ojovivo
will byers stan first human second

Discoholic đȘ©

â
No title available
Claire Keane

titsay
Aqua Utopiaïœæ”·ăźćșă§èšæ¶ă玥ă
Cosmic Funnies

Origami Around
Game of Thrones Daily

oozey mess

izzy's playlists!
I'd rather be in outer space đž

shark vs the universe

Andulka

JBB: An Artblog!
trying on a metaphor

Janaina Medeiros
d e v o n

seen from Netherlands

seen from Malaysia

seen from TĂŒrkiye
seen from United States

seen from TĂŒrkiye

seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from France

seen from India

seen from Sweden

seen from France

seen from Canada

seen from Finland

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from Malaysia

seen from TĂŒrkiye
@lassoways
Shoving more of my Jamie is a cat person agenda down peopleâs throats
Jamie LOVES animals. He literally always wanted a pet growing up but understood they couldnât afford one. When he got older and learned he was going to actually be staying at Richmond he decided to look into a pet.
At first he wanted a dog but got worried he wouldnât be around enough for it. He started looking at cats and loved them but he couldnât stand the idea of fur on his clothing every single day.
Roy pointed out hairless cats one morning and Jamie got hooked. He gets one on the off season and names it Marigold. You better believe Jamie is fucking obsessed with her. He loves this cat more then anything.
He buys literally everything cute he possibly could find and then once all the team members find out she needs to wear clothing or else sheâll get cold they go NUTS. That cat is decked out in Gucci and Chanel and some goddamn expensive custom things.
Roy hates her at first. He keeps referring to her as âthat fucking raw chicken that escaped Gordon Ramsay.â
She grows on Roy once he realizes he never has to worry about cat fur on his black clothing so they can keep their relationship quiet for a bit longer. ïżŒïżŒ ïżŒ
Tired of pretending this man isnât fine as a MUHđ my dilf senses are tingling fr
true blue
chapter one: say anything
word count: 3.5k
warnings: cursing, suggestive content at the end but no actual smut, reader and jamie are grumpy and need hugs
masterlist | series playlist
say anything - girl in red
âSo, will I be seeing you at Samâs party tonight after the game then?â
Keely asks, playing with a strand of your hair affectionately. The two of you are standing in the hallway outside of your office at Nelson Road. You lean against the wall beside you, giving her a noncommittal shrug.
âI donât know. I was thinking of just staying in tonight.âÂ
She frowns at this. âOh, come on, babes! We have to support Samâs new restaurant and besides,â she leans in and whispers as if sheâs about to tell a salacious secret, âI was gonna invite a client of mine who is proper fit and I think you two would just hit it right off!âÂ
You groan. âOh, Keely, no! I told you no more match ups.âÂ
You cringed at the thought of the last bloke she tried to set you up with. He cared more about your footballer brother than anything to do with you and the night eventually ended with you telling him to âfuck off and go date my brother if you love him so muchâ.
Keelyâs frown deepens, puppy dog eyes staring straight into your soul. âWill you come if I donât invite him?âÂ
You sigh, looking down at your paperwork on the clipboard in your hands, chewing the inside of your cheek. You glance back over to her, those big puppy eyes still working their magic and you give her a weak smile. âOkay, fine.â
She squeals, pulling you into a hug and you smile into her shoulder. You pull away, about to make a comment about how you have nothing to wear to the party tonight, but youâre interrupted by an annoying voice emerging from behind.Â
âGood morning, Keely!â Jamie Tartt strolls down the hallway, a sports bag slung over his shoulder. He pauses in front of the two of you, giving Keely a cheeky grin before turning to you with a less than enthusiastic face and a curt nod, muttering your name as a greeting. You grunt in response.Â
Youâve known Jamie ever since you started as AFC Richmondâs physiotherapist just a few months before he left for Man City, and you have never gotten along since - though your dislike for him goes even further back than that. Jamie and your brother have a rather public and long-going distaste for each other, and as a loyal sister, you have a distaste for anybody that is a prick to your family. And so, you and Jamie are constantly at each otherâs necks, doing whatever to get under the otherâs skin.Â
âHi, Jamie!â Keely greets, chipper as ever.Â
You resist the urge to roll your eyes, and instead look him up and down, keying in on his regular clothes and bag. âAre you just now getting here? Itâs a game day.âÂ
He scoffs, holding his hands up. âChill. The star player just needed a couple more minutes of beauty sleep, is all.â
You feign confusion, âBut Zavaâs already here, and he looks plenty rested.â
 Keely jumps to change the subject. âJamie, you know my client, the one who runs that sock company! Donât you think they'd hit it off?â She motioned towards you and you mentally curse at her.Â
He looks you up and down and you start to scowl at the smirk taking form on his face. You already know heâs going to say something stupid. He looks at Keely and shakes his head, looking so smug. âNah, I donât think heâs into nagging know-it-alls.âÂ
Keely jumps between you two before you can open your mouth to fight back. âOkay, Jamie, good luck today! Bye!âÂ
She turns to face you as Jamie walks away. âI take it you two still hate each other?âÂ
She started her own PR firm recently and hasnât been around the office much. She hoped the two of you would have magically worked through this shit by now, but that clearly wasnât the case. She knew Jamie had grown so much lately, but for some reason, he was still the same old prick to you.Â
You scoff. âIâm a professional, Keely. I donât hate any of my patients.â
She gives a knowing look. You feel like youâre being scolded or something.Â
âHeâs gotten so much better lately, though.â Keely reasons.
You hum, uninterested. âIâve yet to see all these âimprovementsâ everyone speaks of.âÂ
âCome on, just give him a chance. You two might surprise each other.â She sighs, giving you a squeeze on the shoulder. âI should go meet Rebecca upstairs. Weâll see you after the game, yeah?âÂ
You give her a reassuring smile before returning to your office. Game days meant you had to be ready at the drop of a hat in case an injury happened on the pitch. Putting your headphones in, you focused on getting all of your supplies in order for the big day.Â
-
It was no surprise that Richmond won. With Zava joining Richmond as their true knight in shining armour, the team had been victorious once again, continuing their win streak. And while you were very pleased for your team, especially since nobody came out of the game with any serious injuries, you knew this meant there was no way you could bail on the party tonight. With everybody in the mood to celebrate, it would be impossible to stay under the radar and not attend, not if Keely had anything to say about it.Â
So thatâs why you were at Olaâs, nursing your second glass of champagne in a black slip dress that felt all too uncomfortable compared to the sweatpants you wish you were in on your couch. Keely and Rebecca babbled on next to you about one of Keelyâs recent photo shoots for a client of hers, and you offered a chuckle or a gasp when necessary, otherwise remaining silent beside your friends.Â
âAlright, thatâs it.â Rebecca sat her drink down, pointing a beautifully manicured finger at you, âWhat on earth has gotten into you lately? Youâve been loafing around for weeks.âÂ
âI have not been loafing,â You had definitely been loafing. âIâve just been feeling⊠a little uninspired with life lately, I suppose.âÂ
âThat break up really got to you, eh?â Keely inquires, a sympathetic smile on her face. You shake your head.Â
âNo, itâs not that.â You pause, looking down at your drink. âOkay, maybe a little. Itâs not like we were together long or anything, but now Iâm just in such a funk and I canât get out of it.âÂ
Rebecca nods, âI totally understand. But that guy was a twat, and you, my dear, are a bad bitch.â She turns to Keely with a sly grin. âKeely, do you know the best way to get out of a funk?â
Your two friends turn to you after sharing a glance, suspicious gleams in their eyes. Keely wiggles her eyebrows as she declares, âThe best way to get out of a funk is to have absolutely mind-blowing sex!âÂ
You snicker. âEh, I think Iâm going to take a break from dating for a little bit.âÂ
Rebecca laughs, grabbing your hand from across the table. âMy dear, you donât need to be dating to have mind-blowing sex.âÂ
You roll your eyes, standing from the table and out of Rebeccaâs grasp. âI know, I know. Iâm going to get another drink, I need a break from you filthy lot.â You chuckle to yourself as they gasp, but escape to the bar before they can argue with you.Â
With a fresh drink in hand, you glanced around the restaurant. The entire team and their friends were scattered throughout the restaurant, the sounds of laughter filling the area. Your brother sat in a booth adjacent to you, and when you met eyes with him, he raised his glass to you with a smile (well, as much of a smile as Roy Kent can give). You raise your glass back before taking a large swig of your drink. Turning, your gaze fell on a table off in the corner, with a miserable looking Jamie Tartt sitting by himself.Â
You sauntered over. If anything could make you feel better, giving Jamie some shit would certainly do it. When you sit beside him, he barely looks up from his plate, too busy scooting around a piece of meat with his fork.Â
âItâs not polite to play with your food.â You tease.Â
He pauses before dropping his fork with a loud clatter against the plate. âPiss off.â
You reach over to poke at his grumpy face and he swats you away. You frown. âDidnât you guys just win? Shouldnât you be happy?âÂ
Jamie shakes his head, leaning back into his chair with an exasperated sigh. His eyes narrowed, looking past you. âNot much to be happy about right now, eh? I ainât done nothinâ to help âem win.âÂ
You followed his gaze and your mouth made an âoâ when you saw the target of Jamieâs glares. Zava, Richmondâs new star player, had undeniably been stealing Jamieâs thunder since he joined the team and was largely responsible for Richmondâs uptick in victories. You know Jamie was jealous of this, youâd heard your brother mention it here and there, but you had no idea it was getting to Jamie this badly. Â
You turned to face Jamie, still slumped in his seat. On a normal day, you would have helped dig him deeper into this hole with a snide comment or two about how much better Zava was than him, but as you watched him sit there looking so sad, so pathetic, so absolutely miserable, your best friend's words rang in your ears. Just give him a chance.Â
You took another big sip of your drink. Liquid courage. You sigh. âYouâre a great footballer, Jamie. I think you can be better than him. And besides, heâs a moron.â
His eyes softened, staring at you in disbelief. Maybe the alcohol was tricking your brain, but you could have sworn there was a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. He started to grin, âWow, two Kent siblings nice to me in one night? âM I being punked right now?âÂ
You reach over and hit his shoulder. It wasnât hard by any means, but he still rubs at the spot with a feigned hurt. âWhat did Roy say?âÂ
âHe offered to train me.â He sits a little straighter in his chair. You could tell he was trying to hide his smile.
You gasp, âIs hell freezing over?âÂ
He lets out a laugh, probably the first genuine laugh heâs had all day. It makes you smile. âThatâs what Iâm saying!â He exclaims.Â
The two of you stay like that for a while. Off at the corner table in what felt like your own little world, joking about your sour puss of a brother, or how much of a self-righteous twat Zava is. You felt a pang in your chest as you began to realize that Keely was right, maybe Jamie really has changed. For the better. And you were just constantly tearing him down, never giving him a real chance to show you he was different now.Â
Jamie noticed your face falter, his eyebrows scrunching in concern. âYou okay? You look like someone just pissed in âya wheaties all âa sudden.â
You shake your head, taking the final sip of your drink and setting the glass down. âNo, no. I just.. I think I'm gonna head home. Iâm pretty tired.âÂ
âDo you like ice cream?âÂ
His question catches you off guard and you think it must be the beginning of a bad joke or something. You search his face, but when you donât see any signs of humour, you realize heâs serious.Â
âI love ice cream.âÂ
âMe too, and your cunt of a brother says my diet starts tonight but what he doesnât know wonât kill âem, right? âCuz I am absolutely craving ice cream right now.â Heâs still looking at you intently. You feel like itâs starting to get too hot in the restaurant.Â
You nod.Â
âSo what I'm thinkinâ is we go grab some ice cream at that shop around the corner and then I can walk you home.âÂ
He says it so matter of fact, like it wasnât a big deal at all. Like the two of you have been friends all along. You smile, âYou donât have to walk me home.â
Jamie waves you off. âNah, itâs on me way so thereâs no reason for me not to.âÂ
âHow do you know where I live?â Â
He laughs. âDonât act all panicked or nothinâ, I just remember havinâ to pick up Keely from your place one time, is all.â
Your eyes narrow. âSure, Jamie. But if youâre gonna murder me, the least you can do is buy my ice cream first.âÂ
He stands, looking down at you. âI was already planning on doinâ that, love.â
You ignore the way that pet name makes you feel, the way it spreads heat all through your body. The champagne was definitely getting to you. You stand too, tilting your head up at him with a sly smile. âOh, youâre panninâ on murdering me?âÂ
He shoves at you playfully and you shove back. âMeet me out front. I gotta go say bye to Sam.â He says.
You nod, going your separate ways in the restaurant. You walk up to Roy and give him a hug, telling him no, you donât need him to walk you home and yes, you will let him know when you get home safe. After quick hugs and kisses with Keely and Rebecca, you were standing outside Olaâs and beginning to feel incredibly stupid as you waited for Jamie.Â
Were you really about to go get ice cream with Jamie fucking Tartt? Were you trying to pretend you were suddenly best of friends or some shit, when just this morning you despised him? Looking around, you wondered how bad it would be to just start walking home without him.Â
ââM so fuckinâ excited for some ice cream.âÂ
He shoots you a wide grin as he walks out of the restaurant, starting off towards the ice cream shop. When he realizes you arenât walking with him, he spins on his heel, lips pursed. âYou cominâ?âÂ
You shake yourself from your thoughts, moving fast to catch up with him. âY-yeah, Iâm comin!âÂ
As he said he would, Jamie pays for your ice cream. He gets two scoops of rocky road, his favorite he says, and he calls you âdiabolicalâ when you pick mint chocolate chip. You walk in step with him towards your apartment, enjoying your dessert and to your surprise, the company. It was amazing how well you got on with Jamie when you werenât busy pissing eachother off. The whole thing still gave you a nasty feeling in the pit of your stomach and you knew you had to apologize for your shitty behavior.Â
After a while, your conversation enters a lull but you feel comfortable in the silence, happily eating away at your ice cream. He draws your attention back with the clearing of his throat, and you can feel his eyes on you. âEr, can I ask you somethinâ?â He asks.Â
âSure, whatâs up?âÂ
You can tell whatever heâs about to ask, heâs thinking of the best way to say it, chewing on the inside of his lip for a moment. âWhatâs had âya feelinâ so down lately?â
It catches you off guard and it must have shown on your face. He continues, âOh, câmon. Everyone has been noticinâ how down in the dumps âye are.âÂ
You sigh and take a bite of ice cream. âI suppose I just havenât been feeling like myself these days. Itâs just a funk, Iâll get out of it.âÂ
âItâs âcuz of your break-up, yeah?âÂ
You snap your head towards him. âHow do you know about that?â
Jamie scratches the back of his head sheepishly, âI overheard Roy and Keely talkinâ about it the other day - about how he was an asshole to âya.âÂ
You couldnât disagree. Your ex might be the biggest asshole you know, and thatâs saying a lot coming from someone related to Roy Kent. Nodding, you say, âHe was an asshole.âÂ
He hums in agreement, not pressing you any further, taking another bite of his dessert. The two of you are silent again until you finally speak up. âI guess, yeah, I have been a bit sad lately.â You stop walking, gathering your thoughts and he stops too, turning to face you. âIâm not so much sad that we broke up because everyoneâs right, he was an asshole, but he was so good at making me feel like shit and now I donât know howâŠâ you pause. âI donât know how to not feel like shit anymore. And that makes me sad.âÂ
Finally getting that off your chest feels nice, and your amazed at how much better you feel just telling someone, anyone, even Jamie fucking Tartt. His gaze is soft and you can tell he feels bad for you. You look away. You can feel your body folding in on itself, arms crossing your chest.Â
âYou know, someone told me once that the only thing worse than being sad is being sad and alone.â Jamie says, and you peel your eyes off your shoes to look back up at him. âAnd I guess I just wanna say that âya not alone, âya get what I mean? You have Roy, and Keely, and Rebecca, and uh.. Iâm here too.âÂ
You smile, beginning to walk again. You reach over, giving his shoulder a light push. âYou know what, Jamie? Youâre not so bad.â
âOh, why thank you!â He flashes you a big, cheeky grin as he pops you on the nose. âI actually pride meself on being the ânot so badâ-est.âÂ
When you reach your front door, you turn to face him, swallowing hard as you go over the apology you had been writing in your head the whole walk home. He beats you to speak though, nervously scratching the back of his head.Â
âListen, I, uh, I wanted to say Iâm sorry for being such a prick to âya. Iâve been trying so hard to be a better person lately but I dug meself in such a deep hole with you that I didnât know what to even do, so I just kept beinâ an asshole and it was shitty and you donât deserve that and-âÂ
âJamie,â you try to interrupt him but he doesnât let you, continuing his rambles.
âAnd I didnât mean what I said this morninâ neither. Youâre not naggy or a know-it-all. Youâre smart and good at your job and-âÂ
âJamie,â you say again, louder. You step closer to get his attention, grabbing him by the sleeve on his wrist. You can smell his cologne, cedarwood and citrus. âIâm sorry, too. Iâm always a dick to you, I never even gave you a chance to show me youâve changed. And you have, by the way. Youâve changed.âÂ
His eyes soften. You can see on his face heâs relieved, happy that youâve acknowledged how hard heâs worked to be a different person, a better person. He speaks quietly, just barely above a whisper and you wouldnât have been able to hear him if he wasnât so close to you right now. âThank you.âÂ
The two of you stay like that for a moment too long, eyes boring into each other. Youâve always known he was handsome, but right now on your doorstep, the moonlight shining on him, he was breathtaking. You hadnât realized he took a step closer until you could feel his breath on your face, the smell of his cologne becoming even stronger. You watched his gaze go to your lips for a split second before looking back into your eyes and you knew right then you were fucked.Â
In an instant, you close the gap between you two. He wastes no time kissing you back, his hands grabbing your waist, yours wrapping around his neck. The kiss doesnât last nearly as long as it should, and you donât miss the small noise he makes when you pull away, your hands pushing gently on his chest. âIâm-iâm sorry. I shouldnât have-âÂ
Jamie cups your face, forcing you to look up at him. âNo more apologies, yeah?.âÂ
And his lips were on yours once again. This time your hands were scrambling all over each other, desperate to touch as much as you can. His hands are everywhere, the nape of your neck, your hips, sliding down to cup your ass through the fabric of your dress. When you gasp, his tongue enters your mouth and youâre overwhelmed by the taste of him, the smell of him, the feeling of him.Â
One hand reaches up to the hair at the back of his head, giving it a soft tug. You canât help but smile against his lips at the moan he lets out, and he responds by pushing you up against your door, his lips moving to your cheek, your jaw, your neck, peppering kisses everywhere he can reach until heâs kissing your lips once more. You break from the kiss, just barely, and through heavy breaths you ask, âDo you want to come inside?â
true blue
pairing: jamie tartt x fem!reader
tags: enemies to lover, friends with benefits, secret romance, reader is roy kentâs little sister, jamie tartt is a certified simp, suggestive content
a night out and an impulsive decision turns your life upside when you decide to go home with a person you thought you hated - jamie tartt
read on ao3 | series playlist
chapter one: say anything
chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
something about Jamie and Ted reacting in tandem towards Sam as captain and then Jamie starting the "I love you guys so very much" count down
hi! Could you please write something with like reader opening the door one day when Roy stars knocking for training but reader and Jamie arenât open about their relationship yet? I think it would be cute xx
I also thought this was cute. Not sure if anyone notices/cares, but all my titles are song lyrics based ever so loosely on the vibe I am trying to convey. Thanks for another great request!
what it is
Someoneâs aggressively knocking on the door and as you roll over to check the time. Itâs 4am, and you poke Jamie who is fast asleep beside you.
âBabe,â you whisper, âsomeoneâs at the door.â
Jamie groans and mumbles something incoherent. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can tell somethingâs off. You reach out your hand and feel his forehead. Itâs burning up.
The knocking continues and Jamie lets out another groan and says something that sounds like raining? Oh. Training. You remember he trains every morning at 4, but youâve never seen who he goes with. He just kisses you in your sleep and is back right as you wake up for the day.Â
You roll out of bed, grab one his sweatshirts from the floor, and pad downstairs to the door.
You swing open the door mid-knock. The man on the other side lowers his fist, looks at you all squinty for a moment, then says, âWho the fuckâre you?â
