That evening after everywhere was cool, and the tennis team were congratulated on their wins Leo took Kiara out for a drink to celebrate her win. The warm light spills over the worn leather booths. The bar hums with quiet conversations, the scent of lime and sizzling wings thick in the air. Music plays low, just enough rhythm to fill the silences between thoughts. Kiara and Leo sit in a corner booth with a nearly-empty cocktail glass sweats in front of them.
"I still can't believe I actually won that. I thought I was gonna choke in the second set. My grip was slipping, Leo. Like... the racket hated me." Kiara said laughing
" It didn't hate you, it was just scared. You were sweating intimidation" Leo said smiling as he sipped his soda
"Oh please. I was seconds away from throwing that racket into the audience and walking off. You didn't see me pacing the baseline like a maniac?" She said smiling back, sarcasm rising
"I saw it. I also saw you hit back-to-back aces in the third set. Don't play humble with me, champ." He said and Kiara leaned back, exhaling.
" Today was fun" she said and he stared at her
" It surely was, seeing you run around the court like you were trying to keep up with your future" Leo said jokingly
" Haha, very funny" Kiara said sarcastically
" But you totally killed it today, you wiped her out last minute" he said
" Stop trying to make it feel like I did something someone else hasn't" she said
" Your mum had her time, her legacy and no one is expecting you to follow her footsteps or be like her or stay in her shadow... We all want you to outshine her if possible, show them you not your mum's daughter" he said
"You always say stuff like that. Deep, but... it actually helps" Kiara said
"Guess I'm just that emotionally intelligent" Leo grinned and Kiara burst out into laughter
" Okay Doctor" Kiara said and they both laughed. Kiara leans her head on his shoulder, just for a second.
"Thank you for being there. At the match. Before it. All of it." She said
" Of course even if you're making it sound like I did something a great man does" Leo said jokingly
" Always in with the jokes, huh" she said smiling
A beat passes, her head still resting on his shoulder.
" Imagine Peter seeing you this drunk, I would be the one to blame" he said
" Yeah" she said
" And he would just neglect the fact that you have own choice" he said
" He has the right to be furious at you cause if he kissed me while I'm this tipsy, I'd totally throw up on him" she said
" And how is that my fault" he asked
" I don't know, you're Leo" she says and they burst out laughing again. But when the laughter fades, Leo looks down at her glass and it was almost empty.
"Okay, drunky. That's your last one." Leo said
"Nooo, one more—" Kiara said pouting dragging the cup with him and the drink spilled on her.
" Oh shit, the vodka betrayed me" she said looking down at the stain on her shirt
"There's no need to worry, we'll grab a shirt from the motel real quick" Leo said
He flags down the waiter and asks for the bill.
Kiara leans back again, peaceful safe, comfortable with him. But Leo's fingers tap nervously on the table, his mind torn between the girl beside him… and the girl he left at home.
He and Kiara left on his bike, as they head towards the motel for her to change her shirt.
Leo pushes the door of the motel open with slumped against his side, half-drunk and giggling. Her stained shirt hangs loose around her shoulder.
" We really did a great job here you know" Kiara said looking around
" Yeah, it was worth it. Now let's find a shirt for you" Leo said as he sets her gently on the bed. She flops back like a ragdoll, laughing.
"I can't believe I won. Me. I really beat her, Leo." Kiara said
"Of course you did. You've got the fire" he said
"And vodka. Don't forget vodka." Kiara said
"Heavy on that" Leo chuckled
He walks to the small closet and pulls out a shirt, one of his big black hoodies. He turns back toward her but she's already undoing her own top, trying to yank it over her head.
"Kiara—wait—"
"Ugh, it's sticky. I smell like lemon and sweat. Gross." She said
The shirt lifts over her head and drops to the floor, revealing her in just her dark bra and jeans. Her skin glows faintly under the warm light, and she doesn't seem to notice his hesitation, or the silent war going on in his head.
Leo freezes, his throat tightens. His eyes, no matter how hard he fights it, linger a second too long. Her collarbone, her stomach, the slight rise and fall of her chest. He looks away fast blinking and breathing slow.
