Page 49 of Tempting the Player
Karen shrugs. “There’s only you who knows if you can get over that, hun - that’s all you - we can only give you our opinion.”
I nod, and shake it off “Let’s watch a funny movie or something, I need my mind on something else, this is driving me crazy.”
We search through Netflix and chooseThe Breakfast Club– you can’t go wrong with a Brat Pack movie.
***
I finally come to a decision in the morning and feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. I'm going to do it - go for it – give him another chance, a chance for us to be happy together. Stuff what everyone thinks – tough shit – I'm going to have to ignore it if I want to be with him . . . and I do. They’ll soon move on and talk about something else anyway, especially when they see in a year down the line that we’re still together.
I have butterflies on the way to school, hoping to see him. It’s Friday, and I don’t work on Fridays, so if he can spare me an hour after the morning school run, I’ll tell him then - the sooner the better. He doesn’t show up with Lucia, though, his mum brings her to school instead. He must have started work early. . . Oh well, give me the day to do my hair and preen myself to be at my best when I see him later. I’m full of hope.
His mum comes over to me, and the girls go off to play.
“Hello, honey, how are you doing?” she asks me.
I smile at her warmly. “I'm OK, thanks, Mrs Harris. Has Nathan started work early today?”
Her mouth falls open a little before she regains her composure - I've made a conscious effort not to ask about him since we've split up.
“Yes, dear, he’s gone on a course - health and safety course today - he’s only back late this evening, it’s in Birmingham.”
I try not to show my disappointment – that means I won’t be able to talk to him today. “Oh, right, is Lucia staying over with you?”
She shakes her head, “No, he wants to see her in the morning - if she was staying at mine, he wouldn’t see her today and all weekend, so he said she can wait for him because it's Friday and he’s going to bring her around tomorrow lunchtime before he’s due to meet his teammates before the match.”
Shit, that means I won’t get to speak to him in the morning either. Just my luck. Now that I've finally made my decision, I can't get to him quickly enough.
I nod, “Ah, I see.” Everyone starts piling into school as the doors open. “Well, lovely to see you, Simone, see you again soon.”
She smiles and says goodbye.
Well, if I have to wait a little longer, it will be all the sweeter when we do get together, I suppose. I text Amanda to make sure she’s going to the match tomorrow – I'm going to go and watch him and tell him afterwards. It's time for a mini shopping spree to find something casual yet sexy that will blow his mind for the game tomorrow.
Chapter 21
Nathan hasn’t seen me yet. I'm at the rugby field, watching the match. There’s no way he would expect me to be here. The game has only just kicked off, there’s a strange atmosphere at the ground today – the guys on the other team are huge and they seem mean and rough. Amanda’s worried, she says this team has a reputation for playing dirty and fighting.
There have been some nasty tackles, and Nathan is big, but the guy marking him is bigger. I've seen games like this before; without fail, they always turn into a brawl, and the match is abandoned. Those kinds of matches are exciting for the spectators, but none of us want the game ruined. A fight here and there always gets the crowd going, within reason, but not when it spoils the game. Today is different, though. The atmosphere is tense and on edge, as though something bad is going to happen - the sooner it’s over, the better.
As the match progresses, a couple of fights break out – the referee has his work cut out for him with these guys.
I watch proudly as Nathan gets the ball from the scrum and bolts down the right-hand side of the field, he’s like lightning – the crowd start with his ‘Gingerbread’ chant, which Amanda and I roll our eyes at, but my attention is straight back on him – he’s fast, and bloody hot! Possessiveness floods me - he's mine. The opposing team member runs towards him, it’s his marker and he’s built like a brick shithouse – he reaches him and mybreath hitches in my throat – he holds his arm out – hooks him around the neck and Nathan, due to his speed, flies in the air, and crashes onto the floor on his back. I scream out. That was bad,reallybad. The crowd on our side turn angry, and everyone is shouting at the referee. You’re not allowed to tackle above the shoulders because it’s dangerous, and this guy had him around the neck.Fuck.
When the crowd sees that Nathan isn’t moving, they go deadly quiet... It’s eerie. I'm frozen to the spot. The First Aider comes running onto the pitch, and a couple of Nathan’s teammates go charging over and lunge at the guy who tackled Nathan. A fight breaks out as shithouse’s teammates come to help him. This is what they wanted all along – one big fight.
I try to climb the barriers to get to Nathan, but the security guard won’t let me past. “Please . . . he's my boyfriend.” I plead with him
He nods at me and rolls his eyes, “That’s what they all say, love.” The tiny bit of authority he’s been given has gone to his head.
Amanda tries for me, “No really . . . she is his girlfriend, that’s my husband there, and this is Nathan’s girlfriend, let her go to him . . . please” she pleads.
He shakes his head – jobsworth - there’s no way he’s letting us past.
There is a crowd around Nathan, and all I can see is his feet, which haven’t moved.Please move . . . please move. I hear an ambulance, and on the other side of the pitch, the crowd has parted so that it can drive onto the pitch. Holy shit, this is bad – I've only ever seen this happen once before, in all the matches I've ever been to. My heartbeat is rapid, and my mouth goes dry.
Amanda pats me on the arm, but says in a shaky voice. “Don’t worry, hun . . . I'm sure he’ll be fine.”
“He doesn’t know, Mand, that I'm giving him another chance. What if he’s really hurt?”