You return the look. âI live here. Who the fuck are you?â
The man scoffs. âNo, you fucking donât. This is Jamie Tarttâs house. Jesus fucking Christ, is he fucking blowing off training because of a fucking one-night stand?â
Oh. You know who this is. This is Roy Kent. You didnât know he was the one training Jamie, but you guess it makes sense based on how much Jamie talks about him. Itâs Roy Kent this, and Roy Kent that, and Roy says I need to eat more protein, and Roy said my hair looked funny today, does it look funny to you?Â
You sigh. You and Jamie have been together for three months, and you basically live at his house. Youâre really only at your flat to change clothes. You have a toothbrush, pajamas, and half a wardrobe at Jamieâs. Your books have started to make their way onto his shelves too, as you read them and then leave them for him to start. That was a little bit of an accident at first, after you left This Side of Paradise one night and came back to a different bookmark on page 34.
Anyway, Roy Kent doesnât know youâre dating Jamie, or that anyone is. You suppose in his mind, Jamie is happily single, fucking around like the twenty-something year old footballer he is.Â
Roy is still looking at you expectantly, so say, âI do live here. Why donât you come in?â and hold open the door a bit wider.Â
Royâs face says fuck it, and he follows you inside to the kitchen.Â
âCan I get you some tea?â you ask quietly, although Jamie can sleep through anything.Â
Roy seems surprised by the question, but says, âYeah, sure,â as he stands by the kitchen island.
âJamieâs sick,â you say. âHeâs still asleep upstairs. I doubt heâll be up for training today.â
âRight, yeah,â says Roy, âIâm sorry, but who the fuck are you? Jamieâs not fucking supposed to be doing the whole one-night stand thing, he told me itâs too fucking distracting from training.â
You chuckle. âThatâs comedy gold right there. Yeah, no, Iâm not a one-night stand. Iâm his girlfriend.â
Royâs impressive eyebrows lift in shock, and you laugh again and give him your name. âDidnât know I existed, did you? Iâm not one for crowds or a big fuss. I told Jamie if we made it four months than he could start telling people. He was a little upset, but,â you shrug, âno point in making it a big deal if we just break up, right?â
You can practically see the wheels turning in Royâs brain as he does the math.
âSo youâre telling me that youâve been fucking dating this little prick for three fucking months, and he hasnât fucking said anything?â
You nod.Â
âFuckkk,â Roy whispers, âthat makes so much fucking sense.â
You quirk an eyebrow at him.
âHeâs been less of a prick recently,â Roy explains, âMore considerate, been carrying around fucking books and shit. Not fucking flirting with everything that fucking moves. Thought maybe he was just taking beating Zava too fucking seriously.â
You nod and move to pour the tea. You and Roy both turn as you hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Itâs Jamie, who is wearing a headlamp, pajama shirt, athletic vest, and a single sock. And, thank God, pants.
âReady for training coach,â he says with a salute, but the action almost makes him fall over. He looks all pale and sweaty, with bags under his eyes.
âTold you he was sick,â you say.
âFuckinâ hell,â is all Roy can come up with.
Jamie seems to notice you for the first time and breaks out into a smile. âRoy! Look! I have a girlfriend,â he says, words a little slurred while pointing to you.
Itâs punctuated by a âJesus Christ,â from Roy as Jamie wobbles, unsteady on his feet from his fever.
âAlright, mister,â you say. âBack to bed.â
Jamie frowns. âAlways so mean,â he says. He does an imitation of your voice, âNo Jamie, you canât tell Roy about us. Yes Jamie, I know Royâs your best friend. No Jamie, I donât think you love Roy more than me.â He looks at Roy as you sling his arm around your shoulders, supporting him at his waist. He puts his fingertips on your lips as he says, âSee what I have to put up with?â
You roll your eyes and suppress a smile as Roy says, âWhat you have to put up with?â
Jamie is so loopy right now. He lays his head on yours and smiles again. âLook at this. Me two favorite people, finally meeting. You should stay for dinner, coach.â
Roy rolls his eyes and shakes his head. You can tell heâs trying not to laugh as you both mutually decide not to point out that it is now 4:30am and dinner is a long, long way away.
âLetâs go get you out of those clothes and into bed,â you say as you start to lead him back to your room.Â
Jamie casts a look back at Roy and wiggles his eyebrows. âBabe, you canât just say things like that in front of granddad. Might give him a heart attack. Old people are such prudes.â
âGo to sleep, Tartt,â Roy says. He looks at you and says softly, âI can see myself out.â
You smile and wave with your free hand. âIt was nice to meet you,â you say. âHopefully we can meet again under more normal circumstances.â
Roy nods once and does what you think is a smile? He turns and heads out the door as you maneuver Jamie upstairs. Jamie Tartt has a girlfriend. And a good one at that. What is the world coming to?
it was simple, it was sweetness, it was good to know
Roy Kent Ă Fem!Reader
word count : 15.1k a fucking whopper I started writing and couldnât stop this is the longest oneshot Iâve ever written in my life
summary : the 5 times Phoebe got dropped off at your house and the 5 times Roy realised he was in love with you.
content warning : tooth rotting fluff with the whole Kent family line, a little angst if you squint really really hard, allusions to smut towards the end but non actually written, me calling Royâs sister Molly but I canât remember where I first saw it, no use of yn.
masterlist
a/n : if you want to see a spin off based on any part of this please dot because writing this has broke my writers block!!!! Iâd love to write some more Roy <33
1. the first time
It had taken Roy about 15 seconds to decide he was going to drop Phoebe off with you.
When Molly had shown up on his doorstep at 5am, with an asleep Phoebe in her arms, citing she'd been called in for a surgery, he mentally rearranged his whole day to accommodate for his favourite girl. It wasn't until lunchtime rolled around that he remembered an important meeting with Ted and Beard that he, unfortunately, couldn't get out of. So, while brainstorming who on earth he could leave Phoebe with, his mind quickly settled on you.
You were sensible and probably good with kids considering he could remember a couple of mentions of a niece of your own, and he knew - given it was the weekend - that you'd probably be free to look after her. And, not to Roy's surprise, you'd quickly said yes when he called to ask if that was okay.
While it had only been 20 minutes since Roy called, he was already at your doorstep, Phoebe's hand held tightly in his as they waited for you to answer the door.
"Is she pretty?" Phoebe asked, eyes unmoving from the unfamiliar front door as she spoke to her uncle Roy.
Roy scoffed at the question, unsure where it had come from and why his niece couldn't have asked this in the car. If she'd asked in the car he would've given an enthusiastic yes, a smile creeping on his lips as he thought about you, and how you always looked pretty - even if you were in a Richmond pullover and sulking in your office - especially then, actually. "Why does it matter?"
Before Phoebe could answer him, your front door swung open, you behind it with a wide smile. No sooner then it had opened, you'd crouched down to Phoebe's level, giving her a small wave and a bright smile. "Hi Phoebe! I hope you don't mind that you've got to spend the day with me instead of your uncle Roy."
"I don't mind at all," Phoebe shrugged, the straps of her backpack moving greatly with the movement of her much smaller shoulders. "I see my uncle roy all the time."
The laugh that bubbled past your lips made Roy's heart skip a beat, and for a moment he forgot why he was even standing on your doorstep.
As you stood up straight, you gently took Phoebes hand in your own, pulling her closer to you and your home and giving Roy the opportunity to head off for his meeting. "We should let your uncle Roy get going then, shouldn't we?"
"Thanks again for doing this, I owe you one."Â Maybe I could take you to dinner as thanks? Roy wanted to add, but wasn't brave enough to do so. If he wasn't so head over heels for you, maybe it's be easier to do something about it.
"Don't worry about it," you brushed him off, gently pushing him off of your doorstep and back in the direction of his car, knowing he had places to be. "I'd like to think you'd do the same for me."
"Bye uncle Roy!" Phoebe shouted, giving him one last wave before running into your house, you quickly following after her to make sure she didn't injure herself exploring the new territory.
Thankfully, she made a b-line for your couch, climbing onto it and emptying the contents of her backpack out on the seat next to her. She pulled a colouring book into her lap and grabbed a fist full of pens, quickly pulling off the caps of her favourite colours and getting to work on her masterpiece.
"Have you had any lunch yet, Phoebe?"
"No, uncle Roy was about to make me lunch when he called you."
While you knew Roy was rushing to his meeting, you didn't realise he'd seemed to forget about it completely.
Phoebes lack of lunch had you searching through all your cupboards for something suitable to feed a 7 year old, and when you couldn't find anything you'd have wanted to eat at 7, your turned to her with a smile. "How do you feel about a trip to Tesco? You can pick out whatever you want for lunch?"
"Perfect!" Phoebe cheered, pushing her pens to the side as quickly as she'd picked them up, running back to your front door to put her shoes and coat on. As soon as she was dressed, you opened up the front door, grabbing your car keys from the dish by the door and directing her in the direction of your car as she ran ahead of you in her excitement.
"Phoebe, you don't need a booster seat do you?" While you had your own niece, she was still young enough to be in a carrier everywhere she went, so you weren't entirely sure what the protocol was for 7 year olds.
"I don't have one in my uncle Roy's car." That was good enough for you.
Phoebe spent the whole car ride to the shops chatting your ear off, bringing you up to speed on everything that was happening at school and football and how many times she'd been red carded this season alone. In many ways, she was like a miniature version of Roy, so it was easy to love being in her presence.
As you arrived at Tesco, you made Phoebe promise she'd stay close to you at all times, not wanting to lose her as soon as Roy had entrusted her in to your care - that wouldn't be good for anyone involved. Phoebe was quick to pull you by the hand in the direction of the frozen aisle, clearly set on something in particular for her lunch.
She broke free from your hold as you reached the end of the aisle, heading straight in the direction of the frozen chicken nuggets and pulling as hard as she could to open the door. Once she'd managed to pry the door open, she climbed inside of the freezer, attempting to reach one of the higher up shelves in search of what she wanted.
"Phoebe, sweetheart, let me help you." As you stood behind Phoebe, you put your hands under her arms, picking her up and bringing her to your height so that she could grab whatever she'd been looking for. "Turkey Dinosaurs? Good choice."
"The only correct choice, bruv." Isaac was right behind you, Colin on his left and Will on his right.
"Oh, boys, hi!" Phoebe leaned in closer towards you as the sudden appearance of the three men. While she'd exhumed confidence from the moment you'd met her a few hours ago, she seemed to shy away slightly at the sight of the three footballers. "What're you doing here?"
"Day off, innit." Isaac, never a man of many words, was quick to answer your question, though had one waiting for you in return. "Who's this?"
Phoebe's grip around your neck increased slightly again as Isaac pointed directly at her. You shifted her in your arms so that she'd face the three a bit better, knowing non of them posed any threat to her. "This is Phoebe. Phoebe this is Colin, Isaac and Will; say hi."
Now that she'd been introduced to them, a wide smile curled onto Phoebes face, her toothy grin making an appearance that had Colin and Isaac smiling right back.
"I didn't know you were a mum." Will spluttered out, staring at you and Phoebe with a rather surprised look on his face.
"Oh, I'm not," you were quick to reassure, though immediately regretted it as you had no clue how to explain how this child they'd never seen before had come into your care. You knew Roy well enough to know he loved his privacy more then anything, so you decided the best course of action was to keep it. "She's my niece."
"Cool." Isaac nodded, prompting the others to nod on silent acceptance of the knowledge they'd just gained. "Can you pass me a bag of the turkey dinosaurs, Phoebe?"
As soon as Isaac got his bag of turkey dinosaurs, he, Colin and Will were quick to leave, waving a goodbye to the two of you and getting on with the own shop. Once they'd left the aisle, you let out a loud sigh, pent up tension from the sudden reunion seeping out of your body. Phoebe dropped the turkey dinosaurs into the basket you'd picked up, wiggling out of your grasp and taking your hand instead.
"Why did you tell them I was your niece?" Phoebe guided you further down the frozen aisle as she questioned your actions, walking a few paces in front of you, your connect hands dangling between the two of you.
"Your uncle Roy is a very private person," you started, unsure exactly of what was the right thing to tell a 7 year old on such a matter. "I didn't want to tell them you were Roy's niece in case they decided that meant something more"
"Something more?" Phoebe wandered out loud, stopping in front of the ice cream section and pulling the door open. "Like if they though that meant you were dating my uncle Roy."
Jesus Christ, 7 year olds were so much smarter and observant then you'd thought. "Yeah, something like that."
"And why aren't you dating?" You didn't know what to say to that, instead opting to pick Phoebe up once more so that she could reach the specific tub of ice cream she was searching for. "My mum says uncle Roy should date someone nice and you're nice."
"Well I'm glad you think I'm nice, pheeb's." You ruffled the blondes hair as you placed her back on the ground, allowing her to place the ice cream in the basket before grabbing her hand once more. "How about we grab a pizza too? Just incase you're here for tea?"
Phoebe loved the idea, sprinting down to the end of the aisle in search of the pizzas with a wide smile on her face.
The rest of your day with Phoebe had flown by, you'd come home and eaten your lunch of turkey dinosaurs and potato waffles, done some colouring in, played knights and dragons, eaten your ice cream, and watched a movie. As the first spy kids had come to an end, something you'd put on at phoebes request all though you were heavily invested in it the whole time, you put the pizza she'd picked out in the oven.
"Phoebe," you shouted from the kitchen as you made your way back into the living room. "It's getting kind of late, sweetheart, do you have any pjs in your bag?"
"No," she instantly replied, licking her spoon clean of ice cream even though it only really added to the rim of vanilla that had formed around her mouth. "I don't pack pjs in my bag because I have some in my room at uncle Roy's house."
If you'd have had the common sense to ask earlier, you might've picked some up while the two of you were in Tesco, but you hadn't, and now you had to make do with what you had. "You want to get in some of my pjs pheeb's? I'll get into pjs too and then we can be all comfy while we eat our pizza and watch spy kids 2."
"I won't fit in your pjs." Phoebe countered, but got off the couch nonetheless, placing her empty bowl on your coffee table and joining you by the kitchen door. Lacing her fingers through your own she allowed you to guide her in the direction of your room.
She dove straight for the bed when you opened the door, similarly to how she'd made a b-line for your sofa earlier in the day when she'd arrived, but was quick to hop right back off of it when you opened your wardrobe doors. You stood quietly behind her as she picked out one of your T-shirts to act as a night dress.
"This one!" She proclaimed, quick to swap her current outfit for your top before sprinting out of your bedroom. Before you could ask what on earth she was doing, the oven started to beep. "Pizza's ready!"
You picked up the pile of clothes Phoebe had left behind, throwing it by her shoes at the door so that you wouldn't forget to pack them up whenever Roy came to collect her. Then you went back to the kitchen, clicking the timer off to stop the loud beeping and pulling the pizza out of the oven. Phoebe stood behind you doing some kind of 'pizza dance' as she'd called it as you cut it into 8 slices, grabbing one big plate to place it onto.
"Race you back to the sofa." Phoebe didn't need to be told twice, running for the sofa and throwing herself into the mess of blankets, pillows and felt tip pens. As soon as the two of you were comfortably settled, you put spy kids 2 on, the pair of you tucking into your dinner without a thought spared as to where Roy was or just how late it was really getting.
Though you didn't remember falling asleep, a knocking at your front door had you waking up. Sometime between pizza and now, Phoebe had crawled into your lap, and instead of waking her to go to the door, you scooped her into your arms, resting her on your hip as you stumbled sleepily from your sofa to your front door.
When you opened the door, Roy looked like he'd been prepped with an apology, something about how he'd never meant to come back so late and how he really owed you one now but his words befell him at the sight of you and Phoebe on the other side of the door.
It was a sight to behold, especially to a lovesick Roy. Your hair was all tousled and you still looked half asleep, Phoebe was fast asleep in your arms and in what he guessed was one of your shirts. "Roy," you crooned, opening the door even wider. "Come in, I just need to pack up Phoebe's stuff."
Roy shuffled into your living room, his hands still tucked stiffly in his pockets as you began to pace around the room packing phoebes things while she was still in your arms. It was a level of domesticity Roy hadn't been prepared to see when he came to pick up his niece, and it sent his head whirling.
It was almost too easy to imagine you in this position with him, and a child of your own in your arms instead. He shook the thought from his head, bending down to pick up phoebe's day clothes and shoes from beside the door as you put all her felt tips back into her bag, along with her colouring book - save the first drawing she'd done which she'd torn out, demanding you keep it to remember your day together.
When you were certain you'd collected everything from the couch that had come in her bag, and put it back where it belonged, you turned to face Roy with a sleepy smile. "How was your coaches meeting?"
A smile curled on Roy's lips, something rare that almost surprised you to see. "Good. Long. But we got shit done so I can't really complain; although it would've been nice if it could've wrapped up before fucking midnight."
"Oh my god, is it that late?" You passed Phoebe's backpack to Roy, watching fondly as he slid one strap over his shoulder like clockwork. The thought couldn't help but slip into your mind that it was a sight you'd like to see more often.
"What did you two get up to today?" Roy asked, pulling Phoebes coat from the hanger by the door and slinging it over the crook in his elbow.
"Well, we went and got some lunch, and did some colouring, and played knights and dragons and watched spy kids 1 and 2. She kept me nice and busy, don't you worry."
Roy reached out for phoebe, taking her slowly and gently from your hold in his best attempt to keep her asleep as he took her home. "Not too busy I hope."
"No just the right amount." You bit back a laugh, cautious to not wake the sleeping child now that she was safely in her uncles arms. Pushing a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail back behind her ear, you thought back fondly on the day you'd shared and how easily It was to get on with Phoebe. "She's a great kid."
"Yeah, she really is." Finally, Roy was back on your doorstep, Phoebe in his arms and the pitch black of night behind him. "Thanks again, I really owe you one."
"It's no issue, really, I had a great time." You closed your door too, you leaning against the edge of the it being the only thing keeping it open. "Always happy to do it again, if you need me."
A million different responses crossed Roy's mind, some just inappropriate and some really fucking corny, so he settled on the easiest one to say. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." You responded with a small wave, creeping back into the darkness of your house without another word.
As Roy made the short walk down from your front door to his car, he tried to control the erratic beating of his heart less it wake Phoebe up. Though you'd offered to take Phoebe in again if he ever needed it, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to take you up on the offer, not when the domestic scene of you with his niece made his feelings for you even more intense.
âââââââââââââââââââââââââ
2. the time when Roy had too many appointments
Though Roy had sworn he wouldn't drop Phoebe off with you again for the sake of his own feelings, he was calling you up to ask if you could look after her again less then a week later. Molly had been called into work again last minute, and it just so happened to be on the day when Roy decided to get all his check ups out of the way in one fell swoop.
You'd assured him through the phone that it was okay, and that you'd absolutely love to hang out with her again, however, when you'd asked how soon he'd be dropping her off the line went quiet.
"That's the thing," Roy started, a hesitance to his tone that told you he was reconsidering this whole request and on the verge of rescheduling his 5pm dentist appointment. "You'd need to pick her up from school. I can pick her up from 7pm, at the latest, so you'd just need to pick her up from school and give her some tea. I hope that's not too big-"
You didn't let Roy finish his sentence. "It's no problem Roy, really. Send me the address and I'll be there at 3pm?"
"Pick ups at 3:10, but that's perfect, thank you." You couldn't even see him and you could feel the smile that was pulling at his lips on the other side of the phone. "I really fucking mean that too, thank you."
