Ava POV
The game roared to its climax, every crack of the bat and shout from the crowd making my heart pound faster. Axel moved with that same effortless confidence, completely in control, completely captivating.
Then, just like that, it happened—he scored the winning run. The stadium erupted in cheers, his teammates rushing toward him, lifting him on their shoulders for a moment of victory.
Josh, Liam, and Luca were the first to reach him, clapping him on the back, shaking his hand, grinning ear to ear. "You killed it, man!" Josh shouted, giving him a firm handshake.
"Unbelievable!" Liam added, slapping him lightly on the shoulder.
"You made it look easy," Luca said, laughing as they all exchanged high-fives.
Through the chaos, Axel's eyes swept over the crowd—and then they landed on me.
The world seemed to pause for a heartbeat. My breath caught, my heart skipping just like it had all afternoon. His grin softened into that unmistakable, personal smile, the one that made my knees feel like jelly and my thoughts spiral.
And in that single glance, I knew he saw me. Not just as someone in the crowd, not just as a spectator—but me.
The noise of the cheering crowd faded into the background the moment I saw him moving toward me. Axel's victorious grin, his confident stride—it was like the world had narrowed down to him alone. My heart beat so fast I could feel it in my throat.
And then it happened.
A girl—blonde, confident, with a laugh that seemed to echo a little too loudly—sidled up to him, completely unbothered by the chaos around her. She leaned close, brushing against his shoulder just enough for everyone nearby to notice, and said something laughingly to him, something I couldn't quite catch over the distant cheers but that made my stomach twist.
And then she said to him something.
He paused, just for a second, and I saw her smile—bright, teasing, full of expectation. My chest tightened painfully, and an almost absurdly stupid feeling crept through me: jealousy.
I couldn't believe it. Jealousy? Over a stupid thing ? But there it was, warm and fierce, crawling like fire through my veins.
I wanted to tell her off. I wanted to shove past her and claim him with my own voice. But my body froze, unsure whether to step forward or retreat.
Axel , gave her a quick, polite shake of the head, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and that grin—the one that made me weak—spread across his face. He didn't hand over his number. He didn't encourage her. Instead… his eyes flicked directly to me.
My stomach lurched. That stupid, stupid feeling bubbled over: relief, pride, longing, and something else I didn't even want to name.
I saw him take a step closer, the girl stepping back, her smile faltering under his gaze, and suddenly I felt… possessed, in a way that made my chest ache. Not in a bad way, not threatening, just… undeniably his.
And as his eyes locked with mine across the small distance, I realized the absurd truth: I had been worrying, fretting, and feeling this burning jealousy over someone who didn't even matter to him. Because I did.
And that stupid, fluttery, maddening feeling? It wasn't going away anytime soon.
I could barely breathe. My stomach was in knots, my heart hammering in my chest, and my mind was spinning with a thousand thoughts at once.
Finally, I blurted out, unable to contain myself, "What… what did she say to you?"
Axel turned to me slowly, that infuriating grin still on his face, and his eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oooh? " he teased softly, leaning just enough to make the air between us electric.
"I'm not jealous!" I shot back, my voice louder than I intended. My cheeks burned, and I clenched my fists at my sides to stop myself from reaching out to him, from doing something impulsive.
" I didn't say anything."
He chuckled, that low, teasing sound that made my heart do that stupid fluttering thing again. "Sure," he said, shaking his head. "Not jealous at all."
I groaned, trying to hide my face in my hands, but curiosity and my stubborn pride wouldn't let me back down. "Then… tell me. What did she say?"
Axel's grin widened. He leaned back slightly, as if savoring the moment, and then… he told me.
"She said… she thought you were cute," he said, voice slow, deliberate, almost teasingly, as if he were enjoying every word. My stomach flipped, and for a moment I couldn't speak.
I stared at him. "Wha—what?" I managed to choke out.
He laughed softly, that grin never fading. "Yeah. She asked me for my number .But then she saw me looking at you."
I felt my heart thud painfully against my ribs. "You… you didn't give it to her?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, a mix of disbelief and relief.
"Not a chance," he said, stepping a little closer, so close I could feel the faint warmth radiating from him. "Because… well… you're my girlfriend did you forget."
That stupid, fluttery feeling returned with full force, wrapping me in its heat and leaving me breathless. I wanted to roll my eyes, wanted to act annoyed, but all I could do was stare at him.
"Did she… say anything else?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly, my pride battling the storm of emotions inside me.
He smirked again, clearly enjoying my flustered state. "Just… something like, 'You're lucky.' And then she laughed and walked away."
