Elena’s pov
The elevator doors slid shut, and for the first time all day, my shoulders finally dropped in exhaustion.
Monday had been hell and somehow, I still had the rest of the week to survive with Damien working with me.
Working for me.
It was nearly 7 PM, and I was only just leaving work.
The lobby was nearly empty now.
I rubbed my temples as I walked, trying to ease the headache that had been drilling behind my eyes since the board meeting.
With Aunt Catherine in town for her merger, I’d braced myself for her popping into the office, but thank God she wasn’t in today’s meeting.
They questioned every decision I made, every plan, everything… and then the Singapore merger came up.
A deal I built from scratch.
Everything was on track until this morning when they suddenly insisted the “real” CEO be present for the final signing in two weeks.
And the board?
They didn’t hesitate to suggest sending Adrian to finalize it because he “still held the legal authority.”
I had to sit there, smile and take it.
I was furious, but too drained to fight it.
Honestly, I hadn’t gotten nearly enough rest this weekend either.
I’d spent most of it thinking about Caleb.
He didn’t call the next day like he said he would.
He only texted this morning about a surprise, while I was driving to work.
No mention of what happened Friday night.
My phone buzzed just as I pushed through the lobby doors.
Caleb: I’m parked out front.
Speak of the devil.
I lifted my head and saw him across the street.
He was leaning against his car, waiting.
He had on a plain white tee and grey sweatpants.
My chest felt visibly lighter just seeing him there.
I crossed to him, and he opened the passenger door before I even reached him.
“Hey, you,” he said.
“Hey yourself.”
The moment he slid into the driver’s seat, the car felt smaller, warmer.
Too intimate.
We both remembered what almost happened the last time we were alone together.
He gripped the steering wheel, but didn’t start the car.
His fingers tapped, stopped, then tapped again.
“So,” I said, watching him.
“Are we going to talk about the other night, or pretend it didn’t happen?”
He froze.
Then he glanced at me, his cheeks faintly pink.
“I thought you’d want to pretend,” he murmured.
“Why would I want that?”
”Because you’ve got a lot going on, Elena.
I don’t want to be another complication.”
I turned in my seat, facing him fully.
“What if you’re not a complication?” His eyes flicked to my lips, then back up.
“What if you’re the only thing that actually makes sense in my life right now?”
His breath caught.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, completely flustered.
The fact that I had this effect on him was so endearing.
“You have a game tonight,” I said, easing the tension with a small smile.
“That’s the surprise, right? I looked up your schedule.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“You did?”
”Don’t let it go to your head, Caleb.”
He laughed, finally starting the engine. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Too late.”
When we pulled into traffic, he launched into game talk.
Who they were playing, the defensive formation they’d practiced.
His hands moved while he spoke, animated and passionate.
I realized that I’d only seen him talk this way about two things.
Football.
And me.
Thirty minutes later, we pulled into the Players Only parking lot.
He reached into the backseat, and handed me a folded jersey.
“I got you this,” he said softly.
“Stadiums get freezing at night.”
It was a regular team jersey.
I took it, but then I noticed another one lying on the seat behind him.
Worn, faded.
Number seven was with “HARDING” written across the back.
My pulse spiked.
“What about that one?” I asked quietly.
He followed my gaze and his expression became softer.
“That’s my game jersey,” he said.
“I know.” I held his gaze.
“Can I wear that instead?”
He blinked.
“Elena… wearing a player’s jersey means…”
”I know what it means,” I whispered, cutting him off.
He stared at me, searching, like he needed to be absolutely sure.
“Are you sure?” he asked, voice low.
I reached into the backseat and grabbed it.
He didn’t stop me.
He just watched me quietly.
“Well, if you want it, it’s yours,” he said softly.
We both felt the double meaning.
I pulled the jersey over my head, right on top of my work suit.
It swallowed me instantly, falling to my mid thigh.
It smelled like him.
Warm and clean.
A little like cedar.
“How do I look?” I asked, smoothing it down.
His answer was instant.
“Perfect.”
People noticed us the second we stepped into the stadium and the whispers started.
Caleb didn’t stop to answer anyone, his focus was glued to me.
Inside the players’ entrance, his teammates were everywhere.
The second they saw us, the teasing started.
“YO, CALEB!”
”ABOUT TIME YOU BROUGHT HER!”
Caleb’s entire face went red.
I giggled softly, which only made them tease him more.
He gently guided me through all of them, straight to the family and VIP section.
It was already filling with the wives, girlfriends, and partners of other players. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Before heading to the locker room, he held my hands.
“Thank you for coming,” he said softly.
“Thank you for bringing me.”
He tucked a curl behind my ear, smiling like he wished he didn’t have to leave me.
His coach called his name, and he jogged backward toward the locker room, still looking at me.
“Watch me win this for you.”
”Confident, aren’t we?” I called.
“Always.” Then he spun around and ran off.
I found my seat in the VIP row, next to a woman in another player’s jersey.
She smiled warmly.
“First game?”
I laughed.
“Is it that obvious?”
”You’re wearing Caleb’s jersey, honey,” she laughed.
“Everyone knows what that means.”
My stomach flipped.
“Yeah… wait, what does it mean exactly?”
”It means you just became the most talked about person in this stadium,” she said, smiling.
“Welcome to the NFL girlfriend club.”
Before I could correct her, the stadium erupted.
The team was taking the field.
There he was, Caleb, jogging out with his teammates.
He scanned the stands, searching, and when his eyes found me… his whole expression changed.
He stopped jogging, touched his chest over his heart, then pointed straight at me.
The Jumbotron caught it instantly.
Suddenly my face was on every giant screen in the stadium.
Fifty thousand people saw me wearing his jersey, saw him pointing at me.
The crowd went feral.
The woman next to me clapped, laughing.
“Oh honey, he just claimed you in front of everyone.”
I couldn’t breathe.
I just stared at the Jumbotron, then down at the field where Caleb was grinning like he’d just won something more important than the game.
His teammates shoved him, laughing.
My phone buzzed nonstop.
Adrian: Are you at a football game?
Adrian: Wearing Caleb’s jersey??
Adrian: Elena.
You’re on national television.
I looked from my phone, to the giant screen, to Caleb lining up on the field.
There was no going back now.
Whatever this… thing was between us, it was public now.
Well, it became public the night he escorted me to the gala, but now…
The woman beside me leaned over.
“You okay, sweetheart? You look a little pale.”
”I’m fine.
Just… wasn’t expecting that.”
She laughed.
“With Caleb Harding? Get used to grand gestures. That man doesn’t do anything halfway.”
Then the game started.
I tried to focus, but my heartbeat wouldn’t settle.
My phone kept buzzing so I turned it off.
Right now, I just wanted to watch him play.
To enjoy this moment before I have to think about everything waiting for me outside this stadium.
For tonight, I was just a woman in her man’s jersey, watching him play the game he loves.