Mason walked across the grass of the pitch. He looked ridiculous. He was six-foot-two, built like a brick wall, and holding a bright blue gel pen with a plastic daisy on the cap like it was a live grenade.
Audrey was zipping up her camera bag when his shadow fell over her.
She didn’t look up. "Are you here to steal my notebook next?"
"Coach said I have to return stolen property," Mason said.
Audrey finally looked up. He held the pen out. He didn’t look embarrassed. He just looked mildly annoyed that he had to walk all the way across the pitch.
She took it, slipping it into the front pocket of her bag. "Did you write any brilliant defensive formations with it?"
"No," Mason said deadpan. "The ink is blue. I only plan tactics in black."
Audrey stared at him. "You didn’t even know you took it."
"I was planning ahead," Mason argued, crossing his arms. "What if I needed to sign an autograph?"
"On the pitch? During training?"
"My fans are very demanding, Ellis."
Audrey rolled her eyes, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Right. Well, keep your hands to yourself tomorrow. I have to interview you for the media day profile, and if you steal my equipment, I will actually write a terrible article about you."
Mason tilted his head, a slow, lazy smirk spreading across his face. "You couldn’t write a terrible article about me if you tried. I’m too photogenic."
"You are a menace to society," Audrey corrected.
Mason just laughed, turned around, and jogged back toward the locker rooms.
Audrey watched him go, shaking her head.
He is absolutely impossible, she thought. But she was smiling.
The media room was completely chaotic the next afternoon.
Bright lights were set up in the corners. The backdrop was a massive Westbridge University logo. Players were walking in and out in their official black and white match kits, laughing loudly and messing with each other’s hair.
"Okay, where is my SD card?" Ben asked. He was frantically patting his pockets, his camera swinging wildly around his neck. "I just had it. I literally just bought it."
Audrey reached out and gently tapped his left hand.
Ben looked down. He was holding the SD card between his fingers.
"Right," Ben sighed, sliding it into the camera. "I need sleep. Okay, you are up next. You are taking the captain."
Audrey froze. "Wait. Me? You are the senior intern. Shouldn’t you interview Mason?"
"No way," Ben said, shaking his head. "Calloway hates media day. He gives terrible, one-word answers and just stares at the camera until reporters get uncomfortable and leave. You know him. You do it."
Before Audrey could argue, Mason walked into the room.
He was wearing his official captain’s kit. The black and white jersey fit him perfectly, highlighting his broad shoulders and athletic build. He looked polished, dangerous, and entirely too confident.
The low hum of the room seemed to quiet down just a fraction when he walked in.
He spotted Audrey sitting in the interviewer’s chair. He didn’t groan or look annoyed like Ben predicted. Instead, he walked straight over and dropped heavily into the chair opposite her.
He leaned back, spreading his long legs comfortably, and crossed his arms.
"Afternoon, Ellis," Mason said.
"Calloway," Audrey replied, trying to keep her voice strictly professional. She clicked her daisy pen. "Are you ready?"
"Born ready."
Ben stepped behind the camera. "Rolling."
Audrey looked down at her clipboard. She cleared her throat. "State your name and position for the record."
Mason stared directly into her eyes. He didn’t even blink. "You know my name, Audrey."
Audrey’s face flushed slightly. "Professionalism, Calloway. It is for the transcript."
Mason sighed, letting his head fall back against the chair. "Mason Calloway. Captain. Center-back."
"Great," Audrey said, forcing herself to look at her notes instead of his face. "The team has had a strong start to the season. What is your primary focus for the upcoming rivalry fixture against East State?"
"Winning," Mason said simply.
Audrey waited.
Mason just looked at her.
"Care to expand on that?" Audrey prompted.
"No."
From behind the camera, Ben let out a quiet snort of laughter.
Audrey narrowed her eyes. She was not going to let him ruin her first official assignment. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
"Come on, Captain," Audrey challenged, her voice dropping the formal tone. "East State has the best strikers in the league. You are the center-back. Your entire job is stopping them. How are you going to do it?"
Mason’s lazy smile faded slightly. He sat forward too, mirroring her posture. Suddenly, the space between them felt very small.
"They have speed," Mason admitted, his voice dropping into a more serious, gravelly tone. "But they get sloppy when they get frustrated. My job isn’t just to tackle them. My job is to break their rhythm. Once they stop thinking clearly, they make mistakes. And when they make mistakes, we take the ball."
Audrey typed furiously on her laptop, genuinely impressed. It was a perfect, analytical answer.
"So," Audrey said, looking back up. "You are saying your defense is built on psychological warfare."
Mason’s lips twitched upward. "I am saying I know how to get under people’s skin."
"I can personally verify that," Audrey muttered.
