Caleb’s pov
Coach blew the whistle and I ran another drill.
My legs moved on instinct, but my mind was nowhere near the field.
It was still stuck on Monday night.
It’s been three days since then.
Elena in my jersey.
The way she smiled when I dropped her off.
That kiss I’d replayed a hundred times in my head.
I was so distracted I almost fumbled the pass.
“Harding! Where the hell is your head at?” Coach barked.
I tried to lock in, but every time I blinked, I saw her again.
Her eyes.
Her lips softening right before she leaned in…
Marcus smacked my shoulder pad.
“Yeah, man’s gone. Look at him.”
”Shut up,” I muttered, but I was already smiling.
“You bringing her to Jessica’s party Saturday?” He asked, gulping water.
“She wants her there.”
”Maybe.
I haven’t asked yet.”
”Well, ask.
Everyone wants to meet her officially.”
The thought made me smile.
Elena beside me, everyone knowing she was with me.
Except… was she?
One kiss didn’t make us anything.
But it damn sure felt like something.
By the time practice ended, I was wiped.
My phone burned a hole through my bag.
Elena had texted during lunch.
Elena: Still on for dinner tomorrow?
I showered, changed, and planned to call her on my way out.
I wanted to hear her voice, maybe even tell her about the party.
I was halfway out the door when someone called my name.
“Caleb, hold up.”
Rebecca Mills, my publicist, stood outside Coach’s office, looking grim.
Coach hovered behind her with his arms crossed.
“We need to talk,” she said.
My stomach dropped.
I stepped inside and shut the door.
Coach stood in the corner, silent, while Rebecca pulled out her tablet.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She turned the screen toward me.
There were photos from Monday’s game.
Me pointing at Elena in the stands, Elena blushing, the stadium going wild.
“These are everywhere,” she said.
“Okay? And?”
”Caleb… do you know who she is?”
My jaw tightened.
“Of course I know who she is.”
”I mean her situation.”
I exhaled slowly.
“If you’re talking about her divorce, yeah. I know.”
”It’s not finalized,” she said.
“She’s still legally married.”
I dragged a hand down my face.
“She’s getting divorced.”
”But she isn’t divorced,” Rebecca repeated.
“And that’s what matters.”
Then she laid everything out.
Elena’s company crisis, the sabotage rumors, her ‘ex’ husband still working under her.
“This is a PR nightmare waiting to happen,” she said.
“To you.”
“She’s a person.”
”A person tied to a corporate scandal,” Rebecca replied.
“And now you’re tied to her.”
She tapped her tablet again, pulling up headlines.
“NFL Star Caleb Harding Seen Again With Embattled CEO. New Romance Questioned. Is Elena Sterling Using Harding to Repair Her Public Image?”
Heat rose in my chest.
“That’s bullshit. She would never…”
”I’m sure she wouldn’t,” Rebecca cut in.
“But the public don’t care.”
She pulled out papers from her bag.
“Your Nike deal is up for renewal in three months.”
”So?”
”So… they want a clean, drama free image.
They’ve already called asking about her.”
My stomach dropped.
“And you told them…”
”That your personal life is private,” she said.
“But Caleb… if her situation worsens, if she’s still married when the deal renews…”
”They’ll pull the offer,” I muttered.
The room went quiet.
“And it’s not just Nike,” Rebecca added softly.
“There’s Gatorade, the NFL mentorship program, your foundation partners. Everything you’ve built could be affected.”
I stood and started pacing.
“So what? You want me to cut things off with her?”
”We’re not saying that,” Coach said finally.
“We’re saying it’s a risk.”
”She’s worth the risk.”
Coach’s voice dropped.
“Is she?”
The question hung there, heavy and suffocating.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned toward him.
“Caleb,” he said gently.
“Three years ago, when she was free to choose, did she choose you?”
My chest tightened.
“That’s not fair.”
He stepped closer.
“When she was single, no crisis, no pressure, she chose someone else.”
I swallowed, hard.
“I’m not trying to be cruel,” he went on.
“But now, her life is falling apart, her marriage is collapsing, her company’s unstable. And suddenly she’s turning toward you.”
”It’s not like that,” I argued, but even to my own ears, it sounded weak.
“Isn’t it?” Rebecca asked quietly.
I looked at her.
She held my gaze.
“Her marriage blows up, she’s losing control of her company. She’s vulnerable, maybe lonely too, and she turns to you.”
The words hit deeper than I wanted.
“What happens when her life stabilizes?” she continued.
“When the divorce is finalized? When she regains control? When she doesn’t need anyone?”
”She wouldn’t just leave,” I said, but even I heard the doubt.
“She already did,” Coach said.
“Three years ago. And now you have far more to lose. Look at your career, look at what you’ve built. If she walked away once, what makes you think she won’t do it again?”
I sank back into the chair.
I wanted to protect her, to defend her, but the doubt was already there.
Coach wasn’t wrong, she did walk away before.
She chose Damien.
What if I’m just a rebound?
What if I was risking everything for someone who might leave again?
Rebecca’s voice softened.
“We’re not saying end it. Just… protect yourself. Create some distance until everything settles.”
”For how long?” I asked.
“However long her divorce takes,” she said.
“So months.” I laughed bitterly.
“Maybe a year.”
No one answered.
I rubbed my face, exhausted.
This was not how today was supposed to go.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, probably Elena.
When the meeting ended, I walked to my car in a daze.
I sat behind the wheel and finally pulled out my phone.
Her message stared at me.
Elena: Still on for dinner tomorrow?
So hopeful.
I typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Tried again.
Deleted it again.
I could call.
I could be honest with her, but what was I supposed to say?
My coach thinks you’ll leave me when your life gets better?
My agent thinks you’ll ruin my career?
I’m scared as hell?
I locked my phone and leaned back.
Monday night suddenly felt like it happened in another lifetime.
My phone rang.
Elena.
Her name lit up the entire car.
My thumb hovered over Accept.
I wanted to hear her voice so badly it physically hurt.
But I didn’t pick it.
The call rang out, then went to voicemail.
A text followed instantly.
Elena: Hey, are you okay?
You’re not usually this quiet.
Call me when you can?
My chest tightened.
I typed back before I could think.
Me: I’m fine, just busy with team stuff.
Rain check on tomorrow?
Her reply came instantly.
Elena: Of course!
Everything okay?
Me: Yeah, all good.
Talk soon.
A lie.
All of it.
I’d just chosen my career over the woman I’ve wanted for years, and I didn’t know if it was the right call, or the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
Another text came in.
Elena: Okay.
Miss you though.
I stared at those words.
She missed me already.
After just three days, she missed me.
Coach’s voice echoed in my head again, “Who’s to say she won’t leave you again?”
I shut off my phone and sat in the dark.