Chapter 8

Aurelia's POV

The next few days passed in a haze.

Even though the competition was over, I shouldn't have let myself slack off like this.

What shook me about this National Championship qualifier wasn't the victory itself—it was what happened after I took first place. All those eyes on me. All that attention.

I might look like I don't crave being noticed or cared about, but every part of me—every single cell—was screaming the opposite.

I need to be cared for. I need to be loved. I need to be protected.

So if I wanted to keep everyone's attention, I had to keep training.

Surprisingly, even though I hadn't been pushing myself lately, my rhythm was still solid.

That made me happy. So happy that I kept going, over and over, until I couldn't feel the exhaustion anymore.

Every movement flowed like water.

The start, the crossover, the turn, the jump—each transition seamless, not a single hitch.

By the time I'd burned through every ounce of energy, I realized how late it had gotten.

I glided over to the side on my skates, breathing hard.

The boots were laced so tight I had to pry the edges apart just to pull my feet out.

Back in the locker room, I changed out of my gear, locked everything in my locker, and slung my bag over my shoulder before heading out.

This wasn't the only practice room in the building. As I passed by one of the doors, I suddenly heard a strange sound coming from inside.

A girl's voice.

My mind flashed back to that night in the alley.

Almost on instinct, I pulled my thermos out of my bag and crept closer to the door.

It was slightly ajar.

I gripped the thermos with both hands and peeked through the crack.

A girl had her legs wrapped around a guy's waist, her skirt hiked up to her hips. His pants were shoved down to his knees, his hard cock sliding in and out of her with every thrust.

She cried out, nails digging into his lean waist.

"God, you're so good," she moaned.

The guy grinned. "I've got more where that came from. Wanna try?"

Before she could answer, he grabbed her and flipped her into a new position.

Now I could see everything—her breasts bouncing, her flushed face, and exactly who she was.

I knew this girl. She was on my team.

When I saw where they were joined, saw his cock pumping in and out, my face burned. I shoved the thermos back into my bag and slipped away as quietly as I could.

This was the first time I'd ever seen anyone having sex in a practice room. I'd heard rumors before, but hearing about it was nothing compared to actually seeing it.

I practically fled the building, like something was chasing me.

The moment I got outside, I gulped down the fresh air, and the tightness in my chest finally eased.

I pulled out my phone to check the rideshare app. "No available vehicles nearby" flashed across the screen.

I bit my lip and looked around. The shops along the street still had their lights on. A few people passed by now and then. The streetlights lit up the whole road.

I could walk this route with my eyes closed. As long as I stayed on the main road and didn't cut through any alleys, I should be… fine. Right?

I clutched my phone tight, thumb hovering over the emergency button, took a deep breath, and started walking home.

As I walked, I ran through the routine in my head, one hand tracing the movements in the air.

I'd walked this route countless times. I knew it by heart.

But when I turned the corner by the old library, I slammed straight into something.

I didn't look up right away. First, I rubbed my sore nose, then slowly lifted my gaze. The old library wasn't under construction, so what the hell had I just walked into?

Before I could finish that thought, I looked up and saw a familiar face.

Elijah.

He was still in his running gear, clearly just finished. His breathing was slightly uneven.

When he saw me, he froze for a second. Then something clicked, and he asked, "Where's Sidney?"

He took a step forward.

He was so close now. I stared up at that handsome face, suddenly huge in front of me. The smell of sweat mixed with cologne hit me all at once.

For some reason, my heart started racing.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head.

His voice came from above me, cold and clipped. "You shouldn't be out here alone this late."

His eyes were dark, unreadable, but I could feel the anger simmering beneath his words.

My mind flashed back to that night again.

Of course. He was a soldier. He was trained to think about people's safety.

And Sidney—my boyfriend, his brother—hadn't thought about any of that.

He was saying all this on his brother's behalf.

I bit the corner of my lip. "I had to train."

"You had to train this late? Or do you just like this kind of thing?"

Elijah stared at me, brows furrowed, like he was barely holding back his anger. He tugged at his collar in frustration and stepped even closer.

My heart pounded harder. I hated how my body was reacting to him, so I stepped back.

But Elijah didn't notice—or didn't care. He kept closing the distance, kept pushing. "If you're going to train this late from now on, you can have Sidney wait for you. And if he won't, tell me. I'll make him."

That's what I hated most. "I'll help you. Let me take care of it". Something inside me snapped.

"Elijah, do you even know me?" My eyes burned as I stared up at him. "You don't understand me at all. So what gives you the right to tell me how to live my life?"

I heard him let out a cold laugh. He braced one hand against the wall beside me, trapping me in place. My whole body went rigid. I couldn't stop my mind from flashing back to what I'd just seen in that practice room.

"Looks like you really do like living dangerously."

My face went white. I knew exactly what he meant by 'dangerously.' And in that moment, I thought of that bastard Sidney. Sidney and Elijah—their faces overlapped in my mind.

I looked up at him, wounded and furious. "Can you stop being such an asshole?"

"An asshole?" He leaned in, eyes locked on mine, and let out a soft laugh.

Just as his face was about to touch mine, I shoved him hard and took off running.

I ran all the way home, stumbling through the door and slamming it shut behind me.

I collapsed onto my bed, gasping for air. How could Elijah think that about me?

He was such an asshole. A huge asshole. Even worse than Sidney and Azalea combined.

Finally, I buried my face in my pillow and fell asleep, still fuming.

In the haze of half-sleep, I felt someone press against me.

An arm slid around my waist from behind, the palm scorching hot, rough calluses dragging across my skin until I couldn't help but let out a soft sound.

His chest pressed against my back, hard as a wall. His breathing was deep and hot against the back of my neck.

I didn't push him away. He dipped his head, lips trailing from my earlobe down to my throat, teeth grazing, leaving a path of wet heat.

He turned me over. He pushed my legs apart, his hard cock pressing between my thighs.

I looked up, trying to see his face. In the dim light, I could make out the sharp angles of his jaw, the tight line of his mouth, the dark brown eyes locked on me.

It was Elijah.

He gripped my waist, his cock positioned at my slick entrance, ready to push inside.

I jolted awake.

It was a dream.