Page 13 of Off the Pitch

“And I want to do a few tests before I start.”

“That’s even worse. You planned this!” I sulked, crossing my arms and fixing her with my best accusing glare. She simply raised an eyebrow at me.

“And if I did?”

I stared, once again struck speechless.

“Dinner’s in the oven, veg is on the hob, and pudding’s in the fridge. Have fun! Love you!” She pressed a quick kiss to my cheek on her way past. I heard the front door slam.

It was only then that the full force of her exit hit me. I was going to be alone. With David. In my house.

What on earth was I going to do?

Chapter Seven

TROSSERO EYES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GLORY

“I have faith in my players.”

Daily Mail

David

This was a bad fucking idea. Really bad. What the fuck had possessed me to say yes when Lily had invited me to have dinner with her and Christian? Sure, Christian and I were sort of talking again. But it was superficial ‘how was your day’ shit and dog memes—nowhere near friendly enough to have dinner at their house.

Lily was plotting something. I could feel it. And I’m pretty sure it involved Christian and I spending a lot more time together. I had a nasty feeling that she’d find some way to bail on tonight as well, and sure enough, as soon as I’d rounded the corner of the street, a taxi sped past me with a familiar pink head in the backseat.

Fuck!

Well it was too late to cancel now. I’d just have to suck it up and get through tonight as painlessly as possible. Christian and I had been friends since we were kids. Surely we’d be able to have dinner together. Okay, we were totally different people now and both still figuring each other out, but we could be civilized adults, right?

This was just like when you started dating someone and had to go through that hideous process of trying to figure out whether you liked them as a person. The fact that I was terrible at that was probably why I wasn’t very good at dating.

Fuck, was Lily trying to get Christian and I together again?

My brain was fried, and I barely looked where I was going, nearly walking into two different lampposts. I shook my head. Now was not the time to get lost in my thoughts.

Besides, there were other things to think about. Like just how nice this street was.

I always knew top footballers earned a lot of money, even if they were only at the start of their career. It was still the sort of money I’d never, ever see in my life. But hearing about it was different than seeing it. The houses here were huge with double garages and neatly manicured gardens, spaced out so they had privacy. Christian’s was maybe the smallest, but that didn’t seem to mean much. There was a large gate at the front, mostly to stop fans from getting near the house, I guessed. Lily had given me the code, which I quickly punched in, making my way up the neat drive to the dark blue front door. The house was inviting and cosy-looking, despite the size, and it made me smile.

It looked like the home Christian had always dreamed about.

I stood on the front doorstep, wiping my sweaty hands on my jeans. Jesus Christ, this wasn’t even a date. So why was I so bloody nervous? It was like I was a teenager all over again, turning up to take my first boyfriend out on a date. I took a deep breath, held it for a count of five, and let it out again slowly. Then I knocked.

There was silence for a minute. Then, just when I thought Christian was having a major freak out and had decided not to open the door, I heard the sound of the bolt clicking.

“Hi…” Christian appeared in the doorframe, a nervous blush tinting his cheeks. I couldn’t help but smile. It was impossible not to because even after all these years he was still stupidly cute.

His blond hair was pushed back off his face, and he peered up at me with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I’d ever seen. Even after six years, they still blew me away. Christian had obviously never had the growth spurt he’d been hoping for because he was at least three or four inches shorter than me, but somehow that made the funny little ball in my chest burn brighter. I’d always liked dating people shorter than me. He’d filled out, though. The way his jeans and t-shirt clung to his muscles was evidence of that—underneath them, there was a ripped body, and I could feel my dick twitching with interest.

No, shit, no.

We were just friends. He probably didn’t even feel anything for me anymore. I mean, he hadn’t exactly reached out over the years. Then again, neither had I.

My heart was still warring with itself over the past, whereas my penis was decidedly more interested in the present and the incredibly sexy, muscled man standing before me.

“Hey,” I grinned, trying to act casually. I gestured down the drive. “I see Lily ditched us.”

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