Chapter 6

Minerva

We stayed like that for what seemed like forever, locked in those adjacent seats. His hand stayed on mine, warm and steady. I could not pull away even if I wanted to.

Then my phone buzzed. Once, twice, a bunch of times. I glanced down and my stomach dropped all over again. Notifications from sports blogs and T*****r. Headlines popping up fast.

“PT Intern Plays Favorites? Minerva Linked to Kendrick Dola Assignment”

“Drama on the Team: Ex Drama Follows Star Player to Chicago”

I clicked one link, heart sinking. The article said someone close to the team claimed I used my connection to get assigned to Kendrick, that I was chasing athletes after my messy breakup. Comments were already pouring in. Some calling me unprofessional, others worse. All because of one trip.

Kendrick leaned over to see my screen, his shoulder brushing mine. “What the hell is this?”

I scrolled more, voice tight. “Vivian. Has to be. She has been smiling like she won something since the assignments came out.”

He cursed under his breath. “That stepsister of yours?”

“Yeah. She probably fed it to some blogger friend. Look at the comments. They are eating it up already and we have not even landed.”

Players a few rows back started muttering, phones out. One guy laughed.

Kendrick shot them a look that shut them up quick. Then he turned back to me, still close. “Ignore it. People talk crap all the time. We know what really happened.”

I shook my head, the panic trying to creep back. “Easy for you to say. You are the star. I am the intern who looks like she is sleeping her way onto the trip. My whole internship could blow up before it even starts.”

Vivian had timed it perfect, right when everyone would see. And here I was, still feeling Kendrick’s warmth from helping me, my body all mixed up between wanting to push him away and wanting him closer. The plane kept flying, Chicago getting nearer, and everything felt like it was about to explode.

We sat there in those tight first-class seats, his body heat all around me, his voice low in my ear telling me to keep breathing. My skin tingled where his fingers checked my pulse again. The rumor storm was just starting, but right then, with him this close, part of me did not care about any of it. That scared me more than the panic attack.

I pulled my hand back finally, trying to sit straighter. “Thanks. I think I am okay now.”

Kendrick stayed leaned in a second longer, eyes on my face like he was reading something there. “You sure?”

No. I was not sure about anything. Not the rumors, not Liam waiting back home, not why my heart kept racing every time Kendrick stopped being a jerk for two seconds. But I nodded anyway.

“Yeah. Just… do not make this weird.”

He gave a short sigh, sitting back but not far. “Not like I want to.”

By the time the pilot announced descent, my head spun with everything. Liam’s begging, Kendrick stepping in like a captain should, the breathing exercise that felt way too intimate, and now this online mess. I glanced at Kendrick again. He was staring out the window, jaw set, but his hand rested near mine on the armrest like he might grab it if I started panicking again.

This trip was going to be so much harder than I thought.

The wheels hit the runway in Chicago, and I let out a long breath. But the relief did not last. My phone kept lighting up. More notifications. More comments tearing into me. Vivian probably sat somewhere back there laughing. I turned to Kendrick, voice low so only he heard.

“What are we going to do about this when we get to the hotel?”

He looked at me, eyes sharp but not cold like before. “We are gonna figure it out.”

I wanted to argue that I did not cry that much, but the words stuck. Instead I just nodded. The plane taxied to the gate, and the closeness in those seats felt even tighter now. His leg pressed against mine accidentally as everyone stood to grab bags.

We filed off the plane, Kendrick sticking close like he was already guarding me from the whispers. Liam’s words from earlier echoed in my head, but so did Kendrick’s steady breathing counts. I did not know which one scared me more.

The team moved through the airport, phones still out, and I kept my head down. But inside, everything felt raw and alive and way too complicated.

By the time we reached the hotel vans, the rumors had spread wider. Someone showed Kendrick a tweet calling me a distraction.

I climbed into the van beside him, our arms touching again and all I could focus on was the man next to me and the storm we were walking into. My heart would not slow down, and it was not just from the panic anymore.

The driver pulled away from the curb, and I caught Kendrick watching me from the corner of his eye. He did not say anything else, but he did not move his arm away either.

This was only day one. Three more to go. God help me.