Page 44 of I Blame the Club

My glare sends him scrambling to his feet and running out onto the field. I watch the interaction go down, Nico taking off his helmet and giving the player a supportive pat on the back before jogging towards the sidelines. He runs right past me without a glance or promiscuous comment and I feel my teeth clench for an entirely different reason.

He’s giving me the fucking silent treatment.

The shooting drill resumes and to my relief, the sub does a semi-decent job of keeping the forwards on edge. His technical skills leave a lot to be desired, but the quick reaction time behind each save shows promise.

Despite the improvement in the drill performance, I can’t shake off the nagging feeling that there’s something more to Nico’s behaviour. As immature as he is, radio silence really isn’t Nico’s signature – hell, he wasn’t even silent after that group of farmers lay a beating on him.

The unease itching beneath my skin grows until I finally march over to the bench.

“Montez. I’d like a word.”

He doesn’t look at me, simply nods and follows me away from the field. As soon as we are out of earshot, I turn to face him and cross my arms.

“What’s your problem?”

Nico glances away, “I don’t have a problem.”

“Then explain to me how a sloth took over your body in the last forty-eight hours because that is the only explanation for your performance today.”

A smirk tugs his lips, “Can’t say I’ve ever been compared to a sloth before.”

Tilting my head, I wait until those dark eyes meet mine, “Tell me what’s going on, Montez.”

He sighs but doesn’t say another word.

“If this is about what I said the other day…”

Don’t you dare apologize.

“…you shouldn’t let it mess with your head. I was angry and spoke out of line.”

Fuck.

Nico quirks an eyebrow at me, “Was that an apology, Maurice?”

“No.”Liar.

He grins, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Snapping my teeth, I glare at him, “I'm just making sure we won't have to forfeit this weekend’s game because our goalie decided to get hung up on his emotions.”

“Babe, there were no hard feelings on my end. Your persistence in denying the attraction between us only makes the flames grow stronger.” He winks, “As do your sad attempts at pretending you don’t care.”

I hate him.

“Cut the bullshit, Montez, and tell my what’s wrong.”

Nico sighs, running a hand through his hair, “Fine. I recently made a discovery about a loved one and I don’t know what to do about it.”

I frown, “A little more context would be nice.”

He blows out a breath, “Do you remember Lacey, the girl I was on the phone with the other day?”

I nod and he continues, “There was a situation with her ex-boyfriend that led to her trying to commit suicide. It was rough for a long time, but eventually she started seeing a therapist and things got better."

“Is she going to be seeing someone while she’s here?”

Nico nods, “She’s booked in with a therapist over in Silverwood but the sessions don’t start until next week.”

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