Miles adjusted his shoulder, subtly shifting closer to better support Maria's dozing head where it rested against his arm.
She immediately relaxed further, her head settling comfortably on him as sleep clearly overrode every decision she might have made to keep her distance.
Miles kept his eyes on the game.
Players from both teams chased the ball across the field, each determined to create the perfect opportunity for a winning goal.
Jake's team, Volcano Fury, had already scored twice.
So had the opposing team.
Now, with the match nearing its end, a single goal would decide the true winner.
Miles smirked at the visible stress on Jake's face as the boy paced the field alongside his teammates, sweat glistening on his forehead despite the weather.
Not so confident now, was he?
Miles told himself he and Maria still looked professional enough.
He should wake her.
He should at least make their relationship appear somewhat discreet.
Instead, he deliberately let her sleep.
Most of the attention remained fixed on the match, but then, his thoughts drifted back to the video his father had shown him from the fundraiser.
He couldn't keep underestimating the consequences of being with Maria.
Especially for her.
He felt a soft press on his arm and his gaze dropped instinctively.
Maria had shifted closer in her sleep, attempting to make herself more comfortable and unknowingly pressing the side of her chest against him.
Before he could think further, the referee's whistle pierced the air, dragging his attention back to the field.
"Original game time is over!" the referee announced, waving a red flag.
He lowered it, lifted a yellow one, and blew the whistle again.
"Thirty minutes extra time!"
The students erupted into cheers as the players repositioned themselves, determination sharpening across their faces as the match resumed.
Miles rolled his eyes, tightening his folded arms across his chest.
His phone could have kept him occupied, but he had left it in his car for obvious reasons.
The sky rumbled.
His gaze lifted to the darkening clouds overhead. The weather was only getting worse, and that did nothing to ease his concern about his unfortunate sensitivity to wind and rain.
A subtle shift against his shoulder drew his attention downward to Maria's face, observing as she blinked awake and lifted her head.
Swallowing the remnants of her sleep as she straightened in her chair, eyes lowered.
"Sorry," she said shyly.
"No need," Miles replied before turning his attention back to the field. "I think we're done observing today."
His jaw tightened as Jake's team began to gain speed over their opponents.
Jake had already pushed closer to the opposing goal post, clapping overhead for a pass while his teammate drove the ball across the field, somehow managing to break through the defenders.
"What?" Maria asked. "But the game is still on."
"It's extra time," Miles said flatly. "And I don't have that."
He certainly wasn't going to admit how much he hated getting caught in downpours.
Every flu he'd suffered throughout the years seemed to share one common trigger.
Rain.
Embarrassing but true and deeply inconvenient.
Miles squirmed internally. He didn't need that.
"Oh my God, sir!" Maria's excited voice dragged his attention back to her.
Her eyes were fixed on the field.
He followed her gaze.
Jake was sprinting toward the goalpost, driving the ball forward with relentless determination.
Determination nearly as slick as the sweat coating his forehead.
The sky grumbled again.
Miles frowned.
He couldn't care less about the game.
"Fury! Fury! Fury!"
Most of the students in red rose to their feet, chanting as Jake surged forward, outrunning defenders from the side.
"Fury! Fury!" Maria joined in softly and Miles immediately glared at her.
She flinched and pouted. "We should be supportive, sir."
Miles sat forward as the sky rumbled once more, preparing to stand.
Then he felt her hand wrap around his arm.
"He's passed it, sir!" she yelled excitedly.
His resolve instantly weakened, especially from the feel of her full curves pressing against his arm.
His eyes shifted toward the blonde-haired teammate Jake had passed to.
The boy struck the ball.
An opposing player launched into a desperate slide in front of him, intercepting too late.
The ball flew cleanly into the goalpost.
The students in red exploded into cheers as well as Maria who screamed beside him, somehow louder than everyone else seated in the teacher's section while clinging to his arm.
Miles rolled his eyes and relaxed back into his chair.
The press of her chest against his arm proved surprisingly effective at distracting him from the increasingly certain downpour.
Jake and his teammates sprinted across the field hugging, shouting, and jumping around each other in excitement, while the opposing team slowly trudged away with lowered heads.
The Volcano fury band marched onto the field, their formation now giving a new rhythm that thundered through the stadium as they assumed stance again proud and louder as they celebrated.
Cheerleaders joined them, throwing stunts beside the band before several other students rushed forward to join the celebration.
