Page 50 of Mutual Discord

With a deadpan expression, Alex was lip-syncing the words to the bridge, his timing impeccable. His delivery—and no doubt his good looks—had the entire arena whistling and hooting, and I slapped a hand over my mouth as I almost doubled over in laughter. When the song was over, Alex shrugged playfully at me as the fans in the seats around us showered him with riotous applause, some even slapping him on the back.

“You are a man of many talents, Alex Castillo,” I murmured quietly, watching as he thanked some fans beside him. When he finally turned to me, I simply returned his smile.

“So tell me,” I breathed, bumping my shoulder into his, “was that planned?”

Pink colored his cheeks. “Yes and no. Greg, the camera guy, had joked that he was going to get one of us at some point, so I’ve been on guard. And when I heard the Backstreet Boys, I knew my time had come.”

“It sure did.” I chuckled, dropping my head to his shoulder. “I’m impressed. Your delivery was perfect.”

His chuckle tickled my ear. “That song is a modern classic for a reason.” Alex abruptly pulled his phone out of his pocket, and a long, resigned sigh deflated his chest. “Steph just texted to say a clip of my performance has been posted to the team’s TikTok.”

“Ahh,” I cried, fumbling for my phone in my bag. I pursed my lips when I saw I had a missed text from Caitlin.

Caitlin: He did. I’m glad you’re having fun. One day I’ll be in town to catch a game, too.

Swiping the message closed, I forced my thoughts from my friend and focused on searching for the Scorpions account. Once on their page, I spotted the video, which already had ten thousand views.

“You’re going viral,” I remarked, beaming as I watched Alex perform for the camera. God, he looked so good. No wonder the video was already doing numbers. I clicked on the comments, snorting as I read the first few.

Alex wrinkled his nose. “Do I want to know what people are saying?”

“They’ve been very complimentary.” I turned my phone toward him, pointing at the screen. “This one says she hasn’t had this many butterflies in her tummy listening to this song since she saw the Backstreet Boys in concert when she was seventeen.” Glancing at the comment section again, I laughed. “And this one says you can serenade them any day.”

Leaning back in his seat, Alex covered his face with his hands. “Ay dios, did I inadvertently create a thirst trap?”

My cackle was so loud, staff on the players’ bench turned to look at us.

“Oh my God, you did,” I exclaimed, grabbing his arm and shaking it. “I just read two of the comments here. There are close to a hundred already. They love you, Alex.”

And then my gaze snagged on another comment…one that was very different from the others.

Is that SLikeTheSun in the background? Is this her man?

Fuck. No, no, no. I inhaled a sharp breath, my heart suddenly lodged in my throat. To my horror, similar comments began to populate the post, and when my own notifications began to flood, I closed my eyes as nausea swamped me.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, his hand settling on my back. “Did something happen?”

His touch revived me, and I blinked up at him. Unsure of what to say, I opted to show him the comment section. Alex’s expression grew grim as he scrolled, and when he finally met my gaze, his shoulders had sunk.

“I’m sorry, Sofia.” His hand on my back moved to my opposite shoulder, and Alex gently pulled me into his side. “It’s my turn to ask you how I can help.”

It was a thoughtful question, and I considered how to respond. I had never been in a situation where my identity was in danger of being revealed, and I hated it. Hated feeling out of control. Hated feeling helpless.

“What should I do?” My voice was nothing more than a gravelly whisper, and I wasn’t sure if the question was for Alex or myself. I was sure Alex couldn’t even hear me over the music or the bouncing of basketballs, with the players now warming up as the end of halftime neared.

Still, this was Alex, and I shouldn’t have been surprised when he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the curls along my neck. “I think you should raise your head, fix a smile on your face, and enjoy the second half of the game.”

My nose wrinkled. “You do?”

Alex nodded, his dark eyes holding mine. “TikTok already knows you’re here. They already know you’re sitting with a man…a very talented, handsome man”—he chuckled when I swatted his leg—“so you might as well look as if you’re having fun should someone take a picture of you.”

I whipped my head about, expecting to see fans with their phones trained on me. Alex squeezed my shoulder, and it was almost impossible not to bury my face in his chest, craving his warmth and the protection my stupid body wanted from his. But of course, I didn’t. Instead, I pulled my spine straight and clamped my teeth together.

“Let’s watch the game, cheer on the ladies, and then afterward, we can put our heads together and come up with a game plan.” He raised his brows. “Does that work?”

Did it work for me? Could I sit here and watch the game, pretending I wasn’t keenly aware that people online now knew I was in Phoenix? That I was with this charming man who was also my best friend’s boyfriend? My hands curled into fists so tight, my fingernails bit into my palms.

That is until Alex’s large hand covered mine, his fingers carefully unfurling my own. “Don’t worry, Sofia. We’ll figure it out together.”