"It's no problem Roy, really, I'll see you later."
You had an hour before you needed to pick Phoebe up, so you made a run for Tesco, picking up a jar of pasta sauce incase she didn't want the half a bag of turkey dinosaurs and potato waffles that were still in your freezer, a bag of popcorn incase she didn't want ice cream again, and a set of kids size 8 pjs.
Though Roy said he'd be back for her by 7pm, you doubted she'd want to stay in her school uniform, and it'd be better to get a size 8 and it be too big then pick up a size 7 and it be too small.
On a second thought, you grabbed a second pair of the plain pjs, and some tiny slippers, knowing it wouldn't harm anyone to keep a spare pair of comfy clothes and shoes for her incase she came by again at the last minute. While you were in the kids clothing section, you picked up a pair of jeans and a pack of plain T-shirts, wanting to be prepared incase she were to ever show up in her pyjamas instead of her day clothes. Deciding you'd got everything you needed, you sped through the checkouts and got in your car, not wanting to be late to pick up Phoebe from school.
Luckily, you arrived with 5 minutes to spare, lingering around the gate with the other parents that had come to pick up there kids. Only then did it dawn on you that you may have needed some kind of note to prove you weren't kidnapping Phoebe and as you pulled out your phone to text Roy in a frenzy, you'd discovered he'd already sent you a message.
Teacher knows you're coming, I got Molly to send a message. might ask you to sign some shit confirming you picked her up though.
Even though Roy wasn't here, you felt ten times calmer, moving through the gate as it opened and towards the classroom door furthest from it, as Roy had told you to go to. A loud bell rung and suddenly kids came sprinting out from all directions, some running straight to and out of the main gate and others nervously looking around for whoever was picking them up.
You watched as a head of blonde hair in two neat plaits lingered in the classroom door, eyes scanning the playground for a familiar face, her mouth dropping open in a gasp as she made eye contact with you. With a cry of your name, Phoebe came running from the classroom, a bright smile on her face at your sudden appearance outside her classroom. "What are you doing here?"
"Your uncle Roy has got the dentist, so we're going to go back to mine for tea - if that's okay pheeb's?"
"That's perfect! Lets go home." Phoebe tried to pull you out of the playground and back to your car, but you pulled her back to stand in front of you.
"One minute sweetheart, got to make sure your teacher knows I'm not kidnapping you." Phoebe lead you right back to the classroom door, calling on her teacher, Ms Bowen, as she dragged you into the room. "Hi, Ms Bowen, I'm here to pick Phoebe up; I think Molly told you I was coming?"
"Ah yes, Mrs Kent, it's a pleasure to meet you." Mrs Kent Mrs Kent Mrs Kent. Molly, Roy's sister, had told Phoebe's teacher that you were Mrs Kent. It took everything in you not to absolutely spiral with the new piece of information.
"Yeah, lovely to meet you," You tried to avoid Ms Bowen's gaze, it having an edge to it that suggested you weren't entirely welcome here. "Roy said I might have to sign something, so you know I'm not fucking kidnapping her or anything." As soon as the words slipped from your mouth you were apologising for them. "I'm so sorry that just slipped out."
"Well, at least I can be sure you're Mrs Kent. You and Phoebe are free to go." You barely had time to say goodbye to Ms Bowen before Phoebe was dragging you towards your car, impatiently pulling at the handle in an attempt to get in quicker and spend even more time with you. If you weren't so caught up in the fact you'd just been called Mrs Kent, then maybe you'd find her excitement even more endearing.
"So, how was school, pheeb's?"
The car ride back home was filled with another update from Phoebe on what you'd missed in the 4 days you hadn't seen each other and the 3 days of school she'd had since the weekend. Since it was a slightly longer drive back home then from Tesco, you'd even got to introduce Phoebe to some of your favourite songs.
As you pulled onto your street, Phoebe was already buzzing in her seat, desperate it seemed to get inside. Letting her make a run for the door as you got out of the car, knowing she couldn't get in without your key, you made your way around to the boot, pulling out your bag of goodies. "Got you some stuff to change into pheeb's," pulling out both the pyjamas and the normal clothes, you handed them to her, keeping the slippers in the bag still. "Go get changed and bring me your uniform when your done, yeah? I'll pop it in the wash for your mum and we can put on a movie or something until tea time."
Phoebe was sprinting off in the direction of your bedroom to change within seconds of you finishing speaking. In the two times you'd had the pleasure of meeting Phoebe she always seemed to be rushing and running about, but that was what kids were like, you guessed; even if she was the calmest child ever - and she was pretty calm compared to some of those other kids you'd seen in the playground today - you reckon you'd think she was all over the place, especially compared to yourself.
When Phoebe came back out in the plaid, pink pyjama bottoms and a plain white t-shirt, she declared she wasn't hungry yet and wanted to watch spy kids 3; telling you it was basically mandatory for you finished the movie series now you'd watched the first 2. You were happy to oblige of course, Phoebe cuddling into your side as you took a seat next to her on the sofa.
Half an hour into the movie, you whispered the question of what to have for dinner to Phoebe and she perked up at the mention of pasta, allowing you to bail on the second half of the film in order to make it. It didn't take long of course, but you were wary of the fact Roy was picking her up sooner rather then later this time around.
Roy. Roy. Even thinking of the handsome coach you worked with had your thoughts spiralling. Once you'd managed to crack your way through his hard exterior, you'd found one of the most thoughtful and caring people you've ever met, and if you didn't like him already, that side of him had you falling head over heels. The Roy that brought you coffee in the mornings when he stopped to get his own, the Roy that would buy you lunch without asking if you wanted any but would kick up a fuss if anyone else tried to get him to add to that order, the Roy that left sticky note reminders on the door of your office because he knew you'd forget something, the Roy that trusted you so much he was willing to leave his niece with you on multiple occasions. Your brain had been so consumed by Roy that you'd made him up a plate of pasta, and instead of putting it back into the pot, settled with covering it in tinfoil and giving it him to take home. However, before you could call Phoebe in to ask if she wanted cheese on top of her pasta, there was a knock at your door.
In an instant, you pulled the tinfoil back off of the extra plate of pasta, and opened the bag of grated cheese, then rushed to the door, opening wide to find Roy on the other side. "You're just in time for dinner." Without thinking, or so much as a hello, how are you, or how was the dentist, you grabbed Roy's hand, pulling him inside your house and into your kitchen. "Pheeb's dinner!"
"Uncle Roy!" Phoebe shouted, running into the brunettes arms, him bending down to pick her up. As soon as she was perched in his hold, she was quick to recount the days events like she had with you a couple of hours earlier, only pausing to answer your question of 'cheese?' and taking a fistful to sprinkle on her plate whilst finishing her recap of the day.
It was only then did Roy notice that you'd already played three bowls of pasta up, even though you shouldn't have been expecting him soon enough to eat with the two of you. Carefully he put Phoebe down, handing her her bowl of pasta and urging her to get back to the sofa and eat, promising that the two of you were right behind her.
"You made me up a plate?" Roy asked, part confused and part in complete adoration. The simplicity of it; such a small action meant so much to the retired footballer. Even in his absence you'd thought of him, made extra food for him, plated it up perfectly in time with his arrival. If he allowed his thoughts to wander, he would've revelled in the warmth of the action, in how loved it made him feel - as though normalcy was something completely within his grasps. As if it was something he could easily have with you.
"Yeah, of course I did. Can't have my favourite coach going hungry, can I?" You squeezed at his hand when you called him your favourite coach, and only god knows what would've happened if Phoebe hadn't called your name from the room over. Roy was certain he would've made a move; told you exactly the kind of effect you had on him, or squeezed your hand back, or even kissed you. Though he wasn't entirely sure, he knew he wouldn't have let the moment slip through his fingers so easily.
Although, when he walked into the living room, palate of pasta in hand, he received something better then anything that could've happened in your kitchen. You and Phoebe were curled up together on the couch, her little legs thrown over your lap and a pillow on her lap for her to balance her pasta on. Phoebe's head rested against your shoulder as she ate and you turned to see where Roy was, a smile curling on your face as you saw him in your kitchen doorway, pasta in hand.
You craved the domestic scene that was now playing out before you, like something straight out of a dream.
Phoebe's favourite place on your sofa had quickly become the corner, meaning the only space available was next to you. Roy, for once in his life, took full advantage of the opportunity, sitting as close to you as he could claim was suitable and allowing himself to really enjoy the moment.
Even when dinner was long finished, the three of you were curled up together. Spy Kids 4 had been put on in order to appease Phoebe's demands that you finish the series and Roy's arm moving to the back of your couch cushions, and in turn over your shoulders, meant he'd slowly moved closer to you. The two of you spent the movie talking in quiet whispers, you filling him in on any context needed from the first three movies and him telling you about his day full of appointments. The pair of you would've happily stayed there, on your couch, cuddled up together, forever, but Phoebe's gentle snores told you it was best for them to get going.
"She's already in pjs, so you don't have to worry about that and - oh!" You left Roy in your doorway, an asleep Phoebe in his arms in a mirror image of 4 nights before. "I washed her uniform so Molly wouldn't have to."
Roy's heart was bursting at the seams at the evening you'd shared, and now this? While it may not seem like much to most people, to Roy it was everything. Not only had you offered to look after his niece on multiple occasions at the last minute, you'd gone out of your way to buy her pyjamas that fit just because she was coming by, and you'd washed her uniform to take a weight off of her mum's shoulders - who you'd yet to even meet. It's like you were trying to make him fall ridiculously in love with you.
Love.
That wasn't a word Roy was supposed to use; at least not when you were only friends. But how could he not fall in love with you? He was sure that anyone who spent more then 10 seconds in a room with you fell in love with you; how could they not? You were so easy to love; selfless and caring in a way he'd never seen before, someone truly one of a kind.
"Seriously, thank you." Roy's face entirely softened as he spoke, tension seeping out from his features to a degree you'd never seen before. "I don't think you know exactly how much this means to me and Molly."
"Oh please Roy, It's nothing-"
Roy cut you off, his hand coming to rest on your arm, his thumb running up and down your forearm. "No. It's a fucking lot - and it means a fucking lot. Just accept the thank you, yeah?"
A bashful smile creeped onto your lips, your head ducking as you suddenly became very aware of the fact Roy was looking at you and touching you. "Okay, yeah, you're welcome."
"Perfect." Once again, you got a glimpse at the dazzling smile that Roy kept reserved for only the most important people in his life, the look of it alone making your knees weak. They only got weaker as Roy leaned in closer to you, placing a chaste yet scratchy kiss to your cheek. "Goodnight."
In a daze, you murmured a 'goodnight' back, this time waiting until he'd driven off before going back inside; and even then, you stood behind your door, processing exactly what had just happened and why you hadn't returned the sweet gesture.
Roy Kent and his adorable niece were going to be the death of you.
âââââââââââââââââââââââââ
3. the time you were meant to be going on a date
So far, in the three hours you'd been getting ready, you'd done your eye liner, wiped one side off, redone it, wiped the other side off and redone that, at least 200 times. You just couldn't get it to look right. And when you'd expressed to Keeley that maybe this was a sign from above you shouldn't be going on this date, she'd insisted, yet again, that you had to go because she was your perfect match.
Though you'd never met the girl, Keeley was determined to set you up with her, claiming from the very second she'd walked into KJPR asking about a job, she knew she was the one for you.
Part of you thought she just wanted to help you get over Roy, especially since this was the 9th blind date she'd set you up on since you'd confided in her about your feelings for the ruggedly handsome coach. Each one she'd claimed was your soulmate and each one, so far, had turned out to be a complete and utter douche bag. Despite her failure to actually find someone compatible for you, you greatly appreciated her enthusiasm and effort.
A knock on your door had you screeching down your phone at Keeley that you weren't ready for this, but one last twirl in front of the camera, and a 'you look hot as fuck babe' from the matchmaker herself, had you ready to face your date.
To your surprise, however, when you opened the door you were met with Roy, Molly and Phoebe, all in pyjamas and Phoebe's little hands curled into tight fists that twisted into the fabric of her uncles T-shirt. It took you a second to process the scene before you before you could offer a rather confused, "Hello?"
Though this wouldn't be the first time Roy had shown up with Phoebe on your doorstep, it was the first time he'd ever shown up unannounced and with his sister in tow. "This is a bad time, isn't it." Roy's sister, who you'd come to recognise as Molly, whispered, her gaze flickering across your knee length, fitted, red dress. "You look stunning though."
"Oh my god, thank you." With the silence finally broken, it was like your brain had brought the rest of your body up to speed, offending a hand out for Molly to shake. "Molly, right? It's great to finally meet you."
"Great to meet you too, I've heard great things." General pleasantries we're exchanged between the two of you, though it wasn't as awkward as it usually was when you were meeting new people, instead it was like bumping into someone you hadn't seen in a few years but genuinely missed.
In the noise of your small talk, Phoebe took the opportunity to whisper three little words into her uncles ear. "She's so pretty."
Roy's cheeks burned as his niece said everything he couldn't, and so easily too. It was obvious you were dressed up for a date in that long, burgundy dress that hugged you just right, and he was struggling to take his eyes off of you.
"So what brings you to my doorstep at 6pm on a Monday?" You asked, hesitant to ask at all incase you touched a sore spot. Molly had never shown up with Roy when he dropped Phoebe off, which told you this was potentially more serious then his other last minute drop offs - especially when he'd never shown up unannounced before. "Not that I'm upset that you're here or anything, just a bit confused."
"Clearly, you're on your way out, so we won't bother you, we just-"
You didn't let Molly explain, pulling out your phone, and sending to a quick message to your date and to Keeley, explaining some family stuff had come up last minute and offering to go out some other time. "My evening just freed up, actually." You offered Molly a genuine smile, taking Phoebe from Roy's hold and into your own. "Why don't you go and get into your pjs Hun, and then we'll pick out a movie?"
"Do you still have my ice cream?" Phoebe asked, tilting her head to look at you better. Now she was closer, you noticed her eyes were rubbed red, almost like she'd been crying.
"Of course I do sweetheart, and I've still got turkey dinosaurs if you've not eaten dinner yet."
A sniffly 'yes please' left phoebes lips before she got down from your hold, running into the direction of your bedroom without so much as a goodbye to her mum or her uncle Roy. When Phoebe was out of earshot, you closed the door a little, talking in hushed tones. "Is everything okay? What's going on?" And with a second thought, you added. "You don't have to tell me, I didn't mean to pry."
"Phoebes dad showed up." Molly simply stated, folding her arms across her chest protectively. "He knows he's not allowed around her, and we didn't know where else to take her while we dealt with him." Your heart ached for the little girl. In the short time you'd got to know Phoebe, you'd quickly come to absolutely love her to pieces - and you couldn't understand how anyone wold want to hurt her. Phoebe was a complete and utter ray of sunshine and, considering she was only 7 years old, was one of the kindest and smartest people you'd ever met. "You didn't have to take her, if we'd have known you had plans we wouldn't have just fucking shown up."
Molly sharply dug her elbow into Roy's side as she spoke, clearly signalling that she'd thought that Roy had had the decency to ask you if you would watch Phoebe before they showed up in your doorstep. A laugh bubbled past your lips at how offended Roy got by his sisters words, a comeback never leaving his lips as you interrupted him with a smile. "It's fine, really, I love hanging out with Phoebe. Besides, I wasn't really looking forward to this date anyway."
Now that caught Roy's attention. "Why not? You look fucking great, you'd have probably had a great time too."
Rather selfishly, Roy was incredibly thankful that they'd show up unannounced, he didn't want you to go on a date, and it seemed as if you didn't either. "Keeley keeps pushing me to go on these blind dates, it's not really my thing, but she keeps insisting she's found my soulmate, so I keep going on them to appease her." You leaned in closer to the two incase Phoebe heard your next words, though considering she was related to Roy, you knew she'd heard worse. "All of them have been fucking pricks so far though."
"Good thing we showed up then, yeah."
"Yeah."
Molly looked between the two of you with a smile bit back between her teeth, trying her hardest not to give anything away as she watched the two of you. "Well, we better get going, deal with this so we can take her off your hands as soon as."
Taking Phoebe's back pack from Molly's outstretched hands, you slung it over your shoulder. "Oh don't worry about rushing back, she's more then welcome to stay the night here. Do you need me to drop her off at school in the morning?"
"Oh no, she's all finished for summer now, so you don't have to worry about that." Molly's gaze lingered on you for a while, then she pulled you into a tight hug, cradling you in such a way you felt like a kid again. "Thank you so much for this. I really mean that."
Tears threatened to pool in your eyes at the genuine thankfulness to her words. Roy had told you before that he and Molly greatly appreciated you looking after Phoebe every now and then, but this felt so different to that - it made you understand why he'd told you to just accept the thank you.
"Yeah, of course, like I keep telling Roy, anytime you need me, I'm here."
"Oh, wait." Before Roy and Molly could head back to his car, he handed you a carrier bag that he'd been holding at his side since he appeared on your doorstep. "Your tshirt, and those pyjamas. I wasn't sure if you had anymore, and kept meaning to return them to you anyway."
"Ah, thank you!" Though you never said anything when Phoebe raided your closest, she'd picked your favourite sleep shirt, and you were glad to have it back. "I got another pair of pyjamas for her in my wardrobe anyway, or she could've just used another one of my shirts; she would've been fine either way. But, thank you Roy, I appreciate it."
"Yeah, no worries, washed them for you and everything so, they're all good to go." Molly shouted a goodbye to Phoebe who had made herself comfortable in her spot on your couch, and then said one to you, thanking you again for your help. You said one last goodbye to both her and Roy, waiting on your doorstep to wave them off before going back inside to tend to Phoebe.
Once Roy had driven out of your street and had started on the journey back to his sisters place, she turned to him with a shit-eating grin on her face. Molly had been waiting years to be able to tease Roy about someone he liked, and while he'd had plenty of flings over the years, nothing was ever serious enough, and non of them were ever nice enough, that Molly felt like she could get a rise out of Roy by teasing him. This time though, she knew it was different.
"She's incredible." Molly started, keeping her gaze intently on her brother, though his remained firmly on the road. "She cancelled her date to look after Phoebe, already had a change of clothes and food for her, and she's fucking hot." Molly let out an overly loud sigh as Roy ignored her words. "So tell me why on earth you haven't made a move on her yet? Because if you don't, I certainly will."
"Fuck off." Roy grunted, his grip on the wheel tightening at his sisters words. "She's obviously not interested in me like that if she was going on a date with a fucking stranger." Now that he'd started talking on the matter, Roy was worried he'd never stop. He'd not yet had the opportunity to talk about his feelings for you, the matter being as simple as he wasn't sure who he could tell. He even went as far as considering calling a diamond dogs meeting to get the weight off of his chest, but luckily, or rather unluckily for Roy, his sister had beaten the diamond dogs to it. "I wouldn't want to ruin what we already have anyway. She's so... good, with, like, everything. She's so kind, and she cares so much about everyone else; did I tell you she made me dinner when I asked her to pick Phoebe up when I had the dentist? And Phoebe! She's so good with Phoebe and I just- fuck!"
