+25 Bonus
Chapter 112
Taylor POV
The second Aiden taps the “Go Live” button, the screen floods so quickly it feels like someone just opened the gates and let the entire internet pour straight onto the field with us.
my stomach drops.not in a faint on camera way but in that sharp electric way that makes every nerve under my skin hum.i force a breath then another the cool morning air stretching thin in my lungs.
the field is wide and quiet except for us the faint echo of traffic in the distance the soft slap of the breeze brushing across the turf.and beneath all that the sound of thousands of strangers typing faster than my brain can comprehend.
Aiden steps closer just enough that i feel the heat from his arm brushing the edge of mine., “We’re live,” he says, low, steady, more meant for me than the audience.
“Yeah,” I whisper back. My voice sounds normal somehow, even though my pulse is doing laps.
He lifts the phone a little higher. “Alright everyone. Like we said, we’re out here because Taylor wants to learn football and I apparently have the patience of a saint.”
I shoot him a look. “I never said that.”
The comments explode in real time.
“OMG THEY’RE TOGETHER IRL”
“LOOK AT HER SMILE”
“AIDEN IS SO SOFT FOR HER”
(( WHAT IS THIS ENERGY ??? ”
Aiden laughs under his breath and the sound settles something warm in my chest.,He angles the camera toward me. “She’s nervous,” he tells the stream. “Be nice.”
I elbow him lightly. “Stop narrating me like I’m a wildlife documentary.”
His grin tilts, the easy kind he thinks I don’t notice. ” cant help it.”
the breeze picks up carrying the smell of cut grass and the faint burnt rubber scent from the track.everything feels sharpened like the world knows we are being watched.,
Aiden tosses the ball between his hands. “Warm–ups first.” His tone shifts into that calm, grounded voice he used yesterday, the one that made the storm outside feel smaller for a moment.
He moves behind me. My breath catches without permission./
“feet apart,” he says tapping the inside of my ankle with the edge of his shoe,. “Not that wide. You’re preparing for football, not a bear attack.”
“i dont know, “i say. “Seems fitting.”
He laughs again. I feel the vibration of it through the space between us. His hand comes to my elbow for just a second. “Relax this. Good.”
Warm. That’s the only word I can think. His touch is warm and steady and way too confident for my heart rate.
1/3
+25 Bonus
The comments explode again.
“SIR WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING HER LIKE THAT”
“THE CHEMISTRY IS CRAZY HELLO???”
“NOT HIM FIXING HER ELBOW HELP”
“Im SCREAMING”
Aiden clears his throat softly pretending he isnt reading them even though i see the corner of his mouth twitch.” Ignore them,” he murmurs.
“I’m trying,” I mutter. “They’re typing like they’re possessed.”
“They always are.”
He steps around me, showing me a stretch, and I mimic it. My arms pull tight, my muscles warming in slow, reluctant lines. The sun hits the field in a soft gold wash, catching in Aiden’s hair as he moves.
He looks calmer here. Lighter. Like this field is a different world where nothing Dylan said can reach him.
We shift into footwork drills, and he demonstrates a quick pattern. “It’s easy,” he says. “Just follow the steps.”
“So, trip and fall?” I ask.
He gives me a look. “You’re not falling today.”
I start the drill. The pattern makes sense for about two seconds before my feet turn into confused bricks.
Aiden bursts out laughing. “You’re doing that on purpose.”
“I am absolutely not.”
“You absolutely are.”
“Prove it.”
The chat erupts.
“THEIR BANTER PLEASE I’M FERAL”
“SHE’S SO CUTE HELP”
“AIDEN IS WHIPPEDDDD”
he jogs over grabs the ball and tosses it lightly toward me.“Catch.“i miss it by about a foot.the ball bounces off the turf and rolls away.he stares at me.” there is no way that was an accident.”
