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CHAPTER 13
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-10-21 01:22:08
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BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 40
Axel's POV.My arm was locked around Ethan’s waist so tightly my knuckles ached.I could feel his pulse hammering through the cotton of his hoodie, beating almost in time with mine. His back was pressed against my chest, his neck warm beneath my lips.For a few seconds, Ethan didn't move.The bathroom was quiet except for the faint hum of the pipes behind the sink and the sound of our breathing.I held him like my life depended on it.I'd walked into the restroom five minutes earlier completely overwhelmed. Emily's confession had caught me off guard. She'd looked at me with so much hope, and turning her down had left my stomach in knots. I'd come in here to splash cold water on my face, stare at myself in the mirror, and remind myself to breathe. I just wanted to get through the night without falling apart.Then Ethan had kicked the door open.He'd screamed at me for hurting Emily. He'd called me a coward, accused me of playing games, and pushed every button until I couldn't take it a
BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 39
Ethan's POV.I had spent the entire first half of the game feeling like a complete piece of shit.My stomach was tied in knots so tight they felt like barbed wire.I sat six rows up in the bleachers, wedged between a couple of guys from the soccer team who smelled like damp turf, staring blankly at the court while my brain ate itself alive.I should have told Emily.I should have grabbed her by the shoulders the second she pulled that damn lip gloss out at the café yesterday and told her the truth. I should have told her Axel wasn't interested in girls. I should have told her that Axel had pinned me against the lockers in the morning, stood close enough for me to feel his breath, and asked what if he didn't want to be just friends.I should have saved my best friend the humiliation.The problem was, I couldn't get the words past my teeth. How was I supposed to tell Emily that the guy she'd been daydreaming about for three weeks was actually in love with me? I hadn't even figured out w
BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 38
Axel's POV.The steering wheel felt smooth as I drove back to my condo.Outside, morning traffic was light, gray exhaust drifting into the chilly air. For the first time in forty-eight hours, the tightness in my chest had eased.Ethan hadn't pushed me away on the bench.He hadn't mentioned what I'd said in the locker room. He hadn't brought up pinning him against the lockers or the question that had slipped out before I could stop it. But he'd sat beside me. He'd leaned close enough for our shoulders to brush. He'd asked what I thought about Rock Valley, as if my opinion mattered.We're still friends.The thought was enough to carry me through the rest of the day. Even if he couldn't return my feelings, even if the idea of wanting more frightened him, he hadn't cut me out of his life.We still had more then twenty mornings left in that gym. We still had the court.***Friday evening brought a sharp drop in temperature.Westbrook's athletic center glowed against the dusk, its exterior
BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 37
Ethan's POV.The wooden bench was hard and cold beneath my thighs.On the court, Coach Davis blew his whistle again, shouting at Tyler to reset his stance on the weak side. Mike jogged back to the top of the key, scowling after getting chewed out.Beside me, Axel sat completely still.I kept my elbows on my knees, staring at my sneakers, my fingers wrapped tightly around my wrists.Do you think they'll be okay without us?The question had slipped out before I could stop it, but it wasn't just an attempt to break the tension between us. It was guilt. The kind that ate away at you from the inside.I'd lied to my coach.Worse, I'd turned my back on my team.Coach Davis had practically handed me my life back in his office yesterday. My scholarship was safe, the board hearing had been canceled, and he'd offered me the starting point guard position against Rock Valley tomorrow night. Division one scouts from Michigan State and Louisville would be sitting in the second row with their clipboa
BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 36
Axel's POV.The silence in my apartment after practice was deafening as always.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the floor, my left hand gripping my knee.Ethan had shut the door in my face.He hadn't screamed or thrown a punch. He had simply looked at me with wide, terrified eyes, shoved my chest, and put up a wall so quickly it left me reeling.Get the fuck off me.The words still rang in my head.I don't know what will happen now.Will he ignore me? Walk into the gym tomorrow morning and pretend I didn't exist? Will he ask Coach Davis to keep us apart, or tell him he couldn't stand being in the same room as me?I'd spent my entire life avoiding conflict. I'd spent years keeping my head down and letting people think whatever they wanted, as long as they left me alone.And yet, sitting in this quiet condo, an unfamiliar feeling stirred beneath my ribs.I was terrified of losing him. He was the only person in this city who actually knew me.But beneath the fear, I felt somethin
BETWEEN US AND THE COURT CHAPTER 35
Ethan's POV.The cold lockers pressed through my shoulder.Axel's hand remained planted against the locker beside my ear. He leaned over me, his broad frame blocking the overhead light. I could feel the warmth coming off his chest with every breath.What if I don't want to be just friends?My brain felt like an engine redlining in neutral.I wasn't stupid. I knew exactly what he meant. He wanted me. Not as a teammate or some charity project he was helping through conditioning drills. He wanted me.The problem was, I had no idea what to do with that information.Did I want that too? Was that what all this tension had been about since the ice bath? Was that why my pulse raced whenever his shoulder brushed mine?I am straight. I'd spent my entire life thinking about girls, basketball, and making enough money to fix my dad's garage. Men weren't part of the equation.Except right now, staring into Axel's eyes, I felt a pull so strong it made my hands tremble."Axel..." My voice barely made
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