Page 62 of Twist of Fate
“Well, I wouldn’t want to deny a fan,” Theo says, reaching down to grab my hand. “Come on, Ash.”
I roll my eyes at their blatant pissing match. This is going to be a long night.
SEVENTEEN
Aisling
PRESENT
“I cannot believe you dated Theo Vasquez and never told us,” Niall says, looking at us from across the table. I know he’s trying to downplay his fanboy side by playing it cool around Theo, but he’s failing miserably. He keeps staring at him like he’s the Messiah, and I’m pretty sure he has a soccer jersey shoved under his seat. He’s working up the courage to get it signed.
As I sit sandwiched between Theo and Finn, I can’t help but think this is all my fault. I was the one who agreed to play that ridiculous game of truth or dare with my coworkers and ended up drinking one too many glasses of red wine. I knew Niall and Damien were huge soccer fans, and while Theo is just a couple of years into his professional career, he’s an American playing in Europe. It wasn’t unheard of, but they were outnumbered here.
I should have known that this fun little fact about my life wouldn’t remain safe when combined with alcohol and peer pressure.
And here we all were, sitting in a trendy restaurant in downtown Dublin because my coworkers just couldn’t resist the chance to meet the famous ex while he was in town.
Oh, and they couldn’t leave out soccer fan Finn, either. No, that would just be rude.
Fuck my life. Seriously.
“Well, to be fair, she did a bit more than date me.” Theo grinned. “We were engaged.”
“What?” Shea practically shouts.
“You didn’t tell us that!” Damian echoes the sentiment.
My cheeks burn red, and I feign ignorance. “I didn’t realize you’d take such an interest. How was I supposed to know you’d know who he is? Should I assume you know every professional soccer player?”
“Football!” They all groan simultaneously.
“Whatever.”
“You’re in Europe now, Ash. It’s called football, and here, football is life.” Theo nudges me playfully. I want to tell him that football, or soccer, or whatever the hell you want to call it, has already consumed far too much of my life, but I keep that comment to myself.
“Don’t forget rugby!” Damien chimes in.
“God, I love a good rugby match,” Damien’s girlfriend Erin says wistfully, wrapping her arm around him. She’s tall and slender, with long red hair and about a thousand freckles. She looks like she belongs on an Irish tourism poster, honestly.
“No, you love a good rugby player.” He laughs. “Which sadly I am not anymore.”
“You used to play?” Finn asks.
He nods. “Throughout secondary school and most of uni. I blew out my knee at the start of my third year. Doctors warned that another fall could be disastrous. So I quit.”
“That’s tough luck.”
He shrugs. “It is, but I don’t regret it. I’d rather have my health than a few extra years in the game.” He looks over at Finn. “What about you? I know you played. Your name was even known in the UK. People thought you’d go pro.”
What? I never knew that. He said he played at Trinity but never boasted about it. He never said it was something he was so good at; he could have gone professional like Theo.
“It was never about going pro for me,” he replies. “I love the game. I love being part of a team, but that was all I wanted from it. I didn’t want the added pressure of contracts and money hanging over me when I stepped onto the pitch. To me, that would ruin the entire experience.”
“Easy decision for someone like you to make,” Theo grunts.
“Someone like me?” Finn turns, causing my whole body to stiffen.
“Someone who’s had money their whole life.” I suddenly feel like ducking down and disappearing so I’m no longer caught between the two of them. “Someone who has never had to worry about how they’re going to support themselves or their family someday. Someone who’s always been…taken care of.”
