Lia had started out her time at Albion by lying to her, keeping the real reason for her break-up with Hannah a secret. And then this thing with Erin… For months Lia had kept it from her—by necessity, but still. It was weighing heavily on her shoulders, solid on her chest, making it harder and harder to breathe.
“I’m sorry,” Lia whispered, hating the fact she was hurting Cerys. Hurting herself by keeping it all bottled inside. “But I can’t talk about it. Not here.”
“Later?” She glanced out the window. “We’re almost back at the training ground. Why don’t I come back to your apartment with you?”
“Don’t you want to go out with the others?”
Cerys shook her head. “Not without you. Not until I know you’re okay.”
Blinking back tears, Lia reached for Cerys’s hand and squeezed. “You’re a good friend. More than I deserve.”
A few minutes later, the coach pulled to a stop outside an empty Park Lane. Lia and Cerys were first off the bus—followed by a few of their teammates, who already looked worse for wear.
“Remember—we’ve got a recovery session tomorrow afternoon.” Ayla eyed them all sternly. “So don’t celebrate too hard. Now, get out of here, all of you. Go enjoy yourselves.”
Officially dismissed, groups gathered, making plans for the night ahead. She let Cerys tell the others she and Lia wouldn’t be joining them, her gaze flicking toward where Erin stood saying goodbye to Alex.
Erin glanced over, their gazes meeting for a second across the dark car park. Lia didn’t know what she expected. Erin to look regretful? To come over and say she didn’t mean it and of course Lia should come over?
Instead, Erin looked away, like Lia meant nothing. Like they’d shared nothing.
It left a sour taste in her mouth.
“Ready?” Cerys slid her arm through Lia’s.
“Can we go to your place instead of mine?” The thought of her path crossing Erin’s in the lobby or the hallway made her feel ill.
“Are you sure? Yours is closer.”
“Please. If Xander won’t mind.”
“He won’t mind at all; you know he loves you.” Xander and Cerys had been together almost as long as she and Lia had been friends. “Let me order an Uber—it’ll be quicker than the tram.”
Five minutes later, they were in the back seat of a Ford Focus, speeding through the centre of Manchester, and Cerys’s eyes were burning into the side of her face. “Spill the beans.”
“Not here, either.”
“Oh my God, Lia.” Cerys rolled her head back against the headrest with an exaggerated groan. “Why so secretive? It’s not like you’ve been sleeping with her!” She snickered at her own joke—until she glanced at Lia’s face. Her laughter died, and her mouth dropped open. “You’ve been sleeping with her?!”
Lia cast a meaningful glance at their driver. “Not. Here.”
“Oh, come on! You can’t drop a bomb like that and expect me not to ask questions!”
“Technically you dropped the bomb.”
“I was joking.” Cerys shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”
“Well, believe it.” Resting her head against the window, Lia watched the shops and takeaways turn to residential streets.
Cerys and Xander lived in a two-bed house on the outskirts of the city. The Christmas decorations that had covered every available surface on Lia’s last visit had been taken down to reveal the usual family photos plastered over the walls and a framed shirt from Cerys’s first-ever international game hanging at the top of the stairs.
In the living room, Xander sat on the couch, waving as Cerys dragged Lia inside. “Hey. Congrats on the win—I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”
“That’s okay, baby.” Cerys bent to kiss his cheek. “You had your own game to play. I watched the highlights on the coach back—you killed it.”
His smile was dazzling, and the domesticity of it—Cerys coming home to someone who loved her, who ran in the same circles and understood her job and the commitment it took—made Lia’s heart ache.
After Hannah, she’d never thought she would want something like that again. But lately, it was like her life was missing something. Her apartment was lonely. How nice would it be to have someone to share her space with? For more than a night?
