by Alexa Reiss
“Arabella!”
“What do you think about the woman in the pictures last night?”
“Is it true that you and Chance are dating?”
Her head pounded at the flood of flashing lights and questions. They gathered around her, but to Arabella immense relief, it was Robert who came outside to rescue her from the crazy energy surrounding them.
“What happened?” Arabella asked once Robert ushered into the safety of the office.
Robert locked the front doors before turning to level a gaze at her. “You haven’t seen the pictures yet, have you?”
“No,” she said, her throat clenching. “How bad is it?”
His lips thinned into a frown.
“I think you need to see the pictures first before we go in to talk to Chance,” he said.
She followed him past the conference room to see Chance sitting in there already with his head resting on his folded arms. He didn’t look up as they passed by to Robert’s office.
“I want you to know that Chance is skating on thin ice,” Robert said, handing over an iPad to her. “He has been for a while with his antics, but this has nearly pushed him off the edge of his professional career.”
Arabella cradled the iPad carefully in the palm of her hand before looking down at the crystal clear photograph of Lindsey pushed up against Chance provocatively on the hood of a car. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach, thudding there painfully.
How could Lindsey do something like this? She scratched that question. Lindsey’s heart had been broken far too many times that it made her reckless. With Chance, it was the fame and something else that fueled all this on. He was powerless against it.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered, handing it back to Robert. “After all the hard work we’ve done…”
“I know,” Robert said, gravelly. “Listen, I want you to think about what you want to do about this. I’m not going to force you into something that you don’t want to do. Especially with all the media hype around this story now.”
“What about Chance? What’s his punishment?”
“Undecided at the moment. I’m going to have a talk with him along with Coach Adams. Things like this cannot happen anymore.”
“Agreed,” she said.
Robert gazed at her for a moment. “I’m sorry, Aria. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this. I was hoping that Chance would calm down with someone like you in his life. It seemed as though it did for a moment.”
She forced herself to summon a smile, and to fight back the tears. “It’s not your fault. It’s all on him at this point.”
“It is. Take the rest of the week off. Consider it a paid vacation because the media is going to go crazy with this story.”
Arabella exited his office to find Chance standing in the hallway, blocking her way out. Just the sight of him made the pit of her stomach churn. Images of Lindsey pushed up against him flashed through her mind.
“Get out of my way,” she said, quietly.
“Just let me explain,” Chance said, ignoring the request. “It wasn’t what it looked like. It—”
“Oh really?” Bitterness swelled up in her chest quickly. “Because it looked like you were hooking up with my best friend in the parking lot after coming to my house and kissing me.”
Chance’s gaze never deterred from hers. “I didn’t kiss Lindsey. I didn’t want her at all. She practically jumped all over me.”
“That’s not what it looks like in the picture. Pictures are worth a thousand words.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he insisted, a fire now blazing in his eyes. “Just give me a chance to explain what happened.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Arabella snapped at him. “Because of you, I have cameras being shoved into my face. Because of you, I look like a complete idiot in front of millions of people. This whole thing was to help you, and you literally just took a big dump all over the people trying to save your ass from being let go.”
She went to shove him out of the way, but Chance quickly grabbed ahold of her wrist tightly.
“I’m not stupid,” he said, darkly. “I know you’re here to help me, but you’re not so innocent out of all of this either.”
“Chance—” Robert started warningly.
Anger burned through Arabella’s skin. “What the hell have I done?”
“If you’d just let things go the way the way they want to go then none of this would have happened.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
It hit her hard then and there that Chance fully intended to use their “relationship” as a means to satisfy himself in the process because of the media scrutiny. “You’re unbelievable. I would never sleep with you just because you can’t have a piece of ass outside of this whole mess.”
“Right,” Chance said, “and you’re going to be celibate for the rest of your life because of some sort of heartache that happened to you in the past? And I’m the fucked up one?”
Slap.
Arabella’s hand stung from where it had collied perfectly in the center of Chance’s cheek. He let go of her wrist, reaching up to touch his cheek. An even darker expression filled his rugged face that had yet to be shaved.
“Don’t ever hit me again,” he said.
“Don’t ever talk about what you don’t know,” she replied, breathing heavily from the intensity of her emotions.
She turned to look at Robert who stood paralyzed in the hallway.
“I’m done,” she said. “I’m not going to do this anymore. That’s it.”
***
Chapter Nine
Chance
The week only got worse with the media shit storm that followed Chance to practice and afterwards as well. The only thing that had saved him from being benched for the entire season was Lindsey’s account of what happened. Robert wanted to do a press conference with himself and Arabella over the entire thing, but Arabella wasn’t reply to anyone. She even ignored his own phone calls and texts apologizing for what he said. Everything else around him seemed to falling apart too— including his concentration at practice.
After his fourth overthrown pass, Coach Adam’s pulled him off to the sideline.
