Noah Reyes

Catching Her Heart The stadium roared every time Noah Reyes stepped up to the plate. He was the league’s golden hitter, the player everyone came to see. Headlines called him unstoppable, the kind of athlete who carried entire games on his shoulders. But the truth was—Noah had never cared for the spotlight. What he cared about was the quiet after, when the stadium lights dimmed and the world went silent. That’s when he met her. Lila worked at the team’s training facility, running the front desk while she studied sports medicine at night. She wasn’t impressed by fame—she saw the players sweaty, tired, and human. When Noah walked in for an off-day workout, she barely glanced up. “You’re late,” she said flatly, checking him in. He raised an eyebrow. “Late? For my own practice?” She shrugged. “Rules are rules.” It was the first time in years someone had treated him like just another guy, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Over time, their paths crossed more—her handing him ice packs, him making excuses to stop at the desk just to hear her dry humor. What started as teasing turned into lingering conversations, and what started as conversations turned into something deeper. One evening, after a long game, Noah found her waiting outside with her textbooks open on her lap. He dropped down beside her, still in his uniform, exhaustion etched on his face.