Chapter 60

“The main focus of the event is for you to share your journey into the world of science and engineering. The goal is to inspire young girls to follow in your footsteps, to see you as a role model.

You should delve into your background, share the moment you knew you wanted to pursue this field... No personal questions about you, but I’d brace myself for a few...

You’ll be in a large auditorium, so it’s going to be a big crowd. Don’t let that intimidate you... If you’re uncomfortable answering a question, just say so, and they’ll move on.

There will be a swarm of photographers, so expect a lot of flashes during your talk. Try to stay focused. It’ll be more of a Q&A than anything...

Oh, and brace yourself for some tough, science-related questions. I can’t help you there, that’s not my area of expertise...

And please, whatever you do, don’t curse... it’s going to be live,” Knox’s agent briefed me as we sat in the private plane that People’s magazine had sent to fetch him.

The plane was luxurious, with soft white leather seats lining both sides—singles on one side, pairs on the other, some separated by sleek grey tables.

The walls had a black marbling effect that shimmered with cleanliness, and the grey carpet was so plush that I couldn’t resist taking off my shoes to feel the softness against my feet.

“Live?! Nobody said it was going to be live!” Panic surged through me, and I felt Knox’s hand rest on mine. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. Live? Well, shit!

“It’ll be alright, baby doll. I’ll be there if you need me,” he soothed, rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

“Alright? You know what I’m like in front of a crowd... Is it frowned upon to take shots before going on?” I asked his agent, who laughed and shook her head.

“You can have a maximum of two shots twenty minutes before you go on, but no cursing!” She gave me a pointed look over the rim of her wide-framed glasses.

I nodded, turning my gaze back to the window, sighing as I looked down at the clouds beneath us.

She flipped through the event criteria once more, gathering her thoughts. Then, she moved the sheets back into her briefcase and pulled out another stack of papers.

“Now, your turn,” she said, pointing her pen at Knox, who was leaning his head on his hand, staring back at her. His hand was still on mine.

“Are you going to tell me who your Instagram photo is of? Because thanks for the heads up, I was blindsided by this and got numerous calls from magazines asking for a comment...

So, fill me in next time and tell me who it is.”

“I want to keep her privacy,” he stated simply. She looked at him, pushing her glasses up her nose as she tried to read him.

Privacy? My privacy? That’s been gone for a while.

“I’m not going to comment, but I’m your agent, I should know who it is, Knox... I can keep her privacy intact,” she said, leaning forward on the grey table that divided us.

He sighed and looked at me, then reached over the seats next to him to pull his laptop from his sports bag. He entered his password, and the first thing that popped up was the photo of me, smiling down at him from his lap.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why was this open on his laptop? He spun it around to face his agent, leaning his lips on the top part of the laptop, looking straight at her.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked, placing his hand back on mine and sitting back with a raised eyebrow.

She smirked, her plump red lips curling up at the corners. “Loud and clear.”

With a salute, she lowered her eyes back to the papers in front of her, scanning the notes she’d written in the margins and on sticky notes.

“You have that interview with Gerry next month for ESPN. They’re going to come down to Savannah, and I’ll be there too. They’ve given me a lot of questions to read over.

A lot of them are about your dating life. Do you want to read them and tell me which ones you don’t want to be asked?”

He shook his head. “I’m not talking about it, full stop. It’s nobody’s business,” he said, releasing a long breath.

Seeing the small crease form between his brows, I could tell he was irritated by the fact she was even entertaining these questions.

“Knox, you have to answer some or people will tune out and they’ll lose ratings. It’s all about ratings and money with these guys, you know this. You can be vague with your answers, but you have to answer at least three questions...”

She flipped the page over and clasped her hands on top, looking over the table at him. He grunted, looking out the other side of the plane in thought.

“You’re the most talked about player. Everyone wants to know what type of girl you like, your idea of a perfect date. You have every girl in the country chasing after you, give them something...”

She tried to entice him into rethinking his decision. She was right, he was the golden boy that everyone wanted to know about.

“Not every girl—” he mumbled, then sighed and signaled for her to hand over the questions.

“I’ll read them, but I’m still not sure I want those questions asked. I play football, that’s what I’m there to talk about... On a sports channel, for God’s sake!” He lifted his hands in the air, making a very valid point.

“Just read them and let me know. I’ll be over there making a few calls for this event, alright?” She stood up and walked down the plane to where her laptop was set up.

