“None of that is true here, not with us. Not with me. I love you for you. Even if you never played another game again. Even if you lost every match for the rest of your life. You’d still be you. And that’s the only part I care about.”
He blinks, like he can’t process that anyone could ever mean it.
“Yeah, but we met through volleyball. Everything I have is because of it.”
“Maybe,” I say softly, “but volleyball didn’t make us friends.You did.Volleyball didn’t make me care about you.You did.The game just gave me a reason to notice.”
He stares at me for a long time—eyes searching mine like he’s trying to find the lie.
He won’t find it.
Then he smiles.
“God, Tilly, how can you just convince me like that?”
I shrug, but smile back at him.
We sit there for a second.
I’m resting my head on his chest while he draws patterns on my arm.
“I’m down.”
He blinks. “Down?”
I nod, smiling a little. “To try. I want to be with you, Luca Rossi.”
“Yeah?” he breathes.
“Yes, Luca.”
He grins. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that, Tilly Harper.”
I laugh against his chest, the sound muffled by his shirt. “You’re such a loser.”
“But you love it,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head.
I press a little closer, smiling. “But, on one condition.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“I get to steal your hoodies whenever I want,” I say, looking up at him with a teasing grin. “They make men’s hoodies so much better, and I just feel happier when I smell you in them.”
He laughs, a warm, breathless sound, and rests his head on mine. “Deal, anything for you.”
We stay like that for a while, and for once, my mind is not having a war between two sides.
Then he says, “Okay, serious question. How are we telling everyone?”
I look up at him, grinning. “Uh, definitely not in front of the team. Do you want to get killed by a coach?”
He laughs. “Matt will lose his mind.”
“Oh, absolutely,” I say. “And don’t even get me started on Yana. She’ll start planning our wedding.”
He groans, and I roll my eyes. “Don’t pretend you hate that.”
He snorts. “You’re impossible.”