“I know that you’re going through a lot right now with this pressure,” he began, shaking his head at the camera’s that were in the bleachers, “but, you need to get shit figured out here. We can’t risk you starting in a game if your head isn’t in it.”
“It is in it,” Chance said, ripping his helmet off in frustration. “Can people lay off me for a moment? I’m trying to get shit figured out, but no matter what I do, it’s not right.”
Unfazed with the frustration, Mark continued on steadily. “Robert and I are pushing you to succeed at this sport. Part of this sport is dealing with this type of pressure when it surrounds you on a business and personal level.”
“The way I deal with it is turning the lights off and find somebody to be there when the lights are off.”
“That’s where your problem is at. You don’t have any mature ways of coping with any type of pressure. That’s where we are trying to help you.”
“By putting me in a fake relationship with a woman who refuses to even touch me no matter how hard I try?”
To his immense surprise, Mark grabbed him roughly by the jersey. A glint of danger filled Mark’s eyes as he stared at a bewildered Chance.
“You listen to me, Chance Lawerence. That woman has been through a scarring event in her life pertaining to men. Robert thought you two would be a good fit for one another because it’d help her move on, but it’d help you slow the fuck down from this train wreck of a life that you’re steaming through. If I find out that you tried to make her do something that she was uncomfortable with, consider yourself off this team despite your contract.”
“I never forced myself on her,” Chance said, aghast with the idea. He might have manipulated women into his bed, but never once had he ever forced himself onto anybody. �
��Why do people keep saying shit like that? What happened to Arabella?”
“That’s not for me to say,” Mark said. He let go of Chance’s jersey. “I’m glad to hear that. Just think about your life, Chance. You’re going down a pathway that isn’t going to end well for you. Fame kills people.”
After practice, Chance cornered Liam before he could disappear from the locker room.
“Do you know?”
Liam fumbled around with the strap of his duffle bag. “Know what?”
“What happened to Arabella?” He watched Liam’s expression grow guarded. Suspicion immediately filled Chance at that. “You do know, don’t you?”
His best friend let out a sigh. “Look, bro, I promised Lindsey I wouldn’t say anything when she told me. It was an accident of how it came out.”
“I want to know what the hell happened,” Chance said. “Since when do we keep secrets from each other?”
Liam looked away guiltily at that. “I know,” he said, “but this isn’t something that should come from me or from anyone else. Why don’t you just go ask Arabella yourself?”
“Just tell me what happened,” Chance said, impatiently. “I won’t even say it came from you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not that,” Liam replied, looking at him intently for a moment. “Is this relationship real or fake between you two? It’s hard to tell at times.”
Chance opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t even find an answer himself. It felt real at all times. He couldn’t deny the attraction that burned in him like a wild fire, and he was confident that Arabella felt the same burning sensation from the times she had kissed him back. She held his future in the palms of her hands. The thought was disconcerting, and it didn’t set well with him.
“I don’t know,” he replied, honestly. “I have no idea what is real or what isn’t anymore.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect when I say this because I consider you my brother,” Liam said, clapping Chance on the shoulder, “but you’re father has fucked you up in a lot of ways that aren’t right. I hear you say it over and over that he pushed you to be who you are, but you’ve gotta let that go and be who you want to be. I know that ain’t the best role model here because I’ve slept with tons of women too since arriving here, but I can see now that it doesn’t do the both of us any good. We’re role models for people out there watching us. Who do you want to be? I ask that because I don’t even think you know who you are right now.”
He didn’t know. That piece of him had long disappeared since the day he had confessed to his father that he was tired of practice one day. “This is who we want to be,” his father had told him at the time. “We aren’t the type of people to sit in idle. We get what we want, and football is what your heart is after. We don’t get tired. We don’t settle for anything less like friends and women.”
That mantra repeated itself brokenly in his head for several long seconds. He swallowed thickly as an array of emotions burned in the center of his chest.
“I wouldn’t want someone to be like me,” Chance said, rubbing at his head tiredly. “I’ve fucked up completely when it comes to everything.”
“No, you haven’t,” Liam said. “You’re great at what you do on the field. You just need to figure shit out on a personal level is all. No one is judging you on that.”
“The whole entire world is.”
“Not every person's opinion counts.” Liam adjusted his duffle bag again. “The reason why Robert and Coach has been pushing Arabella at you is because a lot of people look up to you. They don’t want young boys thinking it’s okay to manipulate women into sleeping with them. Lindsey told me what happened to Arabella three years ago because she thinks the same thing as I do. She went on some date with some guy, and he ended up assaulting her afterwards. Ever since then, Arabella has stayed away from men for a reason.”
"Someone assaulted her?”
It made perfect sense then, and he felt like the world’s biggest asshole as the words registered in his mind. The fighting, the stubbornness, all of it had been for a legitimate reason.
