After He Chose Her, I Fell for His Rival

The night Ethan won the NCAA Championship, he celebrated by kissing the head cheerleader in front of the entire arena.

Everyone waited for me to lose my mind.

Instead, I was wearing his teammate Logan's jersey, lying in his bed.

Later, I became Logan's girlfriend.

Ethan didn't realize he'd lost me until it was too late.

When he finally saw us together, he crushed a whiskey glass in his bare hand, his eyes red with regret.

"Chloe... you were supposed to be mine."

The final buzzer sounded, and the entire ice arena erupted into chaos.

Ethan was about to confess his love to that gorgeous cheerleader.

He had warned his teammates beforehand, making sure everyone kept me in the dark.

What he didnt know was that some drama-loving bystander had already DM'd me the whole plan on Snapchat.

After all, everyone on the varsity hockey team knew I was head over heels for Ethan. My biggest dream was to be his girlfriend.

So, the moment Ethan fell in love at first sight and confessed to another girl...

I was supposed to rush down to the ice, crying, screaming, and making a total fool of myself.

The crowd in the stands was practically drooling, waiting for me to lose my mind and crash the party.

Too bad for them. Even after their high-profile kiss ended,

I still hadnt shown up.

The crowd outside the rink started to lose interest when no drama happened.

Even Ethans face didn't look all that happy.

He wrapped his arm around his new girlfriend and pulled out his phone.

Not a single call. Not a single text.

Ethan frowned slightly.

He slid his phone away and held the trophy high above his head.

"Tonight, we celebrate! Afterparty at the bar, on me!"

The players and students in the arena instantly cheered.

I pushed open the glass door of the players' tunnel and walked out.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted me and immediately yelled.

"Look, it's Chloe! Chloe's here!"

"I knew it! Theres no way Chloe could resist coming!"

Ethan snapped his head up. The moment he saw me, the corners of his lips twitched into a smug, barely noticeable smirk.

I ignored the crowd waiting for a show.

With Logan's jacket barely covering my thighs, I walked straight up to Ethan.

"Chloe."

Ethan, still in his full hockey gear, held the trophy in one hand and pulled his new girlfriend tighter with the other.

He looked down at me, his voice flat.

"You can't force feelings."

"Weve known each other for over ten years, and I dont want to say anything too harsh to ruin our history. We can still be friends."

"If you ever need help, you can still come to me."

Then, he lowered his voice, leaning in:

"Everyone is watching. Don't make a scene. Go home."

"Go home and change. What the hell are you even wearing?"

"Ethan."

I cut him off, taking a slow step forward.

He frowned again. "Chloe, be reasonable."

I smiled, pulled out my phone, pulled up a billing page, and turned the screen toward him.

"This is the money I advanced for your custom hockey sticks and protective gear."

I stared straight into his eyes.

"Pay me back. Now."

Ethans face instantly darkened as he stared at the screen.

"Chloe, what kind of game are you playing now?"

"You really will do anything to get my attention, won't you? Digging up old receipts?"

Ethan stared at me, convinced I was just throwing a tantrum.

"I don't care about this pocket change. If you're that desperate for money, Ill Venmo you double."

He pulled out his phone.

"No need for double. Just the original amount is fine."

"I'm blocking you after this."

"From now on, your new girlfriend can handle all your annoying chores."

With that, I didn't give him another glance. I turned around and walked away.

Ethan stood frozen on the ice until my figure vanished from sight.

His face was still incredibly tense.

His teammates quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Man, Chloe is just trying to save face. Don't take it seriously."

"Trust me, Ethan, shell regret this before the night is over."

"Shell probably come crawling back to you crying tonight."

Ethan let out a cold laugh.

"Let her play her games."

"If we hadn't grown up together, I wouldn't have tolerated her for this long."

"Alright, alright, don't let her ruin the mood. We won the championship tonight, let's party!"

Ethan looked at the hot cheerleader next to him.

He quickly threw my annoying face to the back of his mind.

He knew that by tomorrow's training session, I would show up like nothing had happened.

I would be sitting in the very front row.

Holding water and a towel, waiting like a puppy for him to finish practice.

