Chapter 10

Hex’s POV

The only thing running through my head was simple.

“Get him away from her.”

It wasn’t logical, calm or even remotely reasonable but it was loud.

It was louder than the pain in my knee, louder than the echo of Maxine’s voice telling me to stay away and louder than the image of her stepping toward him like he was the safe option.

I hated the way Davian stood too close to her like he had a right and I didn’t.

A bitter laugh almost left my lips, but I swallowed it down, my chest tightening with something that felt dangerously close to anger.

No, not anger, it was something worse. 

Jealousy.

It was raw, ugly and unfamiliar because I had never had to compete for her before.

Back then, there was no doubt about us. She was mine and I was hers.

But now everything felt like a battlefield I didn’t understand.

“Hex.” Her voice snapped me out of it.

I looked at her and for a second everything else faded.

“Take your meds,” she said, her tone professional and detached. “And don’t put pressure on that leg unless necessary.”

I wanted to laugh not because it was funny but because it was ridiculous.

Before I could respond, Davian stepped in slightly, his presence cutting between us in a way that made my irritation spike.

“I’ll make sure he does,” he said.

I didn’t miss the subtle emphasis or the way his eyes flicked toward me like a silent warning.

“Didn’t realize you were a doctor too,” I muttered, staring at him as my expression hardened slightly. 

His lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t a smile.

“Just making sure things run smoothly.” He shrugged. 

My grip tightened on the crutch.  

“Yeah?” I shot back. “Are you planning to supervise everything now?”

The air shifted instantly and for a second, I thought he might push back but instead, he just looked at me which somehow made it worse.

“Only where necessary,” he replied evenly.

Maxine stepped in before things could escalate further.

“That’s enough,” she said, her voice firm.

I exhaled sharply, looking away for a moment. I was trying to get a grip on myself because losing it right now wouldn’t help.

It wouldn’t fix anything and definitely, it wouldn’t get her back.

The word echoed in my mind, heavy and loaded with things I wasn’t ready to unpack.

A few minutes later, they drove off with Davian taking over the driver seat of her car. 

For a second, I just stood there processing everything. 

“Fuck.” The word came out low and rough, dragged from somewhere deep in my chest as I pulled away from the car I was leaning against. 

It was a bad idea as pain shot through my knee instantly. It was sharp and unforgiving, but I ignored it as I grabbed my crutches before pushing myself forward.

Frustrated, I tossed one crutch aside leaning heavily on the other as I ran a hand through my hair.

“This is insane,” I muttered to myself.

The ding of the elevator door opening behind me made me pause, pulling me out of my spiral.

“Yo.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Wolfe stepping in, his brows furrowed slightly as he took me in.

“You good?” he asked, walking over.

I let out a dry laugh then said through my teeth, “Do I look good?”

He shrugged, handing me the crutch I had tossed aside.

“Honestly? You look like you’re about to punch something.”

“Tempting,” I muttered, taking the crutch from him.

He studied me for a second longer before tilting his head slightly.

“Is this about the doctor?”

I stilled for a second as hearing someone else say it out loud hit differently.

“What about her?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

Wolfe smirked slightly, smacking his lips. “Come on, man. Everyone’s been talking about her.”

“Stop it already.”

“I’m serious,” he continued. “She’s cute. Like… really cute.”

Something in my chest tightened as I didn’t like the way he said that.

“She’s the team doctor,” I said flatly.

“Yeah, yeah,” he waved it off. “It still doesn’t change the fact that almost every guy back there at the locker room wants to hook up with her.”

I didn’t respond simply because I didn't trust myself to.

Rhe last thing I needed right now was to lose my temper over something stupid.

Wolfe leaned against the locker beside me, crossing his arms.

“Too bad, though.”

“Too bad what?” I asked, flickering my gaze towards him. 

“Looks like Davian got her attention first.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

Looking away, I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Yeah,” I said. 

Wolfe watched me for a second longer, like he was trying to figure something out, but before he could say anything else, the door opened again.

Fletcher walked in, already pulling off his jacket.

“Sorry, man,” he said, tossing his bag over his shoulder. “Had a session with my trainer.”

Nodding, I muttered, “All good.”

He glanced between Wolfe and me before focusing back on me.

“Are you ready to head out?”

I hesitated for a second then nodded, “Yeah.”

He turned towards his car while I trailed after him.

“Hey, you need to get rid of that crutches soon. We need you against the California Waves.” Wolfe yelled after me. 

“Sure,” I yelled back, adjusting my grip. 

The drive started off quietly but Fletcher wasn't the quiet type, because it didn’t last long.

“So,” he started, pulling out of the parking lot. “I met this girl last night…”

I tuned him out almost immediately. It was not an intentionally act but my mind wasn’t there, it was somewhere else entirely.

I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over the screen for a second before I opened I*******m then went straight to Maxine’s profile.

“Can you lend me your phone?” I asked Fletcher, shoving my phone into my pocket. 

Maxine had blocked me everywhere so I couldn't access it. 

“Sure,” 

With Fletcher's phone, I went to her profile, scrolling through the pictures we took together on her last birthday. 

She had her head tilted back with her eyes closed, and that smile on her face was the one that used to be just for me.

I stared at it longer than I should have because that girl, that version of her felt like a stranger now.

“Hmmm…”

Fletcher’s voice pulled me back slightly and I glanced up.

“What?”

He nodded toward his phone, “Doc was your girl?”

I looked back at the screen then muttered, “Yeah.” 

There was a pause then he asked, “What happened?”

I let out a breath, leaning back slightly in the seat.

“She left.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah.”

With a slight frown, he muttered, “That sucks.”

I nodded, biting the corner of my lip as I looked back at the picture.

“Yeah,” I repeated.

Silence filled the car again, but it wasn’t as heavy this time.

Fletcher glanced at me briefly before looking back at the road.

“She’s cool, though,” he said after a moment.

“I know.”

There was a beat of silence then I turned slightly toward him, my grip tightening around his phone.

“Hey,” I said and he hummed in response.

“Can you do me a favour?”