Page 111 of Off the Pitch

“Here you go,” Jordan said, placing two pints of Diet Coke on the table in front of us. “By the way,” he added, “this is for you.” He held out a folded piece of paper with a wry smile.

“What’s this?”

“It’s from the guy behind the bar,” Jordan said with a shrug. “Wanted me to give you his number.”

I stared at him, stunned. “What?!”

“His name’s Jack, and he thinks you’re fit,” Jordan added. “You’re still single, right?”

“What’s that got to do with it?” I looked across at the bar, trying to pick thisJackout from the sea of people surrounding it. It wasn’t hard since the other person serving was a petite woman.

I couldn’t deny Jack was good looking with honey blond hair, mega-watt smiles, and a slim, tight body that he’d practically poured into a skintight black t-shirt. He caught me staring and shot me a dazzling smile.

“I just figured you might be feeling a little frustrated and might be looking for some fun,” Jordan said, looking back at the bartender with a wistful expression on his face. “He’s pretty fit.”

There were so many things wrong with that sentence I wasn’t sure what to deal with first. And that wasn’t even counting the look on Jordan’s face.

“Plus, he knows you’ve got a dodgy leg, ’cos he asked about it,” Jordan added, clearing his throat and reverting to his role as wingman. “I kinda got the feeling he wants to play nurse.”

He waggled his eyebrows at me for emphasis, while David snorted into his cider. At the other end of the table Liam looked about ready to burst with laughter, Christian had gone a vague shade of pink, and Ali was just smiling, watching the whole exchange with amusement.

And Kit.

Kit looked like he might be sick.

“I’m okay, really,” I said, putting the paper back on the table. “I’m not interested.”

“Your loss,” Jordan said with a shrug.

There was something going on there, but I didn’t want to push at it, especially not in public, and I didn’t want to put Jordan on the spot. I knew he’d had quite a few girlfriends in the past, and our teammate Micah, who’d been clubbing with Jordan regularly, said he was a bit of a player. But he’d never openly shown any interest in men before. At least, not that I knew of.

When I’d told Jordan I was pansexual at the end of last year, he’d been really confused, as if he didn’t realise it was a possibility. Maybe something was starting to click in his brain?

That wasn’t for me to ask though. It could be nothing.

“So, how was your holiday?” I said, turning to Christian in an attempt to change the topic as fast as possible. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

“It was amazing!” In seconds Christian was off, telling me about the hotel, the beaches, and their suite in one of the hotel’s water bungalows. He even pulled out his phone to show me a couple of pictures, including an adorable one of him and David watching the sunrise.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Have you ever been?” Christian asked.

“Once, but I’d love to go back.” I didn’t add that the last time hadn’t been great. Hélène and I had gone on an exotic holiday together in a bid to save our marriage. Safe to say it had been a disaster. At least the food had been good.

“Me too, and I’ve only just come back.”

Our conversation lulled as Christian was drawn into a conversation about new training routines and preseason matches. Beside me, Kit was quietly chatting to Ali and David about a project he’d been working on. He looked less nauseous now, a soft smile on his lips as he chatted vaguely about the company he was working on some art for.

I knew then that I’d wait for him because I was already on my way to being hopelessly, and irretrievably, in love with him.

Chapter Eleven

KitOkay, so what’s your opinion on burger cheese?

HugoThat’s plastic, not cheese

HugoYou’re deliberately tormenting me, aren’t you?

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