He had seen this exact script play out way too many times over the years.

By the time I walked out of the arena, the rain was pouring.

I stood under my umbrella, thinking about the terrifying nightmares I had been having lately.

In those dreams, because Ethan confessed to Brianna...

I threw a massive fit. To force him to break up with her, I ran out onto the highway in the middle of the night.

And what happened?

I was hit by a speeding SUV. I broke two ribs and almost died.

Ethan only stayed at the hospital for five minutes before leaving me.

They forced me to drop out of college and sent me back to my alcoholic parents.

In the end, I died miserably in a trashy, run-down apartment.

And after I died, the one who came to collect my broken body was actually the man I had always avoided and feared.

Ethan never showed up. Not once.

Over the past few days, everything from those nightmares had started coming true.

If it weren't for those warnings, I would have thrown my umbrella away by now, spam-calling Ethans phone, ready to throw another suicidal tantrum on the road.

I was so grateful for those dreams. It felt like a second chance at life.

I could finally rewrite my miserable fate, step by step.

On my third try, the call finally went through.

I gripped my phone tightly, pressing it to my ear.

The name *Logan Vance* lingered on the tip of my tongue before I slowly spoke it aloud.

The heavy rain drowned out the noise of the world.

Through the receiver, Logans deep, slightly tired voice came through.

"Chloe?"

"Logan, it's raining so hard."

"I'm stuck outside the arena. Can you come pick me up?"

The other end went dead silent for a few seconds. I gripped the umbrella handle so hard my palm began to sweat.

In my dream, when Logan collected my body, he cried.

A man who was absolutely ruthless on the ice rink had cried like a baby for the first time.

Later, he changed his jersey number to my birthday, stepped over Ethan, and climbed to the absolute peak of the professional league.

My eyes welled up with tears, and a small sob escaped my throat.

"Why are you crying?"

Logans voice suddenly cut through.

It was still cold, even slightly impatient.

"I didn't say I wouldn't come."

"When will you be here?"

"Wait there. Twenty minutes."

"Okay. I'll wait for you, Logan."

He didn't say another word and hung up.

By the time Logan arrived, I was completely soaked.

He got out of the car, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, his expression icy.

I brushed away my wet bangs and looked up at him with a bright smile.

"Logan, you're so on time."

"Chloe, are you trying to get yourself killed by being this stupid?"

With a tense face, he grabbed my arm, shoved me into the passenger seat, and tossed a soft blanket over me.

"Dry yourself off. Don't ruin my car."

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and smoothly put the car in drive.

"Oh."

I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket like a good girl.

I couldn't help but steal glances at him while he focused on the road.

When he had no expression, he always looked incredibly distant and intimidating.

Plenty of girls at school liked him, but none of them dared to confess.

He and Ethan were not just roommates; they were rivals on the ice.

Back then, I used to go to the locker room every single day to bring Ethan milk.

Every time I went, Logan looked like he absolutely loathed me, slamming his locker door shut with an icy glare.

Even now, though he came to rescue me, he was still acting so cold.

When he shoved me into the car earlier, his grip was so tight.

My wrist was still throbbing, leaving a faint red mark.

It was impossible to tell that this guy had been secretly in love with me for years.

Everything in the dream had happened exactly as predicted.

But now, because of my changes, the timeline was shifting.

Would Logan still love me?

If he didn't actually like me, wouldn't my sudden behavior just be a massive annoyance to him?

"Back to the dorms?"

Logan suddenly turned his head to glance at me.

My heart skipped a beat, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out.

"No. To your place."

Logan gripped the steering wheel, letting out a mocking chuckle.

"Ethans having a huge championship party tonight."

"Are you trying to use me to make him jealous?"

I gripped the edge of the blanket, twisting it tighter and tighter.

"I'm not."

The car suddenly screeched to a halt by the curb.

Logan turned his body toward me, the coldness in his eyes making my chest tighten.

"Chloe, don't bring me into whatever sick game you're playing with him."

"I'm not..."

He stared at me for a long second, then pulled out his phone.

"I'll call you an Uber. Go back yourself."

"Logan..."

I bit my lip hard, reaching over to snatch his phone away.

