5. Chapter Five - Luca
A week. It”s already been a damn week since I last saw her. Not that I”m counting or anything.
The last few days were for strength training, which meant all of us were crammed into a provisory gym they’d set up opposite the stadium from where all other training facilities are located.
Aka, their dance studio.
I wonder how they got all of this set up, considering the stadium is also in regular use, and matches are going on during the weekends. But I”m not going to question it if it means there is the slightest chance that I might run into her.
So naturally, I had to stop myself from punching the air in triumph and hope when Rich announced that we”d be training on the field today.
”Walking in here reminds me so much of PE class back in high school,” I chuckle as I walk onto the field next to Asher. He suddenly stops and points at me.
”That”s it! I was wondering what this reminds me of.” More quietly, he adds: ”I thought about that gladiator film for a minute.”
”You”re probably not too far off. That”s likely what actual game day is going to feel like.”
”Only difference is we”re not fighting to the death.” Both of our heads whip around when we hear a loud ”thud” to our left, and I grimace. The Walker brothers are fighting again. By now, I’m unsure what’s going on with them and if this is a brotherly thing or if they actually hate each other. Asher shakes his head and sighs. ”What timing. Those four just might end up yeeting one of their family members into the afterlife.”
I cringe at his choice of words, and he breaks out in laughter when he sees my face.
“I’m just kidding.”
”Well, if one of them dies, at least it”s going to give headlines.” I shake my head and throw my water bottle towards the side of the field, behind the white line. ”Means more money for whatever charity we”re doing this for.”
”Right,” he says with a nod and takes a last sip of his water before tossing his bottle after mine so we can easily reach them during training. ”When did Rich say they”re deciding on the teams again?”
”End of next week,” I answer, scratching my chin. He gave us a game plan in the locker room right after the first training. During the first two weeks, he”d test us and see where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Then he”s dividing us into teams and assigning positions.
I just hope I”ll get a spot where I don”t have to catch too many throws. I’m getting better, but more balls than not tend to hit my face or… other parts of my body. I”m covered in bruises already, and moving hurts, but I still have some interviews and promo-shootings to attend for my last movie. It”s not fun.
Rich shouts for us to get into pairs of two and demonstrates the first exercise we have to practice.
Tackling. I grimace. Another way to get more bruises. How fun. Not.
Basically, one of us is supposed to do the tackling, and the other one holds onto the ball as he”s being tackled. That person will supposedly receive a soft landing on one of those mats, which also reminds me of gym class in high school. He shows us the proper stance and talks about weight distribution and how to fall properly, but the only thing I”m really picking up from his speech is ”Don”t stop,’ ”Keep your head up to see where you”re running,” and ‘Don’t let go of the ball.’ That”s it.
”Alright, everyone, find a partner.” Rich”s voice booms over the field. Damn, that guy’s got an organ.
Asher and I team up without exchanging a word and walk off, but once we get into position, I realize what a dumb idea that is.
He’s almost a full head taller than I am and built like a freaking mountain. With wide shoulders and muscles of steel, there”s no way I”ll be able to move him an inch, and there’s no chance in hell I’ll be able to tackle him.
But him? He”s going to fucking annihilate me. He”ll probably throw me to the other side of the field, just for the fun of it.
Suddenly, a whisper goes through the group, and I turn to where everyone’s eyes are going as they put their heads together.
She”s here.
Well, they are. Strutting over like they”re on a catwalk, as naturally as breathing, they’re walking across the field on the half we’re not using. I gulp, my muscles turning to stone as my eyes follow her every move, trying to take in every detail I can see from afar.
She”s wearing her hair down again today, and it bounces with every step she takes, the wind moving her curls like a wind chime. It looks so soft. I want to bury my hand in it and let her silky locks glide through my fingers.
”Hey, earth to Luca.” Asher snaps his fingers in front of my face until I blink and zoom in on him. Right. Training. He grabs the ball and stands five meters away from me. ”Bring it on.”
I look at him with wide eyes and shake my head.
”What the hell are you doing?” Rich”s voice booms right into my left ear as he shouts. My saving grace. My guardian angel. Oh, I could kiss his glorious mustache for stepping in. ”You.” He points at me. ”Team up with Tanner. Asher, go with Adam. I don”t want any deaths today.”
A relieved sigh escapes me, and Tanner looks damn grateful, too, as we change partners. Yeah, Adam and Asher are definitely closer in build. There’s no doubt in my mind Adam could take Asher down, and you know what? He and his damn ego deserve to be taken down a notch. I hope there’s a camera on the two of them.
