Desired by All and He Threw Away 98

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Chapter 98 

his shoulders arent knotted.his jaw isnt clenched.his movements arent sharp and tactical they are fluid unguarded free.he isnt watching the cameras. He isn’t thinking about reputation or headlines.he is just… here. 

Present. 

Human. 

I don’t realize I’m smiling until he glances my way mid pass.his gaze hooks into mine only for a second. His brow lifts, like he caught me. 

I look away too late. 

the 

game continues for another ten minutes.full of laughter chaos horrible passes accidental handballs and rules forgotten entirely. He never once corrects them.never once raises his voice.he just lets it be what it is messy imperfect and joyful. 

when the kids finally scatter toward the snack table red faced and sweaty Aiden stays a moment longer on the field. Slow steps. Head tipped back. breathing like the air tastes different here. 

by the time he walks toward me the camera crew has moved on bored chasing the donation booths instead. 

I watch him approach.sweat darkens the collar of his shirt.sunlight glints off a thin sheen along his temples.his chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm not strained not showy. Just steady. 

Alive. 

“You’re staring,” he says.Not accusing. Just amused.i shrug pretending to flip through my sign in sheet. ” you look happier than usual.“he raises an eyebrow wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist. “Than usual?” 

“you know,” i say keeping my eyes on the clipboard, “when you are not being followed by cameras. Or microphones. Or hashtags.” 

His footsteps stop. 

I look up. 

its quick barely there but i catch it. The shift.his expression flickers just for a second.the mask he wears the one that fits him so seamlessly most people forget its there slips. 

just enough to show something underneath.and whatever it is its unguarded. 

you have been playing a lot,” i say quietly softer now. “Not just here. Everywhere. The matches. The events.” I pause.then gently-” its got you a little tired no?” 

a muscle ticks in his jaw. 

his gaze flicks sharply to mine as if i touched something i wasnt supposed to see.” a little tired,” he repeats.but he says it slowly like the words feel unfamiliar in his mouth. 

I nod once. “Just a little.“He tries to smirk, tries to toss it away with a joke–but it doesn’t land. He looks away too fast. The pieces don’t quite fit back into place. His fingers tap against his pocket, restless. 

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The silence stretches.Not awkward. Just… heavy enough to hold something neither of us have named yet.His eyes drift toward the empty field. 

The ball sits abandoned in the grass. Light breeze rippling across uneven blades. A tarp flutters against the side of a tent, loose at one corner. 

Volunteers shout directions in the distance.onr of the kids screams laughing hysterically probably covered in face paint and frosting. 

But Aiden stands unnaturally still.Almost like he wants to stay rooted exactly where he is. 

“Those kids,” he murmurs.It’s not really to me. 

“They play like it… matters. Just because it’s fun.“His voice is low. Barely there.I step just a little closer. “You looked like that too,” I say.He startles, turning. Just a breath too slow to hide it. 

His eyes soften–not a lot. But enough.Enough to show something sparked in him. Something he felt out there. something he doesn’t quite know how to hold yet. 

the breeze cools my arms through the thin cotton of my shirt.the afternoon sunlight stretches long shadows across the grass.the last echoes of laughter drift away toward the food tent.i dont say anything else. 

i dont need to.he exhales slowly like something inside him unclenched.Like carrying everything alone suddenly feels a little less necessary.