Mag-log inANDREThe bus pulled into the Wood Work site and my first thought was that it was beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with anyone on it.Just trees. Cold air coming through the open door before I had even stepped off. A clearing with two clusters of tents already arranged, the forest pressing in on three sides, the sky above the treeline going the specific gray of late afternoon in a place with no light pollution. I stepped off the bus and breathed it in and for approximately four seconds something in my chest went quiet.Then the Wolves' bus pulled in behind us.I watched them file off. Marcus first, arms wide, already talking at full volume like he was personally greeting the forest. A few others I recognized from the qualifying match. Then Richard.He stepped off the bus and looked up and found me immediately.Like he knew exactly where I was standing without having to look for it.I held it. The distance between us, maybe thirty feet of clearing, carried everything it was ca
Richard's POVSofia showed up at seven with two coffees and her hair still damp from the shower.She handed me one without asking how I took it because she already knew and leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at me while I drank it. She was in a jacket and jeans and she looked easy and warm and like she had nowhere else to be even though she did."You packed?" she said."Almost.""You have your rain gear?""It's the woods, not a monsoon.""It's a national forest in late season." She raised an eyebrow. "Pack the rain gear, Richard."I went and got the rain gear.She was still in the kitchen when I came back out, both hands around her coffee, watching me move around the apartment with the specific attention she had when she was deciding whether to say something."What," I said."Nothing." She set her coffee down and crossed the room and straightened my collar with both hands, smoothing it flat, her eyes on the fabric rather than my face. A small gesture. Quiet and deliberate a
Andre's POV The celebration ran until past ten. Tanner had found somewhere that would take a group of fourteen rugby players on a Wednesday night and we had taken over the back section and stayed there for hours. The win settled into the group slowly the way good results did, not loud all at once but building through the evening, getting warmer and looser as the night went on. I stayed longer than I planned to. I needed it. The whole team needed it. I got home just before eleven. The lights in the living room were off. Rose’s door was closed and the thin strip of light underneath it was gone, which meant she was already asleep or had her lamp on the low setting she used when she was reading. I knocked once, soft. “I’m fine,” she said from inside. Flat and immediate. “You eat?” A pause. “Lexie got Thai.” “Good.” “Andre.” “Yeah.” “You won. Go to bed.” I almost smiled. I went to my room and dropped my bag and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment in the quiet of the apartme
Richard's POVThe whistle came from somewhere far away.The crowd noise returned in pieces, like a radio finding its signal. My teammates were moving around me, some celebrating the performance, some already heading toward the touchline, and I was standing in the middle of the pitch with the result sitting in my chest and my legs still going and the game already over.The commentator's voice bled through the stadium speakers.Both programs heading to Wood Work. The rivalry between O'Reilly and Williams more heated than ever. One point separating them today.One point.I stood there and let it wash over me and did not move.Marcus got to me first."Hey." He grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward him. "Look at me. One point. You hear me? One point.""I hear you," I said."That's nothing. That's a rounding error. We played well today, Richard. The whole team played well.""I know.""Do you?" He looked at me hard. "Because you're standing here like someone died."I said nothing."We're
Andre's POVTWO DAYS LATERRose was already in the corridor when I came out of the changing room.She was standing beside Lexie with her coat on and her earplugs in her hand, ready, like she had been here longer than either of us and was simply waiting for the rest of the situation to catch up.I stopped. "You need anything? Water, food, somewhere to sit before—""No," she said."Rose. The bleachers are going to be loud today. This is a qualifying match, the crowd is going to be—""I have earplugs," she said. She held them up, the same way she had held them up the first time, like the gesture explained everything and further conversation was unnecessary."Is Richard playing today?" she said.I looked at her. "Yes. He's on the Wolves roster.""Good." She nodded once. "I want to thank him.""Rose, this is a qualifying match. You're not going to be able to get near the pitch before or after—""I want to thank him," she said again. Same tone. Same finality.I looked at Lexie.Lexie looked
Richard's POVWednesday practice was supposed to run until six.I was in the middle of a contact drill when my phone buzzed in my shorts pocket. I ignored it. It buzzed again. Marcus glanced at me from across the line and I shook my head and reset my stance and we went again.When Briggs blew the whistle for water I pulled the phone out.Sofia."Ooooh," Marcus said immediately from two feet away. He had eyes like a hawk when it came to other people's business. "Is that her?""Mind the drill," I said."It's a water break." He leaned over. "Call her back. She's been—"I stepped away from the group and picked up."Hey," she said. Her voice was warm the way it always was, like she had been looking forward to this call specifically. "Are you training?""Just a break," I said. "What's up?""I have a surprise for you.""I don't like surprises.""You'll like this one." A pause. "I'm sending you an address. Come tonight. I'll be there at eight."I looked back at the group. Marcus was watching