"That hard to get the words out, huh?" Molly teased, poking her brother sharply in the arm. "You must really like her." Before Roy could interrupt with what Molly knew would be another iteration of 'fuck off,' she added. "She likes you too, y'know."
"I'm sorry," Roy gasped, eyes tearing away from the road for only a second to stare at his sister incredulously. "Did you forget she was about to go for dinner with someone who isn't me?"
"Yeah I know that stupid," Molly scoffed, folding her arms back across her chest as she sunk into the seat of her brothers car. "But I did see the way she was looking at you - the way you were looking at each other - and I'm telling you, she likes you."
"Shut the fuck up." And that was that. Molly didn't need to tease Roy any further because she knew she'd hit a sore spot. Roy really liked you, and not that it mattered but Molly really liked you too - and Phoebe absolutely loved you - but Roy was still too scared to ask you out. That was punishment enough.
Phoebe hadn't seemed phased by the departure of her mum and uncle, and a part of you was thankful for that. Though you didn't really know anything about Phoebe's dad, apart from what you'd learnt in the past 10 minutes, you were surprised to see she'd bounced back pretty quickly.
"So pheeb's, you want dinner now, or in a little bit?" Throwing yourself next to the blonde on the sofa, she was quick to cuddle into your side, wrapping both her arms around your bigger one.
"Can we have dinner now, please." She whispered into the warm skin of your arm, her fingers scratching at the fabric of your dress.
"Of course we can sweetheart." You squeezed her in for a tight hug, before standing from the couch, quickly putting on the oven and pulling the turkey dinosaurs and potato waffles out of the freezer. You lingered in the doorway as you waited for Phoebe's dinner to cook, watching as she searched for a movie to put on while the two of you ate. She seemed so much more relaxed then when you first opened the door, and you hoped it's stay that way now she was here and safe. At the beeping of the oven, your turned away from her, plating the two of you some dinner and quickly returning to the sofa.
With a pile of dinner plates and ice cream bowls on your coffee table, and a movie minutes from ending, you turned to face Phoebe with a soft smile. Brushing back the hair that had fallen into her face, you gently woke the girl, telling her that it was time for bed now. Too sleepy to fully wake up, you picked Phoebe up, opting to carry her to your guest room instead. However, when you'd tucked her in and tried to leave, she'd gripped tightly onto your hand.
"Can you stay with me?" If her quiet and sleepy state didn't have you agreeing, the knowledge she was in an unfamiliar environment would've. Even though Phoebe had been in your house plenty of times now, she'd never stayed the night before, and it was easy to understand how that might freak her out - especially on top of the night she'd had.
"Yeah. Come on then." Instead of sleeping in the guest room, you picked Phoebe right back up, carrying her to your room and putting her down on the left side of your bed. Finally having the opportunity, you sat down at your desk, pulling out a packet of makeup wipes, and wiping off the eyeliner you'd worked so hard to get right. Even though your date never got to see it, Roy did, which was even better as far as you were concerned.
Just as you'd finished brushing your teeth, in fresh pyjamas, and making a mental note to buy a toothbrush for Phoebe next time you went to Tesco, you heard a shrill cry of 'mum.' Running back into your bedroom you found Phoebe wide awake with tears in her eyes, looking around in an urgent search for the woman she'd just cried out for.
"Hey, Pheeb's," you soothed, flicking the bedroom light back on before you approached her, not wanting to freak her out more. When she recognised your face past the haze of sleep, she was quick to reach out for you and you were quick to cross the room to meet her, pulling her into a hug and rubbing soothing circles into her back. "We're at my house remember, your mum and uncle Roy had to do some stuff so you're having a sleep over with me, okay?"
It took a good half an hour for Phoebe to fully calm down, but once she had, she was out cold again. This time, you lay in bed beside her, keeping an arm wrapped around her shoulders to make sure she knew she was safe. Before you went to sleep yourself, however, you sent Roy a text, leaving out the details of phoebes nightmare and just keeping him updated on things.
Phoebe's out cold so don't worry about picking her up until morning. Breakfast is at 8. There will be a plate for you and Molly whenever you get here xxx
You didn't wait see if he replied, and didn't worry yourself over if three x's at the end was too many, setting an alarm for 7am and putting your phone into do not disturb.
Thankfully, you beat Phoebe and your alarm to waking up, giving you a head start on making breakfast. If you knew anything, it was that kids loved sweet stuff, and given Phoebe's affinity for ice cream, you knew waffles were exactly what she needed this morning. Ted had given you a waffle machine as part of your present in last years Secret Santa and promised you you'd find a use for it eventually, and you were slightly surprised to find out he'd been right.
You got right to work on the batter recipe that came with the machine, letting Phoebe sleep in until the point you were ready to cook them. Though she'd been reluctant to wake up at first, at the mention of waffles and ice cream for breakfast, she sprang out of bed, hesitating in your hallway as she heard a knock at the door.
"You wait here while I get it, yeah pheeb's?" Phoebe nodded silently, creeping down the rest of the hallway so that she'd be able to hear who was at the door without being seen. Although you were 90% sure it was Roy and Molly on the other side of the door, you didn't want to risk anything.
Looking through your peep hole, your suspicions were proved right. "Good morning Roy, Molly." Phoebe came sprinting round the corner at the mention of her mums name, running right into her arms as you opened the door wider for her. "Waffles and Ice cream for breakfast, think we all deserve it, yeah?"
Molly mouthed a thank you at you as Phoebe directed her towards your couch, Roy allowing you to close your front door then following you to the kitchen.
The image of you, still sleepy and in your pyjamas, hair mused and making breakfast for him and the rest of his family, made his heart twist and his stomach churn. In some cruel twist of fate, everything he wanted was right in front of him but it wasn't that which he could call his.
"I know it's non of my business," you started, placing two scoops of mix into the two waffle shaped holes in the machine Ted had bought you then closing it, flipping it over, and scooping up another spoonful of mixture ready for when these ones were done. "But, is everything okay? Are Phoebe and Molly okay now?"
Why did you have to care about his family so much? Moments like this made Roy think you knew of his feelings for you, and that you were doing every thing you could to push him to tell you. Surely you had to care for him, at the least, not everyone would do what you did for him, and definitely not with the same level of enthusiasm and genuine happiness to do it.
"Yeah, everything's okay." Roy kept it short, knowing that ultimately, it wasn't his story to share. "Are you okay? I know we kind of ruined your plans last night."
"How many times am I going to have to tell you that I didn't even want to go?" The laugh that bubbled past your lips had a smile forming on Roy's face. He loved how easy it was between the two of you here. Sure, you made him smile and laugh at Nelson road all the time, but at Nelson road he felt like he had to be Roy Kent: here, he could just be Roy, Phoebe's uncle. And you really liked Roy, Phoebe's uncle. "Besides, I had a better evening with Phoebe, and the 10 minutes I spent with you and Molly, then I would've had on the date anyway."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Roy's voice was even deeper then usual, not that you'd ever thought that was possible, from tiredness, and you'd only just noticed that he was still in his pyjamas, much like yourself. "That you wouldn't have enjoyed yourself?"
Roy leant over you, not noticing how blood rushed to your cheeks as he took the first two waffles out of the machine for you, allowing you to get the second lot started without hurting your fingers from picking up the fresh waffles. "My hearts not in it, you know?" You turned to press your back against the counter top, now chest to chest with Roy in the closest proximity you'd ever been. Neither of you made an effort to move. "The whole dating just to date isn't for me, I don't think. And if I'm going to date to, um, to marry someone, I'd much rather it be someone I know, someone who knows me."
You were worried you'd been a little too on the nose in your explanation, but Roy didn't seem to mind. He leant forward slightly so that he could rest his palms against your countertop, caging you in between his muscular arms. "Is that right?" You nodded silently, allowing your gaze to flicker down to his lips now that he was inches away from you. There was no way you were reading too much into things this time. "And, would that someone, would they have to be anyone in particular?"
"Yeah, yeah they would." You answered breathlessly, tilting your head back up so that your gaze would meet Roy's but instead brushing your nose softly against his.
Roy was finally going to do it.
A cry of your name and the padding of footsteps had Roy stepping away from you, Phoebe running into the kitchen with Molly hot on her tail. "Are the waffles ready?"
"You came at the perfect time!" You answered, brushing the moment off of you, and turning back to the slightly cooled waffles, sliding them down the counter towards Phoebe and Molly along with the ice cream scoop. As they plated up their waffles, you took yours and Roy's out of the machine, putting them onto plates and giving them time to cool before you added your ice cream on top. You watched intently as Molly and Phoebe plated up their food, your fingers drilling against the countertop in wait.
The second they'd left the kitchen and headed back to the living room, you turned to face Roy, leaving him no time to think as you grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed your lips to his. It was hot and messy, the two of you fighting to condense several months worth of building tension into one moment. At even the slightest of noises from outside the kitchen, you pulled away, turning your back to Roy immediately and scooping some ice cream onto your cooked waffle.
"Want ice cream on yours?" You asked Roy, turning to face him. His cheeks burned red and breathes heaved from his chest as though he'd just run a mile, his hair was a little more tousled then it had been when he first walked into your house and his lips were red and wet.
"Fuck the ice cream."
Roy grabbed you by your waist, twisting his fingers into the fabric of your sleep shirt to keep you close to him as he pressed a firm kiss to your lips. Roy's free hand moved up to caress your cheek, his other hand snaking around to rest on your lower back, pulling you even more into him. Moving one hand up to his hair, you kept the other on his shirt, keeping him close to you. While you'd imagined Roy to be a smooth kisser, you'd never imagined the day would come where he would actually be kissing you.
At a call of both your names from Phoebe, you broke apart once more, passing Roy his ice-cream-less waffle and pushing him out of your kitchen, taking full advantage of the fact that if he sat down first, you'd have no choice to to sit basically on top of him. You were sure he wouldn't mind.
âââââââââââââââââââââââââ
4. the time when Molly dropped Phoebe off instead
"And that's why the two of you need to get married."
Roy had been actively avoiding you since your kiss in the kitchen two weeks ago. And this was the 4th time in two weeks that Molly had asked if Phoebe could come over; two of them due to the fact both her and Roy were busy, and the other two being due to the fact Phoebe needed to have 'girl talk' with you. So far, girl talk had consisted of Phoebe listing reasons as to why you and Roy were perfect for each other.
"We're not going to get married, Pheeb's."
"But why not?" Phoebe dramatically collapsed into your sofa cushions, ignoring the fact her over the top tumble had knocked over one of your piles of folded washing in favour of going back to questioning you. "He talks about you all the time. And I see the way you look at him when he drops me off and picks me up."
"But he hasn't picked you up or dropped you off in two weeks sweetheart," you were back in the uncomfortable scenario of exposing something to a 7 year old, and you were trying your hardest not to let your confused feelings towards Roy interfere with what you wanted to say. "So, I don't think he wants to see me anymore. And that okay! But it also means we're not going to get married."
"But why not?"
"Phoebe." Your sterner tone had Phoebe sitting up right, her legs dangling over the edge of the sofa. Putting down the freshly washed t-shirt, you knelt down in front of Phoebe, taking her hands in your own and squeezing gently. "It's not that simple, sweetheart," pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear, she met your eyes. "I wish it was, but it is isn't. Me and your uncle Roy aren't going to get married, Pheeb's, but I'm sure he's going to find someone amazing someday, and you're going to love them."
"But I don't want him to find someone else amazing." Phoebe sulked, tears brimming at her eyes as she thought about a future without you and Roy together. While she was definitely thinking of the worst possible outcomes, the potential it could come true alone was enough to send her to tears. "I want him to find you! I don't want my uncle Roy to marry someone else because then I'll have to hang out with them and not you and- and- and-"
"C'mere." You pulled Phoebe fully into your arms, adjusting yourself so that you were both sat comfortably on your couch. "When your uncle Roy finds someone he loves, and he wants them to be a part of your life, I'll still be here. And you can always come and hang out with me, whenever you want. That isn't going to change Phoebe. I care about you a lot, okay?"
Phoebe couldn't find the words to express what she was thinking. She wanted to scream that you were the person her uncle Roy wanted be a part of her life, that you were the one he loved. Even though she was only 7 years old, she was certain that she knew what love was: and love was the way you and her uncle Roy had sat together, eating waffles for breakfast and talking with her mum, love was the way you and her uncle Roy talked about your day in a whisper over spy kids 4 because you wanted her to enjoy the movie still, love was the way it took her uncle Roy exactly 15 seconds to decide he wanted you to look after her on that Saturday 2 months ago. But she didn't know how to say all that in a way she could get you to understand. She'd tried everything and you still wouldn't digest the crumb of Roy's love that she was trying to explain to you, so she settled on the saying the best thing she could.
"Promise?"
"On my life." You ruffled her blonde hair, causing a smile to pull at her lips. You went back to folding your washing and Phoebe went back to watching her movie, like the two of you always did.
The peaceful moment was unfortunately interrupted by a loud and quick succession of knocks at your door. You put down the shirt you'd been folding and even Phoebe paused her show to come and see who was at the door.
"Jamie? Hi, what- what are you doing here?" Phoebe seemed to have some idea, walking past you to grab Jamie by the hand and pull him to sit on your sofa.
"I invited him." You had too many questions to counter that statement, mainly how she'd contacted Jamie and why he didn't bat an eye at being invited to your house by a 7 year old. "We need to discuss uncle's day."
Phoebe had told you about uncle's day - a day to celebrate her love for her uncle Roy - but you weren't entirely sure where you and Jamie fit into that puzzle. "Why do you need me and Jamie to discuss uncle's day, Hun. I don't think your uncle Roy would want either of us to celebrate uncles day with him."
"Of course he would!" Phoebe cried, pulling out her notebook and one of her felt tip pens, flicking to a blank page in her notebook and writing 'uncles day' at the top neatly. "Jamie is his best friend and Uncle Roy loves you, of course you've got to be there!"
Before you could remind Phoebe that you'd just had a conversation about why that wasn't the case, Jamie turned to face you with a wicked smile. "I knew you and Roy had something going on."
"We don't."
"Is that why he's been all moody at training for the last two weeks?" At your silence, Jamie took it that he was correct, a gasp slipping past his lips. "Did you turn him down? Of course it's okay if you did, but why?"
"No. I didn't turn him down." Phoebe's ears pricked up at that, making you realise exactly how what you were saying sounded. "I can't turn him down if he never asked me anything."
"But something happened?" Jamie pushed, leaning his elbows on his knees, Phoebe sat in a scarily mirrored image of him beside him.
"Fuck off." You scoffed, a smile curling onto Phoebe's lips. In the weeks you'd spent hanging out with her, she'd filled you in on every inside joke she shared with her uncle Roy and everything that made him the best uncle ever. "You can bill your uncle Roy for that one Pheeb's." Phoebe flicked back to the front of her notebook, adding a line to a very long list of tally's that had accumulated there.
Jamie tightened his gaze on you, readjusting his headband so that it kept his hair out of his eyes better. If it weren't for the unwavering, and slightly creepy, nature of his gaze, you were sure you would've just kept it to yourself.
"I kissed him." You'd attempted to mouth the words at the striker, but he hadn't picked them up, instead mouthing them to himself over and over again until he loud out a loud gasp, repeating the words out loud. Phoebe let out a squeal, jumping up and down on your couch cushions in complete and utter joy. An hour ago you'd told her you and her uncle Roy would never get married and know you were admitting that you'd kissed - things were coming up Phoebe, she'd decided. "But, he hasn't spoken to me since."
"Yeah, but that's what Roy's like, you know?" Jamie extended an arm to you, encouraging you to crash down in between him and Phoebe on the couch. You took him up on the offer, curling into his side and letting Phoebe curl into yours. "He's like, super mean and cold on the outside and once he lets you get to know him, he's all... all soft. And I don't think he knows it's okay to be soft sometimes." You let your head fall against Jamie's shoulder, Phoebe nodding beside you at Jamie's words. "I think you've got to show him it's okay for him to be all soft. Cause he really does care about you, I just don't think he knows how to tell you that."
"That was," you didn't even have the words for it. Somehow, Jamie had crawled inside your brain and soothed the exact source of your worry. "That was very insightful Jamie, thank you."
"No worries, I'm proper smart when I want to be me. Plus, when you spend so much time around the guy, it's hard not to see past that façade he puts up." Jamie removed his arm from around your shoulders, rubbing his together and then loudly clapping. "So, uncles day-"
You, Phoebe and Jamie spent the rest of the after noon feasting on whatever snacks they could find in your cupboards and planning out every little detail about uncles days. The pair had convinced you to make an appearance even if you and Roy hadn't reconciled come uncles day; Phoebe wanted you there and that was enough for you. By the time 5pm had rolled around you'd offered to get started on dinner for the 3 of you, but Jamie said he'd best be heading out and Phoebe reminded you her mum was picking her up soon enough anyway.
"Pheeb's, go and get your bag your mums here."Â When you opened the door, however, you were surprised to find Roy on the other side of it, his hands shoved into his pockets and half facing away from you. "Oh Roy, hi, I didn't know you were picking Phoebe up."
"Me either," he grunted, staring intently at the floor as he let out a long sigh. Finally, he looked at you, shifting nervously under your gaze. He's practiced what he wanted to say at least 200 times on the way over; he knew Molly asking him to come pick Phoebe up was her pushing him to talk to you. All he wanted was to talk to you. But he was too scared of fucking things up and loosing you entirely that he'd resigned to the fact that he would just have to avoid you for the rest of his life. For once, Roy needed to just do it, to tell you how he felt and throw sensibility to the wind. If you liked him, and that kiss wasn't a heat of the moment thing, then great; if you wanted nothing to do with him? He'd figure it out. All he had to do now was-
"Jamie? What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Jesus, Roy, hello to you too." Jamie scoffed, pushing his hair back and out of his eyes then folding his arms across his chest. "I was just dropping off something for Keeley. Don't get all jealous on me old man, I'm not here to steal your missus." Jamie then turned to you, wiggling his eyebrows at you suggestively now his back was turned to Roy. He pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek before running down your driveway, presumably to escape the clutches of a pissed of Roy. "See you later love, you too Phoebe!"
"Bye Jamie!" Phoebe shouted, waving enthusiastically at her new friend then turning to her uncle Roy with a frown. "You owe me ÂŁ1, uncle Roy."
"Bill me." He took Phoebe by the hand, taking her backpack in his other and walked away from your doorstep without so much as another word to you. Phoebe yelled a goodbye before she get in Roy's car but Roy continued to ignore you, even as you waited on your doorstep to wave them one last goodbye.
Roy spent the whole drive back to molly's and the rest of the evening absolutely kicking himself. Part of him wished he'd just come out and said it while he had you alone on your doorstep, but the worse part of him - the part that didn't believe he was worthy of you - told him Jamie being there was a sign it wasn't the right moment. And maybe, he thought, the right moment would never come.
Jamie was right. You were going to have to be the one to show Roy it was okay to be soft; especially with you.
âââââââââââââââââââââââââ
5. the time where Roy told you how he felt
