Lahat ng Kabanata ng RIVAL'S TO LOVER'S: My Step Brother Is Now My Roommate : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

HAYDEN’S POV: The whistle blew, and everything narrowed.The field, the ball, and the movement of bodies around me.For a while, it worked.Muscle memory kicked in, instincts taking over the way they always had. I ran, I passed, I pushed forward, forcing myself into the rhythm of the game like it was the only thing that existed.It should’ve been enough. It used to be enough but today… It wasn’t.Because no matter how hard I tried to lock in, there was something off. A split-second delay in my reactions. A flicker of hesitation where there shouldn’t be any.And worse—him.I didn’t need to look to know where he was. I could feel it. Every shift, every movement across the pitch, it was like my body tracked him without permission.It pissed me off.“Hayden, move!” a teammate shouted.I snapped back, darting forward just in time to intercept a pass, my cleats digging into the grass as I turned sharply, pushing the ball ahead.Good. That was good.I surged forward, adrenaline finally kick

STEPHEN’S POVLosing didn’t sit right with me. It wasn’t just the scoreline or the way the final whistle had cut through the field like a blade, ending any chance of fixing what went wrong. It was everything that came before it, the hesitation, the missed opportunities, the tension that had been building long before we even stepped onto the pitch.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair as I stood just off the field, the noise of the crowd fading into something distant and unimportant. Around me, people were still talking—teammates replaying moments, the coach giving sharp feedback—but I barely registered any of it.“Stephen.”I turned at the sound of my name.It was the scouts. There were three of them, standing a few feet away, watching me with an intensity that made it clear this wasn’t casual. One of them stepped forward slightly, offering a polite but measured smile.“You played well today.”I nodded once. “Not well enough.”“That’s not how we see it,” another one said.

HAYDEN’S POV: It had been two days since everything went to hell in that kitchen, and somehow, I’d managed to convince myself it didn’t matter or I didn’t care.I took another drag, the smoke burning slightly as it settled in my lungs before I exhaled slowly, watching it curl into the dim air of the dorm room. The place was loud with music playing low in the background, voices overlapping, laughter cutting through every few seconds but none of it really registered.I leaned back against the couch, my arm draped loosely around Ariana’s shoulders as she sat tucked against my side.She was saying something. I could feel it in the way her body shifted slightly against me, the way her voice carried just enough to indicate she was talking directly to me.I wasn’t listening.“…Hayden?”“Hm?” I responded absently, not bothering to turn my head.“I asked if you’re coming to the game this weekend.”“Yeah. Sure.” The answer came automatically.She went quiet for a second, like she could tell I

HAYDEN’S POV:I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this. The way my chest is still heaving, the way my hands are shaking where as they are gripping his shirt like if I let go, he might disappear again. Stephen is still right there. He was close and somehow not close enough.His forehead rests against mine, both of us breathing like we just ran miles instead of standing in the middle of his room, surrounded by half-packed bags and everything we almost lost.“You’re serious,” he says quietly. It wasn't really a question, but I nodded anyway. “Yeah.” My voice comes out rough, like I haven’t used it in days. His eyes searched for mine again, like he was still waiting for the moment I pulled back, I laughed it off, or shut down, or pushed him away like I always do, but I didn’t.“I’m not running away this time,” I add, softer now. “I’m done doing that.”Something in his expression shifts. It’s small, but I see it. The tension in his shoulders eases just a little, like he wants to b

STEPHEN’S POV:I didn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt it again—the weight of Hayden’s forehead against mine, the way his voice cracked when he said stay, the way something inside me shifted when I realized he meant it.Hayden doesn’t say things like that lightly. Hell, Hayden doesn’t say things like that at all.And yet… he did.I stare at the ceiling of my dorm room, the early morning light bleeding through the blinds. My bag is still half-packed on the chair, clothes spilling out like evidence of a life I was ready to leave behind just hours ago.Westbridge. The word alone used to feel like everything. The goal, the finish line, proof that all the years of pushing, sacrificing, grinding actually meant something.Now? Now it feels… complicated.I drag a hand over my face and sit up, the mattress creaking beneath me. My body is tired, but my mind won’t shut up.You’re asking me to give up something very important.I said that to him and I meant it but he didn’t ask me to