10. Curveballs

I lay on my bed early Saturday morning, staring at my ceiling. My stomach churned and my head ached as I thought of my kiss with Max. He never called and as usual it only left me with broken promises and longing. I hated myself for the repetitive pain I put myself through. Scraping my nails through my hair, I let out a loud sigh and turned to my phone.

I had two months left of the summer holidays, and possibly three months of Alec being home. If I considered staying in the area, I should probably start making amends with my sister; or at least have her speak to me again. If my home life was to get better, I was safer starting with her.

And I couldn't keep ignoring Alec because my messed up feelings were getting in the way of our friendship.

Refusing to let myself wallow in self-pity, I texted Alec asking if we could meet up somewhere.

Over breakfast, he answered, asking if I wanted to watch him play football with his old team and sent the weekly match location.

I begged my mother for her car. Luckily, she relinquished her beloved VW Beetle if I promised to be home in time for a family dinner, which included Rosie and Daniel. She was fed up with my sister skipping every home meal since my return.

Singing at the top of my lungs as the car radio blasted The Wombats, I drove down the all too familiar country roads to one of the neighbouring villages where the game was being held. Taking a large breath in, I slowly felt all my negative thoughts from the past couple of weeks leave my body. The air around me smelt like freedom.

Freedom unfortunately also smelt like cow manure. Oh, the perks of living in the countryside. I hurried to shut the windows, hoping I wasn't trapping the foul odour in with me.

The gravel crunched as I steered the baby blue Beetle into a free spot in the parking area. Alec stood to the side, away from his teammates.

I sat in my car, clutching on to the steering wheel, and gave myself a pep talk. I could do this. A friendship of over fourteen years didn't change because I suddenly realised my best friend was probably the hottest guy around.

"Keep your hormones in check. You were kissing Max only two days ago," I muttered to myself.

Speaking of Max, there he was on the field alongside Andy and a few of their other friends.

A tap on the window startled me, and my car door was pulled open. "What are you doing? Are you going to get out of the car or just sit there gawking at all these fit boys? They look better up close. Come on, Wilson!"

"Always a pleasure, Hope. I've only just got here. Give me a minute."

"Tosh! You were staring at Alec's arse where no one would catch you. I don't blame you. That's a fine looking backside," Hope sighed while biting her lip, glancing over at Alec.

Panic set in. Was I that transparent? I locked my car and flicked her gently. "Stop eye humping all these poor boys," I half-laughed.

She didn't even like football, but you could count on the fact you would always catch her at all their matches when she was in the area.

Hope strolled back over to her car. Abigail leant against it, talking to Finn who I hadn't even noticed when I first arrived.

Turning towards Alec, I made my way up to him. His gaze fixed on the other players, he rested his forearms on the white metal railing that bordered the edge of the pitch.

"Hey, Alec," I spoke softly, placing my hand on his back to warn him of my presence.

"Nattie! I was wondering when you'd get here." Alec drew me up to him in a side hug and placed a faint kiss to my temple.

Instead of letting me go, he kept me tucked under his arm as we faced out to the pitch.

"Look at those jokers. Some of them can't even kick a ball straight. I don't know why they're playing on the team. I guess they get desperate when the numbers are low. Lucky for them, I'm here to bring up the standard." Alec puffed out his chest and let out a hearty laugh while motioning to the boys. Such a goof.

"Modest as ever," I giggled, scanning the field for my sister's boyfriend. Maybe I could talk to him about my sister before our dinner. "Do you know if Daniel is playing today?"

"Hmm, yeah, he should be here any minute. Why? Oh look, speak of the devil, he's pulling up now." Alec's voice dropped.

I turned around in time to watch Daniel park his little beat up Fiat Punto. I'm not sure if it was still safe to drive. The left side panel of the silver car had a significant dent in it, and the paintwork left a lot to be desired. There was no way my mother let Rosie ride in that thing not that my sister would be caught dead in it, anyway.

"He should scrap that piece of junk. Good thing he already has a girlfriend cos that car isn't doing him any favours," Alec laughed out in a deep chuckle, his eyes narrowing to observe Daniel under the morning sun.

"Right, because that flash car of yours is doing wonders for you," I teased lightheartedly.

Alec glared back at me and snapped, his voice barely above a whisper, "whatever." With that, he marched onto the pitch over to his teammates, his hands tugging on the roots of his brown hair.

My heart sank. What had I said wrong? We were just joking around.

