Chapter 13: The Space Between
Sunday afternoons were usually their time.
A walk. A cheap café. A shared plate of fries and a fight over who got the last one. It wasn't a tradition they'd ever named, but it became one all the same—comfortable, small, theirs.
This Sunday was different.
Andrea waited by the church steps, sunlight filtering through the acacia trees above her. Her hands were tucked in the sleeves of her jacket, phone untouched in her pocket. Sheik was ten minutes late.
She didn't mind.
But she noticed.
When he arrived, he looked tired. Not physically—just… off. Like he hadn't quite landed in his own skin yet.
"Sorry," he said, brushing his hair back. "Coach called. Wanted to talk more about the scout."
Andrea nodded. "Did he say anything new?"
"Just that I need to be ready if they ask for follow-up tapes. Or if they invite me to a trial camp next month."
"That's good, right?"
Sheik looked down. "Yeah. I guess."
They started walking.
The path was familiar—down past the bakery, left near the fountain, around the rusting green gate that led to their favorite spot. The kind of route they could take with their eyes closed.
But today, it felt different. Quieter. Like every word might mean more than it used to.
"Do you think you'll go?" Andrea asked, not looking at him.
"I don't know," Sheik said. "I want to. But it's not just… soccer anymore."
Andrea's brows knit. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" He paused. "I mean I finally feel like I have something here. Something that makes sense. And now I'm wondering if leaving for something bigger just means losing something real."
Andrea's heart thudded, a little too loud.
She kicked a pebble on the sidewalk. "You'd regret it if you didn't try."
"Maybe. Or maybe I'd regret leaving."
Andrea looked up at him, eyes soft but firm. "Whatever happens, I'm not going to be the reason you stay or go."
"I know," he said. Then added, more quietly, "But you're the reason I care."
That stopped her.
She blinked, unsure whether to smile or cry or just keep walking.
So she did what felt safest: she reached out and took his hand.
They didn't talk after that. Not about soccer. Not about scouts. Not about West Bay.
They just walked the path like they always had.
Together, for now.