Chapter 34 The Future Unfolds
Chapter 34 The Future Unfolds
POV: Valeria Cruz
The field feels different now.
Not because practice changed—
but because I’m not standing here alone.
“Elena’s going to lose it when she sees you here,” Maya mutters beside me.
“She already did,” Sofia adds.
I glance to my right—
and there she is.
Elena walking toward us like she owns the place.
Confident.
Effortless.
Already looking at me like she knows something’s coming.
She stops in front of me.
Eyes scanning my face.
“You’re glowing,” she says immediately.
“That’s dramatic.”
“It’s accurate.”
Maya crosses her arms.
“Okay, now I’m annoyed because I noticed it too.”
Sofia tilts her head.
“You look calm.”
That makes me pause.
Because she’s right.
I am.
And that hasn’t happened in a long time.
“I feel calm,” I admit.
Elena narrows her eyes.
“That’s suspicious.”
“Very suspicious,” Maya adds.
Sofia smiles faintly.
“That means she’s about to do something.”
That pulls a small laugh out of me.
Because they know me.
They always have.
“I am.”
Elena leans in.
“Then start talking.”
I don’t answer right away.
Instead—
I look back at the field.
Rafe moves through a drill—
fast.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Like nothing else exists.
Like everything makes sense when he’s out there.
Nico keeps pace beside him.
Dylan rotates in.
Matteo takes a hit and gets right back up.
Coach is yelling.
Loud.
Relentless.
But Rafe doesn’t break focus.
Doesn’t slow.
Doesn’t miss.
“This is his world,” Elena murmurs.
“I know.”
Because I can see it.
The way people move around him.
The way the team adjusts without being told.
The way he leads—
without trying.
“You’re staring again,” Maya whispers.
“I’m observing.”
“That’s not observing,” Sofia says. “That’s—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.”
They laugh.
But I don’t look away.
Because something about this—
about him here—
it pulls at me.
Like I don’t just want to be near it.
I want to be part of it.
And that thought—
that’s new.
A whistle blows.
Rafe pivots—
turns—
and for a split second—
his eyes find mine.
Across the field.
Across everything.
And it’s like nothing else exists.
Then Coach shouts—
and it breaks.
Just like that.
But the feeling—
it doesn’t go away.
“Elena,” I say finally.
Now she’s ready.
Fully locked in.
“Tonight.”
That’s all it takes.
They lean in immediately.
“What about it?” Maya asks.
“At Rafe’s house.”
Elena’s brows lift.
“The pool?”
I nod.
“No one opens anything until we’re all together.”
Silence.
Then—
“Oh my God,” Elena breathes.
Maya’s mouth drops open.
“You’re serious?”
“All of us.”
Sofia exhales slowly.
“That’s actually perfect.”
Elena looks back at the field.
“They have no idea.”
“They will.”
She smirks.
“They’re going to lose their minds.”
Maya laughs.
“I’m not opening mine if someone opens theirs first.”
“You absolutely would,” Elena fires back.
“I would not.”
“You’d panic.”
“That’s slander.”
Sofia nods.
“She would panic.”
“Wow,” Maya mutters. “No loyalty.”
I laugh again.
And it feels real.
Not forced.
Not heavy.
Just—
mine.
Another whistle.
Louder this time.
Final.
Practice ends.
The energy shifts instantly.
Players slow.
Helmets come off.
Voices get louder.
Looser.
Alive.
Rafe pulls his helmet off—
runs a hand through his hair—
and looks around.
Searching.
And then—
he finds me again.
Like he knew exactly where I’d be.
Like he never stopped knowing.
That—
that hits harder than anything else today.
“Yeah,” Elena whispers. “You’re in deep.”
“Shut up.”
She grins.
“Not happening.”
The guys start walking toward us.
All of them now.
Rafe.
Nico.
Dylan.
Matteo.
Still carrying that edge with them.
“What did you do?” Nico asks Elena immediately.
She smirks.
“Not me.”
She points at me.
“Her.”
And just like that—
all eyes are on me.
I don’t hesitate.
“Tonight.”
“At Rafe’s.”
“The pool.”
“And no one opens anything until we’re all there.”
A pause.
Then—
Nico grins.
“Finally.”
Dylan nods.
“Yeah, I’m not doing that alone.”
Matteo exhales.
“Same.”
Elena crosses her arms.
“Good. Because none of you are ruining this.”
Maya points at them.
“You better not open anything early.”
“Relax,” Nico says. “We’re not that stupid.”
“That’s debatable,” Elena shoots back.
Dylan laughs.
“Speak for yourself.”
Sofia steps closer to me.
Quiet.
“You needed this,” she says softly.
I glance at her.
“I didn’t even realize how much.”
Because it’s true.
Because this—
this feels like something good.
Not something I have to fight through.
“Seven,” Rafe says.
Simple.
Already decided.
No hesitation.
Like it was never a question.
Nico nods.
“Seven works.”
“Seven,” Elena repeats.
“Seven,” Maya confirms.
Phones come out.
Messages fly.
Plans lock in.
Done.
I step back slightly.
Taking it all in.
The noise.
The people.
The feeling.
Not heavy.
Not overwhelming.
Just—
right.
Rafe steps closer.
Not touching.
But there.
Steady.
I glance at him.
He doesn’t say anything.
Doesn’t need to.
Because we already said what mattered.
And now—
we’re stepping into something new.
Together.