Page 210 of Forever Relentless

“So . . . Is Briar keeping you?”

I didn’t hide my smile. “Yeah. We’re officially dating.”

“Nice. Congrats.” Dustin started grinning. “Dating. Sounds very mature.”

“Fuck off.”

“She’s a few years older than you.”

“I’m aware. It’s three years, not thirty.”

“I know, but you’re still in college and she’s like . . . an already functioning adult. She pays taxes.”

I put my controller down. “You’re an idiot.”

He grinned, leaned over, and put the controller back in my hand. “It’s nice. You guys are cute.”

I didn’t answer. Briar was cute. Him saying we were cute, that was just . . . fucked up.

I’d eat his snacks in revenge.

I beat his ass at Madden instead. That shut him up. Life was good again.

* * *

Practice got back to our normal routine.

We’d arrive together, come out onto the field together. The machine was the same. Coach Sutherland stood on the sideline, arms folded, as we ran drills.

He didn’t yell much these days. The semester was coming to an end. The team was moving the way he liked — sharp, disciplined, quiet.

Halfway through a defensive set, I looked up and caught his eye across the field.

He didn’t look away.

That same small, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He already knew how this game had ended. He’d made his move, and I’d made mine.

And we were both still standing.

Watching each other. I held his gaze for a second longer than I probably should have. Then I turned back to the line.

Somewhere up in the bleachers, Briar was watching through the lens of her camera, exactly where she’d been since she decided to stay.

The whistle blew.

Dante barked the play.

Dustin laughed somewhere to the side of me.

And I dropped into position, exactly where I was meant to be.

This team wasn’t finished.

We had a championship to defend, and this time, no one on the field was playing blind.

After practice, I found her sitting on the bleachers.

The sun was still high, and the evening pleasant. Practice had ended an hour ago, but Briar hadn’t moved from her spot halfway up the stands.