Page 55 of The One That Got Away

‘It wasn’t like that!’

I was getting ready to visit Max and tell him the good news that I’d deferred uni for a year so that I could be with him in Manchester whilst he settled in, when Mum called me to the living room because Max and his dad were being interviewed on TV.

The presenter asked Max how he was enjoying living in a new city.

‘You’re a handsome young man,’ she’d said. ‘You must have lots of women throwing themselves at you.’

‘He’s got no time for women,’ his dad had jumped in.

‘Rumour has it that you have a girlfriend back in London?’

At that point, my heart had bloomed. I was that girlfriend and Max was about to tell the world about us.

‘That’s all over now,’ his dad had said.

‘Good news, ladies!’ the presenter had grinned. ‘Max Moore is single!’

I’d slumped on the sofa, but then I’d told myself it was fine.Any minute now Max would tell his dad and the presenter that wasn’t true because he was in a happy relationship.

Except he didn’t.

‘I’m committed to football,’ Max had said instead. ‘That’s my focus. I’m determined to be an important member of the Manchester Athletic team.’

And just like that, my whole world crumbled.

I’d cried for hours. When I tried to call Max, he didn’t answer. So I got the train to Manchester. I had to see him. I needed an explanation.

Max’s dad had opened the door and told me Max didn’t want to see me. But I’d insisted. I wasn’t leaving until I’d spoken to him.

When Max finally appeared, he couldn’t look me in the eye.

‘I’m sorry,’ he’d said. ‘I’m finding it difficult to manage everything. I think it’s better if we… break up.’

Even though I’d already seen him dump me on TV, I still refused to believe it.

‘Where’s this coming from?’ I’d pleaded. ‘Is it your dad?’ He’d never liked me, even before Max got signed.

‘It’s for the best,’ he’d said. His gaze was still fixed to the floor. ‘Please. Don’t make this more difficult than it already is. There’s too much riding on this, Stella. I have to make this work. I have to focus. I’m sorry.’

I ran out of there, crying. Hoping Max would follow. But he didn’t.

When his dad saw me, he grinned. The arsehole got a kick from knowing my heart had just been shattered into a million pieces.

‘Come on then,’ I said, bringing my thoughts back to the present and propping a pillow behind my head. ‘If it wasn’t like that, how was it?’

‘The truth was,’ Max took a deep breath, ‘Coach didn’t like us having girlfriends. Said they were a distraction. That they affected how we played. And my dad, well, you know his thoughts. He wanted me to live, breathe, eat and sleep football twenty-four-seven. So when that presenter asked that question, he saw his chance to ruin things between us. For good.’

‘But you could have denied it. You could’ve said he was wrong. Instead you confirmed it by saying football was your focus.’

‘No! They edited it. I told her she was right, that I had a girlfriend in London and that the long-distance thing was hard, but they cut that out.’

‘Why would they do that?’

‘For better headlines.’

‘Even if that’s true, that still doesn’t make sense. When I came to see you, you still ended it.’

‘Like I said, I was under pressure. The coach was worried about my performance. And then Dad dropped two bombshells.’

---