"You... could've given a warning. Jesus." He said huskily
" Leo, a lot of girls I've changed in front of you dozen times" Kiara teased
"Yeah, when things were different" he said
She giggles again, flopping back on the bed, arms above her head.
"Don't act like you're shy. I've seen you shirtless, Captain Abs" She said and Leo runs a hand through his hair. He's trying not to look, trying really hard not to
But her laughter, her confidence, the way she trusts him — it's hitting different tonight.
And she's beautiful. Not just in the casual, 'that's my best friend' way. But stunning, raw, real and drunk.
He glances at his phone. A photo of Elena smiles up at him from the screen. His thumb hovers over it. He locks the phone and sets it aside.
"Don't do this." He said low, more to himself
"Do what?" She asked
"Nothing. Just... you need water" he said smiling nervously
He walks to the fridge and grabs a cold bottle, tossing it lightly to her.
" You're being weird, I feel weird" she said sipping the water
She curls up on the bed again, this time pulling the hoodie he gave her over her head, letting it drape across her like a blanket.
"You ever wonder... if we weren't best friends? If things were different?"she asked and his heart stutters.
She doesn't catch the depth in his action, or maybe she does, and she's too tired to handle it. Her eyelids flutter. A slow yawn slips from her lips.
" We would have been enemies, cause you'd probably be with Elena and Jenna" she added and he smiled. She wasn't thinking the thought, she didn't mean it the way he thought she did. Her word didn't have hidden meanings, he was just overthinking
"Mmm... you're too good to me. Why do I always feel safest with you?" She asked
"Because I'll never cross that line. No matter how tempting." He said
"Tempting?" She asked as she peeks up at him, eyes half-lidded but playful and he smiles, just slightly.
" Go to Sleep" he said
" Yeah, I should" she said closing her eyes, the moment hanging thick in the air.
Leo watches her for a long time. One part of him wants to hold her. The other knows he'd never forgive himself if he did — not like this. Not when she's vulnerable. Not while he still has Elena waiting. He picks up her shirt, folds it neatly, and places it on the table. Then he lowers himself into the armchair across the room. The distance is necessary. His gaze lingers on her just a moment longer — soft, torn, full of something he doesn't dare name.
Then he closes his eyes, and waits for morning.
Kiara stirs under the thin bedsheet, slowly blinking awake. Her head throbs, her throat is dry, and she's still in Leo's black hoodie, warm, a little too big, and comfortingly scented like him.
She squints around
"Where the hell...?" Kiara murmured
Across the room, Leo's curled up in the armchair, arms folded, legs dangling off the side. His neck is tilted at a painful angle. He looks like he didn't sleep well.
The night comes back in flashes, the drinks, the dancing after the win, her shirt getting ruined, the laughter on the bike... her undressing without thinking.
"Goodness" she winced as she ran her hand through her hair as she felt guilty
"Leo?" Kiara called and he stirs, groggy but alert the moment he hears her voice.
"You're up" Leo said
"Did I... do anything crazy?" She asked looking so innocent and Leo chuckled softly
"Besides trying to fly from the bike, You were okay." He said and she smiled faintly, then lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry if I... I didn't mean to put you in a weird position last night." She said
"You didn't" he paused
"Okay, maybe a little, but I handled it." He said as she was staring at him
" I'm sorry" she said
" you were drunk, and I let you get drunk so it's on me" he said with a slight smile
" Yeah it is" she said laughing slightly
" You couldn't even take the blame" he said laughing as well
They exchange a quiet look for a while something heavier than before. She pulls the hoodie tighter around herself.
"Thanks for taking care of me." She said
" You're saying it like I did you a favour, it's my job you know" he said
" I guess your job is also dropping off at home then" she smiled
" I'm not a chauffeur but whatever. Let's get you home to you boyfriend" he said
They packed up and went outside, Kiara hops on the back of Leo's bike again. No helmet, just that hoodie and tired eyes. Leo glances back at her.
