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Chapter 9

"Let's let the game begin."

"Yeah, that's my girl." Kevin cheered me up as he stood up with a proud smirk on his face as he saw his brother's face. I started walking towards the ground as Kevin followed me.

"Did he tell you that she was his girlfriend?" Kevin inquired as he was walking beside me.

"No, but he didn't even deny it when Alisha called him his boyfriend," I said in my stern voice as I picked up the ball, which was lying on the ground where we left it.

"I don't think she is his girlfriend. He didn't tell any of us that she was the girlfriend," he said, as he couldn't digest the information as he looked at his brother, who was coming towards us with a set jaw.

"If he didn't tell you guys about her, it doesn't prove that she is not with him," I said in a calm voice as my mouth became bitter as I said that.

"But" Kevin wanted to defend his brother, but I was not in the mood. I wanted to focus on one thing now, and that was to win the game.

"Forget it, I don't care," I said in a stern voice, but that bitter taste was still in my mouth. Saying that, I started to walk back to the middle of the ground. Kevin knew everything about me and him. The moment his brother promised me that he would make me his girlfriend on my sixteenth birthday, the very next moment I told him everything to Kevin. I spilled everything in front of him, making a promise not to tell anyone.

What! Don't blame me; what do you expect from a ten-year-old girl?

She very badly needed to share this precious information with her best friend, who happened to be her future boyfriend's elder brother. This muted head kept his promise and never told anyone. He was excited at that time because, after his brother made me his girlfriend, I would stay with them in their house and we could play all day long. My concept of becoming a girlfriend and wife was jumbled up at that innocent age. But now I am not the same innocent 10-year-old girl. At that time, I couldn't see the lie in people's eyes, but now I can. Even if I'm not mature and old like him, I know how much a lie can hurt someone. It hurts even worse if those lies were the reality of someone's childhood.

"Let's begin the game," Kevin declared as he stood beside his big brother. I kept the ball in front of us. His amber eyes follow me every moment with keen eyes, somehow making me want to shift from one leg to another in anxiety. I controlled myself, as I didn't want to make him feel superior to me. I will not give him that power. Jason, who was standing behind me, moved near my ear.

"Are we going to go with the same plan?" he whispered in my ear. His breath tickled on my bare neck and shoulder, making me nod at him in yes. His amber eyes fixed on our every moment with a set jaw. The way he moved his eyes on my upper body made me want to run away from here, but I stood my ground. It seemed like anytime he would drag me away with him, he did a few hours ago. That thought made me feel the low cut of air in the pit of my stomach. It made me feel funny, but I ignored it. The whistle was blown, and I kicked the ball before he could. This time, there was no space for mistakes.

With one mistake, we could lose the game. That word was not in my dictionary. He was about to take the ball from me, but I kicked it towards Jason, who ran further, making me run behind him as the Riviera brothers tried to take it. Jason and I followed our strategy. He again passed the ball to me, and with all my might, I kicked towards the goal, and it went straight into the goal. Jason and I shouted at our small victory. Now the score was even. I laughed as Jason wrapped his arms around my midsection and lifted me to twirl me around in a circle. Angry amber eyes became even harder as he muttered something under his breath, making me smirk at him. He let me go, and we started the game again. I again did the same, leading me to one more goal.

Now I was chasing behind Kevin, who was running while kicking the ball as if her life depended on it. I would do the same if his big brother ultimately gave him it. He, however, managed to score, and he danced like the kid he is. After an hour and a half of playing, the score was the same, and the only last chance was remaining. I was breathing hard due to playing continuously as sweat slid from my face to my neck. Everyone was in the same state. Even though we were exhausted, we were not ready to give up.

Once again, Alisha blew the whistle for the last time as it was a match decider. I tried to get the goal, but he kicked it and tried to run with it towards the goal. I followed him closely. He was about to kick it towards the goal, but I slid down and kicked it first, rupturing my already wounded knee in the process. I hissed in pain, but I stood up immediately and ran behind it as Jason took the lead. I heard him cursing again as he ran behind Jason, but he passed the ball to me, and I once again kicked it with all my might. It went straight into the goal, making me stumble and fall on my elbow. Even though I got the wounds, I shouted in victory, forgetting the hissing sensation and pain in my elbow and knees.

