ANASTASIA
It felt exactly like the day everything went wrong at my old company, and the sudden noise around made me feel anxious immediately.
Two more journalists noticed and walked over quickly, pulling out their own small pads from their pockets to write down anything I said.
"Is it true that you leaked confidential photos of athletes to make quick money from rival sports blogs?" another man asked, pushing past the first reporter to get a closer look at my face.
"Did the Titans management know about your history before they signed your contract for this road trip?" a woman added, and she did not even wait for me to answer the first question before pressing for more details.
"I am not here to discuss my personal life," I said, and my voice sounded much weaker as I became more anxious.
I pulled my camera strap tighter over my shoulder and tried to step away, but they moved with me and blocked the path completely.
"The fans have a right to know if the new team photographer is trustworthy, Anastasia," the first reporter said, following my steps closely as I hurried down the corridor toward the safety of the media room.
My chest felt very tight, and I just wanted to disappear before I completely lost my composure in front of the cameras.
"She is an employee of the New York Titans, and you are crossing the line," a deep voice boomed from behind the group.
I looked up and saw Thiago walking toward us.
He had his gear bag over one shoulder, and he stepped right between me and the crowd of reporters without hesitating for a single second. His large frame completely blocked them from my view, and he stood perfectly still.
"Any questions regarding our media staff must go through the official communications department," Thiago said, and his voice was completely calm but cold.
"Come on, Thiago, give us a quick comment about the situation," the first reporter said, trying to look past his shoulder to reach me. "The public is already talking about the leaks online, and the fans want to know if she is staying with the team."
"I just gave you my statement," Thiago replied, and he did not move an inch from his position in front of me. He kept his arms crossed over his hockey jersey and stared down at the man until the reporter finally lowered his microphone.
The group stood there for a few seconds, realizing he was not going to let them get any closer to me, and then they slowly turned around and walked back toward the main press area.
Everywhere became quiet again, and I finally let out the breath I had been holding for a while to ease myself up.
"Thank you, Thiago," I said, looking up at his serious face. "I really did not know how to get away from them by myself."
He adjusted the strap of his bag and shrugged his shoulders, looking down the empty corridor. "I only stopped them because they were interfering with team operations. We just won a major game, and I do not want distractions."
"Right," I murmured, but I was not completely convinced by his words. He gave me one short nod and walked away toward the locker room, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I walked to the bus.
~
Later that evening, the team bus finally made it back to the hotel, and the entire place was loud with celebration.
The players were heading straight down to the main dining room to eat a late dinner together, but I could not bring myself to join the others.
I went straight up to the temporary media room instead, wanting to lose myself in my work and forget about the reporters.
I sat at the long desk and opened my laptop, plugging in the memory cards from the championship match.
I spent hours editing the game pictures, fixing the lighting on the shots of the final huddle and cropping the action sequences near the goal line.
It was tedious work, but it kept my mind busy and stopped me from checking the internet forums on my phone.
Around nine o’clock, outside grew very quiet, and a soft knock sounded on the glass door of the room.
I looked up from my computer screen as the door slid open, and Cassian walked inside carrying two large white takeout boxes in his hands. He had changed into a comfortable gray hoodie, and he gave me a bright smile as he set the food down on the table right next to my laptop.
"I noticed you skipped the team dinner downstairs," Cassian said, pulling up a rolling chair and sitting right next to me without asking. "I did not think anyone should have to work on an empty stomach tonight, so I brought some steak and fries for both of us to eat."
I smelled the warm food, and a genuine smile finally touched my lips after the long, stressful day. "Thank you, Cassian. I did not realize how hungry I actually was until right now."
"Don’t mention it," he said, opening his box and handing me a plastic fork from the bag. "You took some amazing shots on the ice tonight, and you deserve a good meal after all that hard work."
"I just wanted to finish these before tomorrow," I said, taking a bite of the food.
"You work too hard, Anastasia," he replied, leaning back in his chair with a chuckle. "You need to learn how to relax and enjoy the victory like the rest of the team."
"I will," I told him and continued to eat.
Suddenly, I sensed someone had been looking at us before walking away but I waved it off.