"Take a joke, Hart! When did you get so touchy?" I shouted out to him, rubbing my palms down my hips.

All the boys turned just in time to see Alec stick his two fingers up in my direction.

Stunned, I stalked over to Daniel, kicking up the gravel with each step. I knew I looked like a child, sulking. I couldn't care less. Fricking boys and their sulky attitudes and society had the cheek to label girls as hormonal. Had they met some of the ones standing on that field?

"Lovers tiff? Saw Alec's gesture," Daniel snickered, his voice muffled from having his head in his boot while he rummaged around.

"What? No! Shut up. It's not like that. I have no idea what crawled up his arse. One minute I was joking around, the next he walks off in a huff. Good luck with him out there." I waved my arm towards where Alec was. "Glad I don't have to play with him."

"Yeah, yeah. Alec is so chill. You sure you didn't do something?" Daniel opened the passenger door to his car and sat down to pull his football boots on.

"I don't even know anymore," I mumbled. Alec and I had our fair share of arguments, however that didn't mean I always knew why we had them.

"Anyway, enough about that, can you do me a favour?" I pleaded, worry snaking through me. What if Rosie refused to come by tonight? Mum would blame me and I didn't need another mark against my name.

"Oh oh, this could spell trouble. What do you want?" Daniel stood up, towering over me, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why do you automatically think it's trouble? I just want to make sure Rosie is coming for dinner tonight?"

"Not sure, she's so stressed. Her last exam is Monday morning."

"Please, Daniel. Mum is counting on her to come and I haven't seen her since being home," I begged. "She'll listen to you if you ask her to go."

"I know, Nat," he sighed, wiping a hand over his face. "She's in a mood at the moment so if you want her to stay for dinner, just agree with everything and nod when you feel like biting back. It's not worth it tonight. It'll make my life easier if you two finally got on. Your mum would like that too."

"I'll try my best." I screwed my face. Another one who preferred to bottle everything in.

"Don't tell her this, but she's doing my head in with her exams, and harbouring all that anger towards you isn't healthy," Daniel grumbled, running a hand through his dark hair.

"I owe you big time if she comes." I swung my arms around Daniel, knocking him back a fraction. Daniel held me by the shoulders to steady himself.

"I better head over there, Alec is shooting daggers my way."

I nodded, watching him run onto the pitch.

***

With an hour and a half to kill, I wandered over to where Hope and Abigail sat in the small deserted stands. As this was a friendly between local teams, no one bothered to see them, especially when they were on a Saturday morning. I, myself, could think of a million better things to do with my time.

"Hey girls, mind if I join?"

"Do you even have to ask? Come join the buff boy appreciation coven. You might struggle to find a space, though. This place is rammed," Hope cackled and motioned to the seating area with her arms open.

Abigail patted a spot next to her on the bench, looking up at me with a wide smile on her face.

I flopped down beside them. "Alright, Abby? Saw Finn was here." I gave her a slight nudge, causing her to giggle.

I wish I'd kept that observation to myself. We spent the next forty-five minutes listening to Abigail excitedly give us a play-by-play of each interaction she had with Finn.

Turns out, while I was avoiding Alec, Hope and Abigail were filling every free moment with him and his uni friend. Did it bother me? Of course but I wouldn't tell them that.

"Look up, girls. This is the best part," Hope urged. She shuffled forward in her seat to get a better view.

On cue, most of the players started walking over to the front of the stand, pulling their tops off and pouring large bottles of water over themselves to cool down. Suddenly I understood the appeal of waking up early to catch these boys playing. Abigail and Hope knew how to start the weekend.

Alec climbed up the few steps to join us, his football jersey in his hand. As he neared, he threw his sweat-soaked top into my face.

"Ahh, you animal! What's that for?" I balled the drenched fabric and returned the favour, smacking his bare chest.

"It's my sorry. I'm an idiot. Forgive me?" He clasped his hands together and knelt down in front of me. His face was right there, his green eyes slowly blinking as he held my gaze, his pupils dilated and his bottom lip pushed out.

"I'm not even sure what happened, you big baby. We weren't even arguing and you stropped off." I pursed my lips to stop myself from grinning.

Alec smelt of sweat and his usual citrus scent. The smell was far from off-putting. I actually found it attractive. Fighting the urge to sniff him and place my hands on his broad shoulders, I pulled his shirt back out of his hands and rubbed it in his face. "Now you're forgiven."

In a split second, Alec stood up dragging me with him and wrapped his arms around me, covering my arms in his sweat.

