Desired by All and He Threw Away 97

Chapter 97 

Taylor’s POV 

The camera lens pointed at me but I didn’t look away from her. 

and for a second just a second i dont feel like someone’s headline. Or someone’s trophy. Or someone’s perfect, polished product. 

I feel human. 

She looks at me like she sees something I don’t show anyone. Maybe something I didn’t know was still there. 

She doesn’t hold the stare long. Just a breath, maybe two. Then she looks back down, smoothing the girl’s hair with steady fingers. 

But the silence she leaves behind isn’t empty. 

it feels like a door opening very quietly someplace inside me i have never dared explore. 

I haven’t moved for a long time. 

But I keep watching her.and in that stillness for the first time i can finally admit it if only to myself: 

whatever strength Taylor carries in her that quiet unwavering kind that holds people together without ever raising its voice i want to feel it wrapped around me. 

Even just once. 

the first shout of his name cuts through the air slicing past chatter and music and the flap of tents in the wind. 

“Aiden!” 

its shrill half a squeal half disbelief like the kid who yelled it never thought it would actually work. 

But it does. 

Heads turn. Shoes scuff. Laughter spikes.and in an instant hes surrounded.a whirlwind of small sneakers grass stained knees tangled hair and breathless voices swarming around him like hes something magic. 

Someone asks if he’ll play. Actually play–with them. The kid’s voice trembles like it cost him something to get 

the words out. 

Aiden blinks. Just once.a flicker of surprise almost like he didnt expect to be asked. Then–he nods. 

It’s small. Simple. But it’s enough to set the whole group on fire. 

They scatter across the grass, erupting into shouts and frantic running as if they’ve just been given permission to exist too loudly. Too freely.the makeshift field just two cones and a half deflated soccer ball suddenly transforms into something sacred. 

i dont move right away. 

i stay where i am holding my clipboard too tightly against my chest watching him get pulled forward like 

1/2 

Chapter 97 

*25 Bonus 

gravity.he jogs after them long strides sun catching in the strands of his hair. 

Something about his pace is different today. Not the precise, calculated athlete movements I’ve seen a hundred times. 

This is looser. Unscripted. Light. 

Almost… boyish. 

by the time i step onto the edge of the grass hes already in motion.the ball rolls toward him too fast a messy pass and he traps it effortlessly like instinct. 

Like breathing. His muscles react before he thinks. But it’s not the control that gets me. 

It’s when he looks up. 

It’s when he smiles. 

not the practiced one that fits screens and interviews and endorsement banners.not the cocky smirk he wears like camouflage.not the stiff polite smile he gives when he knows people expect something from him. 

This one is real. 

Full. 

Unrestrained. 

it makes him look like someone who forgot to carry the world on his back. 

he passes the ball gently to the smallest boy in the group.the boy swings his leg too fast too excited trips over his own foot and falls flat on his stomach. Instead of crying he bursts into laughter cheeks squished into the 

grass. 

and Aiden— Aiden drops to his knees beside him. “You good, champ?“his voice is softer than i have ever heard it.warm in a way that feels lived in not performed. 

the boy nods.Aiden smiles again ruffling his hair before pushing himself back up brushing off his knees. 

something soft flickers beneath my ribs. Not quite warmth. Not quite admiration. Something in between. It spreads slowly, quietly. 

When he plays without pressure, he moves differently. 

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