Rosie grinned. ’Oh, yes.’
I didn’t have time to reply when the crowd behind us shot to their feet, letting out a roar. Instinctively, we joined them. My heart pounded, and my legs were seconds away from giving out. My eyes trained on the pitch—staring at the procession of players that spilled out onto the grass. I searched every face, trying to find him.
Where was he?
All the moisture evaporated from my mouth when I recognised the familiar jog and ruffled chestnut hair. He’d let his hair grow out. Instead of the sleek, gelled look, his soft curls sat rumpled on his head. Curls I’d snaked my fingers through that morning as I woke up, enveloped by his warmth.
The second the crowd saw him emerge onto the pitch, it seemed like everything around me went quiet. People peered over each other, trying to get glimpses of him.
I held my breath.
Suddenly, as one, the entire stadium erupted in a chorus of cheers that rattled my bones. My grip on Rosie’s armtightened. She squeezed me back just as hard. And we watched as Oliver took in the crowd, clapped a few of his teammates on the back and made his way to the centre.
Ready for the match to begin.
For the entire game,Oliver’s focus never once strayed. He was a powerhouse on the field. Four months’ break from training hadn’t hurt his ability in the slightest. How he moved—dodging through tackles, working with the rest of his team—wasbeautiful.
Despite Oliver’s repeated attempts to get me to understand the sport, I still had minimal knowledge of it. In my defence, the times he had chosen to tell me were also the times he chose not to wear a shirt… it isn’t my fault that my mind wandered.
All I knew was that Oliver was born to play.
My heart stayed firmly lodged in my throat for the entire ninety minutes. Rosie had well and truly got into the game. Yelling at the referees any chance she got—earning several sly grins from George, who I noticed spent more time watching her than his brother.
The score was 3-3. And thanks to a dubious tackle in the last minute of injury time, Oliver’s team had been awarded a free kick. The people who packed the stadium turned their loud cheers to a low rumble as Oliver took his mark on the field. His lips were pressed into a grim line as he set the ball on the ground and took several steps back. The other team were braced in position, a seemingly impenetrable wall between Oliver and the goal, ready to do their best to stop him from scoring.
I shuffled to the edge of my seat. I hadn’t once let go ofRosie, and the two of us huddled together as we watched the tense moment play out.
Oliver’s eyes danced over his team for a second; then, his gaze shifted to the crowd.Searching.Our eyes connected. A small smile tugged on his face as he winked at me.
Like the love-struck fool I was, I grinned back. Feeling my heart swell with every second, he stared at me.
His smile didn’t drop as he took a short run-up to the ball and let it fly.
The entire stadium collectively held their breath.
Then everyone erupted in the loudest cheers I’d ever heard.
He’d scored. He’d won the match.
Rosie hauled me to standing, and the three of us jumped up and down, cheering with everyone else.
The final whistle blew, and the team joined the fans in their celebration. Running around the pitch and jumping into each other's arms.
EveryoneexceptOliver.
He had broken away from the throng and was running straight towards me. His long legs ate up the distance between us. He didn’t even pay attention to other players trying to get his attention. He was wholly focused on me.
Rosie giggled next to me as she unpeeled our hands.
With impressively little effort, Oliver vaulted over the railing, jogged up the single step and swooped me into his arms.
Sweat caked his skin, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling tears crest my eyes.
I heard people cheering and snapping pictures, but at that moment, I couldn’t give a flying fuck. I held him as tightly as he held me.
When all the air had been squeezed from my lungs, he putme down and cradled my face in his palms. His own eyes glistened as he looked down at me.
Everything between us had been a whirlwind. It moved so fast that my head spun. But whenever he was around, he quietened the noise. He softened the sharp edges of judgement and opinion that people liked to throw at us, reminding me over and over that nothing mattered to him more than me. More thanus.
