Page 31 of Matched Up

ME: What?

SHANE: The most important part of football

ME: Which is?

I was waiting for him to tell me some technique I’d never heard of.

SHANE: Fun

And I laughed out loud even though he wasn’t there to hear it.

ME: I don’t do FUN when it comes to football

SHANE: Maybe that’s something we need to change

ME: I’m not sure about that …

SHANE: I am.Are you ready for your first training session?

ME: Yes Coach

SHANE: Get some sleep.I’ll see you tomorrow x

ME: xxx

And of course I didn’t get any sleep.But I didn’t care, because no dream could be better than this.

12

I set my alarm for five fifteen.I jumped out of bed and pulled my hair into a high ponytail, before putting on my Nike Pro shorts, football socks, Man United shirt and Shane’s track top.Mascara, lip oil, highlighter.And perfume.Always perfume.The same one I’d been wearing last night: sweet, musky, me.

I tiptoed out my door, and when I got downstairs I carried my boots outside so I wouldn’t wake anyone up.Then I drove way too fast down the icy road to the club.

And when I arrived, there he was.My breath caught in my throat as I took him in.He was leaning against the locked clubhouse in a black hoodie, black track bottoms, the black boots, foot resting on a ball.

I jogged over to him, looking at the ground in case I accidentally gave him a huge smile and scared him off.I stopped a couple of metres from him.‘You’re early,’ I said.

‘I’m always early,’ he replied with a smile that made my stomach jump.‘Is that car yours?’

I followed his gaze to the car park.‘Yeah, got it for my birthday last year,’ I said easily, then was immediately embarrassed as his mouth fell open.

‘For yourbirthday?I got a football for my birthday last year.’He laughed.‘Posh school, posh girl, of course.’

I pushed him playfully.‘Shut up.’

‘You ready?’he asked.

‘Born ready.’

‘We’ll see,’ he said, and walked in the direction of the grass pitches.

I looked longingly at the synthetic grass pitch behind us.‘Grass?Why?’

‘Softer to land on.That one’s frozen.’

‘Are you expecting me to spend a lot of time on the ground?’I asked, laughing.

‘We’ll see,’ he said again.

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