Page 61 of Worth the Wait
Kept him heading back to Faraday Road.
To Nathan.
He pulled up opposite Nathan’s house, headlights cutting across the cracked pavement before he killed the engine. He sat there for a second, heart hammering, watching the lights switch on and off inside, shadowy figures moving beyond the curtains. Then, before he could lose his nerve, he shoved open the door, jogged across the road, and up the path.
His hand shook as he pressed the bell.
The door swung open almost immediately, and Freddie jolted back a step.
It didn’t matter how many years passed, Ron Carter was still a terrifying bastard.
“Freddie Webb.” Ron folded his arms across his broad chest, solid as ever. Time hadn’t been able to shrink a man built from concrete and stubbornness. “That Peugeot was running like a dream. You can’t’ve knackered it already.”
“Uh… no. No, it’s good. Thanks for sorting that.” Freddie scratched the back of his neck, awkward. “Appreciate it.”
“You keep the streets clean, I’ll keep you moving.”
Freddie gave a faint laugh. “Right.” He shifted his weight, peering past him towards the hallway. “Is Nathan home?”
Ron arched a brow. “What is this? Two thousand and bloody six? You boys planning to ride your bikes through Blackleaf Wood again?”
Freddie laughed under his breath, the ache in his chest sharpening. “Yeah. Something like that.”
No. What he really wanted was to pull Nathan down under the pier again, to grab his hand and ask if he could kiss it all better this time.
“He’s taken his boy out to eat.”
Freddie nodded, forcing the smile. “Right. Of course.” He stepped back from the door, throat thick with disappointment. “Tell him I popped by.”
“Will do.” Ron slammed the door.
Freddie went home.
* * * *
Nathan slid the tray onto the sticky plastic table and dropped into the seat opposite Alfie, who already had one AirPod jammed in, hoodie up, swiping through his phone. Nathan unwrapped his burger, but his appetite had disappeared somewhere between the car and the golden arches.
Alfie stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth and stared at whatever was buzzing in his hand.
Nathan cleared his throat. “You wanna tell me what happened at school?”
Alfie shrugged, still not meeting his eye. “Nothing.”
Nathan leant back, exhaling hard.
“They put you in isolation, Alf. Three days into a new school. That ain’t nothing.”
Another shrug. Another swipe of his thumb. His phone buzzed again. A short, piercing vibration that Nathan heard more than he wanted to.
“Can you turn that off?”
“Why?”
“So I can talk to you.”
Alfie turned the phone screen down on the table, then looked up. Cocked his head. “You wanna tell me what happened on the pitch?”
Nathan forced himself to stay calm. “An accident.”