Phoebe had kicked up a fuss when she found out she was going to have to spend the night at her uncle Roy's, which was a massive surprise to everyone involved. It was well known that Phoebe loved spending time with her uncle Roy, and no matter what Molly or Roy said to her, they couldn't get a confession out of her as to why she didn't want to sleep at her uncle Roy's tonight.
When Molly had dropped her off, for the first time in years, Phoebe cried at the though of her mum going to work, and that told Roy enough that he was in for an eventful night.
He'd tried absolutely everything. He'd offered pizza, turkey dinosaurs, spaghetti, ice cream, popcorn and every favourite food she'd ever had in an attempt to wipe that frown off of her face, but nothing had worked. He'd even willingly been the princess in princess and dragons, put on a fucking tiara and tutu and she still didn't budge from her place on his couch. When bed time finally rolled around, he'd spent 6 hours in silence with Phoebe, a frown etched onto her poor, little face that all he wanted to do was turn into a smile.
The first sound he got out of Phoebe all day was a loud and shrill cry of your name at 4am. Roy ran for the first time in months from his bedroom to hers, terrified as to what could have his niece crying out for you in the early house of the morning. When he arrived on the scene, he was met with Phoebe sat upright in her bed, tears spilling down her cheeks and her hair sticking up in every direction. Her tiny fingers were death gripping a teddy bear that Roy had bought her when she was a baby and when she saw Roy in her doorway, her sobs only got louder.
Roy was quick to cross the length of the room, scooping his niece into his arms and holding her tightly against him, whispering soothing words into the crown of her head and running his fingers up and down her arm. Usually, this method would have Phoebe back asleep within half an hour, but as the clock pushed closer to 5am then 4am, he knew things were different this time. With each sob came a long pause, filled with shaking of shoulders and sniffles galore, and the occasional whimper of your name. Whatever had upset her, clearly wasn't going to be fixed with the usual uncle Roy remedy, and so Roy picked Phoebe up, slipping on his slippers and walking out his front door with his car keys in hand.
While the drive to your house had never been quick, it felt even longer then usual today. Phoebe spent the whole drive over still sniffling, and even though her tears had stopped flowing, the ache it caused in Roy's heart made it feel like they'd never stopped. In his whole life, he'd only seen phoebe this inconsolable a handful of times, and even then, she'd always been responsive to his attempts to find out what was wrong. The fact she kept calling out your name amidst her tears made his heart ache all the more.
It was no secret that since he first dropped phoebe off at your house all those weeks ago, the two of you had become practically attached at the hip. He loved phoebe, and as much as he tried to deny it, he loved you, and he loved that two of the most important women in his life loved each other, but he didn't think he was ever going to be brave enough to let you in in the way the he wanted to. Phoebe had happily voiced her opinions on the matter the last time he'd picked her up from your house, happily proclaiming that the two of you needed to get married yesterday and live happily ever after with 2 dogs and a family trip to Disney world. Roy had told her the two of you weren't going to get married and Phoebe had scoffed, saying that you'd said the exact same thing and she didn't understand why when you loved each other.
If he wasn't so distracted by how distraught Phoebe seemed, he'd have maybe taken the time to consider this was some wicked scheme she'd concocted.
When he pulled up outside your house, like he expected for 5am, all your lights were off, but with a still teary-eyed phoebe in his arms, he didn't think twice about knocking on your door with enough vigour you'd think his life depended on it. As far as Roy was concerned, it did.
Once he saw your hallway light flicker on, he let out a sigh of relief, a weight being lifted from his shoulders as you approached the door. The soft glow of the hallway light far behind you made you look more like the Angel Roy thought you were, your hands wiping at your eyes as you tried to wake up. Before you could ask what was going on, or why Roy and Phoebe were on your doorstep so early on this summers morning, Phoebe was throwing herself from Roy's arms with a cry of your name, blubbering into you shoulder the most words she'd said in the past 12 hours. "I had a nightmare."
In that moment as Roy watched you take his niece into your arms and comfort her more in 10 seconds then he had seemed to be able to do in an hour, he knew Phoebe was right that day in the car.
He was in love with you, and he was pretty sure you were in love with him too.
Roy closed your front door behind him, following behind you as you carried phoebe towards your bedroom. He couldn't hear what you were saying to her, but he could see how easily she relaxed in your hold - it made him relax knowing that whatever had plagued her nightmares was being calmed, even if it wasn't by him.
As you finally entered your bedroom, your bedsheets tousled from when you'd got up to answer the door minutes ago, Phoebe had dropped back to sleep in your arms. You weren't entirely sure if it was your words that had sent her back to sleep or if she'd tired herself out from crying so much, but you didn't dwell on it, tucking her into your bed and pressing a kiss to her head. Turning around, you found Roy leaning against your doorframe, the tight, grey shirt not leaving much to the imagination as to what was underneath it. Taking him by the hand, you pulled him back down your hallway and into your kitchen, leaving him in the doorway, you clicked the kettle on and pulled two large mugs out of your cupboard.
"Can't believe you got her talking." Roy whispered, suddenly very conscious of the fact it was 5:30 in the morning and you were no where near awake as he was. "I couldn't get a word out of her, except your fucking name."
You nodded as he spoke, putting a tea bag into each before and then, when the kettle had whistled and clicked, filling them 3/4 full of hot water. "So, she didn't tell you what her nightmare was about?"
"Wasn't even entirely sure it was just a nightmare until I heard her say it here."
"She thinks you're not going to let her see me anymore if you marry someone else." You'd both heard tearful stories from Phoebe about how scared she was that you two weren't talking anymore, but you'd never realised just how much it was affecting her. "I've talked to her about it before, you know, promised her I'd always be apart of her life even when you found someone you were going to marry, but I didn't think it was stressing her out this bad."
Roy didn't take a sip of his coffee when you passed it to him, instead looking at you confused while you took a long sip of yours. "What makes you think I'm going to marry someone else?"
"Well, you know what I mean Roy." You took another long sip of coffee, waking up more and more with each drink. "We're not going to get married, and I don't want phoebe thinking that you're not allowed to live your life and keep me in it."
"Why are we not getting married?" Roy's question had you stuttering and stumbling to try and make a sensible and coherent answer. It was one thing for him to show up at the crack of dawn and speak to you for the first time in weeks. It was another for him to now be suggesting he wanted to marry you. "I'm not sure if you realised, but I don't just go around introducing Phoebe and Molly to everyone... and I don't go around kissing just anyone either."
"Well, that's rich," you scoffed, using both hands to bring the warmth of your coffee closer to your face. "I'm not sure if you realised, but a normal person doesn't kiss someone like that, and then go no contact with them for nearly a month."
"Kiss someone like that, huh." Roy placed his untouched coffee down on your kitchen counter and took two steps closer to you, his hands coming to rest on your hips as he was now right in front of you. Though when you thought on it, he always had been. "And what exactly does that mean." Roy let his thumbs run over the exposed skin between your T-shirt and your pyjama shorts, the gentle motion sending tingles down your spine and causing you to arch yourself slightly into him. The smirk that formed on his face told you things were playing out how he wanted.
"You know," you whispered, letting Roy take your coffee cup from your hands and place it beside you on the counter. "Like," he gently cradled your hands in his larger ones, moving them to rest on his shoulders becket letting his fall back to your hips. "Like you want to be with them, like you-"
Roy cut your words off by pressing his lips to yours, using the momentum of his movement to tilt your head back, allowing him to get a better angle as he pushed his tongue past your lips. Quickly, you pushed him off of you, not giving him the chance to get a word in edge ways before you began to speak. "You can't keep kissing me like that, or at all actually, if you don't want this, us, whatever we are, to become something. Because I want it to become something." Jamie's words echoed though your head. Maybe you had to be the one to show Roy that it was okay to be soft sometimes, to let people in.
"I love how kind you are beneath all the gruff and cold exterior you try to put up. I love how fiercely you love Molly and Phoebe. I love how you leave little sticky notes on my office door so I don't forget to do things. I love how you bring me coffee in the mornings when you get your own. I love that you buy me lunch and get all grumpy when someone else tries to add on to the order." Sweeping your thumb across the middle of his brown, you brushed away the tension that had clearly been building there since the moment you'd pushed away from his kiss. "I love how your face gets all scrunched up when your confused and how you have the most wonderful smile I've ever seen but only let the people you love get a glimpse at it. I- I love you, Roy, but I can't handle you liking me one minute and ignoring me the next. I need you to open up to me about what's going on inside you head."
Roy pressed a kiss to your forehead, moving one hand up to cradle your face. If his heart wasn't already so full of you, it would've been now. Even though he'd known he was in love with you before this conversation in your kitchen, it had really consolidated to him why he was in love with you. You loved Roy Kent, Phoebe's uncle, lunch buyer and wonderful smiler.
"I've never been told I have a wonderful smile before." He pressed another kiss though this time it was to your temple, and the another to the end of your brow. "That's probably because you're right, I only show it to the people I love." Another kiss was pressed just below your eye, the scratchiness of his beard against your cheeks eliciting a giggle from you. "And I really fucking love you."
Roy leaned in for another, proper, kiss, though you dodged it allowing it to land on your cheek instead. "Is there anything else you wanted to say?"
Roy let out a loud groan, your head thrown back in laughter at the image before you. He shook his head at you though the wide and bright smile you loved never left his face. "I'm sorry I ignored you for 3 and a half weeks because I was a grumpy sod who couldn't talk about his feelings like a fucking grown up."
You hummed happily, nudging your nose against his, a smile now curled onto your own lips. "Yeah, that'll do just nice." Standing on the tips of your toes, you wrapped both your arms around his neck, pulling the two of you together. "Now, C'mere."
Roy happily complied, pressing his lips firmly to your own in a mess of groans and tongue, only pulling apart when you couldn't contain your smile any longer. Even then, he pressed a series of quick kisses to your lips moving them up across your cheek, along the tip of your ear and then down the side of your neck. You tilted your head to rest against his left shoulder, giving him better access to the right side of your neck, but before things could escalate any further, you gently pushed him away from you. "Phoebe is a room away."
"You've got a guest bedroom though, right?" Roy purred, resuming his attack on your neck, the scruff of his beard scratching against your skin sending shivers down your spine.
"She'll be up in an hour or so." You tried to deter Roy further although you didn't particularly have your heart in it, wanting more then anything to continue what you'd started now that the pair of you had everything out in the open.
"I can do a lot in half that time." He countered, his grip on you tightening a fraction and the kisses he was pressing against your neck now having scrapes of teeth to them.
Grabbing Roy by the chin, you turned him to face you, pressing a soft and slow kiss to his lips. "Please, with what I've got in mind, it's going to take at least twice the time we have." You revelled in the look of pleasant surprise that crossed Roy's features, pressing another kiss to his lips. Now that that was something you could do whenever you wanted, you weren't sure you were ever going to stop; he was just so kissable. "Want to help me make breakfast?"
"Where do you need me?"
You and Roy danced seamlessly around each other as you prepared breakfast for the two of you and Phoebe, sneaking kisses between exchanges of ingredients or just because you could. When things were nearly ready and it was just past 7am, you went to wake Phoebe up, careful not to startle her after the long night she'd had. Since you hadn't discussed with Roy anything about you telling Phoebe, you didn't mention it, letting her sandwich herself between the two of you as you ate breakfast together over reruns of adventure time.
Part of you couldn't believe that everything had pretty much worked out how you wanted it. Sure, it wasn't a nice feeling when Roy left you in the dark after sweeping you off your feet, but ultimately, the two of you were together, and with Phoebe snuggled between the two of you on your couch, you had a glimpse of the domestic life you'd dreamed of.
Roy was thinking something similar, looking at you and phoebe beside him. Something so simple as eating breakfast together had him dreaming of a future, that a few months ago, he never would've thought would be within his grasp. He could already picture a scene like this but with you slightly older, and still as beautiful as ever, two kids snuggled between you and a dog or 3 curled up at his feet. He hoped one day the image would be as real as the one before him right now.
"Shit, what time is it?"
"8am."
"We need to get going soon." Both you and Phoebe turned to Roy in confusion, heads similarly tilted in a way that had him fawning over the both of you. "Your mum is picking you up at 9am and you need to be dressed and ready to go, Pheeb's."
"Tell Molly to pick her up from here," you said, taking Phoebe's empty plate and stacking it on top of your own. Placing them both down on the coffee table, you turned to Phoebe with a soft smile. "There T-shirts, jeans and some shoes in my wardrobe, next to where I keep your pj's, yeah? And you know where your tooth brush is, don't you?" Phoebe nodded her head, still chewing her food, but with a kissed pressed to her temple, she was sprinting off in the direction your bedroom.
"You have day clothes here for phoebe? As well as pyjamas?" Roy whispered, a bright smile forming on his face for the millionth time this morning. This was a sight you were never going to get sick of.
"Yeah. I picked the day clothes up when you asked me to pick her up from school the first time, and then after you and Molly took her home after she slept over, I figured it couldn't hurt to also get a tooth brush and some other stuff. Just incase she ever needed them."
You'd never seen so much love and adoration in one persons eyes. "I fucking love you, did you know?"
Before you could respond, the padding of feet all the way down your hallway and across your living room filled your ears. "So you are getting Married?"
a/n : if you made it this far hello!! thank you for reading my first ted lasso fic, feel free to leave feedback and/or send in a request to my inbox!! much love <33 mwah
Amorous Facades - Chapter Nine
A wild night out leaves the lives of Jamie Tartt and Ophelia Adams more intertwined than they ever would have imagined.
Will their decision to try and use the situation to their advantage work out in their favour or will they realize that they should have cut their losses when they had the chance?
âââ-
previous chapter
âââ-
Jamie had fucked everything up.
He didnât even really mean what heâd said. Well, he did mean it, but not in the way that it sounded. Which he could admit was the way heâd intended for it to be taken, but it wasnât exactly true. He did love Keeley - he was pretty sure that he always would - but he wasnât in love with her. She had helped him believe in himself enough to become a better man and his intention when heâd approached her was to simply thank her for all her support, but then he got caught up in the moment and the emotions of the day and suddenly words were leaving his mouth that heâd never intended to say.
And then heâd realized that Lia was behind him and the panic that gripped him only confirmed that what heâd told Keeley hadnât really been the truth. He wasnât naive enough to think that he loved Lia after their short time together, but there were feelings growing between them - feelings that were strong enough that he still had hope that something could happen between them even after sheâd turned him down. He wasnât even being cocky with that assumption, but he knew there was more to their relationship than Lia was willing to admit and heâd thought he just needed to find a way to get past the walls she kept putting up.
But now, those walls would probably be completely impenetrable.
Sheâd smiled and insisted that she didnât care. Sheâd told him that he could love whoever he wanted and reminded him that their relationship was simply a business arrangement. Sheâd stayed as far away from him as she possibly could in bed that night and for the first time since they met, she hadnât wrapped herself around him in her sleep.
Sheâd proven to be a good actress when they were pretending to be in love, but her quick switch to indifference had Jamie starting to wonder if heâd been wrong.
Maybe there wasnât anything more to their relationship.
He could tell that Lia had a big heart and that she didnât often stand up for herself. He saw it in the way sheâd supposedly tried to ignore that prick Danielâs advances for almost a year before saying anything and in the way that she still refused to vilify her friend for taking his word over hers despite the clear evidence of his behaviour. Had she just been going along with their situation because she was too nice to put a stop to it? Were all those late night cuddles done begrudgingly because she thought thatâs what he wanted? Had she just been leading him on with breadcrumbs of affection since the day that they met?
He felt like an idiot.
The more he thought about it and analyzed their time together, the more annoyed he became and by the time Lia walked through the door late that afternoon after her day at work, he was fuming.
âHi, you alright?â Lia dropped her bag on the coffee table as she greeted him, but the smile on her face only added to his bad mood. âSo, my dadâs very excited about dinner tonight. He said heâll be home from the shop around six so I said weâd be there closer to seven.â
Jamie stared at her for a moment - shocked into silence by her audacity - before he found his voice.
âIâm not going.â
Immediately, Liaâs face fell and Jamie felt a hint of satisfaction from the knowledge that heâd finally gotten under her skin.
âWhat? Why not?â
âBecause I donât wanna.â
His tone made it sound like what heâd said was obvious, but confusion on Liaâs face made it clear that it wasnât.
âWhat are you talking about?â She questioned. âYouâre the one who made these plans.â
âYeah, well, now I donât wanna go.â
He knew he was being difficult and probably unfair, but the thought of spending another evening pretending to be in love with her when his feelings were so jumbled up and confusing made his stomach hurt. However, Lia could see how unjust the situation was as well.
âI donât always want to do things for you,â she pointed out. âBut I do them because thatâs what I agreed to when we started this whole arrangement. Just yesterday I went to a funeral for you, I didn't really want to do that.â
Her voice was calm despite the stern edge to it, but Jamie simply shrugged.
âYou went to that more for Rebecca than for me.â
âNo, I went because you asked me to,â she clarified. âBut what about all the matches Iâve been going to? I do that for you.â
âDo you? Or is it because you like spending time with Keeley?â
He could have sworn he saw her wince as Keeleyâs name left his lips, but she quickly recovered.
âThatâs not true,â she insisted. âIâve done plenty of things that I havenât always felt like doing just to keep up my end of this bargain.â
âYeah, well, do you know why that is?â Jamie paused as Lia narrowed her eyes like she knew she wasnât going to like whatever he was about to say next. âBecause youâre a people pleaser.â
The accusation had a scoff falling from her lips as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes before weakly protesting with a firm, âI am not.â
Jamie knew he was being harsh. Sheâd just walked in the door and had been excited about their plans and he was picking a fight, but he was frustrated and his morning stewing about his feelings had gotten him so worked up that wasnât willing to let it go.
âYeah, you are,â he informed her. âYou let your friend walk all over you and treat you like shit, you let that prick make you uncomfortable for a year because you didnât want your friend to be upset, you barely even protested when I came up with this insane plan for us to pretend to be married because you couldnât say no to me - a complete stranger - and then you hear me telling another girl that I love her and barely even put up a fuss.â
âItâs none of my business who you love.â
Lia was simply repeating the words sheâd said the afternoon before, but her voice was soft and any hint of annoyance was gone from her posture. She looked wounded as her crossed arms became much more protective than defensive, but Jamie was happy to see any emotion other than indifference as he kept going.
âShouldnât have done that though, should I?â He pointed out. âNot while you were my date and not while weâre supposed to be married, but you canât even let yourself be bothered. Because youâre a people pleaser.â
