Page 243 of Off the Pitch

There was a small murmur from the gathered journalists as they exchanged confused glances. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding faster than it had in my entire life. This was more terrifying than anything I’d ever done, and it wasn’t even about me.

“Thank you,” Christian said, leaning into the mic. He sounded calm but looked almost green. “Hugo and I have called this press conference because we’ve decided the time has come to make some announcements. In case any of you are worried, no I’m not leaving Greenwich or retiring. I still have too much to do. I still have a World Cup to win.” A little chuckle went up from some of the journalists.

“This announcement will have no bearing on my professional life, or at least it shouldn’t. Instead, I’ve decided the time has come to live as myself, openly, honestly, and without fear. I, Christian King, am a gay man.”

Chapter Thirty

#lovewins #pansexual

Jordan

There was a shocked pause. Nobody moved. It was as if time had suddenly frozen.

Lily’s grip on my hand was so tight I thought I was about to lose the whole limb. Then a wave of chatter rushed through the crowd, cameras flashing. Christian took a visible breath before he continued speaking, his voice silencing the room.

“I know this will come as a shock to those people who think you have to be straight to play football. Unsurprisingly, my sexuality has no bearing on my ability to play. Being gay is just a part of who I am, one I’ve finally decided to embrace. I’ve been incredibly lucky to be supported, not only by my loved ones, but by my teammates, coaches, and friends here at Greenwich.” Christian smiled, but it didn’t stretch to his eyes. I knew him well enough to know that he was already planning what would come next. You didn’t make it to be England captain at his age without being good at tactics, and Christian was the best I’d ever met.

“I would like to add,” said Hugo, sitting forward in his chair and addressing the crowd. “That like Christian, I am a member of the LGBTQ community. I am pansexual, which means I date people regardless of gender. I’m coming out publicly today, not only in support of Christian, who is one of my closest friends, but also because I want to show the world I have nothing to hide. I’m proud of who I am, and I want people out there who might be struggling with their sexuality or wondering if they can play football and still be accepted to know that they can. Like Christian, my sexuality has no effect on my ability to play. Being in a relationship with a man doesn’t make me a worse footballer. In fact, I would credit my partner with helping me to make a full recovery last year.”

“Are you two dating then?” called someone from the crowd. Hugo chuckled.

“No. I think we’d drive each other crazy within two days,” Hugo said.

The crowd laughed quietly, and I let out the breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. Lily relaxed her grip on my fingers, and they tingled as blood rushed back into them. The worst part seemed to be over. Except now they had to answer questions, and I hoped to hell nobody decided to be a dick about it.

Lucas pointed to a woman, who stood up and announced where she was from before turning to Christian.

“Thank you for your openness today. I wanted to ask if there was a reason you’ve chosen to make this announcement now?”

Christian nodded, twisting his fingers together on the table. A glint of silver on his hand caught the light, and I realised he was wearing a ring. I’d never seen it before, so this must have been the one Lily mentioned. My heart caught in my throat.

“A couple of reasons. First, I realised I needed to stop hiding and embrace who I am. I’ve lived in fear for too long, and I’m done. My sexuality is an important part of who I am. Although it’s not everything, I realised that I have this platform and it’s important for me to use it for good. If I can change one person’s life by being open about who I am, then I’ll be happy with that. Second,” he said, taking a pause and glancing down at the section of seats where David sat, “I’m getting married, and I want to be able to tell people.” A wide grin crossed his face, and the journalist nodded. The crowd burst into life, hands raised as they all fought to ask questions, but Lucas silenced them with a raised hand as he gestured to another man.

“What do your teammates think about this situation?” Instantly, I felt my hackles rise. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam stiffen. Oh no, he did fucking not. This prick was not going to make it seem like we had a fucking problem. “I mean, it’s got to be uncomfortable for them knowing that you’re both gay and in the dressing room with them,” the man continued, clearly determined to be as big an asshole as possible.

“Well, I’m not gay, so that’s not a problem,” Hugo said coldly. “It sounds like you’re trying to create an issue where none exists. Our teammates have known for a while, and I can assure you there isn’t a problem.”

“Are you sure about that? I mean you can’t expect them to be happy about it.”

“What the fuck?” I’d shouted the words before I’d even processed them. Blood pounded through my veins as I pushed off the wall, and the crowd turned to stare at me. “We’re all fucking here aren’t we?” I said, gesturing to the rest of the team, who all looked as pissed as I did. “Does it look like we’ve got a fucking problem? No. You’re just trying to cause drama and paint some picture of division because of your own bigoted attitude. Well, it’s not gonna fucking work. We love these two, and we don’t give a shit who they love, right?”

A chorus of affirmation rang out from the team beside me. I should have stopped there, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. Because as I scanned the crowd, a familiar smile caught my eye.

Félix sat in the front row with the coaching staff, his white shirt rolled up over his tanned forearms and his familiar, knowing smile on his plush lips. He looked so fucking perfect I thought my heart had stopped beating. I thought of everything he’d been through. I wasn’t going to let anyone smear Christian and David in the same way. I was determined to show Félix people cared. That I cared. I was going to change the narrative.

“These two are some of the most amazing men I know, and I won’t let you smear them because they’re dating men. I mean, what the fuck, man? Why the fuck does that matter? It’s fucking 2020. Nobody gives a shit who you love as long as it’s consensual and you’re both happy. You know what, fuck it. Let’s add one more player to the list. Then you can hate all of us together.” I couldn’t stop myself, the words pouring out of me like water out of a broken dam. It was as if the walls around my heart had come crashing down and all my emotions were rushing out in an uncontrollable tidal wave. But this time, I didn’t want to stop them.

“My name is Jordan Green, I’m bisexual, and I’m in love with that man.” My hand shot out, pointing at Félix. His grin was wider now, and I suddenly realised what I’d said. Fuck it. It was true anyway. I loved him, more than I’d ever loved anyone or anything in this whole world. And I didn’t care who knew. I wanted to get a megaphone and scream it from the top of the Shard so the whole of London would know.

To be fair, they probably would know any minute now, given that I’d just announced it in a roomful of journalists.

Well, as my dad always said:go big, or go home.

I turned to look at Félix, shaking my head. He was standing up now, and my feet carried me towards him through the crowd of people. “You drive me fucking crazy,” I said as I reached him. “And you’re the most self-centred asshole I’ve ever met, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I said I didn’t want a relationship, and then you came along and fucked everything up. This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

“No, it really wasn’t,” he said. “But I love you too.”

“Thank fuck for that!” I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. Behind me, someone whooped, and I almost wanted to laugh. But then Félix wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me in for another kiss.

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