"You're disgusting, Hart! I've already showered this morning," I shrieked.

He squeezed tighter, lifting my feet off the ground, and swayed me from side to side like I was a small rag doll.

His face tucked into my hair, he whispered in his husky voice, "I'm sorry for being grumpy. Spend the rest of the day with me and I'll make it up to you."

A pleasant chill ran up my spine and goosebumps formed on my bare arms.

He put me down quickly, causing me to lose my footing. His hands on my shoulders stopped me from toppling over. I no longer knew if it was his actions that caused my unsteadiness or if it was just Alec being close.

My eyes darted to the floor and I pushed a pile of invisible dirt around with my foot. "Actually, that would be perfect. I need you for something later. I want to check on Sian, but I'll have to drop Mum's car back first. So could you pick me up after lunchtime?"

"I'll follow you home. Have lunch at mine? Finn can get a lift with Hope and Abby," he offered, chewing the side of his mouth.

With our afternoon plans made, Alec ran back out onto the field. While we were talking, Hope and Abigail had made their way onto the pitch to talk to Finlay.

Max found the moment I was alone to appear by my side. He strolled over from his hiding place, no doubt waiting for Alec to disappear, hands shoved deep into his pockets and planted a slow kiss to my cheek.

"Gorgeous, Nat! Didn't think football was your thing? Are you stalking me?" he laughed.

"Pfft, don't flatter yourself. I have other people to see." I quipped, rolling my eyes.

"It's such a shame you had to leave the other night. I can't stop thinking of that kiss. Maybe we could pick up where we left off, later?" His voice was deep and seductive. Damn Max and his hot and cold attitude.

Before I had a chance to answer, the girls returned to their seats causing Max to retrace his steps back to his team. As his feet hit the pitch, he turned around and gestured for me to call him. I slowly shook my head in disbelief. He was something else.

"Ooh, Nat, are you and Max a thing again? So you don't mind if I crack on with Alec?"

I swung round, gawking at Hope. Was she kidding? Her and Alec? She would eat him alive. My fists balled at my sides.

"Okay, maybe you'd mind," Hope noted, sitting up straighter and tensing her shoulders.

"What makes you think I mind? I haven't said anything." I slumped down next to her and wrung my hands in my lap.

Hope shot me a side glance and raised one of her eyebrows. "You don't need to. Your face says it all. It's all screwed up and you look like I've kicked your puppy."

Abigail shifted back and forth, biting her fingernails. "Leave her alone, Hope. I told you it was a bad idea," she murmured.

"I'm just a bit shocked, that's all. Why now? You've said nothing about it before." I could feel heat creeping from my chest to my neck. If it wasn't for my Mediterranean complexion, I would probably be a deep shade of red.

"There's no one else. All the good ones are either taken or I've been there, done that. Don't need a repeat. You have to admit, Alec is so hot. I bet he's amazing in bed," Hope revealed. She couldn't meet my eyes, her foot tapping the ground. The sound seemed to get louder and louder, making my ears ring.

"No! Just no then. You can't. He's not like that."

"I was asking out of courtesy, but I didn't need to. Why do you care anyway? You have Max, you can't have Alec as well."

My heart beat faster and my legs ached. I had to stand up. "I don't want Alec in that way, but I definitely don't want him to be another boy to cross off your long list of fu-"

"Don't even say the word." Hope leapt to her feet, waving her index finger in my face. "How dare you judge me! All the girls have had to tiptoe around Alec in case they were stepping on your toes. Well, not anymore! He doesn't belong to you. Stop acting like a jealous girlfriend when someone gets close to him."

My temples throbbed with anger and I pictured punching her smack-bang in her freckly button nose.

"Girls, stop. Don't argue over this," Abigail pleaded, coming between us.

I squared my shoulders. I wouldn't let her intimidate me. "You're right, Abby. I'm going to sit in my car. I don't need to listen to this."

"Coward!" Hope shot back as I hurried over to the safety of my mum's Beetle.

I spent the next half of the football game cooped up in the car away from everyone.

Rage pulsed through my veins as I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white. Despite wanting to drive off to get as far away from Hope as possible, I had to stay put. I was there for Alec and I wouldn't let anything or anyone come between us.

***

Hello,

We get to see more of Alec in this chapter, yay.

For my international readers,

the game of football played in this chapter

is the equivalent of your soccer.

Not to be confused with American football.

Until next chapter,

Clara x