Unfortunate Circumstance

NESSA'S POV

I stood in front of the house I was now going to be living in, and I honestly could not believe that this was where I had found myself. If anyone had told me a month ago that I would end up in a situation where I had no other choice but to move in with a bunch of overgrown jocks, I would have laughed in their face and sworn that it could never happen, but here I was, standing outside a massive house that was already occupied by half the football team. 

It was not exactly the kind of future I had imagined for myself. A month ago, I had been living between my parents' house and an apartment they had rented for me, going to college, focusing on my studies, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I certainly had not expected my parents to suddenly decide that they knew what was best for me and arrange a marriage between me and Gerald, my obsessive ex-boyfriend. They had somehow convinced themselves that because Gerald came from a wealthy family and our families had known each other for years, marrying him would be a good thing for me. 

I had disagreed, obviously, and when I refused to go along with their ridiculous plan, my father had given me a choice that was not really a choice at all. I could marry Gerald and continue living the comfortable life I had always known, or I could refuse and lose everything they had been paying for. I had refused, and my father had followed through on his threat. He cut off my money, stopped paying my rent, canceled my cards, and made it very clear that he expected me to come crawling back once I realized I could not survive without him. 

I had refused to give him that satisfaction.

Unfortunately, refusing to give up did not magically solve my problems, which was how I had ended up applying for a live-in trainer and nutritionist position with the football team. It was the only job I could find on such short notice that paid enough to support me while also giving me somewhere to live. The coach had almost rejected me because I was a girl, but after looking through my qualifications and watching me put together a training and nutrition plan for his players, he had realized that I knew what I was doing. 

He had hired me, although he had warned me that the players would probably not be happy about having a woman as their trainer, especially one who was going to live in the same house as them. I had told him that I could handle it. After everything I had already been through, dealing with a few arrogant football players did not seem like the worst thing that could happen to me.

I let out a slow breath as I looked at the front door, trying to convince myself that I was ready for this. I had spent the entire drive here reminding myself that I was not going to let these boys push me around. I was their trainer, not their babysitter, and I was not going to allow anyone to make me feel like I did not belong simply because I was a girl. 

I adjusted my grip on the handle of my suitcase and walked toward the door before pressing the doorbell. I waited, but nothing happened. I checked my phone to make sure I had the right address, looked back at the door and pressed the bell again and waited another thirty seconds, but there was still no response. 

My patience began disappearing quickly. I was already having a terrible day, so I wasn't in the mood to stand outside like some delivery person waiting for someone to remember that there was a doorbell. I pressed it again, this time holding the button down longer, and when nobody answered, I started pressing it repeatedly. 

"Can somebody please open the damn door?" I called out loudly in my frustration. 

I pressed the bell one more time, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, I heard footsteps approaching. The lock clicked, and the door opened to reveal a brunette boy who looked as though he had been dragged away from something upstairs. He was young, probably one of the first-year players, and the nervous expression that appeared on his face the moment he saw me made me almost laugh. 

He looked at me as if I were someone important, which would have been strange if I didn't already know why. I stared at him for a moment before rolling my eyes.

"Took you long enough," I said impatiently, looking past him and into the house.

The boy blinked several times before looking at me again, clearly trying to make sure he was not mistaken about who I was.

"You're Vanessa Wilder, aren't you?" he asked nervously, his voice carrying a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

I sighed. "Clearly I am Vanessa Wilder, so could you please step aside and let me in?" I asked, gesturing toward the space behind him.

He finally looked down and noticed the suitcase beside me, and his confused expression only became worse. He looked at the suitcase, then at me, before looking back toward the staircase as though someone might appear and explain everything to him.

"What's going on, and why do you have a suitcase?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

I stared at him for a moment before taking another step toward the doorway. "I'll explain when I'm in, so step aside," I told him firmly.

The boy immediately stepped aside, and I walked into the house without waiting for another invitation. I left my suitcase near the entrance and turned toward him, noticing that he was still standing there as though he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

"Bring my suitcase in for me, and then call everyone downstairs," I instructed him, pointing toward the suitcase.

He looked at the suitcase again before looking at me, and although he seemed to have several questions, he wisely decided not to ask them.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll get everyone," he replied quickly before turning around and rushing up the stairs.

I watched him disappear before shaking my head. At least the first person I had met was easy to handle. The coach had warned me that some of the older players might be difficult, especially because they were used to getting their way and had never had a female trainer living with them before. I was actually grateful that one of the younger players had opened the door because I had a feeling that if one of the team captains had been the one standing there, I would have already been arguing with him. 

I took a slow look around the house while I waited for everyone else to arrive, and I was not surprised by how large the place was. The team had won several championships, attracted plenty of sponsors, and had become one of the most successful football programs around, so it made sense that the players were given a place like this. There were framed photographs of the team hanging on the walls, trophies displayed inside glass cabinets, and enough furniture to comfortably accommodate everyone living there. The living room alone was larger than the entire apartment I had recently been forced to leave, which was almost funny when I thought about it. 

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps coming from upstairs, followed by voices. One player appeared first, then another, and then two more followed behind him, and every single one of them slowed down when they noticed me. Some looked surprised, some looked annoyed, and a few looked openly curious. 

I could almost see the questions forming in their minds. Who was I? Why was I here? Why was I carrying a suitcase? I crossed my arms over my chest and waited patiently as they gathered in the living room. I did not need to introduce myself yet because the coach had already informed them that a new trainer would be joining the team, but judging by their expressions, he had probably forgotten to mention the part where I would also be living with them. 

One of the taller boys whispered something to the player standing beside him, and the other boy immediately looked at me before whispering something back. I ignored them. I was not going to waste my energy trying to impress them. They would either respect me because I knew what I was doing, or they would learn very quickly that I was not someone they could push around. 

I was still waiting for the rest of them when I heard another set of footsteps coming down the stairs, and this time, three people appeared together. They were clearly older than the others, and there was something about their presence that immediately made the room feel different. I looked up, and the moment my eyes met theirs, everything inside me went completely still.

The three boys froze at the exact same time, and I stared at them, confused by the sudden reaction, while they stared back at me as though they had just seen something they had been searching for their entire lives. 

The room became strangely quiet, and even the other players seemed to notice that something had changed. I looked at the first boy, then the second, and finally the third, trying to understand why I suddenly felt as though I could hear my own heartbeat. Then, without warning, three voices echoed inside my head at once.

"Mate," all three distinct voices said simultaneously, and my entire body went cold. 

I took a small step backward, my eyes widening as I looked around the room. Nobody else seemed to react, which made no sense because I could have sworn I had just heard three different voices in my head. 

As if that wasn't already weird enough, a powerful wave of attraction rushed through me, so sudden and intense that it almost knocked the air out of my lungs. My heart started beating faster, my skin felt strangely warm, and I could not stop looking at them even though every sensible part of me was screaming that something was wrong.