Page 70 of The Fly-Half

As soon as I didn’t have a fucking broken eye socket to deal with.

“Jonny?” I said his name aloud without really thinking as I searched for him in the crowd. I’d heard his voice. I knew he was here…

“I’m here,” he said, appearing from behind Mason with a gentle smile and fire burning in his eyes. “You okay?”

“Been better. Definitely looked better.”

He chuckled as he knelt down beside me, out of Meredith’s way but close enough that he could put his hand out and restit on top of mine. His fingers were warm, sending a wave of comfort washing over me, like I’d been wrapped in a blanket. “Still look beautiful to me, angel.”

“Even with a black eye?”

“Even with a black eye.” He glanced over at Meredith, who was talking to another member of the medical team, and frowned. “What happens now? Does he need to go to hospital?”

“Yes, it would be good to get some X-rays done just to see what we’re dealing with. It could just be a lot of bruising but I think it’s unlikely.”

“Fuck. Are you going now?” Jonny asked as he looked between us.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, wrapping my fingers around his and squeezing. “You can come find me afterwards.”

“You can’t go by yourself.”

“I won’t. Meredith will be with me. Or Tommy.” I tried to smile, then stopped because it hurt. “I’ll be fine, seriously.”

Jonny huffed. “Fine. I don’t like it, though.”

“I don’t give a shit. You’re not the one with a black eye and fucking orbital fracture.” I squeezed his hand again. “And don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. I don’t want to get a text from Mason to hear you’ve been binned, sent off, started a fight, or any of that shit. Behave yourself.”

He smiled wryly. “Got it. Control my temper.”

“Yeah, or I’ll tell Ryan you’re volunteering to do solo karaoke at The Court.” It was the only threat I could think of that I could say publicly, but hopefully Jonny would get the underlying message of “start shit and I will not let you touch my butt.” Although, given the state of my face, I wasn’t sure I’d be allowed to do anything fun for weeks.

Would an orbital fracture stop me from getting my dick sucked? It wasn’t like there would be anything near my face.

“Okay, let’s get you up,” Meredith said as she held out a bright blue medical ice pack wrapped in a dark cloth. “And this is to help with the swelling.”

“Merde. This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” I asked as Jonny carefully helped me climb to my feet, treating me like I was made of glass. He still looked worried, but I could also see the simmering anger behind his eyes, like he was two seconds away from losing it and beating the ever-loving shit out of the bastard who’d tackled me.

It was probably why the guy responsible hadn’t come to apologise. I assumed he’d gotten within two feet and been sent packing, either by my boyfriend or by one of our teammates who didn’t want Jonny to start a riot.

“Probably a little bit,” Meredith said sympathetically as I gently laid the ice pack across my face, hissing as the cold stung. It did help, though. “We can look at getting you some painkillers too.”

“Thanks,” I said. The team had begun to disperse and the officials were talking about restarts and substitutions. Jonny was still lingering, though, his emotions warring across his face. I tried to smile as I released his hand, ready to leave the pitch. “Be good.”

“I’ll try,” he said as the medical team began to lead me away. “Love you.”

I turned my head, the corner of my mouth twisting as his words sank in. It was the first time but it felt like the thousandth because Jonny had said it in so many ways before. Just never quite like that. “Love you too.”

Fourteen years and it really was that easy.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Jonny

WatchingDevon leave the pitch was tearing my heart in two.

Seeing him in pain made me want to howl and scream, and I’d barely managed to keep my composure when Devon had gone crashing to the floor. A haze had settled over my vision as my pulse pounded in my ears, a voice screaming in the back of my head to do something, anything, to defend him.

I’d taken a deep breath as the rage had risen in my chest, snarling and snapping and threatening to lash out at whoever was closest to me.

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