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Charlie:

Looking forward to our training session after the team session on Weds. My last ever one with the team!

My jaw clenched. Opening the LSU app, I entered the booking calendar and changed mine and Charlie’s session to the following week. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face him alone. Not yet. Not so soon.

I couldn’t even explain my actions to myself as I tapped out a message.

Me:

Forgot to say they double booked the training pitch. Rebooked for same time next week

Scrolling quickly to the message thread with my team captain, I let him know that I couldn’t make this week’s team training because I had a major assignment due. Then, I turned off my phone.

14

This was okay. More than okay. It was fine. I was here at the student union to celebrate, surrounded by my friends. My friends…and a group of girls that included Sophie. Sophie…whose hand was wrapped around my waist while I had my arm slung across her shoulders. We’d only casually texted a few times in between our date and now, but it felt like something had changed between us, based on the way she’d slipped her arm around me as soon as she’d shown up. Right now, she was in the middle of a conversation with Daisy and Millie, but she was leaning into me, her side pressed tightly against mine.

To my left, Finn was talking animatedly about Leo to one of the girls, whose eyes were beginning to glaze over. To my right, Noah and Liam were wrapped up in each other, oblivious to the rest of us. Everyone seemed as if they were having a greattime, but for some reason, I wasn’t really feeling it. Maybe it was because I’d taken a last-minute one-hour shift right before this to cover a staff member who was late. Maybe I was tired from a week of uni work and paid work. Whatever the reason was, I needed to snap out of it, fast. We were supposed to be celebrating, after all.

“I’m gonna get a drink,” I told Sophie, easing my arm from her shoulders and moving so her hand slipped from my waist. “Want one?”

She held up her own mostly full drink and shook her head, turning back to Millie and Daisy. I exhaled, quickly moving off the dance floor and into the quieter area at the side of the room. I stopped, my back against the wall, and rubbed my hand over my face.

“Get a fucking grip, Charlie,” I muttered aloud, earning me a suspicious look from a guy who was wandering past. I let my eyes fall closed, remaining in my dark corner against the wall until I’d composed myself.

With a sigh, I pushed off the wall, making my way back to my friends. Sophie was still engrossed in conversation with her own friends, so I caught Finn’s attention. “What do you think of LSU’s chances?”

“For getting into the cup playoffs?” When I nodded, he shrugged. “It’s hard to tell, really. The southern division is strong. If we can win the next few games, we’ll be in a good position, but I dunno. Plymouth Uni’s team is the one to beat. I hope so, though. It’d be good for the guys leaving at the end of the year, like Nate. You two are friends, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Kind of.” I scuffed the toe of my trainer against the floor. I didn’t really want to get into the whole matched situation again. “I hope you win it. Training with the team, even though I only did it a few times, made me realise how hard you all work for it. You deserve it.”

Finn smiled. “Thanks.”

“I’ll try to make it to your next match if I don’t have a shift?—”

“I have to go,” Finn blurted out, his eyes widening as he stared down at his phone.

“Everything okay?”

He disappeared without replying to my question, and I stared after him, making a mental note to text him to check up on him later. Turning back to Sophie, I found her already looking at me, a smile playing across her lips. She beckoned me closer, and when I reached her, she placed her hand on my shoulder, rising up onto her toes to place her mouth to my ear.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“My brother’s here tonight with a blind date.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What?”

“Asha saw him on her way back from the loo. She’s on the same course as his date, so she spoke to her. He already told me he was going on a date tonight, but I didn’t realise they didn’t know each other. Apparently, they matched on an app.” She laughed before taking a sip of her drink. “Let me know if you see him anywhere, and maybe I can get him back for being too involved in my love life.”

Was it possible for your entire fucking body to freeze in shock?

“He’s here? With a date?” I managed to croak out, and Sophie’s brows flew up.

“That’s what I said. Are you okay? You look…um, a bit…ill?” Her voice trailed off hesitantly, and it was enough to make my brain come back online. I breathed in, then out, and then forced a smile.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just a bit hot. Probably dehydrated or something, I dunno. I haven’t had enough to drink today. I should’ve had some water when I went to the bar.”Fucking shutup, Charlie. I was well aware I was rambling, and there was no reason for it. So what if Nate was here with someone? I was here with Sophie and my friends.

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