"Ugh where is she?!"

The sun blazed over the Sunken Diamond, casting long shadows across the baseball field. The stadium was packed with students and alumni—all here to enjoy the game. Music blasted from the stadium speakers, blending into the background noise of cheers, conversations, and the crack of baseball bats hitting balls.

Talia sat in the bleachers, tapping her foot impatiently, her eyes glued to her watch. She and Renata had planned to meet ages ago, but she was nowhere to be seen. Talia huffed, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of her bestie.

On the field, the Cardinals leaned against the dugout fence, laughing and joking as if it were just a practice game. The outfielders stood with their hands on their hips, eyes drifting toward the stands.

Dominic however, twirled his bat absentmindedly, his eyes constantly flicking toward the stadium entrances. Entrance A—just crowds of people trying to get in. Entrance B—nothing but the popcorn vendor making his rounds. Entrance C—Talia was chatting with a friend—okay maybe she'll get out of this one then—

What the—?! Why am I hoping—what—I'm not hoping—I don't. care.

Dominic shook his head, annoyed at himself, but his gaze kept flickering back to the entrance, focusing on Entrance C—

"Hunt! Doug's giving us the pep talk!" Cavill clapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Just as Wyatt came up from behind and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Yo, you've been off all day, man. What're you staring at? Any new hot chicks?"

"Nothing." Dominic muttered, finally turning, dragging Liam by the shoulders. However.. he threw one last glance over his shoulder, before reluctantly looked down and took a step away.

However.. Tyler squinted, staring at the far end of the stadium. His brows furrowed as he leaned forward.. gaze sharpening as if trying to make sense of something—till his eyes widened.

"W—wait is that—?"

Dominic froze mid-step, spinning around so fast he dragged Wyatt—who cursed since he almost lost his balance. His heart raced as his eyes darted across the stands, searching frantically—

And that's when he saw her.

Rena.

Stepping down the stairs of the stadium. Her braided hair was tied up in a sleek top knot, with the rest framing her face. She wore a Yankees bomber jacket over a fitted white tank, tucked into high-waisted jeans that made her legs look impossibly long. The soft glow of her face glinting in the sunlight, and her black boots clicked with every step—looking like she owned the place, turning heads without even trying.

"Holy shit! Is that.. that Renata—?!" Liam shouted, shocked. As a grin spread across his face, he turned to Dominic, applauding, "Too bad—Hunt! You sure know how to make enemies—"

Liam stopped mid-laugh, though, when he saw his bro's expression. Staring at Renata, grinning like an idiot—one of those uncontrollable grins that just refused to stay hidden. Liam and Tyler exchanged knowing looks, grinning to each other as they stepped back, leaving their bro to his moment.

Renata, seemed to be searching for someone in the crowd, eyes scanning down the bleachers.. to the field—until her gaze met Dominic's. The moment their eyes locked, a grin bloomed on her face—just a little shy, as if she wasn't expecting his reaction.

Without thinking, he jogged over toward her, and she walked down to meet him at the net. As they drew closer, matching grins on their faces, they moved in sync—walking side by side, mirroring each other's steps, eyes never leaving each other, until the net was no longer between them.

From afar, Wyatt turned to Tyler and muttered, "Bro, is this not giving you déjà vu?!"

Tyler's eyes widened in realization, then he punched at the air dramatically. "Man, I miss Emily so bad!" he shouted, switching up his Oscar performance while Wyatt rolled his eyes.

Dominic leaned against the low wall that separated them, the sun and crowd fading into the background as he reached out to her. Renata moved closer, crouching down by the edge of the wall, resting her elbows on the concrete and her chin on her hands. She beamed up at him, her joy radiating like sunlight as they stood there, completely lost in the moment.

For a second, nothing else existed.

Just them.

His grin widened, eyes sparkling with pride. "What's this? Are you—" when Renata spun in a playful 360, and stopped with a chuckle—causing him to pause, can't help but let out a lopsided grin. Leaning in, Dominic whispered,

"Are you trying to impress me? Because that's kinda hot."

She gave him a smug look. "In your dreams."

"Nah, yours," he replied with a smirk, and this time, Rena couldn't help but laugh. His grin softened, genuinely happy to see her smile, but she innocently switched back to the task at hand.

"So—is this okay?" she asked innocently, glancing down at her outfit for reassurance.

He leaned closer, whispering, "Perfect."

She laughed again but then became aware of the stares from the crowd around them. "They're looking at us, Dom.." she said, feeling a little self-conscious under all the attention. For once, Dom's eyes flicked to the people around them, before he smirked,

"Believe me, they're looking at you."

