Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Be Loud Again

The campus library was incredibly quiet. The only sound was the soft tapping of keyboards and pages turning.

Zoya sat at her usual corner table. She was staring at her open textbook, but the words were completely blurry. She had read the same paragraph about constitutional law four times. She had not absorbed a single sentence.

The wooden doors at the front of the library opened.

Jackson walked in. He was wearing his gray team hoodie and carrying a heavy backpack.

Zoya’s chest tightened immediately. She gripped her pen.

Jackson did not look at her. He walked right past her side of the library. He sat down at a small table near the back windows, pulled out a notebook, and put his headphones on. He completely ignored her existence.

It was the exact same routine he had maintained for four weeks.

Zoya stared at him from across the room. Her logical brain told her this was the optimal outcome. She asked for space. She called him a distraction. He was simply following her exact parameters.

But her chest physically hurt. The heavy, suffocating silence was ruining her concentration entirely.

Zoya abruptly closed her textbook. She shoved it into her bag. She stood up.

She did not leave the library. Instead, she walked directly across the room. Her heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. She stopped right in front of Jackson’s table.

Jackson did not look up. He kept writing in his notebook.

Zoya reached out and tapped the top of his desk.

Jackson slowly looked up. He pulled his headphones down around his neck. His expression was completely blank. He looked at her like she was a stranger asking for directions.

Can I help you, Zoya? Jackson asked politely. His voice was incredibly cold.

You are deliberately avoiding my line of sight, Zoya stated. Her voice shook very slightly, but she kept her chin high.

Jackson leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest.

I am studying, Jackson said flatly. You told me I was a loud, chaotic distraction. You told me you did not want me bothering you. I am doing exactly what you asked.

Your current behavioral pattern is highly inefficient, Zoya argued defensively.

Jackson let out a harsh, bitter laugh. Inefficient? Is that what we are calling it?

We occupy the same campus. Ignoring each other entirely requires more effort than simply speaking.

I am not putting in any effort at all, Jackson corrected her sharply. You made it very clear that I was a temporary mistake. I am just a stupid athlete who dates a new girl every month, right? So why do you care if I ignore you?

Zoya swallowed hard. Her throat felt completely dry. Her perfect, icy shield was cracking down the middle.

Because it is unpleasant, Zoya whispered.

Unpleasant, Jackson repeated. He shook his head in pure disbelief. You pushed me out of your apartment. You treated me like a dirty secret. And the best word you can come up with is unpleasant?

He grabbed his notebook and shoved it into his backpack. He stood up from the table. He was much taller than her, and the physical distance between them felt like a massive wall.

I actually liked you, Zoya said quietly. But I am not going to sit around and wait for you to figure out your emotions. Have a nice day.

He stepped around her and walked out of the library.

Zoya stood completely frozen next to the empty table. She squeezed her eyes shut. She had tried to fix it with logic, and she had just made it infinitely worse.

Outside, the sky had turned dark and heavy.

A cold, freezing rain poured down over the campus. Students were running across the quad, hiding under umbrellas and holding their backpacks over their heads.

Chloe stood under the small concrete awning outside the economics building. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, shivering in her thin leather jacket. She did not have an umbrella.

She stared at the heavy rain. She was going to get completely soaked walking back to the apartment.

Heavy footsteps splashed up the concrete stairs.

Chloe looked to her right.

Leo was jogging up the steps to get out of the rain. He was wearing his thick team jacket. His dark hair was completely wet and plastered to his forehead.

He stopped when he saw her.

They stood exactly five feet apart under the small awning. The sound of the heavy rain hitting the concrete was incredibly loud.

Chloe froze. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.

Leo looked at her. He saw her shivering. He looked at the heavy rain pouring down outside the shelter.

Old Leo would have instantly taken off his jacket, wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, and dragged her back to her apartment under his own umbrella. He would have taken total control of the situation to make sure she was safe and warm.

Leo did not do that.

He remembered exactly why she pushed him away. He remembered that she hated feeling weak.

Leo took a deep breath. He reached into his backpack. He pulled out a small, compact black umbrella.

He did not walk over to her. He did not say a word.

He just crouched down and placed the umbrella on the dry concrete, exactly halfway between them. He stood back up, put his hands in his pockets, and stepped back into the freezing rain.

He started walking away, completely exposing himself to the storm, just to leave her the umbrella without forcing her to accept his help.

Chloe stared at the black umbrella sitting on the ground.

She looked up at Leo’s broad back as he walked away in the freezing downpour. He was entirely soaking wet, just to prove that he respected her boundaries.

The thick, stubborn wall around Chloe’s heart completely shattered.

Leo! Chloe shouted over the loud rain.

Leo stopped walking. He slowly turned around. The rain washed down his face.

Chloe stepped out from under the awning. She did not grab the umbrella. She walked straight out into the freezing rain.

She stopped right in front of him. They were both completely soaked within seconds.

You did not text me, Chloe said. Her voice was loud and shaking.

You told me not to follow you, Leo replied quietly.

I know what I said, Chloe yelled. She wiped the wet hair out of her eyes. I told you to leave me alone. And you actually listened.

I am trying to respect your choices, Chloe said. He sounded entirely exhausted. I know I messed up. I know I took away your control. I just wanted you to feel safe.

I did feel safe, Chloe admitted. Her voice cracked terribly. She looked up into his dark eyes. I felt completely safe with you. That is what terrified me.

Leo blinked. The heavy rain poured down between them.

I spent my entire life taking care of myself, Chloe confessed, the words rushing out of her chest. I never let anyone help me because people always leave. When you stepped in and fought those guys for me, it scared me. Because I realized how much I actually wanted you to protect me.

Leo stared at her. He slowly took his hands out of his pockets.

You do not need a bodyguard, Chloe said softly. You are the strongest person I know. But you do not have to fight everything entirely alone.

Chloe swallowed hard. She stepped one inch closer.

It was a really quiet month, Leo, Chloe whispered.

Leo looked down at her. The heavy sadness in his chest finally broke. A very small, genuine smile touched the corners of his mouth.

I can be loud again, Leo promised softly. If you want me to.

Chloe reached out. She grabbed the wet fabric of his team jacket with both hands.

Be loud, Chloe demanded.

Leo did not hesitate. He wrapped his massive arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against his chest. He buried his face in her wet hair. Chloe hugged him back fiercely, burying her face into his cold jacket.

They stood in the middle of the freezing campus quad, completely soaked by the rain, holding onto each other like they were drowning.

For the first time in an entire month, Chloe finally felt warm.