Page 70 of The Game

"Do you want me to call the physio?" My heart wrenched and I turned to make my way to the bench where the staff were sat with their eyes on the game.

Fingers caught mine and held me back before pushing me into the tunnel out of the sight of fans, staff, and well, everyone. "It's not my shoulder."

His face leant in close to mine and warmth rushed off his skin. It made my legs feel a little weak but I tried to ignore it. I still had a job to do here, if only for one more night. "What is it then?" My voice came out sounding nothing like my own.

His head dipped, and for one agonised moment I thought he might kiss me. He didn't. "It’s you. You’re killing the game in me. I can't concentrate."

"Sure you can." I prodded a finger into his belly. It didn't get far as it met a wall of rock hard muscle. "You can do this easy. Every game is worth winning, you know this more than anything. Leave on a high, Jonathan."

His speckled blues flashed to my face. "You know I'm going? Do you know why?” The deep recesses of his eyes flickered and I wished more than anything I could read inside that proud head of his.

"Sure." I kept my voice stable and sounded nothing like it felt to me on the inside. "You are going to be captain of a test team, which is where you deserve to be. It's what you are, Jonathan."

He studied me, his eyes landing on every speck of skin on my face and a sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I like it when you call me Jonathan."

I gave him a small smile and patted him on the shoulder, such a ridiculously awkward thing to do - if it had been anyone else I would have giggled. "So is the captain of the Red Cats going to win?"

His mouth moved towards mine. "Maybe." In one smooth movement that I was half anticipating, half dreading, his lips found mine. It was electric, as every kiss between us had been. This kiss, was pure and sweet and delicious. Tender. "Thank you, Alyssa Rivers." He spoke against my mouth and ripples of pleasure spread across my skin. I imprinted them on my memory so I would always be able to recall them when I needed to feel something like it again.

"Thank you, Jonathan Willis." I pushed him away. He turned and ran back to the field and as he left I whispered him a goodbye because I knew that when it came to saying goodbye to the team, I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to him.

We won.

By a landslide.

And then I left. Hugs all around. I think the team were hopeful their next fitness coach wouldn't be so sadistic.

The Lancashire Lion, Jonathan Willis, was nowhere to be seen.

Come September everything had changed. Sammy had gone up a year at school and while Maria was still there cooking for me and helping me keep the house, she no longer had to do the school run because Blythe and Colin took him. They'd bought their home chain free within a matter of weeks. It was far enough away that they weren't ‘there’ all the time and yet close enough that they could become a daily part of Sammy's and my life. Mum and Dad were in the process of selling the villa in Spain and buying an apartment in Alicante and one nearby to the family home so they could split their time.

I'd spent three weeks waiting for the wheels of a Mercedes SUV to crunch up the gravel of the driveway. They never did.

It was okay. I was okay.

I hadn’t been, though. I’d cried, and I’d hated myself for it. I’d cried almost as much for the loss of Jonathan than I had for the loss of my brother. But on the third week, when the wave of tears began to ebb, I realised that the two were intricately linked. Saying goodbye to one man had helped me say goodbye to the other.

Today was the new start I so desperately needed. I was grabbing my bag and a spare bag of kit clothes when my phone rang. "You are not late on your first day, please tell me that?" Betsy drawled down the line.

"Not late yet, it depends on how long you plan to talk for." I hooked the phone under my ear as I searched out my car keys and set the alarm.

"Just calling to wish you luck, babe, you’re going to be great."

I laughed. "It's only the first day of training, Bets. I think it's going to be pretty low key."

"What happens if the fitness coach is a bitch?"

Sniggering, I cranked the front door closed behind me and waited for the three beeps of the alarm to tell me it had set. "Then I'm royally screwed."

"When does their youth academy start?" she asked.

"Next week." This was the bit I was most excited about, more than playing, being part of a team again in the way where every action I took meant something to others. I wanted to help other girls achieve the dream too.

"It's so exciting!" she squealed down the line.

"It is. Listen, Betsy, thank you."

"Meh, I didn't do anything. I just happened to overhear a conversation and dropped your name."