Offside With My Enemy

Chapter 4

Adrian’s POV

I watched Angel walk out of my apartment, and for the first time in years, I had absolutely no idea what to do.

She had kissed me first.

She had looked me in the eyes and told me she wanted me. Yet this morning, she couldn't wait to get away from me.

Apparently, I was a mistake.

I dragged a hand down my face and let out a frustrated laugh.

“Brilliant, Vale. Absolutely brilliant.”

I had spent weeks finding excuses to keep her close. I had even requested her specifically for the documentary, knowing perfectly well that she would never willingly spend six weeks around me otherwise.

I wanted her attention.

I wanted her questions, her sharp tongue, and the way she looked at me as though she could see through every carefully constructed part of my personality.

And last night, I had wanted something more.

Now I had it, and she was already pretending it had never happened.

My phone rang.

Theo.

I considered ignoring him, but he called again.

“What's wrong with you?” he asked as soon as I answered. “You've missed training, and Graham is threatening to have your head.”

I glanced at the clock.

Damn it.

“I'll be there.”

“Are you sick?”

“Something like that.”

“Does this something have a name?”

I hung up.

Unfortunately, Theo knew me too well.

---

By the time I arrived at the training ground, I was in a terrible mood.

I changed quickly and joined the team, hoping a few hours of football would clear my head. It usually worked. On the pitch, things were simple. I knew where to run, when to pass, and how to put the ball into the back of the net.

Women, however, were becoming an increasingly complicated problem.

Especially one blonde journalist who had kissed me senseless and then looked at me as though I had committed another crime.

I missed an easy shot during practice.

“Wow,” Malik Drew called from behind me. “Who died?”

“Keep talking, and you'll be next.”

He laughed.

Malik was the kind of man who believed every woman wanted him. Unfortunately, he was attractive enough to get away with that belief most of the time.

He was also far too interested in Angel

I had noticed the way he flirted with her during the previous day's interview. I had noticed her smiling at him too.

It had irritated me more than it should have.

Now, after last night, the thought of him touching her made my jaw tighten.

Pathetic.

I had no right to be jealous. Angel wasn't my girlfriend, and she had made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with me.

Still, when I saw her walking towards the training ground with her camera crew, my attention immediately shifted to her.

She looked beautiful.

And completely unaffected by me.

She greeted Jessica, checked her equipment, and began preparing for the day's interviews without giving me more than a brief glance.

I waited until she approached.

“Good morning.”

“Adrian.”

Just my name. No smile. No teasing remark.

I frowned. “That's all I get?”

“What else do you want?”

I wanted to ask whether she had thought about me when she woke up. I wanted to know if she regretted kissing me or if she was simply terrified of what it meant.

Instead, I said, “You left without saying goodbye.”

She adjusted her camera.

“I thought we agreed last night was a mistake.”

The words felt like a punch to the stomach.

“We agreed nothing of the sort.”

She finally looked at me.

“Please don't make this difficult. We're working together, and I intend to remain professional.”

Professional.

I almost laughed.

“You're the one who kissed me, Angel.”

Her cheeks flushed, but her expression remained stubborn.

“And I regret it.”

There it was again.

That word.

Regret.

I stepped back before I said something I couldn't take back.

“Understood.”

She nodded and turned away.

I watched her leave, anger and disappointment twisting together in my chest.

I had faced thousands of people in stadiums. I had scored goals in front of millions watching on television. I had never been afraid of losing.

But somehow, losing a woman who had never belonged to me felt worse than anything I could remember.

And the worst part?

She had no idea how badly I wanted her to stay.

---

The interview was torture.

Angel asked every question with the same cool professionalism, never allowing our eyes to linger for too long.

“Do you believe people can change, Adrian?”

I looked at her.

“People can change if they're willing to admit they've done something wrong.”

“And if they've hurt someone who can never forgive them?”

“Then they have to accept that forgiveness isn't something they're entitled to.”

For the first time that morning, something shifted in her expression.

I wondered if she understood that I wasn't talking only about the documentary.

She quickly returned to her notes.

“Thank you. That's all for today.”

She packed her equipment.

I wanted to stop her, but I knew I had already pushed too far.

So I let her go.

As she disappeared down the corridor, I made myself a promise.

I wouldn't beg Angel Bennett to want me.

But I would no longer hide behind the lies that had destroyed her father's life.

She deserved the truth, even if learning it meant losing her completely.

And if I had any chance of earning her forgiveness, I would have to become a man who deserved it.

For the first time in six years, I was ready to face what I had done.

Even if the woman I wanted most never forgave me.