WE Meet Again
Aria’s POV
Three years ago, Jaxon Cole destroyed my brother's life.
Today, I was about to walk into his.
I stood outside the massive glass doors of the Silver Wolves' training facility, staring at the team's silver wolf logo printed across the entrance. My fingers tightened around the strap of my handbag. Even seeing that stupid logo made my stomach turn.
I hated this team. I hated everything they represented. But most of all, I hated him.
Jaxon Cole.
The name alone was enough to make my blood boil. To the rest of the world, Jaxon was a football god. He was the face of the Silver Wolves and one of the most talented players in the league. Women screamed his name. Children wore jerseys with his number printed across their backs. Companies paid millions just to put his face on their products.
But to me?
He wasn't just an NFL superstar. He was the boy who used to raid our fridge after school. He was the boy who had spent summers sleeping over on our living room floor, laughing with my brother until midnight. He was Rowan’s childhood best friend, and to me, he was the boy who had promised we’d always be a team.
Until he turned fifteen.
That was the year Jaxon’s raw talent caught the attention of scouts, and he moved overseas to join a prestigious youth academy. At first, we tried to keep in touch, but slowly, the calls stopped. The messages went unanswered. He cut us out of his life completely, choosing his rising career over the people who had raised him.
The real betrayal came years later when he finally returned to the States. Instead of reaching out, Jaxon completely avoided us. He signed with the Silver Wolves, while Rowan went on to become one of the most promising young safeties in the league.
Then came the game that changed everything.
It was Rowan's first game against Jaxon, and one of the biggest games of my brother's career. Rowan intercepted one of Jaxon's passes and took off down the field with the ball.
Jaxon chased him down.
One brutal tackle. That was all it took.
Rowan's knee was destroyed, ending his promising football career in a matter of seconds. He went from being one of the most promising young defensive players in football to a man who could barely walk without pain on a bad day. His career was over before it had truly begun.
Jaxon's? His career had only gotten bigger.
I took a deep breath and pressed through the glass doors.
"Good morning." The woman behind the reception desk smiled brightly at me. "How can I help you?"
"I'm Aria Carter. I'm here for the physiotherapist interview."
Her fingers moved quickly over her keyboard. "Of course, Miss Carter. We've been expecting you."
"Great," I forced a smile.
She handed me a visitor's badge. "Take the elevator to the third floor. Someone from the medical department will meet you there."
"Thank you."
I turned toward the elevator. My phone suddenly vibrated inside my handbag. I pulled it out.
ROWAN.
My heart immediately jumped. For a second, I considered ignoring the call. But I couldn't. I walked toward a quiet corner before answering.
"Hey."
"Where are you?" My brother's voice was suspicious.
"At an interview."
"What interview?"
I looked through the enormous glass windows beside me. From where I stood, I could see part of the training field outside. Players were already practicing. Silver Wolves everywhere.
"Just a job," I answered.
There was silence. Then Rowan spoke. "Aria."
I closed my eyes. He knew me too well.
"Which team?"
"Does it matter?"
"Which. Team?"
I swallowed. "The Silver Wolves."
The line went completely silent. I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear, checking if the call had disconnected.
Then Rowan exploded. "Have you lost your damn mind?"
I flinched. "Rowan—"
"No! You know exactly who plays for that team!"
Of course I knew. That was exactly why I was here.
"You're not working there, Aria."
I frowned. "You don't get to decide where I work."
"That bastard destroyed my career!" His words hit me hard. I looked down at the floor. "He threw away our friendship, he threw away my life, and you want to go work for him?"
"I know," I whispered.
"You know?" Rowan laughed bitterly. "Then why the hell would you want to work for his team?"
My eyes slowly lifted toward the training field. And then I saw him.
Number seven.
Even from this distance, I recognized him immediately. Jaxon Cole.
He was standing in the middle of the field, his helmet tucked beneath one arm while he spoke to another player. I watched him throw his head back and laugh at something his teammate said. He was living his best life while my brother had spent three years trying to put his broken life back together.
Something cold settled inside my chest.
"Aria?" Rowan's voice came through the phone.
I tightened my grip around it. "I have to go."
"Aria, don't—"
I ended the call.
For several seconds, I continued staring through the glass. As though he could feel someone watching him, Jaxon suddenly turned. My heart stopped. His eyes lifted toward the building. Toward me.
There was too much distance between us for me to know if he could actually see my face.
Three years ago, Jaxon Cole had taken away my brother's dream. Now, for the first time in three years, I finally had the chance to get close to him. And I wasn't going to waste it.
I didn't know how long it would take. I didn't care. But one way or another, I was going to make Jaxon Cole understand exactly what it felt like to lose everything.
The elevator ride to the third floor felt like a descent into the lion's den. My hands were slick with sweat, and I had to wipe them flat against my slacks.
A heavy, suffocating wave of unease settled in my stomach. Ten years. It had been ten long years since I had actually stood in the same room as Jaxon Cole. He had left when he was fifteen, back when I was just a thirteen-year-old girl with a hopeless crush on my brother's best friend.
I had seen him again three years ago, but only from the distant stands of a packed stadium on the day Rowan's career ended. Jaxon and I hadn't spoken a single word to each other since the day he left. And now, after ten years, I was about to stand face-to-face with him again.
To make matters worse, a treacherous, buried memory flared to life inside my chest.
Before he left, Jaxon had been my entire world. I had harbored a massive, embarrassing childhood crush on him—the kind of silly, breathless puppy love that had me drawing his name in the margins of my notebooks.
Remembering that now made me sick. How could I have ever looked at him with anything other than disgust?
The interview with Dr. Vance, the head of sports medicine, was a blur of medical terminology and sports rehabilitation theory. I had spent the last three years studying twice as hard, earning every certification possible, all for this exact path.
"Your references from the athletic clinic are impeccable, Miss Carter," Dr. Vance said, closing my folder with an appreciative nod. "And frankly, your specialized experience in complex joint recovery is exactly what we need for our offensive line right now. The assistant physiotherapist job is yours, if you want it."
My heart hammered violently against my ribs, but my voice remained perfectly level. "I'll take it. When do I start?"
"Right now, if you're up for it. I'd like to introduce you to a few of the players currently on the recovery list."
Vance stood up and led me down a long corridor that opened into a massive, state-of-the-art training clinic. The room was filled with rehab tables, resistance pools, and high-tech equipment.
"Over here," Vance said, directing me toward a semi-private physical therapy bay at the far end of the room.
My breath caught in my throat.
Sitting on the edge of the padded table, clad in a grey practice jersey and shorts, was a man with his back turned to us. His shoulders were broad, his posture tense as he worked a resistance band with his left arm. Even from behind, the sheer, imposing size of him made me want to take a step back.
"Cole," Dr. Vance called out, stepping into the bay.
The man didn't turn around immediately. He just slowed his movements, his broad back flexing beneath the gray fabric.
"I want you to meet our new assistant physiotherapist," Vance continued, completely oblivious to the sudden, icy dread paralyzing my limbs. "She’s going to be helping oversee your shoulder management program. Jaxon, this is Aria Carter."
The moment my name left Vance’s mouth, the man froze.
The resistance band slipped from his fingers, snapping weakly against the table. His entire frame went completely rigid.
Then, slowly, Jaxon turned around.
