Real.
And it shifted something in the air between us again.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just… less heavy.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He didn’t check it immediately.
That was new too.
Then he did.
I noticed his expression change slightly.
Not bad.
Just alert.
“Coach?” I asked.
He shook his head once. “No.”
Pause.
“My dad.”
Right.
That explained the shift.
He put the phone back without replying.
Which also felt new.
MASON
I didn’t answer it.
Which I probably should’ve.
But not right now.
Not with Rowan standing there.
Not with my head already split in too many directions.
Rowan pushed off the wall slightly.
“You should go,” she said.
“I just got here.”
“You look like you’re about to get dragged into a lecture.”
