“So, tell me, dear doctor. What sports experience is it that you have, exactly?”
“What has experience got to do with it? We’re talking about kids, a friendly match.”
Jamie bursts into laughter behind me, shortly joined by my dad. “There’s no such thing as a friendly rugby match.”
“Oh, really?” Martin crosses his arms, one eyebrow arched.
“You wouldn’t get it. You don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Maybe you could try explaining it to me, instead of pissing around.”
“Maybe you should go back to your crisp, white shirt. Oh, and don’t forget the hand sanitiser!”
“Oh, come on! Cut it out!” Dad cries. “I’m trying to watch the game.”
Jamie sits back down, as Martin fixes his gaze in front of him, his face red with rage.
I shake my head and turn my eyes back to the field, hoping that I can watch the rest of the game in peace. I really hope that they win: I’m not sure how Nick would take a loss.
Nick doesn’t like to lose.
It’s nice to see him so involved in something that he really believes in, to see him love what he does. Nick loves rugby, and these past few years must’ve been hard, sitting there watching his brothers’ sporting successes. He lost his confidence. He didn’t believe he had a chance; he never stopped to look around at what he had, to find something that made him feel alive again. Something that could take up an important space in his heart.
Nick’s a teddy bear, hiding behind his arrogance and his quick wit. He tries to be tough, even when he’s not: but that’s exactly why I love him.
I love that vulnerable side to him. It makes him real, and I adore the real Nick. The one who has no filter when he speaks, who’s always ready to risk everything for love.
The only thing that matters to me is who we are together.
The referee’s whistle signals the end of the match, and I jump to my feet, as exhilarated as if he’d just won the World Cup. But I’m happy, because Nick got his victory, and I know that tonight, he’ll want to celebrate it with me.
As the kids gather around the senior coach, Nick turns to face me, gesturing for me to go out and join him on the field.
When I get there, I realise that his hands are hiding something behind his back.
“What’s that?”
“A present.”
“For me?”
He smiles at me – but it isn’t his usual smile.
“Show me.”
He sighs, heavily. “Okay.”
He hands me a T-shirt.
“What…?”
“Read what it says.”
I unfold it and stand there, frozen.
“You don’t have to wear it right now… You can keep it and put it on as soon as you’re ready. Once you put that shirt on, I’ll know that you’re mine forever. Because, Casey, you’re everything. You’re my past, my present and my future. I could never imagine what my life would be if you hadn’t come to save me. Thank you for dropping into my life. Please, never leave me, because I need you. Without you, I have no direction, no way of determining who I am. Without you, I don’t exist. And I want to stay in your life forever.”
I lift my gaze up to him.