An enormous group yell erupted from the center of the field.
"Exciting," Miles said with a deliberately unimpressed expression. "The game is over now. Let us leave."
**
Maria didn't let go of Miles' arm, secretly pleased that gripping it had worked.
"Let's congratulate him too," she said, almost immediately after catching Jake waving enthusiastically at them from the field.
"We're proud of you, Jake!" she shouted over the noise of the celebration.
Miles scoffed beside her.
"I'm sure your wave should do it," he said, making no effort whatsoever to free his arm from her grip.
Maria turned to him.
His face remained stoic as he stared at the field.
"Wasn't it Jake's team you were supporting, sir?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"It doesn't matter who wins," he replied. "Both teams played well."
"Wins are very important in life," she said with a smile. "The celebration seals a new stepping stone."
"It wouldn't be necessary to celebrate when you keep winning for the wrong person."
Maria froze.
She studied him quietly.
She had never truly asked what he wanted for himself beyond being an heir to a prestigious company.
"I think we can choose which victories deserve to stay," she said.
"Like your project launch?"
He turned and met her gaze.
Heat rushed into her face and she immediately looked away.
How could he bring that up right now?
The sky growled overhead.
"That's it," Miles declared.
He hooked his arm through hers and pulled them both to their feet.
"Sir," she whined. "It's just thunder."
He shot her another glare.
Maria instantly looked away.
"Get your bag," he ordered.
She simmered internally but complied, bending slightly to retrieve it before straightening again.
His hold loosened.
"After you," he said.
Before she could move—
"Pudding!Pudding!Pudding!"
The chant rose from the field.
Their attention snapped back to the celebration where some students danced into the field carrying puddings, many balancing two containers at once.
Excitement immediately bubbled inside Maria and escaped as a delighted giggle.
"A very positive consumer response," Miles remarked.
His eyes lingered on her face, taking in her excitement as though he genuinely enjoyed seeing it.
Perhaps he was the kind of man who saw her for exactly who she was and didn't diminish her because of it.
A man who wasn't intimidated by her ambition, but seemed to admire it instead.
"Thank you, sir," she replied shyly.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then she slipped past him and carefully made her way along the narrow row as he followed behind her.
The other spectators were beginning to leave as well.
The wind immediately caught her hair when she stepped into the aisle.
Her thoughts returned to the weather.
Miles was right to be cautious.
At this rate, she might end up with no choice but to allow him to drive her home.
She searched through her bag while descending the stadium steps toward the main field.
Finding her phone she immediately logged into her ride app, keeping one eye on where she was stepping as she moved among the students toward the exit tunnel.
A strong scent of sweat suddenly drifted into her space, then came an excited voice.
"Maria!"
She looked up.
Jake stood before her with his arms spread wide, proudly displaying his dirt-stained red jersey.
"Be the one to hug me," he pleaded dramatically. "For I am powerless—"
"In your filth."
Miles' voice arrived behind her together with the refreshing scent of his cologne.
"And it's Miss Maria."
Jake immediately lowered his arms.
"Hey big coz," he said casually with his grin firmly in place.
"Maria doesn't mind at all," Jake added, returning his attention to her.
Maria's eyes flickered toward Miles' calm, lethal gaze.
And she recognized it.
Swallowing she turned back to Jake with a small smile.
"I do actually," she said.
Jake pouted, then he threw his arms wide again and wandered back toward the students, still chanting about pudding, as they danced, scooping from their plates.
Maria watched him go.
Part of her desperately wanted to join the celebration.
At the very least, she wanted pictures of the moment in her phone.
A movement behind her drew her attention.
"Kid."
Miles' voice.
Confused, Maria turned and found him holding a shorter teenage boy by the arm.
The student wore a red jersey, transparent glasses and a faded low-cut hairstyle.
He looked thoroughly alarmed.
"G-Goodevening sir," the boy stammered.
His confusion mirrored her own.
"Maria."
"Yes sir?"
"Kid here will escort you into the crowd and take professional photographs for future board meeting references."
Maria blinked. She was stunned but before she could respond—
"My name is Kingsley," the boy supplied nervously, his eyes never leaving Miles.
Miles grimaced and immediately released him.
"Switch to the camera and hand him your phone."
Maria lowered her gaze to her screen, scoffing silently.
After switching to the camera, she looked up and offered Kingsley a warm smile before handing him the phone.