I could feel my chest rise and fall rapidly, a mix of relief, pride, and that infuriating fluttery feeling that made my thoughts spiral. Lucky… she thinks I'm lucky. But really… I'm the lucky one.
Axel's grin softened slightly, his eyes locking on mine in a way that made the entire stadium, the cheering, the chaos—it all fade away. For a moment, it was just him and me, the air thick with unspoken words, teasing, and a tension I couldn't deny.
"See?" he said, almost gently now, that mischievous grin still lingering. "Nothing to worry about. You've got my attention… and my everything."
" What does everything means?"
He winked.He was close enough now that I could smell the faint mix of his cologne and the warm hint of sweat from the game. I tried to look anywhere else, but his eyes caught mine and held them like gravity.
"You're impossible," I muttered, mostly to convince myself that I still had control over my voice.
He laughed quietly. "You keep saying that, but you don't walk away."
I wanted to say something clever, to deflect, but the words tangled up on my tongue. He took one more step forward until only a breath separated us. His fingers brushed my wrist again—the same place he'd held earlier—and it sent a shiver up my arm.
"That stupid feeling" returned in full force—nerves, warmth, the dizzy flutter that made me want to run and stay at the same time. My pulse stuttered when his thumb traced a slow line along my skin, as if testing how long it would take for me to pull away. I didn't.
"You still think I'd give anyone else my number?" he asked quietly. His tone wasn't mocking anymore; it was low and rough, edged with something real.
I shook my head before I could stop myself. "No," I whispered.
"Good." His grin came back, softer this time, almost fond. "Because I like when you get all flustered over me."
"Flustered?" I scoffed, even though the heat in my cheeks betrayed me completely. "I'm not flustered."
"Sure," he said, laughing under his breath. "Keep telling yourself that, Darling."
The nickname made my stomach twist in that strange, unbearable way that wasn't quite embarrassment and wasn't quite happiness either. He finally let go of my wrist but didn't step back.
For a second, I thought he might say something else, something that would completely wreck me—but instead he just gave me that smile again, the one that reached his eyes, the one that felt like a secret only we shared.
And even with the crowd still buzzing behind us, with his friends calling his name and my own friends whispering like mad, it felt like there was no one else in the world but him and me—caught in that stupid, electric space between what we said and what we both knew we meant.
For a few seconds, it was just us. His hand had just left my wrist, but the warmth lingered, pulsing like a secret no one else could see. His eyes were still on me—steady, unreadable, dangerous in all the right ways.
And then—of course—reality decided to crash back in.
"Yo, lover boy!" Josh's voice cut through the air, loud and mocking. "Are you gonna stand there making heart eyes all day or come celebrate your win?"
Axel groaned under his breath, glancing over his shoulder as Liam and Luca jogged up behind him, laughing like they'd just witnessed the best thing ever.
Luca nudged Josh. "Told you he'd ditch us the second she showed up."
"Ditch us?" Josh snorted. "He's basically hypnotized. Look at him."
I could feel the heat flooding my cheeks, and Emma, who had been pretending to scroll through her phone, leaned close enough to whisper, "Oh my god, you two are insufferable."
Axel shot his friends a look that said shut up, but of course, they didn't. Liam grinned, holding out his hand for a shake. "Congrats, man. You killed it out there."
"Thanks," Axel muttered, giving him a quick handshake but his eyes… still didn't leave me.
Josh smirked, catching the look. "Yup, he's gone," he said with a laugh. "Completely gone."
I rolled my eyes, but my heart wouldn't slow down. Every word, every teasing laugh felt too loud, too revealing. I wanted to sink into the ground—or maybe grab Axel by the collar and pull him somewhere quiet, away from all of them.
Emma was trying not to laugh beside me, biting her lip as if to keep it in. "You okay there, Ava?" she asked, her voice dripping with amusement.
"I'm fine," I muttered, crossing my arms to look busy. "Totally fine."
"Sure you are," she said, smirking. "You've been staring at him for the last five minutes like you forgot how to blink."
"Have not!" I hissed, glaring at her, but the blush creeping up my neck betrayed me again.
Meanwhile, Axel finally turned fully toward me, ignoring his friends who were still teasing him. He took a slow step forward, leaning his head a little and gave a quick kiss on the lips. And our friends teased.
"Guess I should go celebrate with them," he said, his voice low but playful. "But… you'll be there too, right?"
Then he turned, finally giving his friends his attention, laughing when Josh threw an arm around his shoulders. But even as they walked away, he looked back—just once—catching my eyes with that same look that made everything else disappear.
And right then, as I stood there trying to act normal while my heart felt like it was running a marathon, I realized that I was completely, utterly, hopelessly caught in whatever this thing between us was.