The arena was already starting to buzz before the start of the game. And, although there was about half an hour left before the start, people were already taking their places in the arena. Of course, the London Panthers were popular.

Simon was standing next to a low display that was designed to advertise sponsors. He's wearing a gray game uniform with his number – 11 – on the back. He did the usual stretching, using the screen as a support in order to warm up the joints of his knees and hips. He needed this extra stretch so that his jumps and spikes were accurate, because that's how his team could win.

You were standing in front of him, a special badge on your chest, arms awkwardly crossed over your chest. Even if there weren't that many people yet, you could see it – the looks. How those girls in the back row were whispering and pointing in your direction, and then they took out their phones and started taking pictures of you. Not Simon. Although he was already used to it.

Your relationship has not been officially made public, although your photos have already been leaked online a couple of times, and there was even an article on local forums stating that "The Heart Of The Famous Volleyball Player Is Taken?" But the club has not made any statements. The club has never made statements that are not directly related to the game – that was Price's policy.

And you respected that, you really did. Because keeping that little bit of magic, that little bit of privacy, was what the two of you needed.

Simon changed his leg, and you reached forward, wiping away the small beads of sweat on his forehead. He closed his eyes and nodded his thanks. You both didn't always need words. Because you were already beyond the talking stage.

Your relationship became official pretty quickly, and although you were surprised at first when Simon asked, "will you be my girlfriend?" when he drove you home after that movie session, you soon realized that it was important to him. He rarely joked about his affection, and he certainly wasn't going to beat around the bush. He was serious about you. And so were you about him.

"Shall we order Chinese tonight?" Simon asked, leaning forward.

That simple. It was as if his team wasn't in the middle of the season, and wasn't preparing for a game against a strong opponent who was warming up on the other side of the court.

You couldn't have even dreamed of being more normal.