Chapter 47: Six Months Feels Forever

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Six Months Feels Forever

"That’s rough," Ben said suddenly from behind her.

Audrey jumped. She nearly dropped her phone on the grass. She spun around and glared at the senior intern.

"Do not sneak up on me," Audrey snapped. "I am already stressed."

Ben adjusted his camera strap. He pointed a thumb toward the water coolers. "I have been standing here for five minutes. That was a masterclass in terrible timing. The ice queen actually looked like she cared for a second."

Audrey let out a heavy sigh. She looked back across the pitch. Leo was still staring at the empty gate.

"She does care," Audrey said quietly. "She is just terrified of admitting it."

Ben shook his head. "Well, Romeo over there looks like he wants to sink into the dirt. Give me your phone. We need to go over the post-match interviews before Coach Davies yells at us."

Audrey slipped her phone back into her pocket. She had to focus. She could not fix Leo and Chloe right now. She grabbed her clipboard and followed Ben toward the locker room tunnel.

But her mind was still buzzing. As soon as she got a quiet minute in the hallway, she pulled her phone back out.

Audrey: Your best friend is an absolute idiot.

The reply came almost instantly.

Mason: Which one? I have several.

Audrey: Leo. And my roommate is worse. They are ruining my Saturday.

Mason: Keep them away from sharp objects. Did we win?

Audrey: 2-0. Jackson did okay. He yelled a lot.

Mason: Good. Tell him not to get a big head. I miss you.

Audrey stared at the bright screen. The noisy athletic hallway completely faded away. A soft, helpless smile took over her face.

Audrey: I miss you too. Florida is too far.

Mason: I agree. Go do your interviews. Call me tonight.

Audrey locked her phone. Her chest felt a little lighter. He was thousands of miles away, but he still knew exactly how to ground her.

The apartment smelled entirely like bleach.

Audrey unlocked the front door and walked inside. The living room was spotless. The pillows on the couch were perfectly arranged.

She walked into the kitchen. Chloe was aggressively scrubbing the sink with a bright yellow sponge. She was wearing yellow rubber gloves and a fierce scowl.

Chloe only cleaned when she was completely stressed out.

"You left the game early," Audrey said softly. She dropped her camera bag by the door.

Chloe did not stop scrubbing. "The game was boring. Jackson basically yelled the whole time. Calloway is clearly the only one who knows how to run a defense."

Audrey walked over and sat on one of the kitchen stools. She did not let Chloe deflect.

"You saw Daisy," Audrey stated.

Chloe stopped moving. Her shoulders went completely rigid. She turned the faucet on, rinsed the sponge, and turned the water off with a sharp twist.

"I saw a freshman throwing herself at a football player," Chloe said coldly. "It is a very common campus cliché. I was just bored of looking at it."

"She just introduced herself," Audrey argued. "Leo looked completely devastated when you walked away."

Chloe turned around. Her eyes were bright, but her jaw was set in a hard, stubborn line.

"Good," Chloe snapped. "He should feel devastated. He told everyone we were dating, Audrey. He acted like he was entirely heartbroken. And then four days later he is smiling at a blonde girl with a camera."

"He was not flirting. He was just being polite."

"It does not matter," Chloe said. She pulled the rubber gloves off her hands and threw them onto the counter with a loud smack. "I do not care. I really do not care. I am just annoyed I wasted my Saturday sitting on those uncomfortable metal bleachers."

Audrey looked at her roommate. Chloe built massive walls out of sarcasm and anger. But right now, the wall looked incredibly fragile.

"You wanted him to wait," Audrey said quietly.

Chloe blinked. "What?"

"You rejected him," Audrey explained gently. "You told him you only saw him as a friend. But you secretly wanted him to keep trying. You wanted him to prove he actually cared."

Chloe stared at her. Her perfect, confident mask cracked just a fraction.

"That is ridiculous," Chloe whispered. Her voice sounded incredibly small.

"It is human," Audrey corrected. "But Leo is a golden retriever, Chloe. You told him no. You told him he embarrassed you. So he is backing off because he respects you."

Chloe looked down at the floor. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She did not yell. She did not offer a sarcastic comeback.

"He moved on fast," Chloe finally muttered.

"He did not move on," Audrey said. "He is just trying to survive the rejection."

Chloe stayed completely silent for a long moment. Then she turned around and walked straight toward her bedroom.

"I am taking a nap," Chloe announced. "Do not let anyone knock on this door."

The door clicked shut.

Audrey let out a long sigh. She rested her head on the cool kitchen counter. They were all completely exhausting.

The campus was pitch black. Audrey lay in her small twin bed, staring at the ceiling. The only light in the room came from the glow of her phone screen.

It was almost midnight.

Her phone vibrated in her hand. The screen flashed with Mason’s name.

She answered immediately.

"Hi," Audrey said softly.

"Hi," his deep voice rumbled through the speaker.

It sounded slightly distorted over the phone, but the warm, familiar tone sent a rush of comfort straight through her chest.

"How is Florida?" Audrey asked. She pulled the blanket up to her chin.

"Hot. Humid. The coaches here are absolutely insane," Mason laughed quietly. "I had to run drills today until I wanted to throw up. Every single guy here is a top prospect. The speed is totally different."

Audrey frowned in the dark. "Are you doing okay?"

"I am surviving," Mason said. "But it is tough. I cannot just rely on my size here. I actually have to think two steps ahead."

"You are the smartest defender they have," Audrey said loyally.

Mason chuckled. "Keep saying things like that. It is very good for my ego."

"Your ego is already massive, Calloway."

"It shrank a little today," Mason admitted. His voice dropped lower. "I realized I cannot steal your fries at lunch for six entire months."

Audrey smiled. A small, bittersweet ache pulled at her heart. "I ate a whole burger today without defending my plate. It felt lonely."

Silence settled over the line. It was not awkward. It was a comfortable, heavy quiet.

"I miss you," Mason said. The playful tone was completely gone. He sounded tired and incredibly sincere.

"I miss you too," Audrey whispered back. "Campus is weird without you. Leo is a mess. He needs his captain."

"Leo will survive. Jackson will keep him in line."

"Chloe is a mess too," Audrey added. "But she is hiding it behind anger. She saw him talking to Daisy today. She was furious."

Mason let out a heavy sigh over the phone. "They need to figure it out themselves, Audrey. You cannot fix it for them."

"I know. It is just hard to watch."

"Just focus on your articles," Mason advised gently. "Did Higgins like the post-match coverage?"

"She loved it," Audrey beamed. "Ben said she is actually considering letting me write the primary feature for the playoffs."

"Because you are brilliant," Mason said simply.

Audrey felt her cheeks heat up in the dark. He always said things like that so effortlessly. He never doubted her for a single second.

"Go to sleep, Ellis," Mason murmured. "You have a lot of writing to do tomorrow."

"You go to sleep," Audrey countered. "You have to run more horrible drills in the humidity."

"I will call you tomorrow night."

"I will answer."

"Goodnight, Audrey."

"Goodnight, Mason."

The line clicked dead.

Audrey lowered the phone to her chest. She stared at the dark ceiling. The empty feeling in her room was still there, but it was not as sharp anymore.

Six months was a very long time. But as she closed her eyes, Audrey knew exactly what she had told Leo.

He was absolutely worth waiting for.