Mason laughed. It was a rich, genuine sound that immediately made the camera lens feel completely irrelevant.
"Next question," Audrey said quickly, trying to ignore the sudden warmth in her chest. "As the captain, a lot of the younger players look up to you. What is the most important lesson you try to teach them on the pitch?"
Mason didn’t answer immediately. He looked at her, his dark eyes tracing the line of her black bob, then meeting her gaze.
"Focus," Mason finally said. "There are a lot of distractions out there. The crowd, the noise, the pressure. You have to know what is actually important. You have to keep your eyes on what matters, and block out the rest."
He was answering the question perfectly. It was standard sports PR.
But he was looking right at her. He didn’t look at the camera once. He just looked at Audrey, his gaze so intense and unwavering that she felt like she was the only person in the room.
He is just answering the question, Audrey told herself. He is talking about football.
But her heart was beating way too fast.
"Good answer," Audrey managed to say, her voice slightly breathless. She clicked her pen shut. "I think we have enough. Thank you, Captain."
Mason leaned back, the intense spell breaking instantly as he returned to his usual, lazy posture. "Anytime, Ellis."
"Alright, listen up!"
Coach Miller clapped his hands loudly, walking into the center of the media room. The players stopped talking and turned toward him.
"Media day is almost over, but I have an announcement," Coach Miller barked. "The annual sports charity fundraiser is next Friday night."
The entire team let out a collective groan.
"I don’t want to hear it!" Coach yelled. "We are hosting the charity auction. People pay money to bid on you. The highest bidder gets you for a four-hour date on Saturday. It raises money for the children’s hospital, and it makes the university look good. Every single player is participating. Mandatory."
Jackson raised his hand. "Coach, does it have to be a romantic date? Because last year some guy bought me and made me help him move out of his apartment."
The room erupted into laughter.
"I don’t care if they make you scrub their toilets, Jackson," Coach Miller said. "You are participating."
Leo suddenly gasped. He pointed a finger straight at Mason.
"Wait!" Leo yelled. "Captain can’t participate!"
Coach Miller frowned. "Why not?"
"Because he has a girlfriend!" Leo announced proudly, gesturing toward Audrey, who was standing by the camera tripod. "It would be a scandal! You can’t auction off a taken man!"
Audrey’s eyes went wide. She frantically shook her hands. "No, no, it’s fine! He can participate! I don’t care!"
Every player in the room turned to look at her.
Audrey froze. She realized exactly how that sounded.
I don’t care if my boyfriend goes on a date with someone else.
It was the worst possible thing a supportive girlfriend could say.
Before Audrey could try to fix it, Mason stepped in.
"She cares," Mason said smoothly.
Audrey turned her head.
Mason was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked completely relaxed.
"She is just trying to be a team player for the charity," Mason lied effortlessly, giving Coach Miller a serious look. "But Leo is right. I can’t participate in the dating auction. It wouldn’t be fair to Audrey."
"Nice try, Calloway," Coach Miller barked. "Charity comes first. You bring in the highest bids."
"Coach, imagine the headlines," Leo jumped in, waving his hands enthusiastically.
"Yeah," Jackson added. "The captain goes on a date with another girl while his girlfriend is standing right there photographing the event? It’s a PR nightmare. People will think he’s cheating for charity."
Coach Miller looked at Audrey, who was clutching her clipboard like a shield, then at Mason. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.
"Fine. One exemption," Coach Miller grumbled. "The rest of you are on the block."
The team started complaining again, but Audrey couldn’t hear them.
She marched straight over to Mason.
"What are you doing?" Audrey hissed, keeping her voice low so the team wouldn’t hear. "You just ruined the charity event!"
Mason looked down at her. He didn’t look guilty at all.
"I just saved myself from having to go on a terrible date with a stranger," Mason corrected.
"By using me as an excuse!"
"We are fake dating," Mason pointed out lazily. "This is literally the only benefit of fake dating. I get to skip mandatory social events."
Audrey opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn’t. It made perfect, logical sense.
"So," Mason said, pushing off the wall. He reached out and absentmindedly straightened the twisted strap of her camera bag where it dug into her shoulder. The casual, familiar weight of his hand sent a shockwave of heat straight down her neck. "Since I am officially off the auction block, what are we doing on Friday night?"
Audrey blinked. "We?"
"Yeah," Mason said, smiling down at her. "I have to be seen with my girlfriend, right? Otherwise, people might get suspicious."
He walked away to join Leo and Jackson, leaving Audrey completely speechless.
He is just doing this to avoid the auction, Audrey reminded herself frantically. He just doesn’t want to be sold.
But as she watched him walk away, she realized one terrifying fact.
She was actually looking forward to Friday.