He stared at me, but his eyes didn't hold anger or disgust.

Instead, they were incredibly dark, swirling with emotions he was trying to hide.

Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over me.

"Logan, I don't want to go back to the dorms. Everyone is laughing at me."

"And I'm scared to go home."

"Can you... can you just let me stay at your off-campus apartment for tonight?"

I hid his phone behind my back, my voice growing softer and softer.

"I won't bother you. I'm just... my clothes are completely soaked."

The moment I finished speaking, tears rolled down my cheeks.

One by one, silent and heavy.

Logan didn't say another word to me.

But he started the car again.

He drove toward his apartment.

I followed Logan into his apartment.

He walked over to his closet, pulled out a clean training jersey, and tossed it to me.

"Bathroom's over there."

He was tall, so his jersey was massive on me.

It barely covered my thighs.

After my shower, I threw the jersey on and walked out.

Logan took one look at me and immediately averted his eyes.

I walked over to his bed and sat down.

My damp, long hair dripped, quickly wetting his sheets.

I smelled completely like Logan nowhis shampoo, his body wash.

In this small, enclosed space, a thick, unspoken tension began to brew.

Logan grabbed his pack of cigarettes and cleared his throat.

"I'm going out for a smoke."

He walked out onto the balcony.

I looked around his room with curiosity.

Light gray sheets, neat and clean.

A black gear bag sat half-open in the corner.

Just as I was about to look at the trinkets on his desk, my phone suddenly rang.

Ethans name flashed on the screen.

I didn't pick up.

He immediately called again.

I had blocked him on Snapchat, but I had forgotten to block his actual number.

I quickly blocked his number too and threw my phone back into my bag.

"Logan."

I called out toward the balcony.

He quickly turned around, stubbed out his cigarette, and walked back in.

"What?"

I sat on the bed, having to tilt my head up to look at him.

Logan locked eyes with me for two seconds before looking away again.

But I noticed the tips of his ears were turning a faint shade of red.

"I got your bed wet. What should I do?"

He glanced at me, then down at the oversized jersey clinging to my damp body.

His Adams apple bobbed heavily. He turned around and grabbed a towel, tossing it to me.

"Dry it. It'll be fine."

With that, he turned to grab the hairdryer from the living room.

I held the towel, thinking about how his ears had just flushed, and couldn't help but smile.

"Can you dry it for me? My hands are tired."

He stared at me for a few seconds, eventually giving in.

With one hand holding the hairdryer, he gently pulled at my collar to reach my back.

The jersey's collar was already too wide. As he pulled, the fabric slid down, exposing a large portion of my bare shoulder.

I clearly felt Logan freeze.

"Where are you going?"

He pulled back his chair, not even turning around.

"To the gym room to work out."

"Oh."

I sat on his bed, feeling a bit let down.

Logan grabbed his headphones, but before he could put them on, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, shot me a look, and pressed answer.

"Ethan. What's up?"

My chest tightened, and I subconsciously held my breath.

"Yeah, I'm at my apartment."

"You said someone saw Chloe coming here?"

Logan turned around to look at me again.

"I"

Before he could finish, I jumped off the bed.

I strode over, climbed onto his lap, and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

As Logan tried to push me away, I pressed my lips against his ear.

"Logan, tell him I'm not here."

My body was pressed flush against his chest. In an instant, Logans body heat flared, burning hot.

I could see the veins on his neck bulging slightly.

His Adams apple rolled violently, and his heart was hammering against his ribs.

I looked up at him, and he stared down at me.

Deep in his eyes, a dark, heavy desire began to pool.

"No, they saw wrong."

"Shes not my girlfriend. We aren't close."

Logan spoke into the phone and hung up immediately.

He tossed the phone aside, his long fingers gripping my waist tightly through the thin jersey.

He pulled me flush against him.

I could feel the hard, heat of his body.

My mind went completely blank, and my first instinct was to pull away.

But Logan only held me tighter.

"Chloe."

His voice was incredibly husky.

His hot breath fanned over my ear and neck.

I shrank back, trying to dodge, but his lips slammed down onto mine.

"Don't tease me... unless you want to regret it."