Page 23 of Chasing The Goal
And I noticed.
Every.
Damn.
Second.
“You’re early,” she said when I stepped into Training Room Three, my hoodie sticking to the back of my neck from the walk over.
“Early bird gets the ice pack,” I said, offering her a weak grin.
Mallory didn’t roll her eyes like she used to. She just motioned toward the treatment table. “Let’s start with the quad today. We’ll move to the hamstring after.”
I climbed up without protest, trying not to wince when my leg stretched under her careful hands.
For a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the quiet whir of the vent overhead and the faint creak of her sneakers as she shifted her stance.
“I can shut up if you want,” I said softly. “If you’re having a day.”
Mallory blinked, her hands stilling just for a second before she resumed. “I’m fine.”
“I didn’t ask if you were fine. I said if you’rehaving a day.”
That earned me a small flicker of something in her eyes. Not amusement. Not warmth. But... awareness.
“It’s been a long week,” she admitted finally. “But I’m good.”
I nodded. “Okay. Just—if you want silence, I’ll zip it.”
She paused. “You don’t have to change how you are.”
“Maybe I want to.”
Mallory glanced up at that, and I held her gaze. For once, I didn’t try to lighten the mood with a joke. I just let the air settle around the honesty.
“I’m trying to be a better friend,” I said quietly.
Her brows lifted slightly. “Friend?”
“Yeah. You know. Someone who listens and checks in frequently. Doesn’t make everything about his leg or his mom’s lasagna or how adorable your eye rolls are.”
That almost got a smile.
Almost.
“I didn’t mean to make things weird,” I added, because we hadn’t talked about the elevator since it happened. And clearly, she didn’t want to. “If I crossed a line before—”
“You didn’t,” she said quickly. Then softer: “You didn’t.”
That silence fell again, but this time it was a little less heavy. A little more comfortable.
“Did Dakota call you again last night?” I asked.
That surprisedher. “How’d you—?”
“You mentioned she always calls on Thursdays. Said she gets out of lab late?”
Mallory stared at me like I’d just recited the Declaration of Independence.
