Being the only girl in the team can be rough as hell.

It’s not like the boys mean any harm, but there’s always that feeling of being out of place. The endless teasing, the jokes, and the way they all seem to forget you’re, well, not one of them sometimes. But that’s part of it. Still, Marc… Marc was different.

It wasn’t like the other guys were trying to get under your skin. But Marc? It was a whole different story. He did it effortlessly. Always close, always joking, always with that smirk of his that made you both want to laugh and throw something at him at the same time. He’d find some way to interrupt your focus, whether it was making a cheeky comment when you were on the ball or finding some excuse to brush up against you in the middle of a drill. You could never quite tell if he was doing it on purpose or if it was just his way of getting your attention, but either way, it worked.

The vacation on the island had been a mix of intense training and relaxation, but the heat made it even harder to stay focused. It was a rare moment where the team had free time, and most of them were out by the beach or lounging around the hotel, doing anything but thinking about football. You, however, needed a break but also couldn’t ignore the constant nagging of your teammates… or Marc.

You were sitting by the edge of the beach, legs in the sand, trying to cool down after a quick run. The sound of the ocean was calming, the breeze just enough to keep the sun from burning your skin. But just as you started to relax, you felt that familiar presence.

Marc slid down beside you, his leg brushing against yours as he casually threw an arm over your shoulders, pulling you closer with the ease of someone who’d done it a thousand times before.

Classic Marc move.

You shot him a look, narrowing your eyes, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Nice form out there,” he said, his voice dropping to that playful tone that always sent a small shiver down your spine. “But you missed a pass earlier. You should work on your accuracy.”