Tackled by You

Chapter 40 – Got You Back

The next morning, Sheik barely slept.

He kept thinking about Andrea's voice the night before — the disappointment, the crack in her words. Even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, it still felt like he'd failed somehow.

He had just finished morning drills when his phone buzzed. It was Andrea.

Andrea: "You up for a video call?"

His heart jumped. He ducked into the locker room and hit Accept.

Andrea's face appeared on screen — no makeup, hair messy, eyes soft. She was holding Mochi, who wore a tiny headband with devil horns.

"You look… dangerous," Sheik joked, already smiling.

"You have no idea," she grinned. "So… about that photo."

Sheik's jaw tightened. "Drea, I swear—"

She interrupted him with a raised hand. "Relax. I know. I made it up."

Silence.

"What?" he blinked.

"I staged it," she said, trying not to laugh. "The message. The photo. The drama. It was all me."

Sheik stared at her. "Wait. That was a prank?"

Andrea burst out laughing. "Payback, you sneaky jerk. You think I forgot when you faked that ankle injury just to surprise me for my birthday?"

He blinked. "I almost cried last night, Andrea!"

"That's how I felt when I thought you tore your ACL and you just showed up with cupcakes like it was no big deal!" she said, laughing harder now. "Call it even?"

Sheik sat back against the locker, jaw dropped in disbelief, then slowly started to laugh. A deep, relieved, breathless laugh.

"I hate how good that was," he admitted.

"I know," Andrea smirked. "But admit it—you're kind of impressed."

"Impressed and traumatized," he groaned, still laughing. "You got me so bad."

Andrea leaned closer to the screen. "That's what you get for making me fall for a soccer boy."

Sheik grinned. "This soccer boy is never letting his guard down again."

They talked for another hour, trading old prank war stories, laughing until they were breathless. The tension from the night before had melted, replaced by something warmer. Stronger.

Because what they had wasn't just romantic — it was playful. Honest. Real.

Love, they were learning, didn't just survive hardship.It also needed humor.A little chaos.And someone who knew how to prank you just enough to remind you — you're still deeply, ridiculously in love.