Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 30: Chapter 30 : Five More Minutes

Audrey woke up to the smell of mint and deep heat muscle rub.

It was barely sunrise. Soft, gray morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the dorm room. For several long seconds, Audrey just blinked at the ceiling, having absolutely no idea where she was.

Then, the heavy weight across her stomach shifted.

Audrey froze. She slowly, carefully turned her head.

Mason was asleep right beside her.

He was lying on his stomach, one heavy arm wrapped securely around her waist. His face was buried in the pillow right next to her shoulder, his dark hair messy and falling over his closed eyes. His breathing was slow and even.

The memories of the previous night hit Audrey like a freight train.

The pub.

The walk home.

The library door.

His hands in her hair.

The kiss.

Audrey’s face burned so hot she was surprised the pillow didn’t catch fire.

She had actually fallen asleep. She was supposed to wait until he let go, but the exhaustion of the long week had dragged her under.

Very, very carefully, Audrey reached down. She pinched the fabric of his gray hoodie sleeve, trying to slowly slide his arm off her waist.

The moment she moved, Mason’s brow furrowed. He unconsciously tightened his arm, pulling her slightly closer, and buried his face deeper into her shoulder.

"...Five more minutes," Mason muttered, his voice rough and thick with sleep.

Audrey stopped breathing.

"...You’re unbelievable," Audrey whispered.

She waited exactly ten seconds. Then, using all the patience she possessed, she gently pried his heavy arm away and slid off the edge of the mattress.

This time, Mason only frowned in his sleep before rolling onto his back, completely dead to the world.

Audrey didn’t waste a single second. She grabbed her camera bag, snatched her jacket off the desk chair, and quietly slipped out of the room. She practically sprinted down the hallway and out of the athletic dorms.

About an hour later, the door to the dorm clicked open.

Leo walked in, carrying a cardboard tray with two large takeaway coffees. "Rise and shine, Captain. I brought caffeine to cure your poor decisions."

He stopped in the middle of the room.

Mason was still asleep, sprawled across the bed.

But Leo noticed the room looked slightly different. There was a second pillow with a very clear indent next to Mason. There was a folded blanket shoved near the foot of the bed.

And, resting right in the middle of Mason’s desk, was a tiny, bright blue daisy hair clip.

Leo slowly lowered the coffee tray onto the dresser.

"...Captain?" Leo called out.

Mason groaned. He rolled over, pulling his pillow over his face to block out the morning light. "Go away."

Leo walked over to the desk. He picked up the small blue hair clip between two fingers, holding it up to the light.

"...Why is Audrey’s hair clip in our room?" Leo asked.

Mason stopped moving.

He slowly pulled the pillow off his face, squinting at the ceiling through a massive hangover headache.

"...What?" Mason mumbled.

Leo turned around and held it up. "Audrey’s hair clip. The one she wears when she edits photos. Why is it on your desk?"

Mason stared at the little blue flower.

His expression slowly changed from sleepy annoyance to complete, blank confusion. He sat up, rubbing his temples.

"...Why is Audrey’s hair clip in my room?" Mason echoed, his voice suddenly very serious.

Leo just stared at him. "That’s what I just asked you."

Mason sat on the edge of his bed, holding the small plastic clip in his hand.

He tried to remember. He really did. But the memories from last night were completely fragmented.

He remembered the pub. He remembered Coach Miller handing him a beer.

He remembered the cold walk home. The library. He remembered Audrey laughing at him because he couldn’t open the door.

Then... nothing. Just flashes.

He remembered the smell of coffee. He remembered holding her hand. Maybe. Did he hold her hand? Did he hug her? Did she help him inside?

Why was her hair clip here?

He stared at the tiny daisy. He genuinely could not remember. But sitting there, staring at it, a strange, heavy feeling settled in his chest. A feeling that he had forgotten something incredibly important.

Back at the girls’ apartment, Audrey quietly slid her key into the lock.

