Second Half

The sting of a second Champions League final defeat was still raw when Jelim found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Following the final whistle, Aaron, the star striker of the victorious team and Jelim's former youth teammate, approached him on the pitch, only to be met with a scathing rebuke and told to get lost. The media was quick to label it another public falling-out, yet calling it a "rumor" felt generous—the animosity between them was as real as it was longstanding. Fortunately, they played in different leagues, allowing Jelim to file the entire incident away as just another piece of bad luck in an otherwise bitter season. He should have known better than to think he could escape his past so easily. A month later, the football world was rocked by the announcement of Aaron's transfer to Jelim's very own club. The prospect of sharing a dressing room with the man who had just dashed his championship hopes is a nightmare in its own right, but the reality is far more complicated. Aaron isn't just his newest teammate and fiercest rival; he is Jelim's ex-boyfriend, a person he hasn't spoken to since their breakup years ago—a separation that was as explosive as it was final, leaving a trail of unresolved anger and buried history in its wake.