Desired by All and He Threw Away 71

Chapter 71 

I last fifteen minutes. 

One new message. 

From Aiden. 

“Update me and Send me spreadsheet full of sponsorship figures. Thanks.” 

Just that. Efficient. Emotionless. 

i stare at the words longer than i should thumb hovering over the keyboard. My mind floods with things I’ll never send–You don’t have to thank me.you dont have to sound like im just your employee. 

you dont have to pretend that night didnt happen. 

Instead, I type: 

“Will do.” 

And hit send. 

the small whoosh of the message leaving feels louder than it should. 

i lean back in my chair pressing my palms to my face with the quiet hum of the refrigerator as the only sound in 

the room. 

my pulse thuds in my ears.. somewhere beneath the exhaustion beneath the frustration there is a smaller voice whispering something i dont want to hear., 

You miss him. 

i drop my hands and stare at the ceiling my throat tight.i miss the way his voice would drops when he is thinking the way he listens without interrupting the way he looks at me like he sees everything im not saying. 

and i really hate myself for it. 

because wanting him feels dangerous.wanting him feels like stepping into the same fire i barely escaped from. 

the next morning i meet with another one of Dylan’s former teammates at a small café downtown.the place smells like roasted espresso and burnt sugar. the tables cluttered with half finished pastries. 

rain taps softly against the window streaking the glass in uneven lines. 

the man across from me- Marcus an old midfielder shifts uncomfortably in his seat. ” i dont want to be quoted,” he says quietly fingers tracing the rim of his coffee cup. ” but yeah he- Dylan- he liked control. 

made you feel like you owed him something even when you didnt.” 

i nod jotting down notes.my pen scratches steadily against the paper but my mind flickers somewhere else- back to Aiden’s voice in that dim hallway low and calm grounding me when i couldnt find my footing. 

Marcus keeps talking but the words blur.i catch fragments–pressure,” “favoritism,” “silence“-and write 

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Chapter 71 

+25 Bonus 

them down though my focus drifts in and out. 

the noise of the café fades replaced by the echo of a heartbeat that isnt mine. 

when the interview ends i thank him and step out into the rain.the air is cool and sharp the pavement is slick beneath my heels.i pull my coat tighter and start walking each drop of rain tapping against my shoulders like tiny reminders to stay grounded. 

but i cant shake the feeling that something’s slipping 

back at the camp Aiden’s door is closed.his blinds are half drawn the light cutting across his desk in narrow stripes. 

í stand outside for a moment files clutched in my hand debating whether to knock.logic says i should- these are updates he needs.but my heart beats too fast and i hate that it still does. 

í take a step forward then stop. 

not today. 

i slide the files into the inbox on his assistant’s desk instead and walk away before i can change my mind. 

the rest of the day blurs.my phone buzzes a few times- Keira checking in someone from PR asking for quotes- but i ignore most of it. 

by the time i make it home again its past midnight.the rain has stopped but the air outside still smells like wet concrete and something electric. 

i change into an old sweatshirt and sink onto the couch.my laptop sits open beside me but the words on the screen refuse to stay still.my thoughts keep circling back–to the cold professionalism in Aiden’s messages to the silence between us that feels louder than any argument could. 

it shouldnt matter this much. But it does. 

i close the laptop and let the room fall quiet.the city hums faintly through the window as low buzz of distant cars and the occasional siren.i draw my knees to my chest resting my chin there. 

somewhere out there he is probably doing the same probably buried in work shutting everything out pretending the distance does not hurt. 

but i feel it.every inch of it. 

it presses against my ribs heavy and restless like something alive. 

and as the night deepens i realize it isnt Dylan’s lies that keep me awake.its the memory of Aiden’s hand steadying me the warmth i cant unfeel the distance between us that grows wider every time i pretend it isnt there. 

Chapter 

Chapter 72