Page 120 of Off the Pitch

I still wasn’t completely sure how much the house renovations were going to cost me. The insurance was covering most of it, minus the excess on my policy, but I got the feeling they would simply return it to a livable state and there would still be things I needed to do. Not to mention the fact that my insurance premiums were definitely going to skyrocket after this.

“You seem lost in thought.” Hugo’s voice nearly made me leap out of the chair. I hadn’t heard him come in at all, so either I was deaf as a post or I really had been utterly lost in thought.

“Christ, you’re like a ninja!” I said, clutching my chest as my heart raced. “If this was a horror movie, I’d be dead right about now.”

Hugo chuckled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He leant over the chair to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “I did call out when I came in.”

“Hmm. I’m definitely going deaf then.”

“Or you were just busy.” He gestured at the art brief on my screen. “That looks complicated.”

“It fucking is,” I said, running my hands over my face. “Honestly, I swear Rachel is trying to kill me, you know. I mean, I can do it, but it’s going to take hours, and I have no idea where to start, and the deadline is a little tighter than I’d like, and I’m really struggling to focus today for some reason. My brain is all over the place. I mean, more all over the place than usual.”

“You need a break,” Hugo said, carefully plucking the stylus from between my fingers and setting it on the desk. He took my hand in his and pulled me out of the chair.

“But, but—” I tried to protest.

“No buts.” Hugo raised an eyebrow at me. “Youneeda break. You’ve been working flat out recently. Come on. I’ll make dinner, and you can keep me company.”

I perked up at this suggestion because Hugo was an excellent chef, and I adored his cooking. And he was right, I did need a break. My mind and body were numb, almost as if there was a ‘caution: low battery’ warning flashing across the inside of my skull. I knew I’d been working a lot lately, but it would be fine.

Wouldn’t it?

Turns out I was more tired than I’d thought, and by the time I’d sleepily spooned dinner into my mouth, I felt like I was moments away from falling asleep with my head on the plate. Hugo was giving me a funny look, but I was far too tired to try and work out what it was. Perhaps he was trying to use David’s patented hard stare on me, but I didn’t think it was going to work since I was so tired I couldn’t even focus on his face.

Truth be told everything was a little bit fuzzy around the edges, and not in a happy emotional way but rather an ‘I’m so exhausted I don’t think I can see properly’ way.

“You need to go to bed,mon chéri,” Hugo said, almost chuckling as he took my plate.

“I’m absolutely fine,” I said, waving my hand and fooling absolutely nobody. “I just need to read it through once more.”

“No, not happening,” Hugo said, catching hold of my hand and pulling me upright. The fact that I sagged against him and just stood there, casually inhaling the soft woody and vanilla scent that I assumed was his body wash rather than moving, was definitely a point in his favour. Dammit.

“You win.” I looked up at him, trying to scowl but failing miserably. I loved how tall Hugo was. It meant I could tuck my head under his chin when he gave me hugs, and that always made me feel warm and squishy inside. “I concede defeat.”

“Victory.” Hugo laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

“Just this once,” I mumbled.

“Just this once.”

He led me towards my room and gently pushed me inside. “Will, um, will you sit with me for a while?” I said, my face heating up. It seemed like such a stupid question to ask. “I feel like I’ve hardly seen you today, and I missed you.” My voice trailed off, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking down at my slippers, feeling more awkward than I had in a while.

“Of course,” Hugo said. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

I grinned sleepily as the door clicked shut. I pulled off my clothes and hunted for my pyjamas, which would have been a much easier process if I were a little tidier with where I put my clothes. Still it didn’t take me that long to redress and visit the little en-suite bathroom that was attached to the room.

Hugo was waiting patiently outside the door, looking at something on his phone when I opened it.

“Look,” he said. He grinned as he tilted the screen towards me. “It’s a baby bat having its wings cleaned! He has a dummy!”

The video was adorable, but what was more adorable was the way my six foot four, professional footballer of a boyfriend seemed to melt into a little puddle of goo at the sight of a small bat sucking on a dummy.

“You’re adorable, did you know that?” I said.

“Thanks.” He grinned at me, and I could have sworn there was a tiny bit of colour in his cheeks that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Had nobody ever told him how sweet and downright delightful he was? Surely they must have.

He followed me into the room, watching as I slid in between the covers. I sighed as my whole body relaxed into the mattress. Not being vertical was a wonderful feeling. I patted the bed next to me, folding back the covers in invitation.

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