Chapter 3 THREE
I didn’t sleep well, although I kept telling myself it wasn’t because of the message. I blamed the unfamiliar bed, the traffic outside, and the fact that Mia had somehow managed to fall asleep in less than thirty seconds and was now breathing peacefully on the other side of the apartment while I remained wide awake.
I stared at the ceiling, unable to stop thinking about the words I had received.
You don’t know the city as well as you think you do.
It could have been a joke, a wrong number, or someone from the team messing with the new girl. There were a hundred harmless explanations, and yet I kept coming back to the same question: why couldn’t I stop thinking about the person I had seen standing across the street?
I rolled over and checked my phone.
2:41 a.m.
“Ridiculous,” I whispered before putting the phone back down.
Three seconds later, I picked it up again.
There were no new messages, which should have been reassuring, and eventually I managed to fall asleep sometime after three.
My alarm went off at six, and I hated everyone.
By seven, I was downstairs with Mia, holding a cup of coffee and trying to convince myself that I was a functioning human being.
Mia took one look at me.
“You look terrible.”
“Good morning to you too.”
“I’m being honest.”
“I appreciate it.”
“You should sleep earlier.”
“You should mind your business.”
She laughed as we stepped onto the sidewalk.
The coffee shop downstairs had already opened, and the smell of cinnamon and freshly baked bread drifted through the morning air. Mia stopped almost immediately.
“Breakfast.”
“I have training.”
“So?”
“So I need to get there.”
“You have forty minutes.”
“I need to stretch.”
“You’ll survive.”
Before I could argue, she pushed open the café door and walked inside.
The place was warm and crowded, with small wooden tables, hanging plants, and shelves filled with books that nobody seemed to be reading. I immediately liked it, even though I had barely stepped through the door.
Mia walked to the counter.
“I’ll get the usual.”
The guy behind the counter nodded.
“Two coffees?”
“Three.”
I looked at her.
“Three?”
She pointed behind me.
I turned and found Ethan standing near the window. He was wearing a gray hoodie and black joggers, and his hair was still slightly messy, as though he had only just woken up.
He lifted his coffee in greeting.
“Morning.”
I looked at Mia, who smiled innocently.
“You didn’t tell me he was coming.”
“He lives nearby.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Ethan walked over.
“Good morning, new girl.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
“I remember.”
“And?”
“And I ignored you.”
I rolled my eyes, but he smiled as Mia collected the coffees and gestured toward a table near the window.
“Sit.”
We settled around the table, and for the first few minutes, everything felt easy. Mia talked about her classes, Ethan complained about his morning, and I listened while slowly drinking my coffee.
Then Ethan looked at me.
“How’s your knee?”
I paused.
“Fine.”
“You were icing it yesterday.”
“You noticed that?”
“You were sitting right in front of me.”
“Oh.”
He took a sip of his coffee.
“You should get it checked if it keeps hurting.”
“I know.”
“You don’t sound like you mean it.”
“I’ll survive.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You athletes always say that.”
I smiled.
“Because we do.”
Before he could answer, the café door opened, and Adrian walked in.
I nearly choked on my coffee.
Mia looked between us while Ethan leaned back in his chair with an expression that suggested he wasn’t surprised at all.
“Of course,” he muttered.
Adrian spotted us almost immediately, and his gaze moved from Ethan to me before he smiled.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
He walked over. “I didn’t know you two were here.”
Ethan shrugged.
“You’re welcome to join us.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Wasn’t talking to you.”
Mia laughed, and I tried not to do the same.
Adrian pulled out the empty chair beside me.
“Mind?”
I shook my head, and he sat down.
Suddenly, I was very aware that I was sitting between two men who seemed to have a history I didn’t understand, while Mia looked far too delighted by the situation. I kicked her lightly under the table, and she kicked me back without even looking at me.
Coward.
Adrian glanced at my coffee.
“That’s black?”
“Yes.”
“That’s depressing.”
“It’s coffee.”
“It’s punishment.”
I smiled.
“What do you drink?”
“Hot chocolate.”
I stared at him.
He grinned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You look disappointed.”
“I just didn’t expect that.”
“Everyone has layers.”
Ethan laughed from across the table.
“That’s what you’re going with?”
Adrian ignored him and looked back at me.
“So, how are you feeling after yesterday?”
“Fine.”
“You’re going to have to stop saying that.”
