~ Chapter 30 ~
By the time Eva got to the gym, she already felt slightly out of place.
Not in a dramatic way.
Not in a "turn around and go home" way.
Just in that low-level, buzzing-under-the-skin way where she became painfully aware of her body, her clothes, the way she took up space.
She had almost worn one of Reed's hoodies.
Almost.
Instead, she had changed at the last second into a soft fitted top and high-waisted jeans, something Sandra had once described as "cute but still comfy," which Eva considered the highest compliment.
She tugged at the hem as she walked inside.
The gym was louder than usual.
Not game loud.
Practice loud.
Music playing from someone's speaker. Balls bouncing. Guys yelling at each other in that half-joking, half-serious way.
Reed was on the court.
Of course he was.
Sweaty.
Focused.
In a black practice jersey and shorts.
Eva's heart did its usual stupid little flip.
She smiled before she could stop herself.
Reed noticed her almost immediately.
He always did.
His eyes found hers.
His face softened.
Not a big smile.
Not a show.
Just that small, private look that felt like it belonged only to her.
Eva felt warmth bloom in her chest.
Then someone stepped into her line of sight.
The girl was tall.
Long legs.
Long straight hair.
Tiny waist.
The kind of girl who looked like she belonged on a poster somewhere.
She walked right up to Reed.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't look unsure.
She said something Eva couldn't hear over the music.
Reed frowned slightly.
Shook his head.
Said something back.
The girl laughed.
Touched his arm.
Not accidentally.
Not briefly.
Lingering.
Eva's stomach dipped.
Hard.
She told herself not to read into it.
She told herself Reed hadn't touched her back.
He hadn't leaned in.
He hadn't smiled.
He hadn't encouraged anything.
But the sight still planted something ugly and sharp in her chest.
A few feet away, two guys near the bleachers were talking.
Eva didn't mean to listen.
She really didn't.
But one of them laughed and said, "Bro, Reed could get any girl he wants."
The other replied, "Seriously. Dude doesn't even try."
Eva felt it.
That quiet, sinking realization.
Yeah.
He could.
Her brain, unhelpful as always, immediately started making a list.
She was short.
Curvy.
Not effortless.
Not bold.
Not the kind of girl who walked up to guys and flirted like it was nothing.
She liked soft sweaters.
Cooking.
Study groups.
Staying in.
Reed was a college athlete.
Tall.
Beautiful.
Wanted.
It didn't make sense.
Not really.
Eva suddenly felt very small.
Not physically.
Internally.
She slipped onto a bench near the wall and pretended to scroll through her phone.
She didn't text Reed.
She didn't wave.
She didn't draw attention to herself.
Across the gym, Parker noticed.
Because Parker always noticed.
She followed Eva's line of sight.
Saw the girl.
Saw Reed step back slightly.
Saw Eva's shoulders curl in on themselves.
Parker's jaw tightened.
Sandra, standing beside her, followed her gaze.
"Oh hell no," Sandra muttered.
Cassie frowned. "Is that girl hitting on Reed?"
Sandra didn't answer.
She walked straight over to Eva and sat down beside her.
Parker sat on her other side.
Cassie hovered in front of her.
Subtle.
Protective.
Very obvious if you knew what you were looking at.
Sandra bumped Eva's knee lightly. "You okay, Bubbles?"
Eva forced a small smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Parker tilted her head. "That wasn't convincing."
Eva looked down at her hands.
"I just feel... dumb."
Sandra immediately shook her head. "Nope. Don't say that."
Eva's voice was quiet. "He could have anyone. I don't look like those girls."
Cassie crouched in front of her. "Eva. Look at me."
Eva hesitated.
Then looked up.
Cassie's expression was gentle but firm. "Reed isn't with you because you're the loudest or hottest or flashiest person in the room."
Sandra nodded. "He's with you because you're you."
Parker squeezed Eva's hand. "And because he clearly adores you."
Eva swallowed.
"I just don't want to be... a phase," she whispered.
That one hurt.
Sandra's face softened instantly.
"Oh, sweetheart."
She pulled Eva into a hug.
Parker joined.
Cassie wrapped her arms around them both.
"You're not a phase," Parker said quietly. "You're the kind of girl men fall in love with."
Eva's eyes burned.
She blinked rapidly.
Across the gym, Reed noticed something was off.
Not because Eva was dramatic.
Not because she made a scene.
Because she wasn't doing the small things she always did.
She wasn't watching the drills.
She wasn't absentmindedly fidgeting with her sleeves.
She wasn't looking at him.
That alone set off alarms.
Reed excused himself from the drill and walked over.
The tall girl tried to say something else.
Reed shook his head again.
"I'm good," he said clearly.
Then he kept walking.
Straight to Eva.
He stopped in front of her.
Dropped into a crouch so he was at eye level.
"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"
Eva nodded automatically.
He didn't buy it.
"What happened?"
Eva hesitated.
Her instinct was to say nothing.
To swallow it.
To deal with it alone.
But the way Reed was looking at her — concerned, steady, present — made something in her crack.
She glanced toward the girl.
Then back at Reed.
"I just... feel kind of stupid."
Reed's brow furrowed. "Why?"
Eva's voice was barely above a whisper. "Because you could have anyone."
Reed blinked.
Then his expression changed.
Not annoyed.
Not amused.
Serious.
He reached out and gently took her hands.
Right there.
In the gym.
In front of everyone.
"I don't want anyone else."
Eva's breath hitched.
"I want you."
Simple.
Direct.
Unembellished.
Reed squeezed her fingers.
"You're not replaceable. You're not temporary. You're not lucky to be here."
His thumb brushed over her knuckles.
"I'm the lucky one."
Eva felt tears spill over.
She laughed weakly. "You're very convincing."
Reed's mouth tilted into a small smile.
"Good. Because I mean it."
Sandra, watching from a few feet away, wiped fake tears.
Cassie whispered, "I love him."
Parker nodded. "Same."
Eva leaned forward without thinking and rested her forehead against Reed's chest.
He immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
No hesitation.
No shame.
Just holding her.
The girl who had been flirting earlier watched the whole thing.
Then quietly walked away.
Eva stayed there for a moment.
Breathing him in.
Feeling his heartbeat.
Letting it settle the chaos inside her.
Maybe she didn't look like the girls in magazines.
Maybe she wasn't tall.
Maybe she wasn't effortless.
But Reed was choosing her.
And right now...
That felt like enough.