Chapter 134: Calculated Distances
Rhys
I let out a groan and rubbed my throbbing head. The masquerade party with Nico last night had been a blast. Nico Park really does know how to throw a party.
The plan was to leave early but as the night went on, I blended in and even became friends with him.
Now, we were headed back to Oak City to prepare for the conference finale.
I just wanted to get on the plane, put on my noise-canceling headphones, and pretend the last forty-eight hours of partying didn’t happen.
Leo, Miller, and Kayden had entered the jet minutes before because I had spent ten minutes preparing to stand from the bus and heading towards the plane.
As soon as I stepped into the cabin, I looked around, setting my eyes on the seat opposite Kayden so I could disappear into a nap, but I was stopped by a heavy hand clamped on my shoulder.
"Rhys! A word right now!" I heard Coach’s loud voice sounding from behind me.
I turned around to face him and wanted to speak, but he just grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a quiet corner near the galley, away from the prying ears of the rest of the team.
He looked like he’d spent the last three hours scrolling through every social media platform in existence and he wasn’t happy with what he’d found.
"Hey Coach," I asked, pointing towards him.
Coach Reddick said nothing and just shoved his tablet toward my chest. "Care to explain what is happening here? And where the hell have you been? I have been texting and calling you but I got no response at all."
I scratched the back of my head as I took the tab from his hand. "My phone had been on Do Not Disturb for days and besides, it’s our day off so I..."
Coach Reddick groaned and then pointed towards the tab in my hand. "What the hell is happening with you and Kayden? What is with the headlines?"
I looked down at the screen in front of me and on it was a curated set of images of our matching posts from the yacht and me and Kayden leaning close during Nico’s party.
"I know I told you to make sure there is chemistry between you and Kayden, but what the hell is going on with you two? The yacht pictures—is that event a declaration that you are..." He paused, rubbing his forehead. "I don’t even care what you two are at the moment, but we have the media after us. The PR department is currently having a stroke, Rhys," he hissed and let out a groan.
"I don’t care if both of you are a thing, but remember that we still have two games to play and the media loves a distraction. You just survived a suspension, and now if this is happening then it wouldn’t look good on us. Also, the CEO is going crazy about it, so I need to know what to tell the media!"
I didn’t say a word for a moment, my eyes still glued on the screen, and when I raised them, I didn’t blink. I had practiced my poker face in front of the mirror too many times to fail now, especially since I was trying to outsmart my grandfather once we reached Oakcity.
"Coach, everything was a team party. Nothing is going on with Kayden and me. We are just teammates and besides, Nico Park of Red Bull invited us to those events. It’s a popular spot for athletes and we were not the only ones there. Miller and Leo are also in the pictures. This is purely a coincidence."
Coach Reddick squinted at me, his eyes narrowing to slits. "A coincidence? You are telling me that you and Kayden just happened to be on the same boat, at the same events, looking like best friends?"
"Exactly," I said, my voice flat as Leo’s during his grumpy days. "I didn’t even see him for half the time. It was a crowded weekend, Coach. People take photos and I can’t control who stands in a candid shot."
Coach Reddick let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Then he sighed. "Look Rhys, I am not an idiot. The fans are already connecting the dots and they are calling it a bromance at best and a secret at worst. If this is true, then we need to know so we can tell the PR what to come up with and protect the team’s reputation."
"There is nothing to blow up," I lied, looking him dead in the eye. "In fact, Kayden is actually planning on moving out of my house after the conference games end. We are..."
Coach raised his hands, shutting me off. "Oh hell no, I don’t want any distraction during the conference games and the finals! We have a game to win. He can decide to leave after that."
"I..." I tried to argue, but he cut me off again.
"I don’t care what is going on with you two. I just want the truth and that doesn’t include Kayden leaving your apartment. Until the end of the game, stay together and maybe when the brand launches then you can separate and do whatever the fuck you want," he told me. He grabbed his tablet from my hand and turned to leave, but then he stopped and faced me.
"I already spoke to Kayden and he gave the same answers just like you."
That’s because we planned it. I wanted to tell him that, but I didn’t. Instead, I just nodded as he continued speaking.
"The media will be waiting once we reach Oak City, so you two better come up with something," he said and started walking away.
Just then, the intercom came on and the pilots announced the flight.
I groaned, walking back to the cabin, and luckily for me, the space in front of Kayden was empty.
His eyes were closed as I sat opposite him and buckled my seatbelt.
He seemed to notice that I was there as he fluttered his eyes open, staring at me.
"Hey," he muttered and yawned. "How is it going?"
"Coach Reddick spoke to me," I yawned as I responded.
"He did the same with me," Kayden admitted, his voice low.
I leaned closer so only he could hear me. "I told him you are moving out, but he said it wasn’t possible."
"And why?" Kayden asked, also yawning.
"Because of the games, but that still doesn’t change the plan. The moment we arrive at Oak City, my grandfather will have his men everywhere and they will be after us, which is why we need to make this look real, Kayden."
Kayden looked at me and nodded in response, then he turned towards Leo and Miller who were two rows from us. "What about Miller and Leo? Should we tell them?"
"No," I responded, rubbing my forehead. "There is no telling anyone. If we are going to fool everyone—my grandfather, the press—this has to be kept strictly between us. We have to make it convincing and not tell our friends. The more people who know, the higher the risk."
Kayden nodded as a small, secretive smile played on his lips. "Alright," he leaned back in his seat. "Then let’s do it."
I yawned and closed my eyes without saying anything as the engines roared to life and the plane began its taxi down the runway.
"I need to sleep," I uttered, resting my head back against the seat. "We’ve got a lot of lying to do when we land."