Page 85 of Couple Goals

‘Addy, what have you done? You’re an orange Tigress girl, and you play at the women’s club...’

Everyone joins in now, all loudly shouting the altered chorus, at all their levels of tone deafness.

‘Tigress Football Club, please keep on playing at theTigress Football Club, please keep on playing down at, Training Pitch Two.’

After another rousing chorus of Tigress Football Club where the team try and fail spectacularly to do some coordinated choreography, the music from the bar suddenly glitches and stops. In the sudden silence, Kira, improvising, steps forwards and does some jazz hands, singing, ‘Please be our Captain!’

Adriana takes a deep breath looking at them all gathered, and then, the happiness visibly bursting from her, she says proudly, ‘I wouldloveto.’

The team all cheer and hug her, lifting her up in a celebration worthy of the end of winning a championship game.

The rest of the pub whoop too, clearly all having been invested in this, and the original ‘Pink Pony Club’ blasts from the bar. Maeve watches Adriana squealing with delight as Charlie and Elisa parade her round on their shoulders. She feels a light tap on her back, and it’s Kira, interlinking and squeezing her hand, not trying to hide it from the celebrating team around them. They smile at each other, before Maeve lets go, to head over to the bar, where The Old Pig staff are bopping festively.Maeve orders, requesting for part of it to be delivered to their now hectic table, and taking one bottle over with her.

Adriana turns to her, and Maeve holds out the sweating cold bottle of Champagne.

‘This was a tradition we had to keep. For you, my Captain.’

Adriana’s eyes tear up as Maeve hands her the bottle, and she closes her eyes as if to savour the moment. Then Adriana expertly pops the cork, and joins in the whoops of her team around her. Maeve takes over pouring the rest of the glasses and handing them out, then leads raising a toast.

‘To our Queen of the Tigresses, Adriana Summers!’

Everyone cheers and raises the glass, and sips along with Adriana, who takes a generous gulp, grinning.

As Maeve tastes the golden bubbles pop on her tongue, she meets her best friend’s eye, and they beam at each other. Celebrating the brilliance of her best friend is going to be one of her new favourite memories.

Chapter 29Adriana

Adriana, pink, tipsy, and bursting with happiness, a few hours later, stops Maeve from topping up her Champagne.

‘I want to remember tonight,’ Adriana smiles. ‘But Kira has been staring at you hungrily for the past hour. Wanna go put her out her misery?’

Maeve grins and waves Kira over, not trying to hide their changed relationship dynamic from anyone else. Kira, taking this permission, slinks an arm around Maeve’s waist, and Maeve leans happily into her.

‘So the secret’s out?’ Kira smiles.

‘All the cats are out of all the bags,’ Adriana laughs. ‘I don’t want to say I told you so but… you guys are a ridiculously gorgeous couple!’

Maeve’s ears go pink.

‘Or–’ Adriana corrects herself quickly. ‘You know, whatever it is that you two decide– sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a random label.’

‘It feels good to just be seeing where it goes, right?’ says Maeve, looking more laidback than Adriana would have expected from her friend. ‘We’re in no rush.

Kira grins back at her. ‘You’re right. No rush. Feels good to take things one step at a time. But… I would like to be able to show you off to the team.’

Even Maeve, trying to match Kira’s cockiness, looks a little dazed at this. ‘Do you really want to?’

‘Are you kidding me?’ says Kira. ‘If you’re cool with it, I don’t want to keep hiding that I’m snogging the hottest woman in the world.’

Maeve’s ears go red, but she tries to match Kira’s energy. ‘Sure,’ she laughs. ‘I’ll be out of training for a few months anyway, so… I’ve always wanted to be a WAG.’

Kira kisses her – and then taps a fork enthusiastically on the side of her Champagne flute.

‘Hey everyone! I have some more incredible news to announce! Me and Murphy are shagging! I’m super into her!’

Maeve goes crimson. Kira wraps her arm confidently round Maeve, kisses her cheek, and gazes at her with such obvious pride that there could be no question of whether this is real of not. Everyone exchanges significant looks – some look surprised, having only recently been on the receiving end of their animosity, but Adriana is sure she hears Charlie mutter to Elisa, ‘Alright, I owe you a fiver.’

‘Hooray!’ Adriana leads in a cheer, and the whole team join in with her, clapping them both on the back. Maeve looks round in astonishment at her team taking this in their stride.Adriana knows that even as she’s trying to keep up a confident front with Kira, this is a big moment for her.

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