Page 60 of Game on, Love

“Two G&Ts, please,” Leah smiled and I nodded before making my way to the bar.

The group of guys were still just as rowdy as I placed my order, and as one of them lunged back and drenched another in his beer, a small part of me snapped. Maybe it was pettiness or me just reading too much into what was a regular thing, but it didn’t sit right with me.

So, when the server handed me the two drinks, I took a deliberate step back as my elbow nudged the guy’s shoulder. He barely had time to register the events as his beer splashed over him and his friends.

“Bloody hell, Watch where—” The guy glared at me and stopped as recognition filled his eyes instantly. “Are you Oliver King?”

I nodded, annoyance flickering in me. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Happens to the best of us.” He wiped his shirt, his posture more cautious. “I’m a huge fan, by the way.”

“Thank you.” I gave him another nod as I thanked the server before grabbing the drinks and walking away.

As I reached the table, I noticed they both were looking in my direction. Leah with a proud look, while Raina was just shaking her head. “Did you really have to do that?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied easily, placing their drinks in front of them and taking the seat next to her.

Leah sipped on her drink while Raina just stared at me, and I could see her mind ticking. I also saw the moment she decided to say something, so I just nudged her knee, speaking before her. “Stop it. He upset you, and I didn’t like it. Now, drink your drink and enjoy for a bit.”

Her eyes softened before she nodded and turned to Leah and I relaxed.

18

Raina

THE RAIN STREAKED DOWNthe window, calming my nerves. My fingers traced the top of my mug as I waited for qualifying to begin. Oliver was lying down on the couch opposite me, his eyes closed, and I followed his sharp jawline with my eyes. He looked so at ease, his breathing even as the cushions behind him shifted as he sank back further.

I wasn’t supposed to like him this much, but that decision was no longer mine. That much was clear. It wasn’t the fact that he’d said the right things or the fact that he was ready to do things slowly, but it was the fact that he made me feel understood without me ever having to explain it.

His dark hair was unruly like he’d run his fingers through them multiple times, and the urge to do the same with my fingers grew by the second.

“You’re staring,” His eyes were still closed, but when the corners of his lips turned up, I realised he’d been aware of my stare for a while.

“Just entertaining myself while we wait,” I replied, unbothered that he’d called me out. “And since you’d rather lie back and sleep, I’m making do.”

He opened his eyes and narrowed them in my direction. “Hold on, this is not on me. Itriedto make conversation, but you have the most selective hearing in the world when you’re writing, and a guy can only take so much.”

“I was prepping for the session,” I shrugged, glancing down at the notes in front of me that covered the data from last year and free practice sessions. It was never as reliable because so many teams deliberately sandbagged their performance in aneffort to not show their advantage, but there was still importance to it, and it gave a starting point when building the articles and analysing track changes. Plus, working from home meant that I had to keep up with any new developments using social media or live sessions, which wasn’t ideal. “And I thought you said you were patient.”

He leaned on his forearm before wrapping his fist on my ankle and raising his eyebrow.

“Don’t you dare,” I warned.

“Take back your words, and I won’t.”

“What is it with you and my words?”

He tugged on my ankle gently. “Take it back.”

“Oh my god! Okay, I take it back.” I relaxed as he shot me a smug grin. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from smiling.

“So, when exactly does this get interesting?” He mocked, his hand still resting on my ankles, and I couldn’t help it; I took the pillow next to me and threw it across. A laugh flew out of me as it hit him square in the face. He looked at me with surprise, and instantly, I pulled back my legs, crisscrossing them. “You didn’t.”

“Was I this much of a jerk when you were teaching me about the art of sitting around between your innings and overs?” I asked, and he rolled his eyes. “You only have this so-called patience because it can sometimes take you up to 5 days to finish a match.”

“First of all, Ouch. Test Matchesareone of the most beautiful things about cricket,” He placed a hand on his heart, and I sighed. “Secondly, I thought I was slowly dragging you to the dark side.”

“There is nothing beautiful about sitting in the sun all day and occasionally hitting a ball. At least, you can rely on Formula One to be fast-paced.”