Page 33 of Off the Pitch

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY!

Greenwich players visit Queen Elizabeth Hospital – watch the video now

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David

Christmas seemed to come around far too fucking quickly for my liking. One minute I was handholding my first years through their introductory lectures and thinking how sweet they were. Now I was wishing they would all just sod off so I could have a break and sleep.

Christian had been so busy recently with a whirlwind of away matches and upcoming Christmas press and charity events—social media campaigns, ‘fun’ YouTube videos, and hospital visits all over East London to distribute presents to seriously ill children and their families. I knew he found the hospital visits tough to do. Regardless of what he said about being happy to help brighten their days a little, he was always quiet afterwards. It was after those days that I wished I could just wrap him up in a blanket and take the weight of everyone’s expectations away from him.

Trossero also seemed to be keeping the team busy with a ton of extra training, and Christian was so physically tired he spent most evenings curled on the sofa with Lily or me. Sometimes even both of us. We’d managed to find enough energy to put up some decorations one evening, though. Christian and I followed Lily’s directions and wound endless amounts of tinsel and fairy lights around a giant Christmas tree before covering it with as many baubles and trinkets as physically possible. Nothing matched, and at the end, I was pretty sure you couldn’t even see the tree, but that didn’t seem to matter.

We’d then sat on the floor watching Disney movies and made old-fashioned paper chains while eating our body weight in Quality Street.

Late one afternoon during the week before Christmas, Christian and I were sprawled out on his sofa watching the new seriesShe-Ra. Well, he watched the cartoon while I watched him. He was so damn cute like this—half asleep and relaxed, hair across his face and his breathing soft and steady, head resting on my lap. I wanted to watch him forever.

I loved him so damn much.

The revelation wasn’t new to me; in fact I’d known for a while. If I was being honest, I don’t think I’d ever really stopped loving him, despite all my attempts to find someone else. When I’d seen him again at Kit’s show, it had all come crashing back in a tsunami of emotion. Except it was stronger now.

I’d always loved the idea of Christian, but the man I’d reconnected with was better than anything I could have imagined. He was strong and steady, the perfect balance to my overdramatic sarcasm. He was always willing to listen to me, and we’d had endless conversations about every topic we could think of. I already couldn’t picture my life without him.

That might sound crazy, like I was jumping into a pool without knowing how deep it was, especially because I knew there were issues around Christian coming out.

But fuck, it wasn’t like I didn’t have issues either. I mean, I was facing a career I wasn’t sure I wanted because I was too fucking stubborn to give up and admit it might not be right for me. I was snarky, headstrong, and a complete asshole sometimes, and yet Christian seemed to want me despite all of that. He was loyal and loving and so damn gorgeous that I wanted to just stare at him all day.

I loved him, faults and all. Now I just had to keep it a secret until he was ready to hear it.

“What are you thinking?” Christian said, breaking my self-indulgent reverie.

“Not much,” I said, stroking his head gently. “Except that this show is the best and gayest thing I’ve seen in ages.”

“Really?”

“Babe, Adora and Catra are disaster lesbians, and I love them.” Christian rolled slightly, smiling up at me and casually melting my heart.

“I—” But whatever he was going to say was cut off by the slamming of the front door and Lily’s loud voice.

“Chrissie, you home?”

“In here,” he called, not bothering to sit up and instead burying deeper into my chest. What was left of my heart evaporated. Sure, it was a baby step, but he was so much more comfortable with our relationship in front of Lily now.

Lily stuck her head around the door and made a soft cooing noise. Then she grinned. “Get ready, losers. We’re going out.”

“No,” Christian said, flatly, gesturing at the TV. “We’re busy.”

“Tough. We’re going to Winter Wonderland. You promised last week we could go, and since you’ve been dragging your heels, I say we’re going today.”

“But Lily,” Christian whined.

“Nobut Lily. Get ready! We’re going.” There was a pause, and she fixed me with a glare. “You too, David. No getting out of this. Text Kit and bring him as well.”

“Bollocks,” I grumbled. Both Christian and I had been hoping Lily would forget about her absurd mission. Winter Wonderland was a giant Christmas fair in Hyde Park—in the centre of London—and this close to Christmas, it would be absolutely packed with people. Neither of us had any desire to drag ourselves out into the cold to buy overpriced hot drinks and fried food and queue for dubiously constructed fairground rides. But Lily kept insisting it would be fun and festive despite our protestations.

Neither of us felt like arguing with Lily. We might have been adults now, but she still scared me.

My eyebrow had never quite grown back the same.

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