Chapter 33: Two Feet Apart

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Two Feet Apart

Wednesday afternoon was painfully awkward.

Audrey had spent the entire morning trying to figure out how to act around Mason after running away from him on the pitch. She had set a boundary. He had respected it. But then he had asked that impossible, terrifying question, and she had completely panicked.

Now, she was standing in line at the campus smoothie bar next to the athletic center.

Mason was standing exactly two feet away from her.

He wasn’t casually leaning into her space. He wasn’t casually brushing her shoulder. He was strictly adhering to the boundary she had set, keeping a very respectful, very obvious distance.

Somehow, the physical distance made Audrey feel ten times worse.

"I can pay for my own smoothie, Calloway," Audrey said, watching him pull out his wallet.

"I know you can," Mason said, handing his card to the cashier. "But I offered."

He didn’t tease her about it. He just paid, took the two plastic cups, and handed her the strawberry-banana one. He was being so careful.

They walked away from the counter, standing near a tall table in the corner of the crowded café.

"Mason?"

The voice was bright, clear, and genuinely surprised.

Audrey turned.

A girl was walking toward them. She was tall, almost as tall as Mason, with an athletic build, flawless dark skin, and a sleek ponytail. She was wearing a navy blue Westbridge Volleyball jacket and carrying a thick pre-med textbook. She was, objectively, stunning.

Mason turned around. A warm, friendly smile immediately crossed his face.

"Elena," Mason said.

Elena smiled before giving him a quick, familiar hug.

Mason returned it politely, though only for a second before stepping back.

Audrey’s stomach did a complicated little flip. She instantly prepared herself for the worst. She remembered Zoey Mitchell. She remembered the condescending smiles and the fake sympathy. Audrey braced herself for the subtle insults.

Elena pulled back and immediately turned her attention to Audrey. She didn’t glare. She didn’t look Audrey up and down.

She just smiled. It was a completely genuine, radiant smile.

"You must be Audrey," Elena said, extending a hand.

Audrey blinked, caught off guard. She shook it. "Yes. Hi."

"I’m Elena," she introduced herself. "I used to play for the volleyball team before my pre-med classes completely consumed my life."

"She was the captain," Mason corrected smoothly, taking a sip of his smoothie. "She won the regional cup her sophomore year."

"Don’t exaggerate, Mason, I had a great setter," Elena laughed, waving him off. She looked back at Audrey, her eyes lighting up. "Wait. Are you the Audrey Ellis who writes for the sports bulletin?"

Audrey was completely stunned. "...I am."

"Your tactical breakdown of the East State match was brilliant!" Elena said enthusiastically. "Mason’s defense is usually so hard to put into words, but you completely nailed the way he anchors the backline. It was a great read."

Audrey stared at her.

She wasn’t being sarcastic. She wasn’t playing a game. Elena was just... incredibly nice. She was smart, successful, and genuinely complimenting Audrey’s work.

"Thank you," Audrey managed to say, her voice slightly tight. "That means a lot."

"Of course," Elena smiled. She looked between the two of them, her expression softening into something very fond and slightly nostalgic.

She looked at Mason.

"I have to get to the lab," Elena said softly. "But it’s really good to see you, Mason. I’m glad you’re finally dating someone seriously."

Audrey completely froze.

Finally?

Elena gave them a small wave and walked out of the café, her head held high, disappearing into the campus crowd.

Silence fell over their small table.

Audrey stared at the spot where Elena had just been standing. The cold condensation from her plastic cup was dripping onto her fingers, but she didn’t wipe it away.

"She seems... great," Audrey said. Her voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

"She is," Mason agreed easily, taking another sip of his drink. "We dated freshman year. Mutually broke it off when her lab schedule got too crazy. She’s a good person."

He said it so simply. There was no drama. There was no toxic breakup. It was just a mature, healthy relationship that had ended respectfully.

Audrey looked down at her shoes.

A heavy, suffocating wave of insecurity crashed over her.

It wasn’t jealousy. Jealousy was what she had felt when Zoey Mitchell had touched Logan’s arm. Jealousy was anger.

This was entirely different.

This was inadequacy.

Elena was real. She was a former captain. She was a pre-med student. She was mature, beautiful, and completely put together. She was exactly the kind of girl someone like Mason Calloway should be dating.

And more importantly... Elena had been a real girlfriend.

She knew a version of Mason that Audrey would never know. She knew what it was like to actually hold his hand without an audience. She knew what it was like to be kissed by him on purpose, without the excuse of alcohol, without the safety net of a fake arrangement.

Audrey felt incredibly, stupidly small.

I’m glad you’re finally dating someone seriously.

The words echoed in Audrey’s head, completely mocking her.

She wasn’t dating him seriously. She wasn’t dating him at all. She was just a journalism intern who had tripped into a rumor. She was just a girl who panicked and ran away when he tried to ask a real question.

"Ellis?"

Mason’s low voice broke through her thoughts.

Audrey looked up. Mason was watching her closely. His dark brows were drawn together in a slight frown. He was standing exactly two feet away, completely respecting her boundary, but his eyes were entirely focused on her face.

"You went quiet," Mason noted. "Are you okay?"

Audrey forced a bright, completely plastic smile onto her face. It was the same smile she used to give Logan.

"I’m fine," Audrey lied smoothly. "Just thinking about my next article."

Mason didn’t look convinced. He shifted his weight, looking like he wanted to step closer, like he wanted to reach out and check on her.

But he didn’t. He had promised not to touch her. So he just stood there, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets.

"Okay," Mason said slowly.

Audrey took a step backward, creating even more distance between them.

"I should actually get to the library," Audrey said, gripping her cup tightly. "I have a lot of editing to do before tomorrow."

Mason watched her pull away. A flash of frustration crossed his eyes, but he quickly masked it.

"I’ll walk you," he offered.

"You don’t have to," Audrey said immediately. Too quickly.

Mason froze.

The rejection hung in the air between them, sharp and uncomfortable.

Mason looked at her for a long, quiet second. His jaw tightened.

"Right," Mason said, his voice completely flat. "I have film review anyway. See you at training tomorrow."

He didn’t wait for her to reply. He turned around and walked toward the athletic center, leaving Audrey standing alone in the middle of the crowded café.

Audrey watched his broad shoulders disappear through the glass doors.

Her chest physically ached.

She had just pushed him away. She knew she had. But she couldn’t stop herself.

Because standing next to Mason Calloway, standing next to the ghost of his perfect, real past, made Audrey painfully aware of the one thing she had been trying so hard to ignore.

Audrey watched his broad shoulders disappear through the glass doors.

The space beside her suddenly felt unbearably empty.

She wrapped both hands around her smoothie, trying to warm fingers that weren’t actually cold.

She told herself she only felt guilty for pushing him away.

She repeated that explanation all the way to the library.

It still didn’t sound true.