Maybe it was the snarl in his voice or the conviction he was speaking with, but a look of fury quickly returned to Liaâs face.
âDo you want the truth?â She asked, waiting for him to nod before she continued. âWhat you said to Keeley did hurt me. It hurt me very much. Kissing me because you think a good fuck might take your mind off your emotional pain for a few minutes while youâre apparently still in love with Keeley is something that I think is pretty despicable.â
A brief feeling of hope flickered in Jamieâs stomach as he took in her words. Despite the disgust in her voice, her anger told him that heâd been right about her feelings for him which meant that he might still have a chance.
âThatâs not why I kissed you,â he argued, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. âI kissed you because I like you.â
It was so obvious to him that he was amazed he even had to say it, but he could see how his recent actions might have caused some doubt and he wasnât surprised when she scoffed at his assurance.
âYou like me, but you love Keeley? Forgive me if thatâs a little too complicated for my tastes.â
âI donât love Keeley!â He insisted. âWell, Iâm not in love with her anyway. I just ainât used to being around dead people, it messed with my head. I was just tryinâ to thank her for helping me see that I could be better than I was being.â
âAnd you accidentally ended up confessing your love for her?â Lia questioned in disbelief. âCâmon, Jamie. Iâm not stupid.â
âI know youâre not, but Iâm being honest! I shouldnât have said what I said, but I wasnât trying to get back with Keeley. I like you, Iâm tryinâ to get with you.â
It wasnât the most poetic way to explain his feelings, but talking about emotions had never been a strength for Jamie and he wasnât sure how well sheâd taken his confession when he noticed her eyes growing glassy. She stood frozen as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip until she eventually let her gaze drop from his face to the floor by his feet.
âI dunno, Jamie. I donât think we should go there,â she decided when she found the strength to speak, making Jamieâs heart clench in his chest. âIâm not like you. I canât just sleep with someone then act like nothing happened the next day and I refuse to be used and tossed aside when youâre done with me so thatâs why I think itâs best if we just keep things professional.â
Her complete lack of faith in him hit him like a slap across the face. Heâd been trying so hard to prove that he wasnât the person everyone thought he was or the person that he used to be. Out of everyone in the world, he thought that Lia had always given him the benefit of the doubt and really saw the good in him. To hear her assume that he was just looking to get laid and toss her aside hurt more than most peopleâs low opinion of him did and he felt his defensive anger rising up again.
âOh, yeah?â He smirked. âWasnât very professional when you cried yourself to sleep in my arms, was it? Or when you were practically dyinâ to rub yourself off on my thigh after you spent the night clinging to me in Manchester.â
âI wasnât dying to rub myself off on you, donât be rude,â Lia scolded despite the blush that rose in her cheeks. âAnd I spent the night clinging to you for you because you wrapped yourself around me and wanted some comfort!â
âOh, so you are just a people pleaser then? None of that meant anything to you, but you did it for me because you canât think for yourself?â
He saw her swallow hard as her lip began to quiver and the guilt he felt for hurting her - again - was immediate, but the shake of her voice when she spoke almost broke his heart.
âI donât know why youâre so mad at me, Jamie, or why youâre being so cruel because as far as I can see youâre the one who hurt me yesterday, not the other way around,â Lia pointed out. âBut because Iâm such a people pleaser, I donât want to let my dad down tonight so I have a dinner to get ready for. You can come or not, I donât care.â
With that, Lia stormed out of the room before Jamie even had time to formulate a response.Â
Heâd woken up that morning well aware that he had some grovelling to do and even he couldnât understand howâd he made the decision that the only solution was to make things even worse.
ââ
Lia spent most of her time in the shower using the sound of the water to cover up the sound of her sobs.
For the second time in as many days, Jamie had completely blindsided her. She had no idea why heâd decided to pick a fight with her the moment sheâd walked through the door, but it left her already cracked heart feeling shattered.
His tone and the disdain he apparently had for her was enough to hurt her feelings, but she didnât even feel like what heâd said was fair. It didnât make her a people pleaser to believe in second chances. Or to hesitate before throwing away a lifelong friendship. Or to want to offer Jamie some comfort when he was sad. She was a good person with a big heart who saw the best in people and tried to be a positive influence in other peopleâs lives. She didnât think that made her a people pleaser and if it did then she didnât think that was a bad thing and it certainly wasnât something that should have been thrown in her face with the level of vitriol that Jamie had.
She spent the entire time that she was getting ready trying to think of an excuse to give her dad about Jamieâs sudden absence, but when she walked back downstairs she was surprised to see that Jamie had changed and was ready to go.
âYouâre coming?â
âYeah,â Jamie shrugged. âYou met my mum, itâs only fair.â
There was an argument to be had as she wanted to point out that about an hour ago that didnât seem to matter to Jamie at all, but - as any people pleaser would do - she bit her tongue and nodded her head as she let him lead her out the door.
However, his decision to join her did nothing to ease the awkward tension now hanging between them as the drive to her dadâs house was almost completely silent.Â
She could tell that Jamie wanted to speak - he opened his mouth a few times, but shut it before any words could slip out - but Lia had no interest in starting another emotional upset before they had to charm her dad. It would already be the ultimate challenge of their acting skills as Jamie was clearly feeling resentful and Lia wasnât sure her heart was strong enough to handle any forced affection after what heâd put her through in the last two days. And her resilience was put to the test the moment they got out of the car. She flinched away as he slid his arm around her waist, but forced herself to relax into his touch as she knocked on the door to announce their presence before walking inside.
âDad!â She called out. âWeâre here!â
The smell of what he was cooking wafted down the hall from the kitchen as they heard the clang of a pot lid closing before her dad appeared in the doorway with a grin on his face.
âHello!â He greeted them with a grin on his face. âItâs so nice to see you!â
âYou just saw me a couple of hours ago.â
Lia playfully rolled her eyes as she reminded him, but her dad simply laughed.
âI know, I wasnât talking to you,â he informed her. âItâs my son-in-law that Iâm happy to see!â
âOh, I see how it is,â Lia shook her head despite the smile on her face. âNow that Jamieâs here, Iâm old news.â
âYes, exactly,â her dad teased. âIâve had dinner with you a thousand times, but Iâve never had dinner with any of your boyfriends before so this is a big day for me.â
âYouâve never introduced your dad to any of your boyfriends?â
Jamieâs voice was laced with disbelief, but Lia simply shrugged.
âI didnât want him to scare them off,â she defended herself. âYouâve hardly had time to get to know him, you might be running for the hills by the end of the night.â
If she was being honest, it was more that she was worried her dad wouldnât approve that put her off. She was very close with him and any disapproval would put doubt in her mind that she wasnât sure a relationship could come back from. Sheâd always thought that it was easier to just wait until she was absolutely sure that her dad would be supportive and so far none of her relationships had lasted that long.
âI would never do anything to embarrass you,â her dad insisted, a look of mock offence on his face. âIâm always on my best behaviour. Besides, I think itâs your Uncle Mark that heâll need to watch out for. Heâs a big Man City fan and heâs already warned me about you. He says youâre unreliable.â
The claim didnât seem to bother Jamie, but Lia rolled her eyes as she almost instinctively leapt to his defence.Â
âYes, because Jamie changing football teams really says so much about what heâs like in a relationship.â
âDonât shoot the messenger,â her dad warned her. âIâm just telling you what Iâve been told. You know me, I know nothing about football.â
âWell, I know my choices might not have been popular in Manchester, but I can promise that Iâm reliable when it comes to Lia.â While his assurance seemed to please her father, it had Lia resisting the urge to pull a face - especially when he leaned down to press a kiss on the top of her head. Heâd hardly been reliable in the last twenty four hours - heâd been unpredictable and confusing - but she didnât argue and he continued. âI really care about her.â
There was something in his voice that caught Liaâs attention as he sounded so sincere, but she tried to push the thought from her mind as she knew she would need to stay focused if she hoped to get through the evening. However, it proved to be very difficult to think about anything else with their relationship being constantly thrown in her face.
Sheâd been worried that their little spat and Jamieâs sulkiness towards her would hinder their ability to seem like a couple who were falling head over heels for each other, but Jamie seemed to be pulling out all the stops. Despite the fact that Lia was fairly certain they didnât have very much in common, Jamie managed to find plenty of things to talk to her dad about as they seemed to form a very quick and genuine bond. He laughed at all her dadâs cringey jokes, he helped set the table, had perfect manners, and insisted on handling the dishes all by himself. There was rarely a lull in conversation as her father regaled them of tales from Liaâs youth and shared pictures of the brief period when sheâd tried to break free of her book worm reputation by dying her hair black and attempting to pierce her own eyebrow with a needle - it didnât work and left her with a bad infection and a scar to always remind her of the consequences of trying to be something youâre not - but the evening full of love and laughter just made Liaâs heart ache.
The way Jamie cooed and assured her that he preferred the bookish Lia to the wannabe punk rock version, the way he seemed so genuinely interested in how Liaâs dad had made his dream of owning his own bookstore come true, just the way he slipped so naturally into their little family of two. It had Liaâs head spinning as her emotions were overwhelming and completely confusing. The evening couldnât have possibly gone any better, but Lia had a feeling that her dad was just as smitten as she was and while that thought would have made her smile just a few days earlier, it only added to her current Jamie induced anxiety as it was just one more person to be disappointed when things all fell apart. If they hadnât already.
Part of Lia wished they could stay in that moment forever. Just live in a world where the Jamie who doted on her and charmed her dad was the real Jamie. A world where she had just introduced her boyfriend to her dad with amazing success and could soak in the excitement of the plans theyâd made to get together again instead of wondering if theyâd even still be speaking by the time the date came around. But like every good thing, their evening together eventually came to an end and the silence that settled around them as soon as they were in Jamieâs car and safe from rousing any suspicion almost made her want to cry.
But the quiet drive proved to be helpful because by the time they were home, Lia had decided that no matter how hard it might be to confront Jamie and talk it out, it couldnât be worse than living with the awkwardness between them for even one more minute.
âJamie?â She caught his attention just as he was about to climb out of the car. âCan we talk about what happened earlier?â
He paused for a moment and Lia briefly wondered if he was going to shut her down or go on another hate fueled rant about her personality, but she was relieved when he nodded his head.
âYeah, course we can. Letâs go inside though, yeah?â
He waited for Lia to agree before heading towards the front door with Lia following, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to remind herself that it would be good to get it over with and understand once and for all where they stood. They needed to set some clear boundaries if this was going to work, but she was hurting and hoped sheâd be able to hold herself together enough to sort things out.
There was a tension in the room and Lia felt as if her brief flicker of confidence had faded as they settled on the couch, almost subconsciously keeping as much distance between them as they could.
âSo,â she started as Jamie stared down at his hands and fidgeted uncomfortably like a little boy who was about to be scolded for getting into trouble at school. âI guess Iâm just wondering why you were so upset with me earlier.â
It seemed like the simplest place to start, but when Jamie simply shrugged Lia found herself forcing down the urge to scream. There wasnât any point to them having a discussion if he wasnât going to use any words, but just as she was about to remind him of that fact, he spoke.
âI guess I was lashing out.â
âCan I ask why?â
âBecause I was mad that you didnât care about what I told Keeley,â he admitted. âI put myself out there when I kissed you and I respected your decision and I promised myself I wouldnât push you or do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, but I was still hoping that you might be a little bothered by the thought of me being in love with someone else.â
Lia furrowed her brow in confusion as she hoped that she was misinterpreting what he was saying.
âSo, you knew I was there when you were talking to Keeley? And you were just trying to get a reaction out of me?â
âNo! No, thatâs not what I meant,â Jamie quickly assured her, his eyes widening in surprise. âI didnât know you were there and I wasnât trying to upset you on purpose, but when youâd heard what I said, I was hoping you might be hurt by it. Not that I want to hurt you! But if you donât care about that then you donât care about me, yeah? And thatâs a bit shit.â
His thought process reminded Lia of her own when she was analyzing his behaviour after sheâd rejected him and she felt a hint of a smile slide onto her lips at the similarities between them. However, Jamie was less amused by her reaction.
âDonât laugh at me,â he snapped. âIâm not good at all this emotional shit, but Iâm trying to pour my heart out here!â
âIâm not laughing,â Lia assured him as she braced herself for the admission that she was about to make. âIâm just thinking how funny it is that I was thinking the same thing about how you handled it when I stopped our kiss. You were such a gentleman and seemed so unbothered, I assumed you didnât really care.â
âWhat, so, you wanted me to be a dick about it?â He asked incredulously. âI was respectful about it because I fancy you.â
âWell, I guess I misunderstood.â
âI guess you did.â Jamie huffed and picked at his nails for a minute before he continued. âBut I do like you. I like you a lot.â
âReally?â Lia questioned. âBecause earlier it didnât sound like you liked me at all, even as a friend.â
âI know, but I was being an idiot and a prick and I got too into my own head. I didnât mean what I said, I like that youâre so forgiving,â Jamie insisted before flashing her a smirk. âIâm kinda hoping that itâll help me out now.â
âFunny how that works,â she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she tried to resist his endearing cheekiness. âBut what about Keeley?â
âWhat about her?â He shrugged. âI told you I didnât mean it. I know I shouldnât have said it, but Iâm not in love with her. I talked to her this morning and explained everything and Iâm sure Iâll have to talk to Roy too, but I really was just caught up in the moment, I didnât mean it.â
âSounds like youâve been saying a lot of things you donât mean lately. How am I supposed to believe you now?â
It was hard, Lia was finding, to stay strong and make him explain himself. Her heart was begging her to just give in and accept everything he was saying without a second thought, but her head was forcing her to stay strong and get a clear view of what was truly happening between them so there would be no more sleepless nights wondering where she stood.
âI can see why that might be hard,â Jamie admitted. âBut Iâve been feeling like this about you for a while now. I mean, I wanted to marry you that night for a reason and maybe it was partially because I was drunk and stupid, but I thought you were mad fit from the moment I saw you.â
âAlright, but thatâs part of the reason I get nervous,â she admitted despite the way his compliment had her cheeks heating up. âDo you just like me because you think Iâm attractive and our agreement stops you from chasing other women?â
âNo, no, definitely not! I like you because youâre you!â Jamieâs denial came quickly as he cringed at the assumption, but before she had too much time to process it, he turned the tables on her. âHow do you feel about me? I keep saying all this heartfelt shit, but Iâm not getting much back.â
It was a fair question, but Lia was a bit skepitcal of his assurances. Again, it was hard to resist the sincerity to his words, but she also thought that maybe Jamie just didnât know what he really wanted. He sounded so convincing and his words seemed really genuine, but it was so contradictory to his reputation and even his recent behaviour that it was hard for her to really believe it.
She hesitated - long enough for Jamieâs body to tense with anxious anticipation - but after taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she let herself open up.
âI like you too,â she admitted. âI think youâre a lot sweeter and kinder than most people think, but I also think we have different ideas about relationships. I donât do casual, Jamie. Iâm not the kind of person who can be emotionally detached from things like sex, Iâm not interested in any kind of friends with benefits situation.â
âNeither am I,â Jamie insisted. âTo be honest, thatâs why I got so mad earlier. Thought you saw me differently to everyone else, didnât feel too good to hear that you think Iâm the same selfish prick I used to be that would use you for sex and nothing else.â
âBut what am I supposed to think, Jamie?â Lia protested, the frustration ringing through in her voice. âYou kissed me and then told another girl that you loved her!â
âI know! But you turned me down before you heard that so itâs not all my fault!â
It was a fair point, but what heâd said to Keeley had only validated Liaâs concerns and she knew that pushing her doubts from her mind would now be a much harder task than before and the conflict between her head and her heart had tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
âCan we just be completely honest?â She asked, hoping he couldnât see her rising emotions. âWhat exactly do you want from me?â
âEverything,â Jamie shrugged. âI mean, I get excited to see you when I get home every day and I miss you when you leave in the morning. I want the us that we pretend we are to be real.â
It was what Lia had been dreaming about hearing him say for the last few weeks and if his confession had come a few days earlier then she would have been celebrating joyfully as he whisked her off her feet, but after everything that had happened it was hard for her to relax and embrace it.
âI want that too,â she admitted. âBut how can I trust you?â
âIâll prove it to you,â Jamie insisted, quickly moving from the far end of the couch until he was sitting right beside her. âIâll take you out, on a proper date. With romance and everything.â
âReally?â
âYeah,â he nodded. âI wanna do it the right way, show you that Iâm being serious.â
Lia watched him closely, scanning his face for any sign that he was playing a cruel trick and simply going to laugh in her face if she accepted, but there was only honesty in his eyes and after a moment of thought, she relented.
âOkay,â she agreed, biting her lip before a smile slid onto her face. âIâd really like that.â
Jamie let out a slightly dramatic sigh of relief as his arm came to rest on the back of the couch.
âThank fuck,â he smiled. âThought for sure youâd say no.â
âI donât think Iâd ever be able to resist your charm for long,â she admitted. âBut I didnât want to leap into anything, I want to know youâre serious about it.â
âI am, absolutely,â Jamie insisted as Lia hesitantly lifted her arm to rest on top of his. He flipped his over and slid back enough to interlace their fingers together and even the simple gesture had Liaâs heart skipping a beat. âI know itâs early days, but you mean a lot to me. I want what we have to be more than just us putting on a show.â
âI want that too,â Lia agreed. âIâm not good at pretending.â
âIt was easy for me,â Jamie smirked. âNot hard to pretend that Iâm fallinâ for a girl as pretty as you.â
The claim had a giggle slipping from Liaâs lips as she playfully rolled her eyes.
âAnd that charm is exactly why Iâm fairly certain that my dad would now choose to keep you over me if we ever broke up, real or not.â
âYeah?â Jamie smiled. âYou think I won him over?â
âDefinitely,â Lia nodded. âHe texted me about two minutes after we left his house to tell me what a great guy you are and how happy he is for me.â
The praise had Jamieâs chest puffing up a little higher as the smile on his face took on an edge of pride.
âGlad I got his approval. Now I just need to get yours.â
âI think youâll be able to, I have faith in you,â Lia assured him. âAnd Iâm sorry that I made you feel like I saw you the way everyone else does. I know youâre a good person, Jamie.â
âItâs alright, I deserved it,â he shrugged, his eyes drifting to their joined hands as he gently rubbed his thumb over her skin, but after a moment of silence he flicked his gaze back to met hers. âI know weâre gonna take this slow, but can I kiss you?â
The tenderness of the question caught Lia off guard and she simply nodded her head as she felt like all the breath was gone from her lungs. She watched as Jamieâs smile widened even more before his tongue darted out to lick his lips and he leaned forward to press them against her own and her breathlessness reached a whole new level. All the emotion of the day - the pain, the fear, the hurt - was instantly soothed as their lips met. She felt herself gripping Jamieâs hand in a desperate attempt to ground herself in the moment, but as his free hand slid up to cup the back of her neck as if he wanted to avoid any possibility of her moving out of his reach, she was powerless to do anything other than melt against him.