As she pulls out her phone, I watch her place the other one on the table and start making calls. Knox, meanwhile, is flipping through the sheets of paper. I can’t help but notice that they’ve only printed on one side.

“Well, that’s a waste of paper. Why didn’t they print front and back? Without trees, we wouldn’t be breathing...” I trail off as he starts to laugh at me.

He leans back, his mood shifting subtly. Picking up the paper again, he squints in concentration, his finger resting on his upper lip. It’s a habit of his when he’s focusing. His jaw is relaxed yet sharp, his eyes dancing across the page as he reads the questions.

I catch myself admiring his features as he huffs and smirks at the inked words. How can one person be so—

“Who the hell wants to know if I prefer blondes or brunettes? Or if I pay attention to a girl’s nail color?” His face scrunches up in disbelief, and I can’t help but burst out laughing.

I quickly cover my mouth, giggling into my hand. He looks amused, his eyes scanning my face with interest.

“Knox, it’s clearly a life or death question for your female fan base. Don’t you know every girl is chasing after you?”

Teasing him is so easy. Half the time he takes it well, the other half it really gets under his skin. But it’s so fun to poke at him.

“Zip it, baby doll. The only girl I want is the one who doesn’t chase me... She’s hard to get the attention of.” His eyes scan the paper in front of him, brushing off his own comments.

“Why is it complicated?” I ask softly, drawing his attention. I really want to know who this girl is. It’s been driving me crazy ever since he first mentioned her.

He breathes out through his nose, sitting up straight and rubbing the back of his neck with a groan. He looks uncomfortable talking about this, like he wants to escape the conversation. But I’ll find out eventually. Right?

“It’s... she’s... ughhhh... I don’t know if she likes me back....”

I’ve never seen him this unsure before, especially over a girl. He’s usually so confident, so full of himself when it comes to women. Why is he so hung up on this particular girl?

He’s scared. He’s human.

“That’s why it’s complicated? Because you think she doesn’t like you back? Have you asked her?”

“Well.... no bu—”

“Then ask her. But tell me why it’s complicated, maybe I can help?...” I’m trying to keep my irritation to a minimum. Just say her damn name, Carter, so I can move on.

“If I tell you why it’s complicated, you’ll know who she is... I kn... ugh... I hate this!”

“Say it, Carter! Have some balls and ask her out!” I push his buttons, and he shoots me an irritated look.

Come on, say it! Man up and say her name. It shouldn’t be that hard, but he’s treating it like it’s a matter of life and death.

“Alex, it’s com—”

“Don’t you dare say it’s complicated! Tell me why you think it’s complicated! Tell me! Come on, say it.” I’m getting annoyed at how much he’s avoiding the issue.

“Ale—”

“Grow a pair, Carter. Come on. Spit it o—” I cut him off, shouting at him.

“IT’S MY BEST FRIEND’S SISTER!...” He roars back at me, a look of shock on his own face. “Fuck!...” He closes his eyes, not wanting to look at me.

He rubs his hands up and down his face, as if trying to erase what he just said. His eyes are squeezed shut, like he never wants to open them again.

Meanwhile, my heart is racing, pounding so hard it feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.

Holy shit... he likes Sam?

I’m frozen in my seat, my mind somewhere else, my body numb. He opens his eyes to see me still sitting there in silence, wide-eyed and shocked. “Baby doll? Say something?”

Staring at nothing, realization hits me hard. He doesn’t like you, he likes your sister.

It makes sense. He likes Sam, she doesn’t chase after him because she’s with Tyson, and it’s complicated because she’s getting married. It all makes sense now.

“You like Sam?” I whisper, still in a daze as I piece together all the information.

“What? No! Alex, I don’t like Sam...” He shakes his head rapidly. I twist around to face him, confused and stuttering.

“You d-don’t like Sam? Who do y- you don’t like Maddie, do you?” I ask, my eyebrow quivering as I wince in anticipation of his reply.

Oh god, please tell me he’s not into fifteen-year-olds.

“Jesus, no! Maddie? God, no! She’s like fifteen!” He defends himself and starts to laugh out loud. Why is he laughing?

“Why are you laughing?” His laughter dies down a little after a few moments of hearing the confusion in my voice. He just stares at me, like he’s waiting for somet—

My eyes widen in disbelief, the realization hitting me like a freight train. My heart races uncontrollably, a sudden surge of excitement coursing through my veins.