I laughed. “I have no idea. No idea at all.”
She frowned. “One night stand?”
“Second time. We shared a hotel room in Houston.”
“And you don’t know his name?”
“Correct.” I laughed, because it sounded mad. Completely, deliciously mad.
She shrugged. “You seeing him again?”
“At some point, definitely.”
Because I had absolutely no doubt I would.
Lois & Clark
September
CHAPTER5
Ryan
“How do you feel,this being your first away match for the club, and it’s against the team you played for?” Leila Downey, the one journalist I didn’t mind being interviewed by, smiled at me from the sofa, her dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Leila got it. She avoided the standard questions, the ones that were boring at best and downright stupid at worst. If she was on match day duty, she’d give us a quick thirty seconds to let us know what she was focusing on. Pre-match interviews, like this, being recorded to go out before tomorrow’s game, she discussed with us beforehand. She wasn’t interested in grilling us, but there was a deal.
Any juicy stories, she got them first. That worked both ways; she got an exclusive and we got off lightly because Leila worked with us.
The question was an obvious one, and the viewers would be expecting a standard response. I wasn’t going to give one.
“Nervous. Arsenal was a great club to play for, and the supporters were incredible, all the time I was there. My decision to leave wasn’t based around the club.” I relaxed back, the suit I was wearing pretty comfy, thankfully. Most players would wear their training gear; I’d opted for one of the suits gifted with my new collab.
Leila nodded, feigning interest I knew she didn’t have. Minutes before we started recording, she’d dumped her boyfriend. She’d seen a post on social media where he looked very friendly with a wannabe model.
“Why did you leave? There’s been speculation about your wages from Athletic, but both yourself and the club haven’t confirmed anything.”
“I wanted to move away from the city. London’s great, the people are fantastic, but I wanted to live somewhere more rural. To do that and play for Arsenal, I’d be looking at a seriously long commute. Manchester is another great city, and it also has areas just outside – Cheshire and Derbyshire – which are easy to commute to from the campus.” It was the truth. I wanted more space, more outdoors, somewhere I could possibly keep a few animals. When I retired from football, I’d probably be coding full time, which I could get lost in. Having grounds to maintain would stop me from turning into a full-time geek.
Leila smiled. “That’s a lifestyle choice. But you’ve never been one to embrace the stereotypical life of a footballer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of you on a night out, or on holiday – I guess you leave that to Rowan Reeves?”
We both laughed now. Rowan wouldn’t have cared about the joke. He was too engrossed in trying to beat Dee Jones at everything right now, one of the players on Athletic’s women’s team. It was obvious to everyone but him that he had a huge crush on her, but we’d agreed to let him find that out for himself.
“Rowan’s a good bloke and one of the best trainers on the team. The supporters don’t need to worry about him not being focused.”
The questions turned to the season ahead, asking for predictions as to where we’d finish, the expected vague answers given. Leila asked about insider information, what had I passed on to the Athletic players and what did I expect from Arsenal this season. Easy questions, a bit of humour coming in, and a clip from two of my old Gunners teammates not wishing me luck.
“What are your personal goals for the season, Ryan? What do you hope to have achieved by the end of it?” Leila asked the last agreed question.
We’d gone through an answer, the standard best season, more club goals, England caps, all of that. Then I took a chance with a Hollywood ball.
“I’d like to find some balance off the pitch too. Part of moving from London is to see what else there is for after football, make a base somewhere.”
Leila raised her brows and gave me a smile that told me I was her new favourite person.
“Dare I ask if you’ve met someone to share that lifestyle with? We all know you’re the Mister Discreet of the football world.”
I thought of The Girl in the Bar, her number the last I’d checked in my contacts.