“Why?”
“Because you keep saying it when you’re obviously exhausted.”
I looked at him.
“Are you always this observant?”
“Only when I’m interested.”
The words landed differently than they should have, and the change in the atmosphere was immediate. Ethan went quiet, and so did I, while Adrian’s smile remained perfectly calm.
Mia suddenly stood.
“Okay. We need to go.”
I looked at her.
“We?”
“Yes.”
“We have twenty minutes.”
“Exactly.”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the chair before I had much time to process what had just happened. I barely managed to say goodbye before we were outside.
The moment the café door closed behind us, she turned toward me.
“What?”
She looked far too pleased with herself.
“Nothing.”
“Mia.”
“What?”
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking loudly.”
She laughed.
“Fine.”
She linked her arm through mine.
“Two things.”
“I’m listening.”
“One, Adrian definitely likes you.”
I groaned.
“Two?”
“Ethan definitely likes you too.”
I stopped walking so abruptly that she nearly stumbled.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Ethan doesn’t like me.”
“He brought you your favorite food without knowing you.”
“He knew because you told him.”
“He remembered it.”
“So?”
“He remembered your coffee order too.”
I stared at her.
She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re noticing now.”
I didn’t know what to say, and thankfully, we reached the training facility before I had to come up with an answer.
Whatever conversation we’d been having disappeared beneath the noise of sneakers against the floor and teammates calling to one another.
Training was harder than the day before. Coach pushed us through defensive drills until my legs felt like they belonged to someone else, and by the time we moved into scrimmage, I was already exhausted.
Then I saw who I was paired against.
Adrian.
Of course.
He stood across from me, bouncing the ball lazily.
“Ready?”
“Always.”
He smiled. The whistle blew, and he moved first. He was fast, but I stayed with him as he drove left, changed direction, and attempted a shot. I managed to tip the ball away before he could score.
He stared at me for a second before laughing. “Okay.”
“What?”
“You’re better than I thought.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
The next play was mine. I stole the ball from him, sprinted down the court, and scored before he could catch up.
The team erupted, and when I turned around, Adrian was standing near the free-throw line with a smile on his face.
He wasn’t annoyed or angry. He actually looked impressed.
“Nice.”
“Thanks.”
He walked closer.
“Again?”
I grinned. “Anytime.”
For the next twenty minutes, we pushed each other harder than anyone else on the court. Every time he scored, I answered, and every time I stole the ball, he found a way to get it back. By the end of the scrimmage, we were both laughing, and I couldn’t help thinking how strange it was that competing against him felt so easy.
I had expected him to be arrogant, but playing against him felt natural, almost as though we’d been doing it for years.
When training ended, I headed toward the locker room. “Ethan wants to see you.”
I turned to find Adrian holding out my water bottle.
“You left it.”
I took it from him.
“Thanks.”
“He’ll be outside.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t say.”
I found Ethan waiting near the entrance, and he straightened when he saw me.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“You busy?”
“Not really.”
He hesitated before gesturing toward the street.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
Normally, I would have said no, but something about the way he was looking at me made me curious enough to follow.
We walked two blocks from the facility to a small park tucked between two buildings. It was surprisingly quiet, with trees lining the paths and little yellow flowers growing along the edges.
“I didn’t know this was here.”
“Most people don’t.”
We sat on a bench, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Ethan looked at me.
“About last night.”
My stomach tightened.
“What about it?”
“Mia told me about the message.”
I stared at him.
“She what?”
“She was worried.”
I looked away.
“It’s probably nothing.”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t think so.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“No.”
I looked back at him.
“Why?”
He rubbed his hands together.
“Because I know this city.”
The words immediately reminded me of the message from the night before, and the smile disappeared from my face.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen, and something in his expression changed.
“Who is it?”
He stood.
“I need to take this.”
“Ethan.”
“I’ll explain later.”
He walked a few steps away before answering the call, and his voice dropped so low that I couldn’t make out what he was saying. After a moment, he looked over his shoulder at me.
For the first time since I had met him, he didn’t look relaxed.
He looked worried. My phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and immediately felt my stomach drop when I saw another message from an unknown number.
You should trust Ethan. I stared at the screen as a second message appeared.
But don’t trust Adrian. I slowly looked up. Across the park, Adrian stood near the entrance, watching me. This time, he wasn’t smiling.
