Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: The Hurricane I Missed

The Sunday morning sunlight filtered harshly through the apartment blinds.

Audrey stood in front of her bathroom mirror. She splashed freezing cold water onto her face. It did not help. Her eyes were completely puffy and red. She had spent the entire night curled up on her bedroom floor, crying until her chest physically ached.

She grabbed a towel, dried her face, and walked out into the kitchen.

Chloe was standing at the stove. She was wearing her oversized pajamas and aggressively scrambling eggs in a pan.

Audrey walked over and quietly pulled out a barstool. She sat down and rested her heavy head on the cool granite counter.

Chloe stopped stirring the eggs. She looked over her shoulder.

"You look like you fought a lawnmower and lost," Chloe noted bluntly.

"I feel like it," Audrey mumbled into the counter.

Chloe turned the stove off. She plated the eggs, grabbed two forks, and slid the plate across the counter until it bumped gently against Audrey’s arm.

"Eat," Chloe commanded softly. "And then tell me what happened. Because I know you had a good time with the art guy yesterday. I saw you smiling when you walked up the street."

Audrey slowly lifted her head. She looked at the scrambled eggs. She had absolutely no appetite, but she picked up a fork anyway.

"Mason came back," Audrey whispered.

Chloe completely froze. The fork slipped out of her hand and clattered loudly against the ceramic plate.

"What do you mean he came back?" Chloe asked, her eyes going wide. "He is supposed to be in Miami! The WFA scout dinner was last night!"

"He flew back early," Audrey explained, her voice cracking slightly. "He was waiting right outside our door when I got home from the gallery."

Chloe stared at her. "Did he quit the academy? Did Director Hayes kick him out?"

"No," Audrey shook her head. She pushed the eggs around on her plate. "He signed a direct contract with the London club. He and his agent found proof that Director Hayes was stealing charity money. They blackmailed Elena’s dad right back. He completely destroyed their leverage."

Chloe’s jaw actually dropped. "He beat the system? He is totally free?"

"Yes."

"That is incredible!" Chloe gasped, a massive smile breaking across her face. "Audrey, that is exactly what you wanted! He fought his way out for you!"

Audrey dropped her fork. She wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"I told him to leave," Audrey cried softly.

Chloe’s smile vanished instantly. She stared at her roommate in pure, absolute shock.

"You did what?" Chloe breathed.

"I told him we couldn’t work," Audrey said, the tears instantly welling back up in her tired eyes. "I told him his life is entirely too chaotic. The blackmail, the paparazzi, the WFA drama... I can’t do it, Chloe. I can’t spend my entire life waiting for the next massive crisis."

Chloe leaned against the counter. She looked at Audrey’s broken expression.

"Audrey," Chloe said gently. "He literally risked his entire professional career to come back to you."

"I know!" Audrey sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "I know he did! And it breaks my heart! But it doesn’t change anything. If he goes to London, there will just be another Elena. There will be crazy fans. There will be reporters digging into our lives. I just want to be normal. I just want peace."

Chloe walked around the counter. she pulled Audrey into a tight, fierce hug.

"I told him I was moving on," Audrey cried into Chloe’s shoulder. "I told him I went on a date. He looked completely destroyed. He just turned around and walked away."

Chloe rubbed her back soothingly. She didn’t argue. She didn’t tell Audrey she made the wrong choice. She knew how much the last three weeks had traumatized her friend.

"It’s okay," Chloe whispered. "You have to protect your own heart. If his world is too much, you did the right thing by walking away now."

But as Chloe held her crying best friend, she felt a terrible ache in her own chest. She knew Leo was going to be completely crushed for his captain. The hurricane had finally passed, but it had left everything entirely broken behind it.

The athletic dorm room was completely silent.

Leo was tiptoeing across the wooden floor. He was holding a large plastic cup filled with a thick, green protein shake, and a plate with three toasted pop-tarts. He moved with agonizing slowness, trying not to make a single sound.

"Leo," a rough voice groaned from the corner. "You weigh two hundred and twenty pounds. Stop tiptoeing. The floor is literally shaking."

Leo froze. He looked over.

Mason was sitting up on the edge of his bed. He was still wearing the same gray sweatpants from yesterday. His dark hair was a total mess, and he looked entirely exhausted, but he was awake.

Jackson was sitting at his desk, reading a sports magazine. He lowered the magazine and smirked.

"I told you," Jackson said to Leo. "You possess zero stealth."

Leo ignored him. He quickly walked over to Mason and shoved the breakfast plate directly into his hands.

"Eat this," Leo ordered. "You need fuel, Captain. You look like a zombie."