Kingsley smiled back.
"Nothing longer than five minutes," Miles added.
His gaze settled on the boy.
"And that includes you, king silly."
Maria gasped, offended on the boy's behalf as Kingsley visibly wilted and lowered his head.
"That's not fair!"
She rounded on Miles with a frown.
He really was a mean person.
Miles merely scoffed.
"I'm not sparing you a minute more than that, Maria."
"Come with me, Kingsley."
She didn't bother hiding her irritation as she turned and disappeared into the crowd.
"Pudding! Pudding!"
Jake's voice appeared first.
Maria looked up just in time to see him jump into her path.
Her smile came instantly.
Jake grabbed Jack's hand.
Drea grabbed Jack's other hand.
Together they circled Maria in playful hops while chanting to the rhythm of the celebration.
Laughter burst from her.
Within moments, she was spinning with them, completely absorbed by the fun.
The wind swept harder across the field.
Rain scented the air.
Mixed with sweat.
Grass.
And traces of sea breeze cologne lingering in her memory.
**
Miles checked his watch.
Nearly ten minutes had passed.
He started toward the crowd in search of Maria, and three drops of water landed on the bridge of his nose first.
He froze.
His jaw tightened.
The wind was already picking up, sweeping heavily across the field.
Then he spotted her.
Maria was hurrying toward him through the crowd, waving her phone in the air.
"Sir," she called.
That coward, Kingsley had clearly abandoned his assignment after ignoring the time limit.
The rain began to fall harder.
The moment Maria reached him, Miles took her by the hand and immediately guided her toward the nearest exit where the overhead shelter provided some cover.
They stepped into the passage just as thunder cracked overhead.
The sound of rainfall intensified outside.
More students poured into the passage, drawn in by the worsening weather.
The lights in the ceiling seemed brighter now against the darkening afternoon sky.
Others—mostly students in green uniforms—chose to brave the rain, sprinting across the field toward the main school building.
Miles and Maria stopped several feet from the edge of the tunnel exit, past the company vending machine.
A few teachers and students were scattered throughout the space, waiting out the storm.
Miles slowly released her hand.
Then he leaned back against the wall.
His jaw remained tight.
Quietly seething.
"I'm sorry," Maria said softly.
He looked at her.
Her head was lowered as she fiddled with her fingers between both hands.
"Did you get the pictures?" he asked.
Maria looked up.
The excitement in her eyes hadn't completely faded yet.
She nodded.
Miles released a slow breath.
Most of his irritation immediately dissolved.
He rested the back of his head against the wall and pushed his hands deeper into his pockets, crossing one leg over the other.
"Then we wait out the rain."
"Miles."
Something in her tone drew his attention immediately.
His eyes shifted back to her.
A worried expression had replaced her earlier excitement.
"Daniel's been calling," she admitted quickly. "I can't keep avoiding him."
Miles lifted his head from the wall.
"You can discuss whatever concerns you have with him in the office," he said. "Or would you prefer a different estate? That would be a better solution in my opinion."
"I can't…" Maria hesitated.
She couldn't meet his eyes.
"I can't afford to be open about…about us, sir."
He knew that.
The unfortunate truth was that he understood it perfectly.
He wished she didn't have to think that way.
The situation remained frustratingly uncertain.
"Your new location would be presented as a company reward," he said. "An upgrade connected to the project's success."
"And what happens after the project?"
Their eyes met.
Miles held her gaze for a moment.
"Don't ask me that out here."
"I have to know, sir."
Her voice was quiet but firm.
"At least now that we're out in the open."
Miles exhaled.
Slowly.
Then he looked away.
Across from them stood two teenagers waiting out the rain as well.
A dark-haired boy was helping a red-haired girl zip up her thick transparent raincoat.
The boy wore the same design except for the color at each coat's edge—green on his, pink on hers.
The girl smiled when he finished.
"The rain isn't that heavy yet," he said.
"I believe we can make it to the school garage before it becomes worse."
He could practically feel Maria's frustration from where she stood.
But even if he had an answer for her question, he would give it when he chose—not simply because she demanded one.
And the truth was far more complicated than he cared to admit.
Because deep down, Miles still wasn't entirely certain what his interest in Maria actually meant.
Not beyond the project.
Not beyond the excuses he kept giving himself.
And perhaps that uncertainty frustrated him more than the rain ever could.