Causing her to snap her head back to him, only to catch the subtle shift of his smirk into a softer smile. There was a brief moment of eye contact—before they both awkwardly looked away, clearing their throats.

"Ooookay! Straight to business," Dominic said, trying to regain composure. "Now that you're Cinderella, have you seen him yet?"

She scanned the bleachers, searching through the crowd.. until her eyes landed on someone familiar. "There!" she whispered excitedly, gesturing for Hunt. But as quick as her shout, her excitement faltered as she saw the gorgeous girl who went rampage to her, beside him—dressed in a super girly outfit.

"And.. he's with that girl," she muttered, her heart sank.

Dom squinted at the sight—till his eyes widened and narrowed in surprise, turning back and forth from the sight—to her, until he blurted, "Raymond Lee?! The—the quarterback?!" and grinned, "Not bad, love!"

"Yeah but I'm just his emo," Renata sighed in deflation.

Dom's expression softened as he replied, "A hot emo, though,"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but when she turned for the third time—her ex glanced in their direction! His eyes widened in shock, clearly taken aback by seeing her there—maybe because she'd never come to a game like this before, or maybe because she was casually hanging out with the Dominic Hunt.

Sensing the perfect opportunity, he immediately leaned in and whispered, "Okay, follow my lead." Before Renata could even react, he pulled her close, breath hot against her ear.

She tried to pull back in surprise, but his earlier instructions echoed in her head, so she whispered instead, "What are you doing?!"

"Ok I'm gonna kiss your cheek, and you're gonna act like you love it—even though I know you would—"

"Ew—!"

"No disgusted expressions!" he hushed in annoyance, pulling her closer before she could move away. He kissed her cheek, and Renata stood still. Then, from beside her, Dom whispered, "Laugh."

"Huh what—?"

"Laugh you slow—" he began irritatingly—but she was already letting out a ridiculously loud, exaggerated laugh. Hunt shot her a brief wtf look from the side before going with the flow, playfully tickling her sides—until Renata burst into genuine laughter, no longer faking it.

From a distance, Talia gave them both a confused, what-the-hell look, while her friend next to her smiled, clearly smitten by the scene. Far from the field, Tyler and Liam exchanged another pair of wtf glances.

Finally, the two of them finally stopped their little performance. When he pulled away, from his vantage point, he could see Renata's ex's reaction. His face was tight with jealousy, brow furrowed in clear irritation. It's working.

"How was it?" Renata asked in reluctance.

Dominic grinned, leaning back. "Unexpectedly. Maybe you're just that dorky that he's actually buying it—"

"It worked or it isn't?!" she pressed, getting impatient.

"It worked! It worked ok?!" he scorned in impatience, however, eliciting an excited nod from her. Rolling his eyes, he turned on his teaching mode. "So, you know what we just did?"

She thought for a second, then answered hesitantly, "Making him.. jealous?"

"Correct," Dom said, pleased, "you gotta make him think you've moved on. Just make sure he sees it and loses his mind a little. And right now? He's definitely losing it."

"He is?!" Renata whispered, excitement bubbling up before she remembered to lower her voice, going undercover again, "So, basically.. manipulate his emotions?"

Hunt's grin widened, clearly amused. "Exactly. Works every time."

Renata, curiosity piqued, spun around, eyes scanning the stands. But instead, she spotted Ana, sitting stiffly, her face flushed red with fury. A satisfied smirk tugged at Paradis' lips as she turned back to him, feeling a surge of pride. "Ana loved it too, I presume~" she said smugly.

He feigned a surprise, letting out a laugh. "Two birds with one stone, right?" he quipped, bouncing his eyebrows playfully before turning back toward the field. "Alright, now you enjoy the game. This is your first time, right?"

"Yeah—so.. good luck?" she reluctantly encouraged, pursing her lips fearfully.

Dominic returned it with a big lopsided grin. And with overflowing confidence, he smirked,

"Your luck is all I need, love."

He winked and walked away, leaving her standing there, mouth slightly open in disbelief at his sheer boldness. She couldn't help but smile though, head tilting down as she tried to shake off the fluttering feeling.

As she approached her seat, she caught Talia watching her from afar with a suspicious yet delighted look plastered on her face. Rolling her eyes, she sat down, only for Mosley to lean in playfully and whisper, "Ren? I like your style~ I need all the deets, girl!" Renata chuckled and shook her head, giving Talia a hug, as she tried to shrug off the weird.. warm feeling in her limbs.

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcs

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

His heart raced as his eyes darted across the stands, searching frantically—

https://youtu.be/atz_aZA3rf0