"Ready to face the boyfriend?" He asked
" I feel he's going to ask questions." She said
" Which boyfriend wouldn't?, just tell him what happened" he said
"I was drunk and half-naked in a motel with my best friend?" She said and Leo smirked
"When you say it like that... It would lead to something else" he says and Kiara groaned, burying her face into Leo's back.
Peter's standing by the gate, dressed in sweatpants and a white tee, clearly just out of bed. His hair's a mess, His arms are crossed as he tried to reach Kiara on his phone
He sees Leo's bike pulling up, and his expression freezes when he spots Kiara wearing someone else's hoodie. She climbs down slowly, rubbing her hand.
"You didn't answer my texts, or my calls" Peter said in a low voice
"My phone died. I... I'm sorry." She said
Peter's gaze flicks to Leo, then the hoodie, then back to Kiara.
"You went home with him?" He asked quietly
"It wasn't like that" she said
"She was drunk and her shirt got ruined. I took her to my dad's place, that's it." Leo said but Peter stared at him, jaw tight, but Leo held his gaze and Kiara stepped in gently.
"Peter, I swear its nothing. Leo took care of me while I was drunk, that's all" Kiara said and Peter sighed as he uncrossed his arm. He walks toward her and looks her in the eye
"Why didn't you call me?" He asked softly
"You were training for your football match, I didn't want to make things difficult for you. I already made you lose once, I don't want that to happen again" she said and there was a long silence. Peter finally nodded, then pulled her into a hug.
"Next time, just come to me. Okay?" He said and Kiara nodded into his chest while Leo quietly turned back to his bike.
"Alright. Guess I'll leave you two to it." Leo said
"Thanks, man." Peter said softly
Leo nods once, not looking back, and rides off the rumble of his engine growing fainter
The air is still and the curtains danced slightly from the fan spinning above. Peter's football jersey hangs from a hook. Kiara sits cross-legged on his bed, freshly showered and now wearing one of his oversized white tees. Peter stands by the window, taping his wrist like he always does before a big match.
Kiara watched him quietly, arms hugging her knees.
"You always get this serious before your games" she asked
"Focus helps." He said giving a tight smile
He glances at her through the mirror on his closet door.
"But… you being here? That's messing with my focus." He added
"Why? Because I look cute in your shirt?" Kiara teased raising a brow
"Because you're distracting. And yeah, dangerously cute." Peter grinned and she chuckled, then grew quiet again, eyes drifting to the jersey.
"I saw how you looked when I showed up in Leo's hoodie." She said
"You're my girl. Of course I got jealous." Pater said softly as he turned to her and moved closer to her
"But I trust you. I was just scared… that maybe you needed him more than me last night." He added
"Peter..." She said as she stood, walking over to him slowly and she placed her fingers on his chest.
"I don't need Leo. I needed comfort. And yeah, maybe I ended up there — but the person I really wanted... was you." She added
"Then be with me. All in." He said
"I am" she said
He leaned in, their foreheads touching. The mood thickens as her hand slide around his waist; his rested on her lower back.
"This match today? I want to win. But what really matters… is having you watching me from the stands." He said
"Oh, I'll be there. Screaming your name like a lunatic" she said
"Promise?" He asked softly
"Only if you promise to score… for me." She whispered sexily and he smirked, then brushed his lips against hers.
"Baby, I'm scoring a hat-trick now." He said
They kiss — slow, deep, filled with everything unspoken between them. She pushed him back gently until he's seated on the bed, and she straddled his lap, still kissing him, arms around his neck. Peter's hands slide down her thighs.
"You're really not helping my focus right now." He added
"Good. Let me be your distraction. Then your victory." She said
He kissed her again, hungry now, their energy magnetic — until his alarm buzzes, reminding him it's almost time to leave for warm-up.
"Tonight, after we win... I'm all yours." He said touching her lips
"Then go win already," she said
She helped him into his jersey, kissed his cheek one last time, and watched him walk out with fire in his eyes and she smiled
He wasn't just playing only for the team anymore, he was playing for her too.