Page 11 of Off the Pitch

In the two weeks since the gallery opening, David and I had started texting every day, mostly just silly things or anecdotes about our days. David seemed to have an endless supply of stupidly cute dog pictures to send me. Not that I minded though, since they always made me smile.

It was nice to reconnect, even just on a surface level. Neither of us were ready to pour out our hearts and souls to each other, but even things like swapping TV show recommendations were a good start considering how long it had been. It felt like I was having to relearn who David was all over again; six years apart meant we were different people now. Not that it was a bad thing. So far, I liked what I saw.

By the time I got home, I’d relegated all thoughts of David to the back of my head, my mind picking over today’s training session and marking myself out of ten on what we’d covered. It was like a tiny performance review that I did every day, but it was the only way I’d be able to improve. I wanted this season to be better than ever, and that meant I had to be more focused and driven than ever before.

I’d never improve if I didn’t work hard.

As I walked into the kitchen, my brain still recounting the final drills of the day, I noticed Lily perched on the counter. She was chatting to Monika, who was chopping vegetables at the kitchen island, and both of them went silent as soon as I stepped through the door.

“Hello?”

“Good, you’re back,” Lily said. “What are your plans for tonight?”

“I was going to watch TV,” I said, unsure as to why I was suddenly getting the third degree like this. Usually, Lily just asked about my training or complained about university work.

“No, you’re not. I invited David to dinner tonight,” Lily said casually, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb in my lap.

“What?” I dumped my bag on the floor, staring at her. “You did what?”

“You, David, and I are going to have dinner together.” She smiled at me, looking like an incredibly smug cat. “Don’t give me that look,” she added. “I know you’ve been texting him. I’m also guessing you thought about going out with him, but neither of you have actually organised anything.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times without saying anything. Mostly because I didn’t have an answer. How on earth did she know that?

Lily must have put two and two together when I was on my phone or more willing to make TV suggestions in the evenings. She was too stupidly clever for her own good.

Or maybe she was just more observant that I was.

How she found out didn’t matter thought because now I was facing the reality of having dinner with my ex. An ex whose beautiful face I could clearly see every time I closed my eyes.

“And?” I grumbled, knowing I was being a brat.

“And nothing. It will be fun,” Lily said. “Monika said she didn’t mind making extra.”

I looked at my chef, who had a tiny knowing smile creeping across her face. They’d obviously been plotting this. Damn them!

“It’s good for you to have friends,” Monika added. “You don’t have enough.”

“I do!” I protested. “There’s Liam and Jordan. They come around loads.” Usually to play on the Xbox though… or marathon movies. Not for dinner.

“Of course you do.” Monika looked across the island at me, flicking a strand of dark hair out of her face. “Now, I’ve made you a lovely seasonal vegetable mix, some little roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary, and wrapped some chicken in prosciutto. Plus, I have been extra nice and made you dessert too. It’s a lemon tart,” she added without prompting.

I raised an eyebrow. Monika never made fancy puddings during the week. She was a stickler for making me keep to my strict regime. There was something very suspicious going on here. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.

“I’m going to take a bath,” I said, even though I’d already showered at the club. I wanted some alone time to try and process this.

There was a distinct cough as I strode through the kitchen. When I turned, Monika was looking pointedly at my training bag, still on the floor. I sighed and returned to grab it before stomping off like the petulant child I knew I was being.

As I climbed the stairs, I could hear both of them giggling.

The bath was deliciously hot.

A little groan escaped my lips as I eased into the warmth and the mass of bubbles. I knew it was stupid, but I loved bubble baths—they always smelled so good. I secretly loved using all the weird bubble baths and bath bombs that Lily bought, even if they were sometimes glittery and bright pink. I’d never told her, but I was sure she knew since I used them more than she did. She kept buying them anyway and leaving them in the main bathroom.

Technically, all the bedrooms had an en-suite, but they only had showers. If you wanted a bath, you needed to use the main bathroom, which I had conveniently claimed as my second personal haven—after my bedroom. I liked places where I could be by myself—where I couldn’t be disturbed and could hide away and think. That’s why I liked this room. I could lock the door, and no one could bother me. That and the bathtub could easily fit six people, and I got it all to myself.

My muscles ached after the relentless training I’d put myself through. As I was determined to be better than ever this season, that meant I had to be fit. I’d talked to all the coaches and our manager, Lucas Trossero, and they’d agreed. So now I was on extra gym sessions, on top of my regular ones and all our drills. It would be worth it, I’d told myself. Even if my aching legs and sore abs didn’t believe me.

I could feel myself beginning to unwind as the heat seeped into my body. The stress of training and our upcoming match against the league leaders melted away, and I was left with my own thoughts.

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