Page 84 of Try Hard
As I approached the bar, my eyes scanned frantically for her deep red hair. There really was no reason for the franticpounding in my chest and head, but I knew it wouldn’t settle until I found her. And, when I finally landed on those familiar waves, the relief was only momentary.
Ophelia was ramrod straight, one hand curled tightly around the smooth edge of the bar, barely looking at Adnan.
“Give the lady room to breathe,” I said, coming up beside him and clapping him on the back.
He was the picture of ease, clearly having an entirely different read on the situation and Ophelia than she and I did. He stood up from where he’d been leaning and laughed. “Not to worry, Archer. We’re just chatting.”
I pasted on a grin as my eyes ran over Ophelia, noting the way the fingers of her free hand reached subconsciously towards me from their position at her side. She wasn’t required to ask out loud for me to understand what she needed.
“Yeah, I’m sure you two have loads to catch up on,” I said, smiling at Adnan as I angled myself between them—not enough to seem weird or possessive, but enough to give Ophelia the sense of distance and blockade she clearly wanted.
“I don’t know that we ever even spoke at school,” she said stiffly, though she often sounded like that, so I doubted most people would notice anything off.
Adnan laughed heartily. “Oh, I’m sure we shared a few words at some point.”
I wasn’t convinced that was true. Sure, they knew of each other, our school was small enough for that, but Adnan hadn’t been in any of Ophelia’s classes as far as I was aware, and I couldn’t think of any reason the two of them would have been chatting recreationally.
However, any recollections that might have occurred slipped straight out of my head when I felt Ophelia’s fingers against the back of my thigh.
She was simply seeking comfort, gripping the fabric like a lifeline in the ocean. But I couldn’t help the way my heart soared from her touch.Iwas the one she felt safe around, the one she sought comfort from. I’d spent decades wanting to be that for her.
Plus, even if I was a rugby player and touching people’s thighs was par for the course, it still felt different when it was Ophelia touching them.
Adnan was not in a position to see what had happened, but he shot me an amused look like he was under no illusions as to what was going on. “So, I guess Kieran was right, huh?”
“Maybe,” I replied, unable to hide my amusement—and pride, honestly. Kieran had managed to forget to reply to my text all week, but of course he’d discussed the contents of it.
In truth, I wasn’t sure he had forgotten to reply. I suspected he’d simply planned the whole thing knowing I’d forgive him in person at his own stag party. I hadn’t even been that annoyed when I’d sent the message. I’d already made my peace with the fact that he was bound to tell Kim all our secrets, and, if him telling her I’d always fancied Ophelia helped get her here, I was never going to be upset about that.
But, even without Adnan hearing from Kieran that I’d been complaining about him outing my crush to his future wife, he’d already known about it. He’d been there for it back in school. I guess he finally understood where I’d been coming from, even if only in a superficial way. Ophelia was incredibly beautiful, so it wasn’t like I could blame him for realising that. What I blamed him for was never noticing it before. And for only having the barest clue of just how gorgeous she really was. You didn’t get the whole picture until you got to know her, and there was no way she’d been letting Adnan in before I’d arrived.
He nodded and took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. “Maybe don’t fuck it up this time, Archer,” he saidwith a laugh before he disappeared back into the crowd and out of view.
Had I fucked it up the first time? Not the way that phrase generally meant maybe, but being too much of a coward to just ask Ophelia outhadbeen one of the biggest fuck ups in my life.
Although, if I’d asked her back then, we’d probably have fallen apart as uni and careers pulled us in different directions. Maybe, now, if we got another shot at it, we’d go the distance. Careers were still a problem, mind, even if we were at least residents in the same country again.
Ophelia collapsed into my back once Adnan was gone, the remaining stress draining from her muscles.
Without even needing to think about it, I wrapped my arms backwards around her. It was both a little awkward as an angle and something that seemed desperately coupley. I tried very hard not to have my hands rest on her ass. That was not what she needed, no matter how much that would be where they fell naturally in this position.
“Are you okay?” I asked seriously.
“Yes.” She nodded against where her head was nestled between my shoulder blades.
“Do you need a minute away from the chaos?”
“Please.”
I moved to take her hand again—that was becoming ridiculously easy and natural. If I didn’t get that second shot at not fucking up with her, I was really going to miss her. I already felt the loss of contact against my back far too keenly.
Ophelia let me lead the way outside like she’d have followed me anywhere. The ego boost of it was only furthered by the way she refused to untangle our hands when the bouncers pressed reentry stamps to the backs of them. She simply held our joined fingers up and twisted so hers was accessible.
The queer bouncer looked delighted to see me again and had clearly decided they thought Ophelia and I were adorable together. Sure, we still hadn’t discussed the intricacies of being with me and the unwanted attention that would subject Ophelia to, but I preferred the fans who found it adorable over the ones who saw it as an obstacle to overcome. Like with Sammy…
The night was dark and cool outside, but, even for me, it was refreshing as I led Ophelia around the side of the building for a moment of privacy.
“Here’s good,” she said once we were away from prying eyes, and I was surprised when she pulled me around to face her and instantly fell into my arms.