“Christ,” Chance muttered, rubbing at his face with aggravated hands. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?
Liam blinked at that. “People normally don’t tell strangers that story.”
“I know that, but still… I am not the type of guy to deal with something like that. I’d probably make it worse.” He looked up at Liam in realization. “I did make it worse. I haven’t heard a word from Arabella since Monday.”
“Robert told her to take the time off according to Lindsey,” Liam said. “He doesn’t want all the media hype on her right now. Why do you care about it anyway? This is supposed to be for the cameras.”
“Not this part. Not something like that.”
He managed to avoid the swarm of paparazzi that was waiting greedily for him in the parking lot. He drove for an hour around the city before deciding that the coast was clear for him to head for Arabella’s home.
Not bothering with a phone call, Chance strode up to the front door to knock loudly enough to get Arabella’s attention from inside. A few seconds passed before the door opened to reveal a visibly surprised Arabella standing on the other side dressed in ripped cut off shorts and a black Nike shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail to reveal a slender face peppered with various freckles that were normally covered up in make-up.
Just the sight of Arabella a flood of things filled him, most of them indescribable. Liam’s words echoed loudly in the back of his mind.
“Chance? What are you doing here?” Her eyes then narrowed at him as one hand grabbed a hold of the door. “I told you that I was done. I’m not going to keep up this publicity stunt anymore if you’re going to act like an immature as—”
“I know what happened.”
***
Chapter Ten
Arabella
“I know what happened.”
Arabella blinked a few times. The words didn’t want to register in her mind until she took in the expression on Chance’s face. That’s when the pit of Arabella’s stomach dropped to the ground. Her heart pounded as she looked up at chance with one hand clutching the door. Temptation ran through her to slam the door shut in his face.
One of Chance’s hands reached out to push against the door.
“Don’t think about it,” he said. “I just wanted to know why you didn’t tell me.”
“It-I—” She swallowed down the painful bulge in her throat. “There’s only a few people who know about it. So, who told you?”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me who messed with you,” Chance said, quietly. “Just say the name. I have tons of money that can help me out if I were ever caught.”
“That’s not what I asked you,” Arabella said, shakily. There was such a dark and dangerous glint in Chance’s eyes that a shiver of fear went up her spine. She would give Lindsey a further piece of her mind if she told Liam or Chance.
“That’s not what I asked you either.”
“What are you doing here then?”
He sighed heavily. “Are we going to play this game today? Because I’m in no mood, and it’s been a real bitch of a week.”
“So, I’ve noticed,” she replied, tugging on the door. “I’m a bit busy, Chance, so if you don’t mind—”
The door slipped from Arabella’s fingers when Chance gave it a firm push with one hand. His gaze never faltered from her own.
“Is this why you’ve been resistant to everything that I’ve tried?” He asked.
A headache pounded at Arabella’s temples. She reached up to massage them with her fingertips, and tried to avoid the intensity of Chance’s gaze. “No,” she said, plainly. “We’re not in a real relationship, so I wasn’t going to have sex with you. I think that’s rather self-explanatory.”
“Not really,” Chance said. “I think you feel it like I do.”
Arabella glanced up at him sharply to fin
d a small little grin spreading across his face.
“Feel what like you do?” She asked though a part of her dreaded to hear the answer. God only knew where this conversation was leading to, or what Chance was up to exactly.
“Can I come in?” Chance asked, abruptly. “I don’t want to have this conversation on your front doorstep. Especially with paps following me around.”
She hesitated for a moment, but took a step back to allow him entrance. This time, Arabella lea him to the back porch to avoid any temptations again. Not until she knew at least what Chance wanted to talk about. They sat side by side on the back porch step taking in the late summer heat that would soon fade away to crisp days.
Chance ran a hand through his hair as he gazed out across the green lawn. “I owe you an apology for being an ass the entire time,” he said, eventually. “I didn’t realize what was going on with you.”
“You were only an ass sometimes,” Arabella said, cautiously.
“Fame gets to my head,” he said. “I just want you to know that I don’t ever try to intentionally hurt people. It just happens because of the things I say and do. It doesn’t make any of it right by any means, but that’s just who I am. I don’t know if I’m ever going to change.”
“People can always change if they want to,” she replied, placing a hand on his knee. “I appreciate the apology, but what are you really doing here?”
He turned to face her suddenly while one of his hands rested on top of hers.
“I wanted to try something with you if you’re open to it.”
“What’s that?”
Chance reached forward to gently brush his fingers across her cheek. Then, he pressed his lips against hers in a slow kiss that made Arabella’s stomach flutter.
“Try this for real,” he said, softly. “I’m tired of faking things for a camera.”
Her heart pounded. Was Chance Lawrence actually asking her out? She stared at him in alarm. “Are you asking me out?”
“Yes,” Chance said, simply. “We have been, but you’re different to me. You’re so different from the other women in this world.”
