To my dismay, I didn’t find Nicholas because as soon as the match ended, Lucas escorted me back to his car.
We sped home without either of us saying a word. The silence sat heavy between us, thick enough that I could hear my own pulse in my ears. I stared out the window, watching the forest blur into darkness, and wondered if he could hear my heart beat from where he sat. Before I knew it, I was back in the dusty palace, waiting to be saved like some helpless damsel.
I dropped onto the bed and watched the ceiling, feeling the seconds tick by and drag out like a snail crossing the pavement. Every creak of the old building made my chest tighten. I kept replaying the match in my head, the roar of the crowd, the look on Lucas’s face when it ended, anything to keep my mind off how alone I fel
