My Match | ??

The next morning, Victoria woke up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. For a moment, she forgot where she was, her mind still caught somewhere between dreaming and reality. Then she shifted slightly—and immediately regretted it. 

Her entire body *ached*. 

Not the kind of ache she was used to from ballet—the dull soreness in her muscles after long hours of training. No, this was *different*. This was *fire*. 

She groaned, prying her eyes open. That's when she noticed Chase sitting up beside her, looking equally miserable. 

"Shit," he muttered, rubbing his face. "I feel like I got roasted alive." 

Victoria forced herself to sit up, wincing as her skin *pulled*. She looked down at herself and nearly *whimpered*. 

Her usually pale skin was *red*. Bright, angry red. 

"*No*," she groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "This is *not* happening." 

Chase let out a rough laugh. "*Oh*, it's happening, Tori. We got *fried* yesterday." 

She shot him a glare. "You're the one who said we didn't need more sunscreen." 

Chase raised an eyebrow. "*You* agreed." 

Victoria huffed, too miserable to argue further. 

A full day of sun, snorkeling, and lounging on the beach had seemed like a good idea—until now. Now, every inch of her body *hurt*, and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to survive the rest of the trip like this. 

"I need aloe," she mumbled, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. 

"Good call," Chase groaned, following suit. "Pretty sure I saw some at the gift shop." 

— 

Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the hotel room, armed with a giant bottle of aloe vera. 

Victoria twisted the cap open and squeezed some into her palm, sighing in relief at the cool sensation. She started rubbing it onto her legs and arms, but the second she reached for her back, she *hissed* in pain. 

"Ugh. I can't reach." 

"Want me to do it?" Chase asked casually. 

Victoria froze. 

She turned slowly, eyeing him. "You want to *rub aloe on my back*?" 

Chase smirked. "Relax, Tori. It's just aloe. I promise not to ravish you in your delicate, sunburnt state." 

Victoria rolled her eyes but couldn't ignore the way her stomach flipped at his words. 

"Fine," she muttered, turning around and pulling her hair to the side. 

A second later, Chase's hands were on her. 

The first touch of his fingers—cool and slick with aloe—made her *shudder*. She told herself it was just because of the temperature difference, but when his hands started spreading it gently across her back, she knew better. 

He was careful, his fingers surprisingly soft as he worked the aloe into her burning skin. 

"You're so tense," he murmured, his voice close to her ear. 

Victoria swallowed. "Maybe because I'm being *manhandled*." 

Chase chuckled. "If this is manhandling, you must have pretty low standards." 

She *meant* to roll her eyes again, but then his hands pressed a little more firmly into her shoulders, and she had to bite her lip to keep from making a sound. 

It was embarrassing how *good* it felt. 

"Alright," he said after a moment, patting her lightly on the shoulder. "You're good." 

Victoria exhaled—she hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath. 

"Your turn," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. 

Chase blinked. "What?" 

"You got sunburnt too," she pointed out. "Unless you have some magical way of reaching your own back, *I* have to do it." 

Chase hesitated, then turned around, tugging his shirt over his head. 

Victoria *immediately* regretted offering. 

His back was *insane*. 

Toned, golden-skinned (minus the now *very* red areas), and broad enough that she had to take a second to mentally prepare herself before touching him. 

*Get a grip, Victoria.* 

She squeezed some aloe onto her palms and placed them on his back. 

Chase *hissed*. 

"Cold?" she asked, smirking despite herself. 

"Freezing," he muttered. 

"Big tough quarterback can't handle a little aloe?" 

"Shut up, Tori." 

She laughed softly, but as she rubbed the aloe into his skin, her amusement faded into something quieter. 

She was *touching* Chase Black. 

*Really* touching him. 

Her hands smoothed over his sunburned shoulders, working the gel in carefully. His muscles flexed beneath her fingertips, and she was suddenly very aware of how *close* they were. 

The room felt smaller. Warmer. 

She finished quickly, pulling away and wiping her hands on a towel. "Done." 

Chase turned back around, eyeing her. "Thanks." 

She nodded, avoiding his gaze. "Don't mention it." 

For a moment, they just stood there, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. 

Then Chase grinned. "We look ridiculous." 

Victoria sighed dramatically. "We really do." 

"Guess we're stuck inside today," he said. "Unless you wanna risk getting *worse*." 

She groaned. "I hate this." 

Chase smirked. "At least we're suffering together, Tori." 

Victoria huffed. "Not sure if that makes it better or worse." 

Chase just grinned, and for some reason, Victoria couldn't quite shake the warmth in her chest—not from the sunburn, but from *him*.