Meanwhile, I try to catch another glimpse of Millie. She”s huddled in a corner together with Kayla and a guy I don”t recognize from afar. Shit. Does she have a boyfriend after all?
”Oof.” The air violently leaves my lungs as Tanner”s shoulder rams my midsection, and I let the ball fall to the ground, shortly before joining it there. So much for ‘Don’t let go of the ball.’ Sorry, Rich.
”My bad, bro. You good?” Tanner asks and extends his hand to pull me up.
”Yeah,” I grunt and take it. ”My bad, I was distracted.”
Tanner shoots me a knowing glance. ”Which of the two?” he asks with a chuckle, and I roll my eyes. I pick up the ball and throw it to him. He can tease me all he wants, but I don’t give a fuck. ”Want me to introduce you?”
Now that makes me stop in my tracks and slowly turn to him. ”You know them?” I raise my eyebrow. How come everyone here seems to know them personally but me? I go to just as many industry events as these knuckleheads, and I’d definitely know if I’d seen her there.
”We follow each other on social media,” he reveals, and I burst into laughter.
”That”s all it takes? You never met them in, like, real life?”
”Well, it takes that, some audacity and a bit of a gamble.” He grins, and I shake my head at him as I wiggle my helmet and get into position, trying to tackle him. He clutches the ball to his chest and adds, ”No risk, no fun and all that.”
”You know what? Maybe you”re right.” I fixate my eyes on Tanner”s midsection and the red stripe on his shirt. Then I sprint towards him and attempt to take him down. ”Damn, you”re stronger than you look.” I groan after I”ve only barely managed to push him back a few meters, much less push him to the ground.
”And you”re weaker.” He clasps my shoulder, but I can tell he’s joking.
”So, how”s he doing?” Asher asks from beside us. ”Because, not going to lie, that looked pretty weak.”
”Fuck off, Asher. I could outrun you anytime, dickhead.”
”Why should I? Is your ego as weak as your tackle?” I roll my eyes and chuckle. Oh, I know exactly how to take him down, even though it might be against the rules. Narrowing my eyes at him, I walk right up, only stopping when my feet are mere millimeters away from his.
”You”re talking big game. Want to bet I can take you down within a minute?” He cocks his head and raises his eyebrow at me, biting his grin and shaking his head while Adam starts to laugh.
“Come on, as if that tiny man could. Show him, Asher!”
Maybe I know why they’re fighting so much. Their taunting is only just above the belt. Asher narrows his eyes right back at me, amusement lighting them up, and I know I got him.
”Show me what you got, big boy.” He puts his feet further apart and redistributes his weight. Meanwhile, I get into position. Head up, eyes on him, and then I shoot forward. But instead of trying to lift him off his feet, I dig my fingers into his ribs.
”What the–” His shout quickly changes into laughter as I tickle him without mercy. He tries to fight me off, but I quickly circle him, continuing my assault from behind, where he can’t reach me.
”Mercy,” he begs, kneeling, but I”m getting too bold.
”No mercy for the weeeak!” I shout and continue until he suddenly grabs my hand and pulls me over his shoulder with one abrupt move.
We wrestle, and before I know it, all the guys have gathered around us. Asher tries to pin my hands to the ground, but I have a sister who loves to torture me with tickling, and I know how to keep my hands free. And, finally, I”m kneeling on his back, his wrists under my knees.
”Victory!” I shout and pump my arm into the air to the cheering of the group around us. Tanner reaches out his hand to help me up, and I receive shoulder claps and cheers from all sides. From the corner of my eyes, I glance at the other side of the field, biting my lip, when I realize they”re looking over here.
Not my finest moment or the best way to make an impression. But it had to be done.
”Enough clownery, get back to it!” Rich shouts, earning ”Boo!” shouts, but everyone complies. That guy can be a scary motherfucker when he wants to be.
Only Asher still lies on the ground, utterly defeated and catching his breath. Slowly, he turns on his back and pants, looking at the blue sky above us.
”Come on,” I say with a wide grin and offer him my hand. He almost pulls me down, and I roll my eyes before I pull him up with all the strength I can muster.
”I”m going to get you for this,” he promises lowly and with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. I gulp. ”When you least expect it, in your moment of weakness. I will be there.” And then he walks off to partner up with Adam again.
”Well, great to have known you, man,” Tanner says with a chuckle and shake of his head.
Asher”s revenge comes a lot sooner than I expect it. I thought he’d wait for days, remain in the shadows until I’d forgotten about it. However, it happens not much later. Only half an hour later, to be exact.
