Page 166 of Off the Pitch

“You wouldn’t!”

“I might.”

“I feel so betrayed, after all those bowls of Coco Pops I brought you.” He laughed and squeezed my hand again. “Seriously though, I’m so happy for you. You deserve this. I’ve always wanted to see you this happy, and now I get to.”

“Thanks,” I said. “And thanks for giving me nudges when I needed them. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Always, babe.”

We watched as the game kicked off again, the last few minutes ticking away. From here, it looked like Hugo was virtually floating.

Six months ago, everything had been so different. When I’d first met Hugo, he’d been almost a shell of the man I knew today. Then again, I had been too. It had taken me a while to realise just how much I needed him and just how much we needed each other. Hugo had been the breath of fresh air I’d needed in my life. I’d never dreamt of getting a fairy-tale happy ending, it just hadn’t seemed possible, and yet he’d blown in and swept me off my feet, treating me like I was something rare and precious to be treasured.

I knew I’d never stop loving him. He was it for me, and maybe those old poets had been right when they’d talked about soulmates. If they really existed, then I knew Hugo was mine.

The whistle blew, and the stadium filled with a deafening roar of celebration that seemed to go on and on.

Eventually, when the teams had finally dispersed and the stadium had begun to empty, I pottered out of the balcony we’d been sitting in and headed back towards the flat. It was half-packed now, with boxes, bubble-wrap, and endless rolls of packing tape strewn over every room. Both my house and his flat had sold within two weeks of going on the market, and we were all set to move into the new house before Christmas.

I’d been sad to sell my little house because it felt like giving the last piece of my grandmother away. But I knew she’d tell me it was just a house, just bricks and mortar, nothing more. Besides, she’d hated it anyway. She’d always resented having to keep a house in London when she’d been happiest in Scotland. I think she’d only kept it to spite my parents who’d spent nearly twenty years trying to get her to part with it. I thought she’d probably be laughing about it now.

I wished I could introduce her to Hugo and show her how much I’d achieved with my life. I’d like to think she’d be proud of me, and in my heart, I knew she was.

The flat was quiet when I arrived, and I ambled around the kitchen, singing quietly to myself while making dinner. It really would be rather lovely to have a dog for company while I was here by myself. Perhaps after Christmas I could talk Hugo into investigating the possibility.

I heard the door slam and the slap of Hugo’s kit bag hitting the floor before his face appeared around the corner.

“Hey,” he said, stepping onto the tiled floor and wrapping me in his arms. “I found you.”

“You did,” I said, giving him a soft kiss. “I’m so proud of you. Did you have fun? I know you said you felt a bit sick this morning, but did your nerves go away by the time you got there? What did the others say? Were they pleased to have you back?”

“It was good,” he said, chuckling at my questions. “And yes to everything else.”

I smiled, resting my head on Hugo’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “Good, that makes me happy.”

“Do you know what makes me happy?”

“What?” I tilted my head up to see him smiling.

“You. You make me happy.”

And there it was—the ultimate truth. It made my heart soar.

“You make me happy too. So happy. The happiest. Nobody else is as happy as us.”

“Of course not,” Hugo said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I have you. Everyone else is at an automatic disadvantage.”

“And I have you, and I have to say that I think I win.”

“We’ll call it a tie.”

I considered that for a second before giving in and burying my head in his chest again, smiling to myself. “Done.”

Epilogue

4 Years Later

KitIf we ever got married would you consider a cheese wedding cake? Alongside an actual wedding cake of course

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