Desired by All and He Threw Away 48

Taylor’s POV 

The locker room hums with the sound of running showers and the faint hiss of steam rising from the tiled floor. 

the air hangs thick with the smell of lavender soap sweat and disinfectant- the strange blend of comfort and exhaustion that lingers after a long day. 

my towel slips off one shoulder the damp fabric cooling my skin as i lean against the counter pretending to scroll through my phone. 

laughter floats through the humid air–light practiced cruel. 

i glance up just in time to see Vanessa near the far row of lockers her reflection caught in the mirror’s edge.her ponytail gleams under the fluorescent light and her voice carries with that unshakable confidence of someone who has never been told no. 

“just watch,” she says her tone honeyed and venomous all at once.“Aiden is the type who gets bored easily. If he’s in anything with trash like Taylor, I’ll seduce him. I’ll make sure he remembers me.” 

The words hit with surgical precision. Sharp. Meant to wound. 

i freeze halfway through adjusting my bag strap.my throat tightens but i keep my face blank eyes glued to my phone screen like i didnt just hear her call me trash.the sound of her smug little laugh cuts through the steam mixing with the metallic clang of a locker door closing. 

Dont react. Don’t give her that satisfaction. 

But even as I shove one earbud in, the words burrow deep, finding the raw spot I try so hard to keep hidden. I shouldn’t care. 

We’re not even together for real. What Aiden and I have is a tangled mess of duty and convenience–public perception wrapped in polite boundaries. Nothing more. 

at least thats what i keep telling myself. 

i push in the second earbud cranking the music until the bass thrums through my ribs.but the song barely muffles the echo of her voice replaying on loop like a broken record. 

Aiden is the type who gets bored easily. 

My pulse kicks harder.my chest feels tight. 

i try to breathe it out- slow measured- but it doesnt work. 

Then my phone buzzes. 

Aiden: There’s a movie I want to see. Join me. 

i stare at the message thumb hovering over the screen.the neon light from the lockers reflects off the phone surface ghosting my expression back at me- part disbelief part something i can’t quite name. 

A movie? 

1/3 

Chapter 43 

+25 Bonus 

After everything that happened today, after the cold glares, the whispers, the weight of that humiliating warning… now he wants to see a movie? 

My brain scrambles for logic. Maybe it’s a PR move. Another act in the endless performance of “rehabilitated athlete and trusted therapist.“something to smooth over public doubts and feed the gossip mills just enough to shift the narrative. 

that is the only explanation that makes sense.still my heart gives one small traitorous skip before i can stop it.i bite the inside of my cheek and type back quickly. 

Me: What time? 

The reply comes almost immediately. 

Aiden: Come down to the parking lot now. 

a quiet exhale slips from my lips.of course. No details. No explanation. Just command.that is Aiden’s way- direct deliberate always in control. 

i toss my towel into the laundry bin run a quick hand through my damp hair and pull up my hood.the locker room lights flicker slightly as i step out leaving behind the lingering echo of laughter that still buzzes faintly in 

my ears. 

the hallway outside is dim lined with closed office doors and the faint scent of cleaning solution.my sneakers squeak against the polished floor as i move the building settling into that quiet lull it gets after hours. 

when i reach the stairwell the air shifts- cooler crisper touched with the faint metallic tang of oil and car exhaust.i descend each step carefully the hum of the underground parking garage growing louder.my heart beats in rhythm with the echo of my footsteps steady but charged. 

the garage feels like another world— half shadow and half machine.rows of gleaming cars sit in perfect stillness their chrome bodies reflecting strips of pale fluorescent light.somewhere a ventilation fan hums softly carrying a faint draft that smells of rubber and cold steel. 

i tighten my hoodie strings and adjust the black mask covering my face. the anonymity feels safe like armor. 

then a low engine purr breaks through the silence- a sound too smooth too precise to be anyone else. 

a sleek black luxury car glides out from the far end of the garage.the headlights sweep across the concrete washing everything in white for a brief blinding second.then it stops perfectly aligned with the painted lines engine idling in a quiet confident hum. 

then tinted window rolls down. 

and there he is. 

Aiden. 

the dashboard light spills across his face soft and uneven catching the sharp line of his jaw and the faint stubble darkening his skin.his eyes are calm steady like they already know the end of the story. 

he sits there- composed unshakable- like he was built for this kind of silence.the car hums low around him and somehow it feels like even the air bends to his control. 

2/3 

Chapter 48 

+25 Bonus 

his gaze finds me fast.not a glance not some casual look- just straight locked in eye contact that stops me dead in my tracks. 

for a second i swear my lungs forget what to do. 

He doesn’t smile.Doesnt say a word.that calm on his face- its the same one that drives me crazy the one that makes me feel like hes reading every thought i dont want him to see. 

i take a slow step closer sneakers dragging against the cold concrete the sound scraping through the stillness. 

He stays perfectly still. Doesn’t blink. Just watches.the air between us tightens thick with things we dont say maybe cant say. 

then finally he moves- just a small flick of his hand toward the passenger seat.Simple, but it hits like a command. An unspoken come here. 

“Get in,” he says his voice low and smooth–like he’s not asking. 

The sound of it rolls through me its quiet but sure and for a moment I forget why that i was hesitating in the first place. 

My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag.for a fleeting moment i consider walking away i try telling myself its not worth it that i dont owe him anything.but curiosity that stubborn ache sitting right beside the hurt wins 

out. 

i move closer drawn by something i cant fully name. 

the cool air brushes against my face sharp and clean laced with the faint trace of his cologne- dark steady the kind that sticks in your memory long after hes gone.the car’s surface gleams under the dim light catching my reflection as i move closer.my fingers hover over the handle trembling just a little. 

my pulse taps against my skin quiet but heavy its like like its trying to warn me- or maybe push me forward. 

and as i open the door stepping into the dim light and the unknown i catch one last thought before it slips away 

Vanessa can talk all she wants. 

but right now its Aiden waiting for me. 

and I get in. 

P