You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 835

The car cruised smoothly along the coast. Sunlight spilled over the edge of the boardwalk, splitting it right down the middle. One side was drenched in gold, the other cool and shaded, like the black and white keys of a piano stretching out forever. It almost felt like you could see time slipping away, right there on the pavement.

Down at the end, Jackson was lounging on a set of concrete steps. He had a piece of wild grass hanging out of his mouth and his hands braced behind him as he leaned back. He wore a bright red basketball jersey with a huge number 6 stamped on the front. It was impossible to miss.

Aiden came back from the snack stand, tossed Jackson a bottle of water, and dropped down beside him. He glanced over, trying to figure out what Jackson was staring at so intently. After a few seconds, he gave up and nudged him. “What are you even looking at?”

Jackson took the water, twisted the cap off, but didn’t take a sip. He just kept watching the basketball court in front of them. Hector’s blue team was sprawled out across the bleachers, taking a break at halftime and chatting like it was any other day. Guys played, girls cheered, nothing special. But Jackson couldn’t stop staring at Chelsea and Hector. He couldn’t remember when those two became a thing. They looked so close, like they’d been together forever, all smiles and little inside jokes.

Aiden noticed Jackson hadn’t answered, so he followed his gaze again. Just then, someone shifted out of the way, giving Aiden a clear view of Chelsea. It clicked. “Oh, you’re watching Chelsea.”

He smirked. “When did she start hanging out with Hector like that?”

Aiden was the type who didn’t care much about relationships. “Who knows? If they’re together, they’re together. Love is love, man. Not like we get a say.”

Jackson just shrugged. He wasn’t big on gossip or romance either. To him, Hector and Chelsea were both good people. Still, he was pretty sure Hector had always sworn off marriage. The guy used to go on and on about it, too.

Later that night, after the game, everyone went out for dinner. The private dining room was lively, people clinking glasses and swapping stories about the night’s best plays. Hector only ever invited people he personally picked for his games. Jackson remembered hearing about some guy who practiced for months, just to get a shot at playing with Hector and maybe land a partnership with Pacific Capital. Poor guy didn’t even make it through half the game before he was benched. Jackson found out later that Hector had basically played his way through college and almost made the national team.

Halfway through dinner, Jackson slipped outside for a smoke. He was leaning against the wall, taking a drag, when a little cat rubbed up against his leg. He squatted down and scratched its head, the cigarette dangling from his lips.

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