Rich announces a break from the tackling session and tells us to get some water. Thank fucking God, because I”m sweating like a waterfall. It”s not even that warm today, but the salty water of my sweat manages to make its way into my eye every few minutes, and it stings. Just like now. I lift my shirt to wipe the sweat off my forehead with the fabric of its seam when, suddenly, I”m flying.
”Aaah,” I squeal in surprise when my body is in the air until I hit something soft. The mat. ”What the fuck?”
”I didn’t know your voice could get that high when you scream,” Asher snickers, joined by voices farther behind him. Finally, I manage to wrestle the fabric away from my eyes, to face his smirking mug.
”I hate you,” I mumble and bury my face in my hands. I wish I was one of those guys who lets out a manly, deep shout when they”re startled, but I”m not. I sound like a five-month-old playing peekaboo. Or a girl from a horror movie. What can I say? It’s a curse.
”Wow, that was higher than my vocal range.”
All my muscles turn into ice cubes, only thawing enough so I can slowly, ever so slowly, turn my head and look at Millie.
I”m going to fucking kill Asher.
She”s even more beautiful up close. I can even see some freckles under her light makeup that I didn’t notice in the neon light of the hallways, and a dimple appears on her cheek as she shoots me a smile before she walks past us.
”Oh my God,” I sigh and fall back onto the mat, burying my face in my hands. ”You”re a dead man, Asher.”
”Oh, come on!”
”Dead,” I reiterate and pull my hands off my face to get up. ”I swear to God. The second time, she”s in earshot, and I”m shrieking like a toddler.”
”I”m sure she finds it adorable,” Asher chuckles. “And she definitely won’t think that this is what you sound like during sexy time.”
Dead. He’s a dead man. His laughter gets stuck in his throat when I shoot him a glare.
”And I”m sure you enjoy getting kicked in the ass so deep you can taste the dirt from under my shoe.”
He rolls his eyes. ”You can”t even kick that high.”
”I”ve proven you wrong once already today, want me to do it again?”
”You”ve done no such thing, you cheating bastard.” I narrow my eyes at him, and he does the same.
”Boys, boys,” Adam interjects and gets right in the middle of us. ”I thought handling my own brothers was bad, but holy fuck am I thankful we”re not related.”
”Stay out of it,” Asher shakes his head, and Adam slaps him on the back of his head– hard. I bite my lips to not break into laughter, but I’m not very successful.
”Don”t be a dick. It”s clearly important to him. Say sorry.”
It”s amazing, really. Asher is taller than Adam, and his shoulders are probably twice as wide, but he looks like a scolded child right now. I love it. And I do my damned best to look like a kicked puppy, even though I have the biggest urge to display a smug smile.
He inspects my face, and it”s taking every single bit of my acting skills to keep my face from falling and bursting into laughter. Breathe, Luca. Relax the muscles in your face.
”Alright.” I tilt my head slightly, signaling that I’m listening. ”I”m sorry.”
”Sorry, I didn”t hear you?” I raise my eyebrow, the corner of my mouth tugging upwards. When I see the glare Adam shoots me, I quickly school my face.
”I said I”m sorry,” he repeats, but not without rolling his eyes and pushing out an annoyed sigh. ”I”ll make it up to you.”
”I accept your apology,” I tell him gracefully. He shoots me a funny look at the sarcastic undertone but leaves it be. As does Adam, but probably only because two of his brothers are sprinting over the field, trying to splash each other with their water bottles.
As we walk over to our own water bottles, which lie at the side of the field forgotten, Asher pushes me, and I stumble but catch myself at the last moment. As I grab my drink, I absolutely push my middle finger into his chest, but it only causes him to laugh.
”Oh, come on, don”t act like I fucking pantsed you in front of her. I don’t know what your deal is. You”re too chicken to even talk to her,” Asher rants and shakes his head.
”I will talk to her. I just need an opening. I can”t exactly sprint over half the field just to ask for her number, and I”m definitely not doing it when all of you are around,” I answer him with a shrug. ”I”m sure I”ll get one soon enough.”
He doesn’t need to know that I am, in fact, not sure at all. None of the guys I’ve talked to have ever officially met them. Their interactions don’t exceed comments on social media pictures, and I don’t want to be the creep who walks up to them unsolicited.
Once I”m done changing, I catch up with Asher, who”s impatiently waiting for me in the hallway, tapping his foot against the ground. He hates having to wait around for me, but has to drive me back home after all.
With a smirk on my face, I follow him to the car and throw my bag into the backseat before climbing in. Asher’s phone chimes just as he’s starting the engine, and he hurries to check it before pulling out of the parking spot.
”I got you your opening.”