He nodded, opening his second burger. “Good job I didn’t go to that strip club then, isn’t it?”
CHAPTER3
Jude
As it happened,Jesse knew someone with a jet and a pilot’s licence, so we all ended up in the same aircraft, taking off from Manchester with a ton of small people, some who pretended to be grown up and the adults who were actually responsible.
“Dee – where’s my passport? I don’t think I’ve got my passport? I’ve left it in duty free.”
Rowan’s voice rang down the aisle, booming against the sides of the plane. I looked over at Dee who was busy putting hers and Toby’s hand luggage in the overhead compartment for take off.
“It’s in my handbag.” She shook her head. “Like I would let you look after that.”
Rowan glared, finding his headphones from his hand luggage and fiddling with them. We all knew he was a nervous flyer, although he had gotten better recently.
Dee smiled, passing Toby a game thing and then sitting down with her e-reader. More of us were on the plane than I’d predicted, probably because Nate and Jesse had been describing the chateau and the nearby golf course in great detail at the barbecue, and footballers didn’t always plan too far ahead in the summer. Everything was spur of the moment, depending on injury and the possibility of being transferred to other clubs. There were always one or two players who moved on, and at least a couple who would join us, but Athletic was steady at the moment, which made for a good dressing room, despite losing the cup final.
I found myself around a table with Nicky, his girlfriend Kitty, and Neva. Nicky was usually my roommate if we had to share for away games. He’d just finished his history degree, attending his graduation last week. He was also one of the best blokes I knew, just a really sorted guy and a damn fine footballer.
Neva looked half asleep, her eyes semi-closed. I hadn’t seen her much in the airport, trying to keep a distance so no one made a comment on me talking to her or being anything different than normal. I’d flown with her a few times before, when we’d had away games in Europe, but she’d always sat with Amber and the other physios and coaches, giving the players a wide berth, or maybe it was the other way round.
She gave off a scary vibe when she wanted, instilling fear into my teammates if they were going off her food plans to the extent where they were rarely badly behaved. I’d worked out that she made things stricter for those who felt like they needed to cheat, so it wouldn’t matter when they did.
I’d been the model athlete since we’d stopped doing whatever it was we’d been doing, making sure she had no reason to spend any extra time with me, because the idea of that had seemed repulsive to her.
We took off smoothly, the quietness that had been there filled with Rowan Reeves demanding a poker tournament as soon as the seatbelt sign came off.
Nicky and Kitty left their seats to go into the cockpit, somehow wrangling an invitation from the pilot.
I made my way round the table to the seat next to Neva.
“You okay? You look out of it.” I kept my voice quiet and fiddled on my phone so it looked like I was showing her something.
She gave me a smile that did the same thing to my insides as it had been doing since the night I was naughty in a McDonalds instead of a strip club.
“I’m not a good flyer. I’ve taken a relaxant. It should’ve worn off by the time we land.”
“How did I not know that?” We’d spent a lot of time together once. We’d spent as much time talking as we did fucking.
She looked at me sleepily. “It never came up. I don’t like planes. At all. This helps.”
“What else helps?” She wasn’t having any alcohol. Even I knew that didn’t mix well.
“Dozing off. Honestly, I accept I don’t like flying but I can manage it. You don’t need to worry. But thank you.” Her smile was one I remembered from when I’d woken up next to her; I’d been heading off early, and she’d been lying-in.
I loved flying. One of the things I wanted to do when I finished playing football was to learn to fly a plane. I wanted to find out why she hated flying – was it because she wasn’t in control? I knew Neva liked to be in control. Or was it claustrophobia?
Now didn’t feel like the time to ask.
“You okay if I stay sitting here?” I reached over the table and grabbed my book.
She nodded. “You don’t want to play poker?”
“I’m shit at poker. My face gives away exactly what cards I have.” I’d had a couple of lucky games, but that had been it. I’d realised that Rowan and Jesse liked playing against me because I was easy to read, so I’d retained some dignity and stopped playing.
“What are you reading?” She reached out a lazy hand and looked at my book. “Crime fiction. Gulliver Holland – he’s that really hot author. I think Jez went to see him at a signing.”
“Does she like his books or just the way he looks? And does Jesse know about this? Jesse!”
