Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

But this time, it wasn’t a crowd or a team I was confronting.

I found myself standing completely alone. Vulnerable. Stripped of any disguise, no pretense, no façade—just me, raw and exposed, facing the man who had already unraveled every single shield I’d ever built around myself.

I was about to enter his room, but not as a competitor, not as a student, and certainly not as his quarterback.

I was stepping in as his trainee.

And if that wasn’t the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I’d ever dared to do, I honestly didn’t know what could be.

Taking a steadying breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Aiden’s room was enveloped in a soft, warm glow, the lighting dim and inviting. The faint aroma of herbs lingered in the air, calming yet mysterious. He sat at the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on me with an unreadable calm that sent an unexpected twist through my stomach.

I said nothing. I didn’t question or hesitate.

Instead, I simply crossed the threshold, closed the door behind me, and lowered myself onto my knees—just as he had taught me.

My knees were slightly apart, my back straight, and my hands intertwined behind me. I kept my eyes forward, waiting silently.

The word “reward” still pulsed through me, like electricity sparking beneath my skin.

For a long moment, he remained still. Then, rising, he approached me and crouched down just enough to let his fingers brush lightly along the side of my neck. A shiver ran through me.

“You remembered,” he murmured, his voice soft but firm.

“Yes, Sir,” I replied.

He exhaled softly through his nose, fingers briefly threading through my hair before withdrawing. “Very good. You may sit on the bed now.”

I hesitated, unsure if this was an order or a test. But when I stood and settled on the edge of the bed, he moved closer, near enough to feel his presence but careful not to touch me.

“I told you I’d give you a reward. I meant it,” he said, shifting slightly. “Ask me anything.”

My mind scrambled, tossing up a dozen questions—What do you want from me? How far will this go?—but the one that slipped out was simpler.

“Have you ever trained anyone else?”

That should have softened the blow, but instead it stung sharply. I wasn’t sure if it was jealousy or the painful realization that Aiden had been here before—with someone better, someone perfect.

“Do you miss him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He was silent for a moment, then said, “Sometimes.”

He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t press.

Still, a strange tightness knotted in my chest.

We sat in silence for a while.

Eventually, I leaned back against the bed, inching a little closer—still not touching, but closer.

He didn’t stop me.

As my body slowly began to relax into the quiet stillness of the room, a hopeful thought crept in—maybe, just maybe, for the first time in years, I could fall asleep without the gnawing fear lurking at the edges of my mind.