‘How are you now?’ Sliding across to the empty stool between us, I hope it doesn’t look odd. She is our physiotherapist after all, and I am apparently going to be paired up with her for a wedding in a few months’ time.
‘Never been better. A little tired, but it’s been a big day.’ She bites back the smirk that forms on her luscious lips. Lips that were pressed over every inch of my body not sixteen hours earlier.
‘It certainly has.’ I take a sip from the champagne glass, giving in to my fate.
‘How’s the groin?’ she asks with a sly wink.
‘Never been better. It got a good warm-up, which seems to have saved me.’
She splutters a mouthful of champagne, dabbing her lips before smiling widely at me. It takes everything in my power not to pull her in to me and kiss her. I want her to be mine, properly mine with her entire family’s blessing. I’ll do everything in my power to make it a reality; I simply need to think of a way to prove to Eddie I’m serious.
‘You know, as your physio, I have to recommend that you do an equal number of stretches tonight. Post-match care is just as important as the pre-match warm-up.’ Her eyes are trained forward and her tone is almost completely neutral. But inside my trousers, she’s igniting a blazing fire only she can put out.
Before I can confirm if she’d like to go to my place or hers, her brute of a brother interrupts us again. Calling across the table, he asks the question I’ve been hoping he’d forgotten about.
‘Yo, Ollie.’ His voice is loud enough to quieten everyone else at the table. ‘With all the excitement of the day I forgot to ask you how last night went? Please tell me you actually went on the damn date? You know youareallowed to bring a plus-one to our wedding.’
He puts his glass down on the table with a thud and rubs his hands together, relishing the prospect of details, that in reality would tear him apart.
I don’t know if it’s nerves, or the bizarreness of the entire situation, but the urge to laugh becomes uncontrollable, it presses relentlessly against my thorax until it’s practically painful. It’s an effort not to clutch my chest. My lips defy my orders and yank upwards into an almighty grin and the dumbest sounding laugh echoes across the table.
‘That good, huh?’ Eddie’s eyebrows lift in amazement. ‘Jesus, I told you Finding Forever was the way forward. You get what you pay for in this life, man.’ He shakes his head in disbelief. ‘You know, this is the first time I’ve seen you really smile since the night you came back from Westport. Who is she? And are you seeing her again?’ He picks up his drink again but doesn’t move it to his lips; his attention focused solely on me.
Through the corner of my eye, I notice Amy squirm next to me, making an obvious show of being more interested in the rapidly depleting contents of her glass than anything I have to say.
I’m dying to blurt it out, to just get it off my chest and deal with the consequences. I’ve never been good at secrets. Maybe I could tell them, like it’s a funny story, ‘hey, you’ll never guess who I got matched with?’ And everyone would laugh and say, ‘who would have thought? That’s amazing. Congratulations to both of you,’ or ‘you guys make the best couple, how did we not spot it earlier?’
As though she can read my mind, the subtle shake of Amy’s curls silently plead with me not to do it. For her, I won’t, but it doesn’t sit well with me. The only thing I can do, is try not to lie any more than I have to.
‘I’m not telling you who she is. Not yet. I will, if it goes the way I’m hoping it might.’ A disappointed round of ‘ah, whats?’ and ‘spill, man,’ resound around the table in unison.
I hold my hands up in a defensive gesture and shrug. ‘I will give you this though, she is my absolute dream woman. I only hope she feels the same way.’
‘Fucking hell, man, that is awesome.’ Eddie high-fives me across the table. Emma glances dubiously at me, her perfect eyebrows raising in a questioning manner.
To my right, Amy blends into the background for everyone but me apparently. I’m inundated with questions, which I answer as honestly as I can without revealing her identity. I do it willingly, because I want her to hear the answers. I want her to know that I never had a first date like it, that I hope to never go on another first date, because if I get my way, neither will she.
‘So, when are you seeing her again?’ Callum asks.
I make a show of checking my watch, fighting the smile that battles to part my lips once again. ‘Later, with a bit of luck.’
‘Oh errr… fast mover, on and off the pitch. Good luck to you, mate. I genuinely hope it works out for you. After everything… you deserve it.’ Sincerity rings from Eddie’s tone as he offers his hand out for a fist pump across the table.
Amy stands with a yawn. ‘I might get a taxi,’ she says to everyone, but subliminally me.
‘Don’t get a Uber. Use the club chauffeur. He’s downstairs.’ Eddie frowns. ‘You know what, I’ll just come with you in the car and then get the driver to drop me back here.’ Eddie stands, placing his drink on the table.
‘For goodness sake, Eddie, I’m twenty-four. I don’t need you seeing me home.’ Amy’s tone is brittle and her jaw clenches as she rolls her eyes.
‘I can drop her off.’ It’s out of my mouth before I overthink it. ‘I haven’t been drinking and I was planning on leaving anyway.’
A frown flickers across Nathan’s face for a fraction of a second but Eddie looks relieved, deeming me less of a threat than a dark stranger. He’s right. I’ll mind her with every part of me. Nothing will happen to her while she’s in my care. But it’s not for his sake, it’s for hers, and mine because I’m mad about her.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Eddie tells her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. She waves at her parents and Matthew. I notice her other brother isn’t nearly as protective of her, even though he’s the oldest sibling.
In the underground car park, she slips off her coat and slides into the passenger seat as though she’s done it a hundred times before. Underneath the veil of moonlight shadows, I pull her body against mine the way I’ve craved since the second we parted this morning. Her head tilts upwards to meet mine and our lips lock across the centre console like impatient teenagers, panting, teeth scraping and fingers fumbling.
She pulls back suddenly. ‘What did he mean? After everything?’
