my hints that I was not, he had never considered to invite me. After a while, I decided to ignore it and told myself not to worry too much.

Who would have thought he would have managed to find himself a fiance during one of his matches?

I hadn't expected just how packed the stadium would be. This was a match between two teams that seemed prepared to fight each other tooth and nail to win, and the atmosphere was almost contagious. It was a wonder how this intense rivalry had even started, but it had been going on for as long as the BUCS League had been around. Gradually, it had become a part of the sporting culture, passed down from generation to generation.

"The players will switch positions on the court during the game, although they will have a chance to play in every position. Only the libero will move to the front court as he will be substituted by a middle blocker," Ethan explained, his eyes set on the court as the game began.

I nodded, despite the slight confusion. I had no idea what any of these positions were and blamed myself for forgetting to research them yesterday.

"Don't worry about all that," Rae whispered beside me and sipped her drink. "Just focus on your man and cheer for him when we score up. That's all you have to do."

Despite my uncertainty, I followed her advice the entire first set. It was quite close, with ULC taking the set at 25:21. Throughout the entire set, I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from Aiden as he played. While he may have looked attractive at the dinner on Saturday, watching him play now was a completely different experience—one I would not want to miss again.

Seeing him in action, the way he moved and played with such intensity, sparked a new sense of purpose within me, as if my life had suddenly gained a new meaning.

I mean, who could blame a girl for being attracted to Aiden after seeing him play with such captainly fervour? He commanded the court with efficiency and authority, and I had to tame myself because I could not be seen blatantly giggling over a man out in public.

Ethan had mentioned that Aiden was an outside hitter—whatever that meant. All I could see was the rippling strength in his biceps as he leapt into the air, sending the ball flying with so much force that it seemed like anyone hit by it would break a tooth or two.

Although ULC initially led the second set, Nottingham caught up quickly. With around thirty-five minutes left on the clock, ULC and Nottingham were 22:21, with Nottingham serving.