When they finally pulled away to reluctantly catch their breath, Jamie rested his forehead against hers.
âIâm gonna prove it,â he murmured. âIâm gonna make sure you can trust me.â
And in that moment, Liaâs heart won out over her head and she truly believed that he would.
Not to be one of those guys who describes the plot and calls it analysis but it stands out to me how Jamie dresses in loud colors and patterns with jewelry and Hairstyles and coordinated accessories like all the time except for when heâs back at City, at which point he always has his hair slicked down and is always shown in muted colors. Really communicates how much control his dad still has over him
why do u enjoy making me cry
Something There (Chapter 2)
7.1k words Roy Kent x Reader Warnings: Language, enemies-to-lovers, some sexual references, Roy still not being excited about women's sports, childish arguments between adults who clearly want each other
Series Masterlist
Roy threw his bag over his shoulder with a loud groan. Much to his annoyance, he had to start his day by parking on the far side of the lot; there were way more cars than he was used to, especially this early, and he didnât recognize any of them. Whatever. Maybe Rebecca had some publicity event heâd forgotten about. Wouldnât be the first time.
He walked into the Dog Track, only vaguely aware of the palatable excitement buzzing in the air as he went down the hall. It wasnât unusual for him to only nod to people as he passed by instead of stopping to say hello, so thatâs what he did, a bit creeped out by the wide smiles on peopleâs faces as they chattered in hushed tones. Weird.
The reason for the cars and the excitement finally smacked him in the face when he walked opened the door the changing room and found it full of women in sports bras, most of whom only offered him passing glances as they chattered animatedly to one another.
âOh shit.â
Roy picked up his pace and hurried into his office, noticing its closed blinds and Nate very intentionally focusing on the white board by Royâs desk. Without quite knowing why, Roy kept walking until he found himself standing in the Whippetsâ office.
The American manager, dressed today in leggings and a Whippets jacket (still looking stupidly pretty, which Roy did his best to ignore), looked up from her heavy conversation with Lucas, eyebrow arched. âWhatâs up with you?â
Roy made a face, not enjoying the mocking tone in her voice. Or the fact that she was speaking to him at all. âFuck dâyou mean?â
Clearly stifling a giggle, she shrugged. âWell, you just charged into my office looking so red in the face itâs almost concerning. Do I need to call you a doctor or something?â
His eyebrows furrowed further. âThereâs women changing in the- in the-â
âChanging room,â she finished for him, nodding emphatically. âThatâs kind of what itâs for.â
âBut itâs women.â Roy knew he sounded stupid as soon as the words left his mouth.
Her amused eyes darted to Lucas before refocusing on Roy. âWell, yeah. I manage a womenâs team. Sorry if that wasnât clear,â she snarked.
He blinked a few times, the warmth in his face growing from annoyance. âWell, you guys should fucking tell us when your team is using shit. Make a schedule or some shit. That way we know what the fuckâs going on.â
She stared at him coolly. âThere is a schedule. Coach Beard made it.â Condescension dripped from her voice, letting Roy know she really didnât have the patience for him.
Right. Roy had gotten a group email from Beard and had, of course, ignored it. He really needed to get his shit together.
When Roy didnât respond, she continued, her expression completely icy now. âHuh. Every coach Iâve ever known has always made sure they knew what was going on in their club.â She turned to Lucas. âIs this a British thing?â
The assistant coach shrugged and pretended to start typing on his computer. He was staying the fuck out of whatever this was. Smart man.
Roy cleared his throat, feeling like he was losing a game he hadnât signed up for. ââWell, I mean, I donât want them to be uncom-â
 âCoach Kent, I have had mostly male coaches for most of my career. Wearing a sports bra in front of men is not a big deal to any of these women. Just like being shirtless in front of me isnât a big deal to your guys.â She spoke slowly, as if to a child.
He fucking hated it. âJust donât want my guys making them uncomfortable,â he mumbled, no longer able to look her in the eye.
Her eyes narrowed as she brought herself to her full height and closed the space between them, bringing her face close to his, so close that if he leaned forward just a centimeter their noses would touch. âIf theyâre planning on making my team uncomfortable, then thatâs a Roy Kent problem. If you canât keep your team in check and make sure they act right, then you need to figure your shit out. Lucas, youâve shared changing rooms with womenâs teams before. Ever seen it be a problem?â
The coach, who was clearly listening with great interest, kept his eyes on the computer screen. âNope.â
âDidnât think so.â She turned back to Roy. âIâll go ahead and assume you werenât the one who left the lovely little notes in the lockers for us then.â
âThat was Isaacâs idea.â Coach Beard appeared in the door that led out to the hall. The door Roy wished heâd used that morning.
âGood morning, Coach,â she greeted, her voice suddenly pleasant. âIsaac⊠McAdoo, right? Heâs your captain?â
Beard nodded. âHe thought it would be nice to leave a little something, let the ladies know theyâre very welcome here at Nelson Road.â He gave Roy a pointed look before continuing. âThey stayed after practice yesterday to write the notes and tidy up the lockers. It was Samâs idea to get the water bottles.â
The way her face lit up made Royâs stupid heart skip a beat. âOh! Those are great. Make sure to thank the guys for us.â She turned to Roy, all friendliness gone. âYour players got these for us.â She pointed to the blue water bottle on her desk, the Whippetsâ logo prominent. âTheyâre pretty nice guys. Mustâve learned from Nate and Beard.â
Ouch. With a scoff, Roy rolled his eyes. âWell-â
She looked at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. âOop, would you look at that. Time for the W.F.C. Richmondâs first ever practice.â She glared at Roy. âExcuse me, gentlemen.â
Roy had to forcibly stop himself from watching her as she sauntered out of the offices, calling for her team to head out to the pitch.
Coach Lucas patted Roy on the shoulder as he followed suit. âThereâs no winning against her once she gets going. Trust me,â he chuckled, shaking his head.
Roy grunted, mouth in a straight line, pretending like he wasnât focusing on getting his heartrate back to normal. Coach Beard looked thoroughly amused as Roy stayed still as a statue, waiting to hear total silence from the changing room before sulking back to his own office, where Nate quickly pretended to look busy and not like heâd been eavesdropping.
Beardâs eyes remained on Roy. âBoy, she knows how to push your buttons,â he mused.
âDoes not,â Roy grumbled, feeling a bit like a schoolboy being badgered by his friends. He dropped into his chair, giving it a little spin from side to side, arms crossed stubbornly. âI donât have fucking buttons.â
~
Lucas and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we watched the Whippets scrimmage. Under my sunglasses, my eyes were wide with joy. They were good, so good. When we signed these women, we knew there was going to be a lot of talent on this squad. But we could only dream of the chemistry we were already seeing on day one.
âShit, can you imagine once theyâre actually used to each other?â As always, Lucas was reading my mind.
I nodded. âUn. Fucking. Stoppable.â We bumped fists and knocked our hips into each other, a gesture weâd started doing when he was my coach in college. A gesture I knew weâd be making a lot this season.
âOi!â
It didnât take a genius to figure out who was shouting and who they were shouting at. With a groan, I turned around. Sure enough, Roy Kent was heading towards Lucas and I, looking ready for a fight. At this point, I wasnât sure his face was capable of any other expression.
âYeah, Coach Kent?â I pulled down my sunglasses, glaring at him from over the top, not giving a shit about professionalism or sharing or any of the other things I had promised Rebecca Iâd be totally capable of.
Now standing in front of us, he nodded towards my scrimmage. âWe need the pitch.â                                  Â
I glanced at my phone. Sure enough, it was just past time for us to give up the field so the men could use it. Dammit.
Now, if it was Beard or Nate who had come out and asked us to give up the pitch, I would have gladly done so, and would have easily apologized. But because it was Roy Kent who was demanding that we move, my heels dug in all on their own.
âWeâre almost done,â I answered breezily, as if he really didnât matter to me. Which he didnât.
âOh no.â He stared at me indignantly. âYou made a big fucking deal about there being a fucking schedule. Iâm just following it.â He turned to the pitch, where my players continued their scrimmage. âWhistle!â A few women stopped, their faces perplexed. âGet off the fucking pitch!â
My vision went red. âHey!â I grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face me. âYou donât fucking tell my team what to do!â I blew my whistle. âKeep going!â When play resumed, I looked back at Roy, whose face was nearly purple. âRoy Kent, donât you ever tell my squad what to do, you fucking hear me?â My hands were balled into fists at my side. âIf I were a man-â
Roy rolled his eyes. âOh, fuck that. You and I both know that this has nothing to do with you being a woman and has everything to do with us needing the fucking pitch. So, knock off with your feminism for a fucking minute.â
He was right. I knew deep down that he was right. But something about the way he looked at me just lit a fire that I didnât know if I could control. There was no way I could let him win.
I folded my arms and blew some loose hair out of my face. âYou could try please,â I grumbled, knowing I looked like a pouting teenager and not a professional soccer coach.
His eyebrows flew up. âIâm sorry? You want me to say please? When itâs my turn on the pitch? Are you fucking joking?â
âBeard and Nate would have said please.â
His eyes narrowed, an unwilling acknowledgement that I was completely correct. âFine.â He gritted his teeth. âPlease.â
Every ounce of coldness returned to my body. âThere, was that so hard?â I purred mockingly.
Before Roy could respond- probably something involving the word fuck- Lucas brought his whistle to his lips and blew it hard. âAlright ladies, letâs go! Bring it in!â He looked at the two of us, eyebrows raised. âIf you two are still flirting, Iâm going to take these gals to the weight room, cool?â
âFuck off,â Roy and I scoffed in unison.
Once Lucas stopped laughing his ass off, we headed to the weight room and got our players started on their workouts. Finally, I turned to Lucas, who was still grinning.
âWe werenât flirting.â My tone was flat, blunt.
Lucas snorted. âOh, you were totally flirting. So was he, to be fair.â He shrugged. âYou could definitely do worse than Roy Kent, Iâll give you that. Manâs a legend. And still pretty hot.â
âCanât stand that man,â I mumbled, wondering if I was trying to convince Lucas or myself. âHeâs the fucking worst.â
âThen have some really passionate hate sex,â Lucas suggested, waggling his eyebrows. âDo something to take care of that tension between you two.â
I narrowed my eyes at him. âYou know, in some cultures, this is sexual harassment.â
âAnd in some cultures,â Lucas countered, âthe way you look at Roy Kent would mean you have to marry him.â
~
Roy sighed as he leaned back in the chair in Doctor Sharonâs office. It had been a full week of sharing Nelson Road with the fucking Whippets. Of sharing it with her. And Roy felt like heâd aged an entire decade in that time.
They glared at each other in place of a greeting. They had shouting matches on the pitch. They muttered swear words at each other in the weight room. They rolled their eyes whenever the other was mentioned. And on more than one occasion, they got in each otherâs faces, noses almost touching, lips way too close for Royâs comfort.
He knew better. He fucking knew better. He hadnât spent all that time with Ronald fucking McDonald for nothing. Heâd grown and changed and become a better man. Heâd learned to control the rage that thundered in his chest and to use it constructively. Heâd become friends with Jamie Tartt of all people. Fuck, he even met with Dr. Sharon once a month. And yet here was this Yank, with her leggings and red lipstick and cocky grin, coming in and undoing all of it.
Roy closed his eyes as he listened to Doctor Sharon settle at her desk after closing the door. There was no way she hadnât heard about what was going on between the two managers; everyone at the Dog Track knew what was happening, despite the assistant coachesâ combined efforts to keep things under control. He was surprised they hadnât gotten called into Rebeccaâs office to be properly shouted at like the children they were.
âYou seem tired, Roy.â Doctor Sharonâs gentle voice made his eyes snap open. âEverything alright?â
He grunted, crossing his arms. No use dancing around things. âItâs the new womenâs team,â he grumbled. âTheir manager and IâŠ.â He glanced up at the ceiling, as if it held the right words to describe the white-hot rage he felt every time he looked at her. ââŠ. Donât get along.â
Doctor Sharon nodded. âIâve heard.â
She didnât say anything else, so Roy went on. âSheâs just really fucking infuriating, yâknow? All cocky and full of herself. Acts entitled to the pitch and the weight room and the changing room. And of course, Beard and fucking Nate like her and the fellas all act like sheâs Godâs gift to football. Just because sheâs won a couple of trophies.â
âWas all of this your first impression of her?â Doctor Sharon asked after a moment.
Roy squirmed a little. âWell, I mean I met her at a club actually,â he admitted. âRight before she started working here. And I didnât know who she was. And I made a comment implying that she wanted to flirt with me for attention, because Iâm, well, me.â Fuck, he felt insufferable saying that part out loud. âAnd then I came into work and- fuck- there she is. Fucking stuck up as hell.â He shrugged. âAnd sheâs shit at sharing,â he mumbled.
âHmm.â Doctor Sharon looked thoughtful for a moment. âHave you thought about what itâs like for her right now?â
Her voice always calmed him down. âHow dâyou mean?â
She looked him straight in the eye. He liked that about her. âWell, sheâs just given up her entire life to move here, where she knows literally one person, and sheâs got a lot of responsibility on her shoulders to lead a football team that doesnât know her yet. Sounds a bit like someone else we know, hmm?â
Roy shook his head. âNo. Sheâs nothing like him. Sheâs arrogant and conceited and cocky and-â
âThat sounds like the way you describe yourself at that age,â Doctor Sharon mused. Roy simply grunted, so she continued. âAnd, like her, you know what itâs like to suddenly be away from home and everyone you love, donât you?â
He thought way back, to when he was a child, his grandad dropping him off with his blankie. âI was a fucking kid,â he argued. âThat was different.â
Doctor Sharon shook her head. âWe donât compare baggage, remember?â
Roy nodded in defeat. âFuck. Sorry. I know.â He fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. ââm just really fucking annoyed about sharing Nelson Road,â he mumbled, hoping to change the topic a little.
Apparently, Doctor Sharon was going to let him. âWhy is that?â
âBecause itâs ours,â he said simply. âWe finally got into a rhythm, you know? Lasso came in and turned everything upside down, turns me upside down, then he fucking left. And then Rebecca decides to put me in charge.â Roy shook his head. âAnd I get one fucking year to figure out how to be a manager before she brings in an entirely new team? Itâs just a lot.â
Doctor Sharon nodded sympathetically. âThat is a lot of change in a short time,â she affirmed. âHow can we deal with that?â
Roy felt good as he walked out of Doctor Sharonâs office at the end of their hour. Theyâd discussed how Roy could cope with all the stress, about the things he could control to feel like he wasnât helpless against all this change, and even some conflict resolution strategies she wanted him to try. Maybe he didnât have to be an absolute prick about all this.
Of course, those thoughts went out the window when Roy turned a corner and saw George Willows. Everyone thought Roy had hated Trent Crimm, but George Willows was a whole other story. He was Royâs least favorite journalist, to the point where the man didnât even come to the Greyhoundsâ press conferences due to the high chances of being screamed at.
And who should Willows be chatting with in a particularly friendly-looking manner, looking more like two flirting teenagers than professionals?
âOi.â Roy furrowed his brow, keeping his eye on George, avoiding looking at a certain pretty American. âFuck are you doing here?â
âWe have an interview,â Coach Buck pipped up, scowling at Roy. âDid you need something, Coach Kent?â
She always sounded like she was spitting out his name.
Roy nodded. âYeah. I need this prick-â He pointed to George. â-to get the fuck out of here before I escort him out myself.â
Before she could retort, George put his hands in front of himself defensively. âHey, Iâm not here for the Greyhounds, Roy. Just a little fluff piece on the Whippets and their new coach.â He smiled down at the manager when he mentioned her. âHelp the people of Richmond know just how lucky they are to have her.â
The beaming smile on her face, aimed completely at George Willows, made Royâs chest go painfully tight.
He rolled his eyes. âOh fuck off,â he groaned. âHonestly, they couldnât have sent literally anyone else? What, itâs so hard to find someone to yammer off questions and hold a fucking tape recorder?â
âThey use phones now, Grandad,â Jamie Tartt teased as he passed by, hair still damp from his shower. He saluted. âGânight, Coach Buck.â
âNight, Jamie!â she called, smiling at the striker. Apparently, she had a smile for everyone but Roy. Indeed, it disappeared when she glared at him. âCoach Kent, can I help you with something?â
Royâs mouth went dry. Why the fuck did he let this woman get to him?
Since Roy wasnât talking, she turned to George Willows. âWhy donât you head on into my office? Iâll be there in a moment.â She pointed the way to her office, all friendliness. Her frown reappeared once he was gone. âWhat the fuck is wrong with you?â
âThat guy fucking sucks,â Roy said plainly. âSeriously. All of the press sucks, that guy might actually be the fucking devil.â
Her eyeroll rivalled the ones Roy was known for. âWell, if Roy Kent hates him, he must be a lovely person. Maybe even the second coming of Jesus Christ. If thereâs nothing else you need to bitch about, Iâd love it if you kindly fucked off, Coach Kent. I have an interview.â With that, she turned and swaggered off, with Roy trying his best to avoid watching her receding figure and ignoring the warmth in his cheeks when he failed.
~
We were coming close to the start of the season, and I felt multitudes calmer than I thought I would. My team was fantastic, and they seemed to like me as much as I liked them. Lucas and I had been working hard on our plays and were constantly trying to figure out who our captain would be; with so many strong leaders, it was a fun problem to have.
âExcellent job today, ladies!â I called out as I strolled through the locker room. âSee you all in the morning!â
The players called out their goodnights as they headed to their lockers or to the showers. I smiled when I walked into the offices and saw Nate and Beard at their desks.
Coach Beard had done a good job with the schedule, no matter how much Roy Kent bitched about it; each day, the teams rotated between either starting practice an hour early or ending an hour later, so we didnât have too much overlap in the showers and locker room. Today was our day to end late. Rebecca had said this was temporary, that hopefully sheâd eventually build us our own training facility and just use Nelson Road for games, but I didnât mind the sharing. Not with the Greyhounds, who were gracious and kind and made sure my team felt welcome. Not with Beard and Nate, who were friendly and always offering help with anything we needed as our first match quickly approached. The only problem was- well, I didnât need to think about him right now.
âHello, Greyhounds,â I greeted politely. âYou guys all done for the day?â
Nate smiled. âYes, all done. And you guys? Er, gals?â He paused for a moment, his face scrunched in thought. âLadies?â
I laughed. âGals and ladies both work just fine,â I assured him. âAnd yeah, weâre wrapped up.â I paused, looking at Nate thoughtfully. âHey, could I have Lucas run some plays by you? Iâve heard youâre something of a whiz with plays and strategy.â I shot a wink in Beardâs direction. âSome people told me youâre a real wonder kid.â
Nateâs smile widened. âOh, yes, absolutely, Iâd love to help.â
Beard gave me a nod of approval as Nate jumped up to go find Lucas in our office. âThat was very nice of you.â
I shrugged, taking Royâs empty chair, not caring if he walked in and saw me in it. âNice has nothing to do with it. Weâll take any help we can get. If Nateâs as good as youâve said- which Iâm sure he is- I hope you all donât mind sharing that brain of his from time to time.â
âIâm fine with it. And Nate would be thrilled to help you out. Just donât let Roy hear about it,â Beard teased. âHeâs not one for sharing.â
âEspecially not with me,â I hummed with an eyeroll. I wondered if I was damaging my eyesight from doing that so much lately. âHas he always been like this?â
Coach Beard looked thoughtful for a moment. âRoy⊠is a tough cookie,â he said carefully. âHe didnât exactly love Ted and me when we first got here. But we broke through those walls, and honestly, weâre pretty close now. He was the best man at my wedding.â He tapped his pen against his desk. âI actually thought heâd have an easier time with this whole womenâs team thing, if Iâm being honest.â
âGreat, so itâs me he hates, not womenâs sports,â I joked, earning a sympathetic half-smile from Beard. My eyes landed on a photo hanging on the wall, one of the three Greyhound coaches and another mustached man, one I knew immediately even if weâd never met. âBet you all miss him a lot,â I mused.
