PREGNANT FOR THE FOOTBALL KING

Episode 8: The Note

For a long moment, Ava just sat there, sheet clutched to her chest, listening to an apartment that had nothing left to say.

The practical side of her brain suddenly took over again - the side that was used to figuring out injuries and how long it would take to heal, the side that didn't like not having all the answers.

She got up.

The hoodie had vanished from the chair. His phone was nowhere to be found on the nightstand. She made her way to the bathroom to see if anything was out of place - his toothbrush was still sitting there, which, for some reason, brought her a tiny bit of comfort, as if its presence should be some kind of sign.

As she walked into the kitchen, her eyes landed on a small piece of paper that was leaning against the coffee maker on the counter. It was folded up, but just seeing it there made her feel a sense of relief wash over her, even before she had a chance to read what was written on it. Something inside of her seemed to loosen, like a knot had been untied, and she felt a sense of calm settle in.

Ava —

It's an emergency with the team. The coach called me at 5am, but didn't want to disturb you. Something's happened to the assistant coach at the training facility, and with our big match just three days away, I really need to be there to help out. I would've stayed here with you if it wasn't so urgent.

This isn't me running. I promise you that.

Just one more thing to remember - make sure to lock the door after you've left, and only open it for the doorman, no one else. I'll fill you in on the details when we meet again.

— L

She read it over and over, three times to be exact, and each time the last line caught her attention more than the time before.

Don't open it for anyone but the doorman.

That didn't sound like something you'd write because you felt bad about taking off early. It sounded like something you'd write because you were genuinely scared - of something or someone.

Ava's thoughts flashed back to the ballroom, where she remembered a figure in ice-blue silk slipping away into the doorways. She also recalled a sedan parked across the street, its engine running quietly with the headlights turned off. At the time, she had been so nervous and tipsy from the champagne that she had almost managed to convince herself it was all just her imagination playing tricks on her, that the stranger was just an ordinary person and not someone sinister. But now, in the cold light of day, she wasn't so sure. The image of that sedan, waiting and watching, still lingered in her mind, refusing to be dismissed as mere fantasy.

The note said otherwise.

She stood in the huge, shiny kitchen, turning around slowly to take in the city view from the windows. The city looked gray and uncaring in the early morning light. She felt like someone was watching her, but she wasn't sure if it was real or just her imagination playing tricks on her after a weird night. The feeling was uncomfortable and made her wonder what was going on. Was she just being paranoid or was something actually off? She couldn't shake the sensation, and it made her feel a bit uneasy.

She considered sending him a message, but then a tiny, sinking feeling reminded her that it wasn't possible.

She didn't have his number.

He didn't have hers.

They had been together the whole night, from the dance to the drive, and all the things that happened after, including the woman who kept staring at them. It was a crazy and exciting night, and in the heat of the moment, they forgot to do one simple thing that would have made a big difference the next morning.

Ava slowly lowered herself onto the arm of the couch, the note still clutched in her hand, and let the weight of it all settle in for a moment.

Ava was in a tough spot - what if something had actually gone down? What if that mysterious woman had made her move? Ava had no way to get in touch with him, no way to warn him or get a warning herself. She was stuck, sitting in some stranger's apartment, holding a note that said to lock the door and stay inside. All she could do was wonder what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into, and she still didn't really get what was going on.

Her phone suddenly buzzed, tucked away in her clutch on the counter, and her heart skipped a beat, racing so quickly it was almost unbearable.

Priya: Hey, are you okay? I'm getting a bit worried. Did everything go as planned? Please let me know as soon as you can, I have so many things I want to ask you.

Not him. Of course not him.

Ava quickly typed out a vague response, I'm fine, I'll tell you everything later, and then set her phone down, feeling like a fool. She was sitting in a stranger's kitchen, still wearing the dress from the night before, and all she had to show for it was a cryptic warning scrawled on a coffee maker.

It was supposed to be some kind of proof, but really it didn't change anything - she was just a woman he'd met at a party, and by tonight he'd be back to his normal life, surrounded by cameras, sponsors, and all the things that came with being a public figure. There was no room in that life for her, or for the mysterious note, or for the fact that someone had been watching them the night before.

She saw her dress from the previous night neatly draped over a chair, and it touched her that someone, probably him, had taken the time to hang it up instead of just leaving it on the floor. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot to her, and it caught her off guard, making her feel a lump form in her throat.

She got ready to head out, putting on her clothes and calling for a car to pick her up. Then, following the instructions she had been given, she let herself out of the penthouse apartment, making sure to lock the door securely behind her. As she stepped out into the hallway, she took a quick glance around, noticing it was empty, before the elevator doors closed, taking her away.

As she walked into the lobby, she was already putting up a wall around herself, a shield to get her through the rest of the week. She needed to be able to go back to work on Monday, to patch up rotator cuffs and sprained ankles, and pretend like her whole world hadn't been turned upside down by one crazy night with a guy who seemed to be hiding from someone - but she had no idea who. She had to act normal, like nothing had changed, even though everything felt different now.

The wall she was building would help her get through the days ahead, but it wouldn't stop her from wondering what had really happened that night, and who this mysterious person was that her guy was so afraid of.

She almost believed she could manage it.

Almost.

......

Ava stood in her bathroom, hands gripping the sink, as morning sickness hit her for the second day in a row. It was three weeks later, and the memory of that note on the coffee maker came flooding back. She thought about the warning, which had never made sense to her at the time, and the fact that they had never exchanged numbers.

Now, with a wave of nausea washing over her, Ava realized with terrifying clarity just how much that one mistake was going to change her life. She had been so careless, and now she was facing the consequences. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, Ava couldn't help but wonder what the future held, and how that sippngle oversight would affect her. The note, once a cryptic message, now seemed like a warning sign, a signal that she had ignored, and it was about to cost her dearly.