Page 24 of Game on, Love
I let out a soft laugh, amused by my own reaction and yet oddly relieved at her reply. “Good to know,”
She gave the tie a final tug and leaned back, studying her handiwork. “There. Perfect.”
Yes, you are.
“Thanks,” I said softly, my voice lowering, but she didn’t make a move to hop down just yet, her hands lingering near my collar as she looked at me. “How was the race?”
Her face broke into a real smile, andfuck.
I watched as the memory of the day before lit up her entire face, and the urge to take a picture and frame it for the world to see cruised through me.
She was unmistakably proud when she spoke, “Vedant won the race from fifteenth! It was absolutely amazing. I’ve seen him win races before, but yesterday, I watched as he made history, and it was absolutely surreal. I still get full body chills every time I close my eyes and think about it.”
I gave her a soft smile, but she didn’t notice; she was stuck in the memory, and I was completely trapped in her movements. The way she spoke about it, if Vedant hadanyclue, it would make his day.
“Glad you had a good time, love.” The word slipped out, smooth and unbidden, but I didn’t regret it for a second. I watched her blink, her eyes widening a fraction as she took my words in, but she quickly recovered.
I gave the side of her thigh a little tap before stepping back and picking up my tux jacket. I smoothed out the sleeves, and she took it from me and helped me slide it on. It was such a simple act, but as I shrugged into the fabric, it felt oddly intimate.
I turned to the mirror, before adjusting my shoulders slightly.
“Well? Do I pass?” Her voice was softer as I met her eyes in the mirror. I tilted my head slightly, studying her face.
“Depends,” I turned to look at her. “You planning on helping anyone else with their bow ties tonight?”
She rolled her eyes, pushing me back completely and hopping off the counter. “Not tonight, no.”
“Good,” I replied, sliding a hand in my pocket. “Because I’m starting to think I have a monopoly on this now.”
She laughed, the sound hitting me right in the chest as she walked back to pick up her stuff where she had left it. “It’s good to have dreams, King.”
She looked at me with a mischievous grin as she made her way to the stairs. “If you’re delusional enough, theymighteventually come true one day.”
I couldn’t help it; a laugh flew out of me as I watched her. The familiar mix of breeziness and peace rushed through me.
Maybe it was the tux, maybe it was the way she had helped me, or maybe it was her trip. But whatever it was, it gave me my first real moment with her.
As she reached the first step, she looked back at me, and the warmth in them was unmistakable. “Have fun tonight.”
I smiled, staying silent as something in me clicked. For the first time in my life, the feeling I had chased in the world of cricket was in human form in front of me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she felt the same.
THE GALA WASalready in full swing by the time I walked into the ballroom, music and conversation filling the space, people walking up to me the moment they spotted me. It was the kind of evening that used to excite me—I’d grown up going to events like these—ones where it was all about celebrating and showing off a season’s hard work.
And yet, I couldn’t shake off the feeling from before. I was present, sure, I shook hands, made small talk as I moved around the room, and did what I was supposed to do. But, every so often, I kept thinking back to the few minutes just before I left.
To Raina.
I tugged at my collar, which suddenly felt a bit too tight as I walked up to our table and dropped next to Rihaan, who was mid-conversation with a few other teammates. They were laughing at something, but stopped when he spotted me and raised an eyebrow.
“Mate, where have you been? I was about to put a search party together for you.” Rihaan asked, a frown set on his face. “You’re usually the first one out the door.”
I hesitated; he looked at me like he was on edge, his mood darker than usual. The last thing I wanted was for him to find out that I was late because I was busy trying to flirt with his sister. If the two interactions I had seen between them were any indication, I knew she would be a sore spot for him, and the strange urge to protect the peace she'd felt today came back out swinging in me.
“Just.. got held up in traffic,” I shrugged, playing it off. He gave me a suspicious look like he was trying to read something on my face. Before he could say anything, they were settling everyone down and starting the ceremony.
Across the room, I spotted Sean in a conversation with our coach and a couple of other people. Our conversation from last week was still at the front of my mind.
And when I stood on the stage, my trophy catching the spotlight and creating a glimmer at the wordsSTANDOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR,the applause surrounded me—a sound I was so used to, yet tonight it felt like background noise.