A small sigh escaped Beardâs lips. âYou have no idea.â His voice was the softest Iâd heard it. âHeâd get you and Roy all sorted out, thatâs for sure.â
The tip of my nose went warm, thinking about all the shit the other coaches had dealt with over the past few weeks. âIâm really sorry about-â
Beard shook his head. âGrowing pains,â he said simply. âYouâre both good coaches. Both passionate about the sport. Which makes you both a little hardheaded. Youâll figure it out.â He paused. âOr Rebeccaâll fire you both.â
Despite his serious face, I laughed. âGuess thatâs a good motivation to stop calling him a fucking asshole in the hallways, huh?â
Coach Beardâs smile matched mine. âWhatever works.â His phone pinged, calling his attention to it. âGotta head out. My wife made sushi for dinner for the first time so I should probably grab some stomach medicine.â He looked at me thoughtfully. âWeâll have you over sometime. If we invite Roy, we can have a four-way screaming contest.â
A little perplexed by what he meant by that, I nodded. âSure, Coach. Enjoy your food poisoning. Maybe tell the missus that you had some weird English food for lunch so you can blame that.â
He tapped his head. âSmart. Love it.â With a wave, he turned and went through my office, offering quick goodbyes to Nate and Lucas.
After heaving myself out of Royâs chair, I peeked into my office. Nate and Lucas were poring over our playbook, discussing how to adjust a particular play weâd been struggling with. Both men looked up at me expectantly.
âHey Luke, Iâm going to do some running before I head home. Need to start forming good habits again. Donât worry about me if you guys finish, Iâll just take a cab home if youâre gone.â
Lucas nodded. âNo problem. See you tomorrow, Bucky.â
âGoodnight, Coach!â Nate added, his smile wide.
I walked across the room to grab my workout bag. âLater, guys!â I hollered, waving over my shoulder as I left the office.
Once Iâd changed into some shorts and sports bra, I whistled as I walked to the weight room. It was well past quitting time, with most offices empty and closed up, my remaining players straggling out of the locker room to head home for the night. As I approached the weight room, I grabbed my keys to unlock it, something Rebecca had assured me I was more than welcome to do anytime, but I found the door was already cracked open.
My eyes instinctively narrowed as I looked inside. The universe was truly cruel; a shirtless Roy Kent was on one of the two treadmills, gazing at the television on the wall above him, watching⊠Lust Conquers All? Jamie had mentioned the show to me, bashfully explaining that heâd been on it a few seasons back. Not what I expected to see the Greyhoundâs manager watching as he jogged.
Deciding not to use my voice to alert him to my presence, I let the door close loudly behind me. Roy glanced over his shoulder, grunting when he saw me. Taking that as his way of saying he wasnât interested in a fight, I continued into the room, heading towards the lone treadmill next to his. I quickly dropped my Whippets water bottle into the cupholder and jumped onto the treadmill, setting it to a light pace.
For a while, the only sounds in the room were our feet on the treadmills and the obnoxious voices of the Lust Conquers All contestants onscreen. Not knowing what came over me, I glanced to my left at Roy. I shouldnât have been surprised to see that he had kept in shape post-retirement; after all, wasnât I on the treadmill trying to do the same thing? But wow, the man looked good. My eyes couldnât resist lingering on the thick hair covering his chest. It reminded me a bit of Sean Connery in the old James Bond movies my parents used watch; those movies had given me a great appreciation for views like the one before me. Some quiet voice in the back of my head considered that, if this man didnât drive me crazy, Iâd probably be into him.
Shaking my head to clear out the ridiculous intrusive thoughts that were quickly becoming steamy, I turned my eyes back to the screen, trying to figure out which contestant was trying to sleep with which. It was weirdly comforting to see that, even across an ocean, reality trash still remained. Over the past weeks, I had clung to anything that reminded me of home; maybe Iâd have to start watching Lust Conquers All as a weird way to cope with homesickness. Lucas would surely get a kick out of that. Heck, I could probably get him to join me.
When the show went to commercial break, I felt the hair on my neck prickle, as if I were being watched. Sure enough, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Royâs gaze on me, trailing slowly down my body as I jogged on the treadmill. A flush covered every inch of my skin where his eyes dawdled, my heart going faster than it normally did when I ran. There was something eerily familiar about the way he shook his head and looked back up at the television, as if a phone commercial was the most interesting thing in the world.
We ran in silence until the show ended. Once the trailer for the next episode began, Roy turned off his treadmill and climbed down. Our eyes met for a brief moment, the contact taking place of any cheerful âgoodnightsâ most people would have exchanged. After he grabbed his own things, he silently placed the television remote on my treadmill, not quite looking at me.
The only other thing I heard was the sound of the door clicking closed behind him as he left.
~
âHi Roy!â
Roy paused and turned around, hand poised to open the driverâs side door. âKeeley,â he greeted, letting his hand drop to his side.
The blonde practically skipped over to him looking particularly happy. âHowâs it going?â
âFine.â He frowned. He liked Keeley; they were friends, heâd venture to say good friends, bordering on best friends. But something glinted in her eye that made Roy uneasy. âYou?â
âGreat, great.â She paused a moment, swaying from side to side. âI have something really fun that Iâve been working on,â Keeley hummed.
Roy felt his antenna go up in suspicion. âUh huh.â
Keeleyâs expression was that of someone who was up to something. âAnd I could really use your help with it, Roy.â
There it was.
âKeeley,â he growled, raising his eyebrows at her. âCan you just tell me what you need?â
She offered Roy her best donât-you-love-me smile, as if trying to remind him that they were friends. âA photoshoot. Featuring our fabulous Richmond coaches!â
Roy threw his head back. Keeley knew better. Roy hated this kind of shit. There was no way sheâd ever ask if he wanted to- oh.
âI donât have a fucking choice, do I?â he groaned.
Wrinkling her nose, Keeley shook her head. âDâyou really think Iâd ask you if you didnât have to do it?â She shrugged. âSorry, Roy. Rebeccaâs orders. So come in tomorrow looking camera-ready, alright?â
Roy took âcamera-readyâ pretty loosely. He came in the next morning looking like himself, just a bit dressier: black button-down shirt, black slacks, beard, scowl. Keeley didnât look too surprised when she saw him, just smiled and dragged him to the makeup artist. As he sat in the chair, begrudgingly letting the girl put exactly one layer of mascara on him, he coughed to get Keeleyâs attention.
âWhereâs Nate? Beard? Or are they pretty enough without makeup?â
âWhat?â Keeley looked up from her phone and shook her head. âOh, no, theyâre not doing this.â She bit her lip, the fear in her eyes telling Roy she did not want to say the next words that came out of her mouth. âItâs, er, just the managers.â Her voice became itty bitty. âSo, you know, just you and Coach Bucky.â
Roy threw his head back so quickly he almost got poked in the eye with the mascara. âFuuuuuuuuuuck,â he hissed. âSo not only am I missing training, not only do I have to do a fucking photoshoot, but I have to do it with her?â
As if summoned like the demon she was, the American bounded into the office Keeley had commandeered as a staging room. Royâs breath caught in his throat; heâd been working his ass off to get so many images out of his head: the little black dress sheâd been wearing at the club, the red smirk she sported in her first press conference, the shorts she wore on the treadmill. But this had to be the fucking worst.
Not only was she wearing that red lipstick that he realized was probably her signature look at this point, but her hair was down- something heâd yet to see- and wavy and framing her face in that way Roy thought only models could accomplish. She was wearing full makeup, a natural look that accentuated her attractive features. Worse, she was wearing a fucking dress, one that hugged her curves and showed off her athletic figure. Roy hated the way his heart was pounding at the sight of her.
âFuck you look sexy as hell!â Keeley squealed, giving the coach a once-over. âDoesnât she look great, Roy?â
Before Roy could figure out an evasive response, laughter hit his ears.
âOh, trust me. Coach Kent probably thinks I look like some young thing trying to trick him into dancing with me. Isnât that right, Coach?â
Giggling, Keeley shoved the far-too-pretty manager. âOh, leave him alone. Todayâs rough enough for Roy. He doesnât love this kind of thing.â
âIs it because vampires donât show up on camera?â
âOi!â Roy stood up, teeth bared. âJust because you love being the center of attention and having cameras on you and getting prickish journalists to giggle at your stupid jokes doesnât mean everyone does. Not all of us have your fucking ego that needs to be fed constantly.â
Keeley cleared her throat. âAlright you two, why donât we take this energy out to the pitch, hmm? Time to take some pretty pictures.â
The two managers grumbled in agreement and followed Keeley out of the room, avoiding looking at each other until they were outside. In the back of his head, Roy wondered if this was Buckâs first time on the main pitch; of course, he didnât ask. That would require actually giving a shit.
Instead, he did his best to listen as Keeley introduced to two managers to the photographer, explaining that she and Rebecca thought these promo photos would be a great way to garner more interest in the Whippets and show the Greyhoundsâ support for the womenâs team, and that, if these came out well, theyâd do photos of both teams as well.
âRight.â The photographer, an older man Roy had met against his will a handful of times, snapped his gum and studied the managers. âLetâs do this.â
Under Keeleyâs anxious supervision, the photographer directed the two gaffers onto the grass, posing them as if they were dolls and clicking away before shifting poses, a pattern Roy knew well and hated. Royâs stomach was in knots when the photographer instructed him to look down at the pretty, pretty coach.
âLike you admire her,â he suggested.
The American snorted. âGood luck with that one,â she mumbled.
Roy sucked in a breath through his teeth. This was already a long fucking day. This wasnât the kind of shit heâd signed up for when he came back to Richmond after his retirement. But he reminded himself that this was for Keeley and Rebecca; heâd have to do his fucking best.
So, for once, he did as he was told. Roy knew the photographer meant admiration in a professional way, as a fellow coach. But instead, Roy let himself look at her the way heâd been avoiding since her first day at Nelson Road. He took in the sight of her unabashedly, resentfully admitting to himself that the view from up close was fucking nice when he wasnât being screamed at.
When her eyes met his, Roy felt his brain fizz out and shut down. She was too close, too pretty, too annoying, too perfect.
âGreat,â the photographer called, his camera clicking away. âThink you could get a smidge closer?â
Hating the stupid knots in his stupid stomach, Roy took a step away. âReally? Want me to hold her like weâre going to a fucking dance?â he barked.
âRoy,â Keeley warned gently, eyebrows raised.
âJust take the fucking photos, Kent,â came a grumbling voice from next to him.
Roy scoffed. âYeah, youâd love that wouldnât you?â
A sigh escaped those red lips. âAnd what the fuck is that supposed to mean?â
He dug himself deeper, desperate to just be done with this shit already. âJust that you must be really fucking excited to have your pretty picture taken, yeah?â
Her eyes narrowed. âThat is the second time youâve said shit like that to me today. Tell me what the fuck you mean by that.â
Their voices were rising as Keeley watched in utter frustration. Sheâd told Rebecca that this wasnât the best idea. But the Amazon of a woman had insisted that the two would be able to put their issues aside for something as simple as a fucking photoshoot.
âOi!â Keeley shook her head at the two red-faced managers. âGo to Rebeccaâs office. Iâm done with you two and whatever weird sexual thing youâve got happening here.â She turned to the photographer. âIâm so sorry. Let me to grab a couple players, we can get some shots for the website or something.â She looked at the frozen coaches. âFucking go!â
~
Iâd been sent to the principalâs office plenty of times as a kid. Mostly for fighting with the boys when they refused to let me play with them, or when told me I played âlike a girlâ (as if it were an insult), or the time a particularly stupid classmate threw mud all over my Mia Hamm jersey and I decided to give him a bloody nose. Getting in trouble for fighting with idiots was nothing new to me.
But Rebecca Welton wasnât going to give me a detention and call my parents.
âI am not losing this job because of you,â I informed Roy as we trudged through the hallways. âI was just trying to get things over with. But oh no, you with your fucking comments about me and pictures.â I shook my head. âItâs part of the job, Kent. You might not know this, what with playing for fucking Chelsea, but publicity matters for a new club. Especially a womenâs club.âI stopped and faced Roy, who mirrored my pause. âSo yeah, I had more to gain from that shoot than you did. But donât you dare fucking judge me for that. You will never understand-â
âOi!â Rebeccaâs presence filled the hallway. âLovebirds. In my office, now.â
Hoping Roy felt as childish as I did, I looked down as I walked into Rebeccaâs office. She towered over her desk and pointed silently to the chairs, ordering us to sit down without a word. We did as we were told, both of us looking defeated with our shoulders slumped and heads down.
Roy tried first. âRebecca, I-â
âNope.â Rebecca crossed her arms, staring firmly at the two of us.
My turn. âWe are so sor-â
Rebecca shook her head. âDonât want to hear that either.â She rubbed her temples gingerly. âI donât want to hear sorry, or itâs not my fault, or weâll be better, or any of it.â She sighed. âI knew it would be an adjustment, starting a new team and having to share the Dog Track, but what the actual fuck, you two?â She threw her arms in the air. âWhat? Do we need to throw you in a boxing ring? Or get you a fucking hotel room?â She pointed at me. âYou are a fucking Olympic champion. You think Mia fucking Hamm acts like this? You think this is what I hired you for? To set this example to the team and all the little girls whoâll be watching you?â She turned on Roy. âAnd you? Jesus Christ, Roy. I am trusting you with the most important thing in my life, with my family.â Her voice cracked. âDo not make me lose another manager,â she whispered.
Roy and I exchanged shamed glances, neither of us sure what to say.
Rebecca went on. âYou are both incredible coaches. I see you on that pitch. When youâre not biting each otherâs heads off, youâre doing great things with your teams. Your assistant coaches adore you when theyâre not having to manage whatever-â She gestured between us in exasperation. â-this is. And I really think both of our teams can have a successful season, if we can get the two of you focused.â
We both nodded earnestly; fuck, Iâd marry Roy Kent if it meant making Rebecca happy.
âSo, pack your bags, make sure your pets are fed, because next weekend we are all going on a team-building retreat. Whippets and Greyhounds, first annual weekend of figuring out how to fucking get along and act like adults.â
There was panic in Roy Kentâs eyes as he leaned forward. âRebecca, we are this fucking close to the start of the season, if weâre going to win our first match-â
Rebecca raised a cool eyebrow at him. âRoy Kent, you full well this teamâs philosophy about where winning lands on our list of priorities.â Roy sat back, grumbling something about Ronald McDonald. âYour teams will have opportunities to train while weâre there. I do like having a winning team, after all,â she added quickly. Rebecca raised an eyebrow, waiting for us to protest some more. âAny more questions?â
We both shook our heads like obedient children.
âRight. Iâll have Higgins send you the details and you can let your teams know.â She put on a mocking smile. âItâll be a grand old time. You, me, the teams, the woods, and conflict-resolution training.â
âI donât think the Greyhounds and Whippets need much of that,â I found myself saying. âThey get along great.â
Rebeccaâs tight grin remained. âOh, I know. Iâm hoping the two of you can learn something from them.â She gestured towards the door. âOff with you then.â
Dismissed, Roy and I stood and made our way out the door, away from Rebeccaâs scrutinizing gaze. Once we were far enough away that Rebecca wouldnât hear us, we looked at each other, all anger gone for once.
âGoing to be a miserable fucking weekend,â Roy mumbled.
âAbso-fucking-lutely.â
Taglist: @callmecasey81 @ladygrey03 @puckyou-forpuckssake @royalestrellas @optimisticsandwichgladiator @reading-blogs @shineforever19 @rae4725 @burnafter-reading @her-fandom-sanctum @infinetlyforgotten @giggling-sewer-ginger @whataloadofmalarkey @agentstarkid @kingleahhh @tortilla-maria1 @geekgirl1996 @amatswimming @meg-ro @spicyraccoonlordking @spaghetti-dad187 @needlesthreadandbuttons @elissaaa @imsoluckyeverythingworksoutforme @reverieisaway @djskakakaksjsj-blog @thatonedogwithablog @allthetroubleiveseen @sunderland-6 @netflix-addict @paranormal-is-my-life @jill2629-blog @itsbuzzfeedbitch @pretzelactivist @amieinghigh @kashee-h
"Is That Okay?"
Based on this post
Roy Kent x Reader
0.8k words
Warnings: language, pregnancy, implied smut
âFuck are you doing here?â Despite the swear coming out of his mouth, Roy smiled, his eyes tinted with confusion. Heâd come in from the pitch to grab some lunch and was surprised to find you standing in the hallway. Sure, you sometimes popped by the Dog Track to see your grumpy husband when you got the chance, but you usually called first.
Heart pounding, you reached out and took his hand. âJust, um, wanted to see you.â
âAlright, fucking weirdo.â He leaned forward and kissed your forehead. âYou hungry?â
You shook your head. âNot-not really.â A few people walked by. âDâyou think we could go somewhere, er, private?â
Royâs eyebrows flew up. âIs that why youâre here?â he hissed as his grin turned dirty. âA fucking quickie?â With a shake of his head, he tugged your hand, dragging you in the familiar direction of the boot room, where youâd had more than a few trysts over the years.
Once he barricaded the door you walked through in hopes of keeping Will from catching you (again), Roy turned on you, his greedy hands tugging at your shirt.
âRight. So, Iâve got like twenty minutes, but I think thatâs more than enough-â
âIâm not here for sex,â you blurted out, burying your face in his chest. âI need to tell you something.â
Worry quickly replaced the lust on Royâs face. âEverything okay?â he whispered, his grip on your shirt loosening in favor of grabbing your face. âWhatâs wrong? Who do I need to kill?â
You looked up at him, blinking a few times as you figured out how to say it. The two of you had fallen into a deliriously happy pattern since getting married: work, time with Phoebe, Richmond matches, lazy Sundays in bed, arguing over who lost whose place in whatever book you were both reading. How could you tell them that all of that was about to change forever?
âRoy,â you rasped. âI⊠IâŠâ
His eyes flickered down to your hands, which had instinctively cradled your stomach. You could hear him gulp. âAre you fucking pregnant?â His heart was pounding so hard you could practically see the thumping under his shirt.
âIs that okay?â you whispered, your face a little scrunched in worry as tears formed.
Royâs laughter filled the boot room. âIs that okay?â he repeated as his thumbs caressed your cheeks. âItâs more than fucking okay.â His lips peppered kisses all over your face, each kiss deeper than the next. âItâs fucking perfect.â More kisses. âYouâre fucking perfect.â
Those tears began to fall as you smiled up at him. âYouâre happy?â
âSo fucking happy.â His mouth found yours, kissing you roughly, sloppily, joyfully. âArenât you?â he mumbled against your lips.
You nodded into the kiss. âDeliriously.â
Roy let go of you and dropped to his knees, gazing at your stomach with wide eyes. âIn there. Fucking right in there, baby Kent.â He kissed your clothed stomach and looked up at you. âFuture football star.â
âLike he has any choice,â you laughed, throwing your head back and letting your hands run through Royâs hair. âKidâll probably come out holding a football.â
Another kiss to your tummy as Roy laughed heartily. âThatâll be a sight, you pushing that out. Remind me to film it.â
âOh, are you two having a baby? Thatâs lovely.â
Young Will stood in the doorway, wide-eyed and holding a jumble of boots. He offered the two of you a lopsided smile as Roy stumbled to his feet.
âFuck. Always forget thereâs two fucking doors in here,â Roy grumbled. He turned to Will. âNot a fucking word to any of those clowns until we tell them,â Roy instructed him, his expression suddenly that serious, scary face that the players feared (and you found adorable). âOr else those boots will find a new home right up your ass.â
Will nodded solemnly. âY-yes, sir.â He managed to smile at you. âCongratulations, Mrs. Kent.â
âThanks, Will,â you laughed, pulling Roy close to you. âCould you give us a few minutes?â
In a flash, you and Roy were alone again, staring at each other in the silence of the boot room. Royâs face softened as he brushed the hair out of your face, the tender look in his eye reminding you of your wedding day. Or the day he asked you to marry him. Or the first time he said âI love youâ. Or the first time you met.
âWeâre having a baby,â he breathed. âA fucking baby.â
âGood job helping me make it, Coach Kent,â you chuckled as you pressed another kiss to his lips.
Intuitively, he tightened his grip on you, pressing your body to his, and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue gently against yours. The next thing you knew, your back was pressed against the wall and Royâs mouth was on your neck.
âRoyâŠâ you warned shakily, knowing exactly what direction this was headed in.
He lifted his head and smirked at you. âWhat? Youâre already pregnant.â
He had a point. And you still had at least ten minutes.
Plenty of time.

