Chapter 63

Rowena

“Take it easy.” Eric’s strong arm easily looped around my waist, steadying me before I could stumble from our sudden impact. He smirked down at me, his blue eyes catching the warm sunlight streaming in from overhead.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, glancing past me. “Visiting the combat manager’s office?”

I blinked up at him, my heart stuttering at his sudden proximity. Eric was dressed in his combat training uniform—a simple black t-shirt and gray joggers that hugged his muscular form in all the right places. Beads of sweat glistened at his temples, evidence of a recent workout.

Seeing him like this made my blood run hot. I felt something deep and primal stir in the pits of my stomach, and I hated that my body was reacting like this.

“I… I was just at the manager’s office,” I managed, unable to tear my gaze away from the sculptured planes of his face, the brilliant blue of his eyes. “Having my… ankle looked at.”

One corner of Eric’s full lips quirked upwards in a half-smile, as if he could sense the dizzying effect he was having on me. His free hand lifted, his calloused fingertips grazing the underside of my chin as he gently tucked an errant curl of hair behind my ear.

“Your ankle?” he asked. “Is it bothering you?”

“N-No.”

I felt the breath leave my lungs in a shuddery exhale as I looked up at him. My knees threatened to buckle, my stomach roiling with a sickening combination of nerves and sheer, overwhelming desire.

This close, I could smell the crisp, clean scent of his shampoo, could count the individual sun-kisses scattered across the bridge of his nose. What was happening to me? He was my brother. This wasn’t… right.

Swallowing hard, I pulled back half a step, using the crutches to put some much-needed space between us. Eric’s hand fell away, that infuriatingly smug look still playing about his lips.

“Excuse me!”

We both turned at the sound of Dr. Reynolds’s voice echoing sharply down the corridor. The physician was standing a few yards away, his eyes narrowed and his arms folded across his chest as he looked at us.

“Is there a problem, doctor?” Eric called out.

The doctor seemed unshaken by Eric’s calm voice. “I heard a commotion,” he said, taking a slow step forward. “You’re not bothering this young lady, are you?”

At the sight of the doctor’s face, I felt my stomach clench. I could still feel the burning sensation of where his hand had touched my thigh earlier, although I kept chalking it up to a miscalculation of where my injuries extended to and nothing more.

A muscle ticked in Eric’s chiseled jaw, but he remained perfectly calm, not bothering to take a step away from me.

“Bothering her?” Eric laughed. “What makes you think that?”

For a moment, Dr. Reynolds’s gaze flicked to mine, something inscrutable flickering across his features. I swallowed.

“He’s my brother,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

The doctor stared at the both of us for a moment longer, uncertainty crossing his eyes. I knew that look well; no one ever believed that we were related. Lately, I had even begun to question it myself. But we were related.

Finally, with a curt shake of his head, he spun on his heel and strode away without another word.

I watched him go, exhaling raggedly.

“I hope you’re not playing another one of your dumb pranks,” I muttered once he was out of earshot.

Eric arched one eyebrow. “Who said it was a prank just now?”

I felt heat rush into my cheeks, suddenly grateful for the support of the crutches beneath my arms. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Part of me wanted to call him out, to demand answers… but the smoldering look in Eric’s deep blue eyes made me think twice.

“Just… be careful,” I settled on instead. “People don’t understand your sense of humor. If someone sees you getting too close to me, they might get mad or… grossed out.”

Eric blinked down at me, an expression that I couldn’t quite read passing through his eyes. Then, he nodded and took a hesitant step back. “Noted. You coming to the competition tomorrow?”

I cursed under my breath. “That’s tomorrow?” I asked. The last I had even thought about the friendly competition between schools had been when I had seen the poster on the wall.

Eric chuckled and nodded, ruffling my hair so that my curls fell into my eyes. “You’d better be there. I’ll perform better with you watching.”

Before I could even formulate a response around the sudden pounding of my heart, he winked and brushed past me and continued on down the hallway, hands shoved casually into his pockets. I watched him go, my heart thundering in my ears.

What the hell had just happened?

…

The next day, I reported bright and early to the gymnasium for the first round of the tournament. Despite my injured ankle, it was still part of my duties as a combat management intern to be on-hand in case any contestants needed first aid.

“Just take it easy,” the head manager told me gruffly as I settled onto the bench along the sidelines. “Your job today is to stay put unless we call for you, understood?”

I nodded, nestling my crutches beside me as I scanned the space. Students were already beginning to file in through the double doors at the far end, buzzing with energy and excitement. The pristine blue mats had been carefully laid out in the center, bright lights glaring down from the high rafters.

On the opposite side of the gym, I caught sight of Heather stretching on the mat, her signature golden locks pulled back into a severe ponytail.

Today, she got to enjoy two roles that she didn’t deserve: cheer captain and combat management intern at once. She’d be doing her little cheer dances during the breaks and tending to the warriors when she wasn’t doing that. I failed to understand how anyone could properly juggle both, but I knew it was no use arguing.

As if feeling my gaze on her slender body in her cheerleading uniform, she looked up. Her gray eyes met mine from across the space, her lips curling upwards into a vindictive smirk. She waggled her fingers sarcastically at me, causing her friends to giggle.

My fingers clenched of their own accord around my crutch. That haughty, self-satisfied look… it made my blood boil just remembering everything she had put me through. I wouldn’t be on the sidelines like this if it weren't for her deceit and manipulation. Sure, she hadn’t pushed me, but maybe if she hadn’t been antagonizing me…

Maybe then I wouldn’t have lost my balance and fallen.

A loud buzzer sounded overhead, startling me out of my stewing thoughts. Both teams emerged through the double doors—one squad decked out in white uniforms, and ours in dark blue. They strode onto the mats with a sort of cocky swagger, muscles rippling beneath their shirts, fists pumping in the air as the crowd roared.

Finally, Eric strode out at the end, his golden hair pulled back into a neat bun and his blue eyes shining in the light. The roar of the crowd swelled until it was almost deafening.