Page 19 of Pitch Prince

“Bastard,” I muttered as I stepped forward to take the lion from him. He wouldn’t let go for a second, leaving me in an awkward tug of war for a lion I very much didn’t want to adopt. He smirked as I broke free and walked back to my place amongst the Lions, who were laughing at me. Finn clapped me on the back. I’d already dirtied the lion’s tail dragging it back over. I rested it on the top of my suitcase and I felt like its beady eyes were judging me.

“Right! Rooms,” said Wesley. “I’ve put you in with…fuck it, I’m no liar. I’ve put you in with whoever the fuck I like. We’ll be training here for the next two weeks before we head out to New Zealand and you’ll be sharing rooms for the month we’re out in New Zealand too so you better be fucking used to each other.

Please be Finn, please be Finn,I was chanting in my head. I could make friends with anyone, but the thought of sharing a room with someone who didn’t like me, or someone I didn’tquitegel with filled me with dread. But Finn’s name was read early, along with Alfred Thomas. That room would be…interesting given their mutual appreciation for wild partying and wilder women. They would either get along or be so desperate to out-alpha one another that they would be knocking down walls and putting up shelves to prove their masculinity.

I listened as Wesley read out all of the names. I looked around and it seemed like everyone had been accounted for in our little group. Was I being targeted for being the youngest? Would the stuffed lion be my fucking roomie?

“And with the immense pleasure of sharing a room with the captain…” Wesley began, and my heart did a weird little see-saw as it seemed to lift and sink simultaneously. I would be sharing a room with Callum. Probably my best friend aside from Finn on this squad. And yet… I was nervous about it. Nervous because of my growing attraction to him. Because we’d never been in such close contact for so long before. Because I was starting to worry he’d be the one guy I couldn’t change in front of without making my attraction very obvious.

Callum looked me in the eye and gave me a wide smile, and I found myself smiling back anyway. It was Callum, my friend. I could do this.

***

Our room was nice, with two double beds and a little kitchenette area as well as a huge walk-in shower room. Because Callum was captain, we’d been placed in the closest room to the training facilities and shower blocks anyway.

And we stood opposite each other, at the ends of our respective beds, each with a suitcase — and me with a stuffed lion that seemed to have a constant judgemental look on its face — and neither of us seemed to have any idea what to say.

“How’s…how are things?” I asked.

“Good, good. Things are good,” he replied.

OK.“How’s Sarah? And the kids?”

“Good. They’re good. Really…good,” said Callum. “You?”

“Yeah, I’m…good. Sorry to see all the stuff in the news though.” The sports press had had a field day speculating over why he and Sarah had split.Does the Gentleman of Rugby have a SECRET?

I reached over to my suitcase to start unpacking before Callum spoke again. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be…after last time…”

“Callum. We’re friends. There’s no need for us to be awkward over a heart to heart. I’m glad you spoke to me.”

“Really?” he asked. I nodded, and it felt like a little weight had left both of our shoulders. We were friends via text, it couldn’t be all that difficult to replace texting with speaking over the next few weeks.

“You going to be OK with being away from the kids for the next six weeks?” I asked.

Callum’s face dropped. “Not my favourite thing in the world, but after that then I’m free as a bird. No more rugby. And I get to hang up my hat with bit of pride as Lions captain.”

“You’re going to be amazing,” I said. “Right, let’s get unpacked…oh, of course. Offuckingcourse.”

“What’s wrong?” Callum asked, walking over to my side. I snapped my case shut automatically.

“I left my case with Finn for all of half an hour,” I said. “Literally hardly any time at all and he managed to…”

I opened it slowly so that Callum could see. Over my training kit and other clothes, Finn had packed a layer of shiny condom and lube packets, as well as a massive dildo.

Callum laughed, but when I looked at him he was blushing. I grabbed the dildo and brandished it at him and he leaned back like it was a hot poker.

“Never had you down as a prude,” I joked, pushing it further toward him. He took a step further back.

“Not a prude,” he said. “Just don’t know where it’s been.”

“Good point. I really hope Finn bought it new…what the fuck am I going to do with all these?” I pointed down at the mass of condoms and lube.

“Start a black market with the other Lions, and keep a tally as to who uses the most…” he said with a grin.

“Gross. I don’t even want to know. And the answer is Finn, though I doubt he remembers to use them. Probably about thirty baby Finns running around South Wales.”

Callum laughed and filled a glass with water from the kitchen sink.

---