"We win!" Jason shouted and came running to me as he made me stand, and Bro hugged me as we jumped, making me laugh.

"Yes, we win," I said proudly as a smile plastered on my lips. I never get defeated in the game. I heard a curse from both brothers from a distance as Alisha stood with her face. I should thank her too, even though she did cheer for us. Every time she cheered for him, it made me determined to win. "Ouch," I hissed in pain as Jason, by mistake, grabbed my elbow.

"Sorry, Luna, you're bleeding," he said in his worried voice as he eyed the cut on my elbow.

"What?" I heard the mad voice, and before I knew it, I was pulled into arms as he eyed my cut with mad eyes.

"Let me see it," he said in his mad voice as I tried to yank my hand from his. I still refused to do it and turned to walk away from him.

"God, her stubbornness. What should I do with her?" he said in his annoyed voice, making me roll my eyes at his comment. I didn't tell him to worry about me. I thought as I was walking away from me, looking at my cut, but a small yelp left my mouth as I was lifted from the ground and was being carried into the house in his arms. I looked at the audience we had over his shoulder. Kevin smirked at me and wiggled his eyebrow, making my cheeks burn red. I averted my eyes from his to the person who was carrying me. I glared at him, but he didn't spare me a glance and kept walking in with a stone face. I tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he made his hold strong on me as we entered the house. The cold breeze of the air conditioner touched my slightly damp skin from sweat, making me shiver at the contact.

"What happened to her?" Aunty asked in her worried voice as she saw him carrying me in.

"She injured her elbow and knee while playing; don't worry, I will bandage it," he said in his assuring voice as he climbed the stairs, still with a stone face, making my eyes wide in surprise as he took me to his room. He locked the room, making my heart run fast, but I stayed quiet. He made me sit on his bed as I eyed his every movement with mad eyes. I tried to get up and walk out of his room, but he wrapped his muscular arm around my stomach and made me sit back on his bed. I groan in annoyance, followed by a small hiss of pain. I think I have bruised my skin below the rib too.

"Stay here if you do not want to make me mad at you, then I'm," he warned me in his serious voice, making me gulp in fear as my eyes stayed locked with his amber one. I looked away, as I could stand his gaze. He walked to his bathroom and came back with the first-aid kit. I again looked away from him as his amber eyes moved on my bare, bruised skin. He was still walking shirtless as he grabbed a couple of things. He kneeled in front of me and started treating my wound. He first treated my knee as he wiped the mud with a wet cloth. The cut was bad, and I bit my lower lip as even water was making it sting. The ointment stung even more as I grabbed the sheets.

He followed my reaction with mad eyes. Still looking at me, he continued applying ointment while blowing on it. I don't know how, but the stinging sensation became less intense, and I started to feel tingles in my body. He did the same with my elbow. I was shivering under his touch and the cold air in the room. The feeling I was feeling at his finger's slightest touch was something different. It felt like something funny was going on in my stomach. He was done treating my wound, so I tried to yank my hand out of his hold, but instead, he pressed my open palm to his lips, making a shiver run down my spine as his wet lips touched my skin. My breath hitched as he did that. I couldn't handle this sensation, so I tried to get up, but he made me sit back. Now what does he want from me?

"Bruise, she too needs to be treated," he said in his low yet husky voice, as if he heard my thoughts. He moved his thumb on the bruised skin below my breast on the rib, making me curl my fingers on the sheet again.

"If only you had not removed my t-shirt in stubbornness," he said in his mad voice as his thumb traced the red-blue bruise very lightly as he moved his face nearer to it. Goosebumps formed on my skin when I felt his warm breath tickling it, making me close my eyes and press my lips in a thin line. He blew the warm air out of his mouth as his amber eyes followed my action of resisting. But what he did next made me stop breathing, making my heart leap out of my chest. God, his lips touched my skin, making my body burn as if I were having a fever again. His wet lips kept pressing small, light kisses on my bruised skin as if he were healing it. A small peck of his lips was doing things to my innocent mind, and the next thing I knew, he broke my protest of not talking to him as I moaned his name breathlessly, making him smirk on my skin.

"Azel"

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