Page 50 of Couple Goals

‘Y-yeah well, it’s notwithCoach, it’s just with Kira. So it means I only see more ofher. Unfortunately! I’ve–I’ve reallytriedto like her, but she’s just so – difficult! And irresponsible! And selfish!’

But at that moment, Adriana frolics in, tying her bouncing hair up, side-by-side, with Kira. They’re laughing together, and Maeve feels like she’s been slapped. She feels so jealous she has to look away. But she can still hear them, talking with Charlie and Elisa. Their conversation is loud and bubbly, even from Kira, almost as if she wants nearby Maeve to overhear.

‘Guys! What doyouthink?’ Adriana’s asking. ‘I think Kira should wearthisone to Joust.’

‘But I thinkthisone–’

Charlie and Elisa gush over the pictures Kira shows them on her phone.

‘Definitely the white! It’s more eye-catching!’

‘Definitely the black! It’s sexier!’

Kira catches Maeve looking. She asks in her low voice, ‘What do you think, Murphy?’

Unabashed, Kira turns her phone screen to Maeve, showing two mirror selfies of Kira in what appear to be identical slashed vests, hugging her torso and revealing flashes of bare skin in sharp angular lines. She looks androgynous, stylish, and incredibly hot. They’re paired with different fashionable jeans, boots, and layers of chain necklaces. Maeve’s face heats. She hates that Kira can be so casual in her tests of her like this, and it’s always Maeve who comes out worse.

Maeve shrugs. ‘Aren’t they literally the same top?’

‘No!’ say Adriana, Charlie, Elisa, and Kira in playful joint unison, and then laugh together. Maeve’s mouth feels bitter as she tries to swallow down her jealousy.

‘Have you managed to getMaeveto come out?’ Elisa, playfully nudges Maeve’s arm. ‘Well done Kira! Normally Adriana can only persuade her about once a year, after the end of the season.’

It stings. They make her sound like such a grump. Adriana usually talks with Maeve through all her possibilities of making a big event invitation even just to post on the Tigresses’ group chat, wondering aloud about which emojis to use in the event description. Elisa is right that Maeve normally bows out well before the nights out, but she is always there at Adriana’s pre-drinks, volunteering to stay behind to tidy up Adriana’s flat while they’re all out, and letting herself out with the key they each have to each other’s flats. It’s proof that she hasn’t been imagining the cracks that have started to form in their friendship.

Maeve feels herself the centre of attention suddenly, all these expectant eyes. Adriana’s bright blues, while she bites her lip. And then there’s Kira’s gold eyes, studying her reaction like it’s a test, goading her as usual. Milo and Nat are also looking at Maeve curiously now, presumably remembering Maeve’s insults about Kira just a few minutes earlier. Maeve feels ashamed and embarrassed, a school bully caught out by the teacher. Especially when, if she’s honest, there’s a part of her that longs for the thought of a sweaty dancefloor with Kira. To pretend they’re just two strangers, pressing their bodies together in the dark.Maybe if things were different, they’d even be able to kiss in public.

But no, Maeve isn’t going to have that kind of relationship with Kira – and maybe it’s not just because they’re fighting for the same thing. Maybe Kira wouldn’t want anyone to know they were hooking up anyway because so far she’s been very deliberate in cornering her when they’ve been alone. It’s just like her first kiss, that was with a girl called Annabelle from the Academy, who had then asked Maeve not to tell anyone. Women are always ashamed if they fancy her.

Part of Maeve just wants to run away and hide. But if she’s going to try to fight for this, she needs to throw herself into the fight.

‘Yeah,’ she shrugs, trying to sound casual and cool, and probably failing. ‘Course. I’ll be there.’ Another challenge accepted.

Chapter 17Adriana

The dancefloor flashes with strobe lights. They make Adriana feel even higher than she did earlier after their 1-0 home win to Coach Hoffman’s old club, the Loughborough Vixens. Kira had scored, again, and seemed particularly cocky to have defeated her old teammates.

Now, Adriana is the perfect level of tipsy, and she feels like the main character in a film, shaking her sparkly sequin dress to catch the flashes of the red lights (and men’s eyes) in the sweaty basement. She’s happy to be cutting loose after another hard week of training, another win, and with two hard-earned days off from training ahead of her. Adriana loves being able to be out partying on a Saturday night like her non-athlete friends take for granted.

The DJ puts on a club remix of Chappell Roan, and Adriana screams with delight. She is euphoric, spotting her friends dancing around her in the crowd, like snapshots in a movie montage.

Strobe: Charlie and Elisa cut goofy shapes together, a cowboy lasso and the macarena. Nat, Milo, and Liv are starting a can-can, which no one else is joining in. Zuri and Rebecca are grinding up against two topless male twins.Kira is lifting her toned arms over her head, smiling lazily to herself, like she’s remembering her win from earlier. And Maeve, looking so different with her hair out of her habitual ponytail, pushes the strands from her wide long-lashed eyes, staring at Kira, maybe to copy her effortlessly rhythmic movements.

For the timeless duration of the song, Adriana dances, feeling everything is right with the world.

Normally, Adriana would be looking round for if there are any hot men. Itisa night out. And she knows that there are men looking at her. She would be indignant if there weren’t. But tonight, no one is catching her eye. It’s not that there aren’t any fine specimens around. There’s a ginger Scottish man called Scott she hooked up with a few months ago, who winked at her when she arrived, but seems to be respecting her clear one-night policy. As she eyes the possible strangers up, she finds herself comparing them to some kind of inner metric that she never had before. They aren’t tall enough, or are too tall, or are somehow not quite the right kind of tall. They don’t have the right shade of light brown hair, or their light brown hair doesn’t look both neat and like she can run her hands through it. They aren’t looking at her like they can see right into her soul, like he mysteriously knows deep parts of her, but still wants to know more…

In other words, they just aren’t Jacob Astor.

Adriana closes her eyes on the dancefloor, feeling a rush of heightened emotion as she realises the truth of her feelings. Oh Christ, she really likes him. So much so that he has ruined other men for her. She knows it’s completely crazy, especially as he seems to literally hate her,and doesn’t want to see her anymore. But she wishes he were here.

The music is a bittersweet ballad now, and the feeling is a stab in her chest, a rush of emotion constricting her throat. She thinks she might start bawling her heart out.

She feels a firm body next to hers, dancing with her. She closes her eyes, and lets herself imagine he’s Jacob, dancing with her gently and slowly, his hands a breath away from her hips…

But then Adriana sighs, and tosses her hair and faces him, only to see he’s of course not Jacob. The strangerisgorgeous in a fashionably rugged way – just the right amount of stubble, a double nose ring and glowing bronze skin. She forces a smile, partly to stop herself from crying and tries to keep her emotions in check. He smiles back, and the sides of his eyes crinkle, and the thing is, from just this first impression, he seems like a lovely man. He just isn’t Jacob.

He leans towards her, brushing her hair gently away from her ear, and says over the music.

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