“How very matey of you. Maybe I should swap you onto my list. What do you think, Count?” Amber looked deadly serious which should’ve been enough to make Nate run for cover.
Instead, the club’s big, tough goalkeeper blushed.
So it was like that, was it?
Unlike Rowan Reeves, I knew that poking that bear would mean Nate would poke at me, and for the last few days Nate hadn’t even mentioned Otter. I wasn’t going to go there and risk Rowan finding out. No one needed to find out.
“You can have whichever players you like, Amber. You can have them all.” He brushed his hands together and looked at me. “Your turn, Ryan.”
I pulled my top off and launched it at Nate, yanking his attention from Amber and back to me.
He shook his head, whether it was at my perfect aim, or that he guessed I’d noticed what he was focusing on, I didn’t care.
The Count was his usual careful self, massaging the knots from where they usually pulled and working around my neck, which I got from falling asleep in front of the screen too much. Unlike Amber, he didn’t provide a free lecture, or unasked for torture, which she gave freely.
I headed to the steam room straight after, knowing Nate and probably Rowan would be there already. A couple other of my teammates were there too – clearly Friday was the day to sweat.
There was silence in the steam room. Everyone looked like they were about to fall asleep or pass out, which could be explained by the fact it was hotter than usual. Maybe Amber had turned up the heat as another test of our strength. I took a seat next to Rowan, making sure I kept my knee away from his, which was hard given his manspreading had taken up about two metres.
“How’s Dee?” I wasn’t in the mood to observe the silence. “She realised what a dick you are yet?”
He laughed, which meant things with them were probably good. “She’s doing amazing.”
“That means he got laid last night.” Someone from the frog chorus jumped in.
Rowan flicked him the V’s, which would be barely visible through the half-light of the steam room.
A few catcalls went up, along with a comment about him being whipped already.
Rowan just grinned. “The women’s team have got a game tonight. Who’s going to watch it?”
There were a few murmurs, someone asked what time kick-off was and Nate confirmed he was going along.
“How about you, O’Connell? You coming?” Rowan slapped my knee.
I nodded. “Yep. Show my support.” The women’s team were having a good run of form, and the football they were playing was skilful. There was also hardly anything else to do the night before a game except get an early night and play video games, and watching the women’s side was one of the manager’s approved activities.
Rowan nodded his approval and the steam room fell silent again. It remained that way until Jude opened his mouth.
“What’s happening between you and Amber, Nate?”
The silence that followed was filled with undetonated bombs.
Someone elbowed Jude in the ribs. “Fuck. Shit. Sorry, Nate. I didn’t think.”
Still silence. Nate was saying nothing.
After another thirty seconds, Nate stood up and left the steam room.
“You fucking twat.” Rowan’s Geordie accent sounded thicker coating the swear words. “Do you have any fucking idea?”
Jude rubbed his face. “I forgot. Just the way he was looking at Amber…”
“Maybe learn to think before you speak.” I whacked the back of his head on my way out, heading to the locker room to find Nate.
He was sitting on the benches, a towel wrapped around his waist, his phone in his hand.
I could guess what he was looking at.
