Riley
We were in the therapy room—a space that smelled of rubber mats and disinfectant, walls lined with exercise balls and weights. The bright fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead as I crouched beside Lucas, working on bending his knee.
“Ouch, that hurts,” Lucas winced, his jaw tight as I carefully pushed his leg a little further than last time.
I didn’t back off. “Sorry, but you need to be able to do that,” I said firmly, my hand steady on his calf.
He glared up at me, half-laughing through the pain. “You’re cruel, Morgan.”
“Only when you need it,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light, but inside I was pushing myself not to let my own frustration show. “You should’ve listened to me.”
He gave me a mock glare. “Are you going to keep bringing that up? It wasn’t my fault. The former PT said I was good to go. You’re just bitter because I didn’t listen to you.”
“And you’re stubborn because you think you’re invincible,” I shot back.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m invincible enough.”
“Invincible enough to end up on a stretcher,” I reminded him.
He shrugged, pretending not to care, but I caught the flicker of doubt in his eyes.
We circled each other with that back-and-forth banter, our usual dance of teasing and challenges, and for a moment, the tension between us eased, replaced by the familiar rhythm we’d always shared.
Then, just as I reached to adjust his leg, the room suddenly felt smaller.
A throat cleared at the doorway. We both turned.
Zara and Raphina stood there, arms crossed, eyes shining with amusement.
“Are we interrupting something?” Zara asked, eyebrow raised.
“Absolutely not,” we said almost in unison.
Raphina gave us a skeptical look. “Just checking in to see how you’re doing, man,” he said to Lucas.
I shot him a look.
“She is abusing me,” Lucas grinned, pointing to me like I was the villain.
“More like saving your ass,” I retorted.
Raphina and Zara exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
“Get together already,” Zara teased, nudging Raphina.
I choked on my breath. “What?! We’re just doctor and patient.”
Zara smirked. “Yeah, and Raphina and I are just besties.”
“Besties who fuck,” Raphina snickered, earning a sharp slap from Zara.
Zara pulled out a pizza box from her bag and set it down on the table. “Anyway, we brought dinner. Don’t starve.”
With a wink, they left us alone. Lucas and I looked at each other, then at the pizza.
“Hungry?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Starving,” he said.
We dug in, the cheesy warmth of the pizza breaking through the tension.
Lucas took a big bite of pizza and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Remember that time in high school when I tried to impress you by wearing that ridiculous leather jacket?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh god, yes! You looked like you walked straight out of an ’80s movie. I don’t know how anyone didn’t laugh.”
He grinned. “Hey, it worked… for about five minutes.”
I smirked. “Yeah, until you tripped over your own feet in the hallway. Classic.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Alright, what about your infamous haircut? That bowl cut? I swear, it was worse than mine.”
I threw a slice of pizza at him. “That was a style! You just didn’t get it.”
He caught it effortlessly. “Sure, style. Sure.”
We both chuckled, the tension easing as memories flooded back.
“Remember those late-night talks in the parking lot after practice?” I asked softly.
Lucas’s smile faded a little. “How could I forget? You telling me all your secrets like I was the only one who could listen.”
I nodded, feeling a warmth spread through me. “Those were good times.”
He looked at me, eyes searching. “Maybe we can have those times again.”
After a pause, he looked at me seriously. “Riles… do you want to go on a date with me? Just you and me. Like old times.”
My heart skipped. I hesitated, then smiled. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”