Default Title - Write Your Own

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 The five of them were spread out on the turf, breathless from a game that was way more aggressive than pickup soccer had any right to be.

Cole was pretending he hadn't nearly dislocated his shoulder trying to stop a goal. Jessie was lying flat on his back, eyes closed, muttering something about how grass felt better than his bed. Jack was still pacing like he hadn't burned through all his energy yet.

But Isaac and Channing?

They were quiet.

Not that that was unusual. Not anymore.

Ever since preseason training started, something had shifted between them. A little more eye contact than necessary. A little less trash talk. A little more something unspoken, hovering right under the surface like a secret waiting to break.

"Alright, we out," Jack finally said, grabbing his water bottle and smacking Djessi's leg with it. The others followed, fading into the parking lot with tired laughter and weekend plans.

Now it was just the two of them.

The field felt bigger without the noise. The air quieter. Everything slower.

Channing stood there, looking at Isaac like he was trying to read something between his half-scowl.

Isaac crossed his arms. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Channing shrugged. "Not looking at you like anything."

"You're literally staring."

A beat. Then Channing gave a crooked smile. "Maybe you're just finally noticing."

Isaac rolled his eyes, but it wasn't annoyed—just defensive. That same nervous twist he always got when the jokes felt a little too real. When it wasn't just banter anymore.

And then, before he could think twice, Channing said it.

"I like you."

Isaac blinked.

The air changed. Not in a loud, dramatic way—just subtly. Like the silence had weight now.

"What?" Isaac said, voice caught somewhere between disbelief and something softer. Something afraid.

Channing stepped forward, not cocky like he usually was on the field, but quiet. Serious.

"I said I like you. Like, I've always liked you."

Isaac stared at him. His jaw clenched, his eyes flicked away like they were trying to find an escape route that didn't exist.