Chapter 44: One Heart Lets Go, Another Falls

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: One Heart Lets Go, Another Falls

The silence in the living room was deafening.

It pressed down on them, heavy and suffocating. The glow from Mason’s phone screen finally timed out, plunging the room back into the dim, soft light of the streetlamps outside.

Mason didn’t move. He sat completely rigid on the couch, his arm still wrapped tightly around Audrey’s waist.

Then, very slowly, he tossed his phone face-down onto the coffee table.

"I’ll tell Coach Miller I can’t go," Mason said. His voice was completely flat.

Audrey blinked, pulling back just enough to look at his face. "...What?"

"I’m not going," Mason repeated. He didn’t look at her. He stared at the blank wall, his jaw locked. "I’ll email the academy tomorrow. I’ll tell them I have to finish the season here."

Audrey stared at him in pure disbelief. "Mason, are you out of your mind?"

"No," he said stubbornly. His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer against his chest. "I’m not leaving."

"It’s the National Development Academy!" Audrey said, her voice rising. She grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "This is the premier camp! It’s the direct pipeline to a professional contract. This is everything you’ve ever wanted."

"I don’t care," Mason shot back.

His dark eyes finally met hers, and the raw desperation in them made Audrey’s breath hitch.

"I just got you," Mason whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "Three months, Audrey. I spent three months going crazy, pretending to be your fake boyfriend, just waiting for the chance to actually hold you. And now, after we finally fix everything... they want me to leave next week?"

He shook his head, burying his face into her shoulder. "I’m not doing it. I’m staying."

Audrey’s heart physically ached.

He was so terrifyingly loyal. He was actually willing to throw away his entire future just to stay on a college campus with her.

She gently pulled back, framing his face with both of her hands.

"Mason," Audrey said softly. "Look at me."

He didn’t want to, but he did.

"You are going," Audrey said firmly.

"Audrey..."

"No," she interrupted, her voice steady and absolute. "You are not giving up your dream for me. If you stay here and reject that offer, you will resent it later. And I would never forgive myself for holding you back."

Mason looked at her, his expression twisting with frustration. "I wouldn’t resent you. I want to be with you."

"You can be with me," Audrey smiled, her thumbs brushing against his cheekbones. "Planes exist. Phones exist. We aren’t breaking up just because you’re going to Florida."

"It’s six months," Mason argued, hating the math. "Six months of intense training. I won’t even be able to see you."

"Then we’ll text," Audrey said simply. "And we’ll call. And when you finally sign that pro contract, I’ll be the one writing the front-page article about it."

Mason stared at her. He searched her face, looking for any sign of doubt. But Audrey was completely sure. She believed in him entirely.

He let out a long, shaky exhale, resting his forehead against hers.

"...You’re really going to make me do this?" he whispered.

"Yes," Audrey said. She kissed him softly. "Accept it, Mason."

He closed his eyes, his hands resting on her waist.

"...Okay."

Monday morning on campus was cold and gray.

Zoya was walking briskly down the pathway toward the library, clutching a massive textbook to her chest. She was already mentally reviewing for her afternoon quiz, her expression focused and completely unapproachable.

"Well, if it isn’t the walking encyclopedia."

Zoya stopped. She let out a long, suffering sigh and slowly closed her eyes.

She opened them to find Jackson standing in the middle of the path. He was wearing his football jacket, a lazy, cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Jackson," Zoya said, her voice dripping with absolute boredom. "Move."

"You’re always so friendly," Jackson teased, not stepping aside. He crossed his massive arms. "I see you finally let Audrey out of the apartment. I was starting to think you girls locked her in."

"Unlike some people, we actually study," Zoya said sharply. "Now step aside before I walk directly over you."

Jackson let out a loud laugh. "You’re five foot nothing, glasses. I’d like to see you try."

Zoya’s eyes narrowed into dangerous little slits. She didn’t yell. She just adjusted her glasses, looking him up and down with complete disdain.

"I have a quiz in ten minutes," Zoya said coldly. "If you make me late, I will personally rewrite the defensive playbook to ensure you never touch a football again. Do you understand me, meathead?"

Jackson’s smirk faltered just a fraction. He held his hands up in mock surrender and took a step back.

"Alright, alright. Take it easy," Jackson chuckled.

Zoya didn’t even blink. She walked right past him, her chin held high, not giving him a second glance.

Jackson watched her walk away, shaking his head. He still couldn’t stand her attitude, but he had to admit she was terrifyingly immune to him.

On the other side of the student union, Leo was having a terrible day.

He hadn’t slept. He had spent the entire Sunday night staring at his ceiling, trying to figure out how he had misread the signs so badly.

He was walking toward the cafeteria when he saw her.

Chloe was walking down the steps, wearing her signature leather jacket, holding a cup of coffee.

Leo’s heart did that stupid, painful flutter. He stopped in his tracks, taking a nervous breath. Maybe yesterday was just a bad moment. Maybe she was just stressed.

"Chloe," Leo called out, stepping toward her.

Chloe looked up. Her eyes locked onto his.

She didn’t smile. She didn’t frown. Her face was completely blank.

Without breaking her stride, she simply looked away and kept walking. She walked right past him, the cold autumn breeze trailing behind her, without saying a single word.

She completely ignored him.

Leo stood frozen on the concrete path. His stomach dropped into a black hole.

It wasn’t a game. It wasn’t a misunderstanding. She really, truly didn’t care.

Leo let out a shaky breath, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He dropped his head, staring at the pavement as he started walking blindly in the opposite direction. The usual bright, energetic bounce in his step was completely gone.

He wasn’t looking where he was going.

Crash.

Leo bumped hard into someone coming around the corner.

"Oh!" a soft, panicked voice yelped.

Leo blinked, snapping out of his daze. A girl had stumbled backward, her grip slipping as three heavy textbooks and a mess of loose papers scattered all over the concrete.

"Hey, I’m so sorry," Leo said immediately, dropping down to his knees to help gather the mess. "That was completely my fault. I wasn’t looking."

"No, no, it’s okay! I’m just clumsy," the girl stammered, kneeling down across from him.

Leo picked up a bright yellow notebook and handed it to her.

For the first time, he actually looked at her.

She was average height, wearing an oversized knit sweater. She had a mess of curly blonde hair that kept falling into her face, and when she looked up to take the notebook, Leo noticed her eyes. They were a bright, striking honey color, framed by long lashes.

She was cute.

But Leo’s heart was entirely wrapped in a steel cage. He didn’t feel a spark. He didn’t feel a flutter. He just felt numb.

"Here," Leo said, his voice quiet and gentle as he handed her the last of her papers.

The girl stared at him. She took the papers, her fingers brushing lightly against his.

Leo didn’t notice. He just offered her a small, sad smile, the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes at all.

"Have a good day," Leo murmured.

He stood up, dusted off his sweatpants, and kept walking, his hands shoved back into his pockets, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Behind him, the blonde girl remained kneeling on the concrete.

She clutched her yellow notebook tightly against her chest. Her heart was suddenly hammering a frantic, completely out-of-control rhythm against her ribs.

She stared at the broad back of the sad, gentle giant walking away.

Leo hadn’t fallen for her.

But as she watched him disappear into the crowd, her honey-colored eyes wide and entirely star-struck... she had definitely just fallen for him.