Chapter 71: The Cheat and the Fall

The question hung between them but Orion wasn’t paying any kind to what Sophia asked him instead his mind was partly on the game and on her also. The fact that Sophia could even keep up with him during this game, not that it was hard to do though but it was surprising because this is the same woman that could not unsheathe that sword or run a mile without breathing heavily.

How long had they played for? Minutes? Hours? Orion wasn’t sure. The score was even, now.

And Orion observed as Sophia stood with her hands on her knees, chest rising and falling in due to the heavy breaths leaving her but she tried to hide it.

To anyone else, it looked like nothing more than the after-burn of a friendly match. But Orion saw it. He always saw the little things when it came to her even if for the love of all things holy, he couldn’t understand why. His eyes lingered on her just long enough that she felt the weight of his attention like a touch against her skin.

It irritated her and it thrilled her all at once.

"What? Is there something on my face?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He nodded, his gaze still on her.

"What?" Sophia asked him as she tried to wipe her face to see if there was anything like drool or something on her face but then Orion spoke up.

"Exhaustion."

"Hah?" She asked him in shock.

"You’re pushing yourself too hard," he said finally, voice low, calm, annoyingly steady compared to her uneven breathing. "We should stop here."

"What the hell? I’m not..."

"Don’t even think about lying to me." He told her firmly.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Fine. But we are not stopping."

"Yes, we are." He told her but she shook her head.

"Nope. And you’re just doing this because you’re scared I’ll win you." She told him.

Orion tilted his head slightly, his smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. He opened his mouth, about to argue, but then shut it again and simply shook his head.

"Why do you want to know about the Moon Goddess, anyway?" he asked her. "Did you have some kind of awakening when you went to the shrine?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What the hell kind of change in topic is this? Are you and Eldric siblings?" She asked him.

Orion chuckled. "Do I look anything like that man?" He asked her.

Sophia shrugged her shoulders. "I just want to know what you know regarding the moon goddess." She told him.

"Tell you what." Orion said with a devilish glint in his eyes. ’I’ll tell you everything I know about the Moon Goddess... after I win the game."

The words had barely left his mouth before he lunged forward, snatching the ball from her.

"You mad oaf!" Sophia shrieked, launching after him. "That’s cheating!"

Orion laughed, turning for a moment to stick his tongue out before focusing back on the game. The children burst into loud cheers immediately but instead of cheering for Orion, they cheered for Sophia.

"Go, Sophia! Don’t let him win!"

Sophia sprinted after him, her boots pounding the earth as dust and laughter tangled in the air. She wasn’t used to their cheers, not like this, not with Orion’s mocking grin daring her at every turn. They were all so focused that they didn’t notice that someone else was watching them, Holly.

The other woman had been walking towards Orion’s home, intent on finding him. She stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing as she took in the sight before her, Orion laughing, relaxed in a way she only ever saw with his friends and Sophia was lunging after him with reckless abandon, while the children around them screamed her name like she was already part of the pack.

Holly’s lips pressed into a thin line. She had come to speak with him, regarding what had happened at the training grounds the last time but what she found instead burned hotter than she wanted to admit. That smile on his face, that sharp, genuine smile wasn’t for her.

Even when they were together he never smiled at her that way but he was smiling at Sophia. He was laughing with her. A sound he didn’t just give anybody.

Without a word, Holly turned on her heel and stormed off, anger darkening every step she took.

Meanwhile the game continued.

Sophia was giving it everything she had. Her hair clung damply to her temples, sweat streaked down her back, and still she pressed forward, refusing to back down. Orion blocked every attempt with effortless ease, his laughter coming easier now, spilling out like he hadn’t had a reason to laugh in far too long.

"You call this trying?" he taunted, swiping the ball away from her grasp again.

"I’ll wipe that grin off your face!" she panted, lunging for him.

The children screamed encouragement, some chasing alongside her as if their tiny legs could help tilt the match in her favor. She fed off their energy, off her own stubbornness, sprinting harder, faster, even as her chest heaved harder.

That was, until her rotten luck took charge. She missed her step, tripping on literally nothing and in an instant, Sophia fell. The ground came up far too quickly, and she flailed, arms windmilling in a desperate attempt to catch herself. But momentum betrayed her. She tripped, body pitching forward, and hit the dirt with a loud, graceless thud.

For a beat, silence rang across the yard.

Then Orion’s deep chuckle broke it.

"Well," he drawled, the ball tucked neatly under his arm, "I guess that settles it. Victory’s mine."

Sophia groaned, rolling onto her back, staring up at the sky with wild hair stuck to her cheeks and dust streaking her cloak. "You... are the worst person I’ve ever met."

Lie.

Orion crouched beside her, his smirk cutting sharp against the golden dusk. His eyes, however, betrayed something else, a flash of concern beneath the humor, the briefest flicker of relief that she wasn’t hurt.

"Tell me something I don’t know," he said softly, his grin never fading.