She turned the knob as slowly as possible, hoping to sneak straight into her bedroom and shower before anyone woke up.

She pushed the door open.

She was wrong.

Chloe was sitting on the kitchen counter, wearing silk pajamas and casually sipping a mug of coffee. Zoya was sitting at the small dining table, scrolling through the news on her tablet.

Both of them stopped. Both of them slowly looked up.

Both of them immediately noticed that Audrey was still wearing yesterday’s jeans and sweater, and holding her jacket in her arms.

The apartment was dead silent.

Zoya blinked once. "...Good morning."

Chloe lowered her coffee mug. She looked Audrey up and down, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"...You spent the night," Chloe stated. It wasn’t a question.

Audrey nearly dropped her heavy camera bag. "I can explain."

"We’re listening," Chloe said, crossing her legs.

Audrey swallowed hard. She walked into the living room, dropping her bag on the floor.

"He was drunk," Audrey started, her voice defensive. "I had to walk him back from the pub because everyone else left. He couldn’t even unlock the door. I just sat him on the bed to get him water, and then he..."

Audrey stopped. Her face became so violently red she actually grabbed a throw cushion off the sofa and buried her face into it.

Zoya calmly sipped her coffee. "...Did he remember you’re fake dating?"

Audrey didn’t answer.

That silence was answer enough.

Chloe’s eyes widened completely. She nearly spilled her coffee. "...No way."

Audrey’s voice came out muffled through the cushion.

"...He kissed me."

Complete, utter silence filled the apartment.

For the first time since Audrey had met her, Chloe actually had absolutely nothing sarcastic to say.

Zoya set her tablet face down on the table. "Well. That is a tactical error."

Audrey threw the cushion aside. "It doesn’t mean anything! He was drunk. He probably doesn’t even remember. I just fell asleep because he wouldn’t let go of my waist, and I left before he woke up. It’s fine. It’s completely fine. We are just going to ignore it."

"You are going to ignore a kiss," Chloe repeated slowly. "From Mason Calloway."

"Yes," Audrey insisted firmly, grabbing her bag and marching toward her bedroom. "I am a professional. I have an internship to complete."

She slammed her bedroom door shut.

For the rest of the day, Audrey repeated the same lie to herself over and over.

It meant nothing. He was drunk. He won’t remember.

It was the only way she could function. She went to her morning classes. She went to the journalism office. She avoided Ben’s questions about why she looked so tired.

At the exact same time, Mason spent the entire day quietly trying to reconstruct what happened.

He didn’t ask Leo. He didn’t text Audrey.

He just kept the small blue hair clip in his pocket. Every time his fingers brushed against the smooth plastic, he got that same strange, pulling sensation in his chest. Something was missing.

That afternoon, the team had a light recovery session on the training pitch.

Audrey arrived exactly on time. She had mentally prepared herself. She had built a fortress of logic in her head. Mason wouldn’t remember. They would banter, they would pretend to date, and everything would go back to normal.

She stepped onto the grass near the touchline.

Mason was standing near the center circle, stretching. He looked up.

Their eyes met across the pitch.

Mason stopped stretching. He didn’t smile his usual lazy smile. He didn’t wave.

He just turned and started walking straight toward her.

Audrey’s perfectly constructed logical fortress instantly collapsed. Her heart started racing, hammering frantically against her ribs.

Act normal, Audrey ordered herself. Act completely normal.

Mason stopped directly in front of her. He looked down at her face, his dark eyes searching hers for a long, quiet second.

Then, he reached into the front pocket of his gray hoodie.

He silently held his hand out.

Resting in his large palm was her tiny blue daisy hair clip.

"...You left this," Mason said quietly.

Audrey stared at the clip. She slowly reached out to take it.

As her fingers pinched the plastic, they brushed lightly against the warm skin of his palm.

Neither of them said a word.

He didn’t ask how it got there. She didn’t explain why she left. They just stood there on the edge of the pitch, the noise of the football team carrying on behind them.

But the air between them had completely, irrevocably changed.

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