Mason stared at the bright pink frosted pastries. "Pop-tarts and a spinach shake? Are you trying to poison me?"

"It is a balanced breakfast," Leo defended proudly. "Carbs and vitamins."

Mason let out a heavy sigh. He set the plate down on his nightstand. He didn’t want to eat. He felt completely hollow inside. Every time he closed his eyes, he just saw Audrey standing in the hallway, telling him she wanted a normal life.

He leaned forward and grabbed his heavy black duffel bag from the floor. He unzipped it and pulled out his worn, black football boots.

Jackson closed his magazine. He sat up straighter.

"What are you doing, Captain?" Jackson asked carefully.

"I am going to the pitch," Mason stated flatly. He started lacing up his boots. "I need to run drills."

"Coach gave us the entire weekend off," Leo pointed out. "We won the away game yesterday. You just got back from Florida. You need to sleep."

"I am not sleeping," Mason said. His voice was completely tight. He pulled the laces so hard his knuckles turned white. "I am going to train."

Jackson watched him. He saw the fierce, burning intensity masking the pure heartbreak in Mason’s eyes. Audrey had rejected him. The only thing Mason had left was football.

Jackson stood up from his desk. He reached under his bed and grabbed his own boots.

"Fine," Jackson said simply. "I need to work on my long passes anyway."

Leo looked at Jackson, then looked at Mason. He let out a loud groan.

"You guys are absolute lunatics," Leo complained. He grabbed his boots from the closet. "Wait for me! If you think I am letting you run drills without me, you are crazy."

Mason looked at his two friends. He felt a tiny, brief flicker of gratitude push through the heavy darkness in his chest. They weren’t asking him how he felt. They weren’t treating him like glass. They were just standing by him.

"Let’s go," Mason said quietly.

The campus library courtyard was quiet on Sunday afternoon.

Audrey sat on a stone bench, holding a warm cup of coffee. She wore her oversized yellow cardigan, pulling it tightly around her against the crisp autumn breeze.

Rowan walked down the concrete steps. He smiled when he saw her. He looked completely relaxed in his denim jacket and messy curls.

"Hey," Rowan greeted softly. He sat down on the other end of the stone bench. "You look tired. Did Ben call you about formatting margins at midnight again?"

Audrey forced a small, polite smile. She looked down at her coffee cup.

"No," Audrey said quietly. "Ben left me alone."

Rowan watched her. He had incredibly perceptive green eyes. He didn’t push into her space, but he didn’t look away either.

"You are a million miles away again, Audrey," Rowan noted gently.

Audrey swallowed hard. She felt a massive wave of guilt wash over her. Rowan was so nice. He was exactly the kind of normal, quiet guy she had asked for. He didn’t deserve to sit here while she silently cried over another man.

"I am sorry," Audrey whispered.

"Don’t apologize," Rowan smiled softly. He leaned back against the stone wall. "Something happened after I dropped you off yesterday, didn’t it?"

Audrey nodded slowly. She didn’t want to lie to him.

"My ex came back," Audrey admitted. Her voice was incredibly quiet. "He was waiting at my apartment."

Rowan didn’t look angry. He didn’t look offended. He just let out a soft, understanding sigh.

"The football captain," Rowan guessed calmly.

Audrey looked up in complete surprise. "How did you know?"

"I am an art major, Audrey. I observe things," Rowan laughed lightly. "And you are the lead sports reporter. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. You have the exact same look in your eyes that people get when they stare at tragic paintings."

Audrey felt a fresh tear prick the corner of her eye. "I told him we couldn’t work. I told him I wanted to move on."

"But your heart didn’t agree with the logic," Rowan stated simply.

"My logic is trying to keep me safe," Audrey argued weakly.

Rowan reached out. He didn’t grab her hand. He just gently tapped his knuckles against the side of her coffee cup.

"Audrey," Rowan said, his voice entirely kind and completely honest. "I had a great time with you yesterday. But I know what a safe distraction looks like. You like the idea of me. You like the quiet."

Audrey stared at him. She felt terrible. "Rowan, I do like you."

"I know," Rowan smiled. "But you are completely in love with a hurricane. And sitting on a quiet bench with me isn’t going to fix that."

He stood up from the bench. He adjusted his canvas bag on his shoulder.

"Go figure it out, Audrey," Rowan told her gently. "Don’t settle for safe just because you are scared."

He gave her a small, polite wave, turned around, and walked across the courtyard.

Audrey sat alone on the bench. The quiet afternoon suddenly felt entirely suffocating. Rowan was completely right. She had chosen safety.

But as she sat there in the silence, she realized she missed the hurricane terribly.