Page 78 of Game on, Love

“I think they beat the bagels in the ranking, but your brownies still hold firm at the top.”

I wasn’t sure what in particular I had said, but a smile took over her face before stepping out of my hold. She met my eyes, and it felt like I no longer needed oxygen to breathe; the emotions in her eyes were enough to make me feel like I hadn’t even been alive before, and it was that moment that taught me the true meaning of breathing life into someone. As she’d just awakened something in me I didn’t even know existed.

“What?” She asked, and I shook my head, my hands running down her side. This time, it wasn’t even about her; I needed togive myself the luxury of knowing the feeling before I shared it with her, instead of overwhelming her.

Her gaze shifted to Milo lying on my bed, and she sighed. “I think I can officially start calling you a cat stealer.”

“I did not steal your cat,” I chuckled as she walked over to him. “If anything, he chose me.”

“I know. That makes it worse,” Raina muttered, climbing my bed next to Milo. He opened his eyes, and when she pulled him in her direction, he went easily, making her smile. “I think it may be your bed.”

My heart raced at the sight of her in my bed, and the feeling of how perfectly she fit in the pieces of my life seeped into my skin.

“It’s definitely me.” I teased before walking to my bedside and lying down on my side opposite her.

“He doesn’t even sleep in my bed, much less cuddle me like this.”

“You can stay here as long as you want.”

She groaned as though remembering something. “I left my lights on in my room. I’ll need to go back at one point or another. Why are you shaking your head?”

I opened my phone and placed it in front of her. “We have smart lighting in the house. I could turn it off with a click.” I swiped over a couple of things before pulling up the map of her room, where I could see all of the lights that were turned on.

“Thatissmart but also creepy at the same time.”

I chuckled. “Want me to turn them off?”

“No, it’s okay,” She tugged on her lower lip. “I need to finish my work on my notes for Austin. I have to send a draft to Hazel by tomorrow.”

“When is your flight?”

“Wednesday afternoon.”

I nodded, enjoying watching her relax more and more by the second.

“Why were you watching the India v Australia Test series?” Her eyes were filled with curiosity, and I smiled.

“I have a selection match in a month for the Ashes,” I replied, and her eyes trailed over my face. “The series is called the Border–Gavaskar Trophy. The last one took place in Australia, last December, and if Rihaan and I get selected, the Ashes would be the first one we play in January. We were just going over the plays the Aussies made to see the different advantages they had at home ground.”

“Is a selection match normal?”

I hesitated. “No. They used to before, but now the ECB, or the English Cricket Board, usually make a pick from the data they already have; they monitor the domestic matches and obviously the England Lions before they announce the squad.”

She frowned. “Then why do you have to do a match?”

“It’s not a formal match,” I muttered, unease settling in my stomach. “I was actually a part of the Performance Programme and even part of the Ashes squad last year as a development player. But I hadn’t gotten the chance to play.”

“Oh. What happened?”

“Two months later, I got in an accident,” I held her eye contact, and she froze, but now that I had started it, I needed to finish it. The urge to not relive the night crawled up my spine. “I’d gone home on the night of our ODI championship win to surprise my parents, who had missed my finals for the first time due to it clashing with my Dad’s medical appointment. But my Dad had lied to me; they’d already received his diagnosis, and they just didn’t want to tell me how bad it had gotten. It took me one look to know something was seriously wrong.”

Raina leaned forward and held my hand like she was trying to find a way to ground me, and that was all I needed tocontinue. “Before I had my car, I used to love riding my motorbike. I literally took that thing everywhere—it made me feel the thrill I felt when I was on the pitch—and that night, I’d gone home on my bike for the first time. But, after hearing that news, instead of staying home with them… I left. I was so frustrated with them hiding it from me, and maybe it was the adrenaline crashing or the hurt, but somewhere on the A3, I lost control and crashed.”

Her eyes were glassy as she let go of Milo and closed the gap between us.

She wrapped her frame around me, and a wave of calmness flowed through my veins, soothing every part of me as I slipped an arm around her.

I wiped the tear that had slipped down her cheek as I added. “I’m okay.”