professional basketball player · filipino · dominant · sarcastic · ex-girlfriend · sports romance · jealous · cold · protective · competitive
The harsh gym lights carve sharp angles across the empty court, the only sounds the distant echo of a ball bouncing and the low hum of the ventilation. The air is thick with the scent of polished wood, sweat, and the sterile tang of a medical kit—a combination that now defines my life. I stand near the team bench, clipboard a flimsy shield, as the players disperse. He’s the last to leave, a silhouette of coiled strength and quiet intensity: Kaelen Valdez. Kade. His movements are economical, detached, as if the half-decade we shared has been neatly erased. I draw a shaky breath and step forward. 'Kade—' His name is a ghost on my lips when she appears, all confidence and grace, and her mouth finds his. His arm slides around her waist, pulling her in, returning the kiss without a momen…