pairings: jamie tartt x reader, whole cast is mentioned
summary: short lil continuation from the series with glimpses into your relationship with Jamie.
words: 3000
warnings: no smut but sexual descriptions & references, nudity
———
your eyes shoot open at the sound of loud banging on the door, flinching at the sound. if the strong warm arms wrapped around you weren't there, you would've shot out of bed. but Jamie's hand holds you tightly at your waist, both arms wrapped all the way around you. he holds your naked torso glued to his, and you wish the knocking away so you could stay right here, head nuzzled into his warm chest, forever.
the early morning sunlight floods in the room, your mind having been too preoccupied with other things to think about closing your curtains last night. the bashing on the door doesn't stop -- in fact, it gets impossibly louder. using a hand to shield your eyes, you use the other to wrestle yourself out of Jamie's grip, nudging him out of the bed to go answer it. as his touch leaves your bare body, the cold bites at your skin, raising goosebumps almost instantly. you collapse back onto your pillow, pulling the duvet over your almost-naked body and shivering beneath it. and at the sound of a deep voice, your ears perk up.
"Keeley told me you'd be here. come on,"
you could recognise Roy's voice immediately, and you let out a dramatic sigh to yourself when you realise why he's at your house. if only Keeley didn't have such good intuition, then Jamie would still be holding you close, lulling you back to sleep with the steady sound of his breathing. instead, you hear him groan loudly, his words to Roy incoherent through the hallway. he retreats to your bedroom, tiptoeing towards your side of the bed before crouching down, lightly brushing his thumb over your cheek. the pad of his finger traces your cheekbone and up to your eyebrow, before pushing a strand of air behind your ear.
"I'm really sorry, love, but I have to go train with Roy." his voice is soft as he whispers, and you realise you've never heard him speak with such tenderness. you wish you could just pull him back into the bed and stay there with him forever, tangled in the sheets with your warm skin pressed against his. instead, you force one eye to open. the second he notices you're awake, he presses a gentle kiss to your lips. digging your hand from beneath your duvet, you reach up to grab his neck, pulling him down harder. this time, you kiss deeper, and you moan at the feeling of his lips on yours again, memories of last night flooding your thoughts.
last night, you'd spent hours pressed against each other, messily grabbing at each other's bodies like two starving animals. the two of you had managed to leave a path of destruction in your wake, with your clothes and the bedsheets strewn across your bedroom. you hadn't realised just how much pent up tension there was between you two, but you definitely got it all out during your first night together -- Jamie definitely lives up to his well-endowed reputation.
when you finally pull away from Jamie's soft plump lips, you clear your throat quietly before taking a deep breath in. you muster up all the voice your hoarse throat would allow, shouting "fuck off Roy!" as loud as you can. the sudden sound makes Jamie jump, covering his ears with his hands as he looks at you in surprise. when you nestle back into the pillow with a peaceful smile, his eyes fill with amusement and warmth, his pupils growing wide. "good girl," he mutters with a grin, before kissing you again, rough and hard. his lips move roughly against yours and you use your hands on his neck as leverage, pulling your naked chest up against his clothed one. Jamie's tongue is pressing hard in your mouth, pulling small grunts and sounds from your throat. as hard as you try to pull him down onto the bed, he's too strong for you, and you end up dropping back on the mattress as he abruptly pulls away and stands up.
"Jamie!" you whine, hands reaching out in a poor attempt to grab at his oversized t-shirt.
"now," he starts, looking down at you as he towers over you, "please tell me you have clothes I can wear."
it's only then that you notice he's only wearing the big t-shirt he'd clearly picked up from your floor. your jaw drops, eyes widening as you take in his Winnie The Pooh inspired look. you start to laugh, sitting up against the headboard of your bed, before your face suddenly drops.
"Jamie..." you say flatly.
"mhm?" his eyebrows raise in question.
"did you open the door like that?"
"yeah," he shrugs like it's nothing.
"Jamie!" you shriek, reaching your hands up to his shoulders and nudging him away from your bed.
"what?" he laughs, playfully stumbling backwards with the force of your push.
"what if that was anyone else?!" you slump in defeat as you gawk at him. silently, he lifts his shoulders casually, as if what he did wasn't extremely risky and extremely naked.
"but..." he says slowly as he steps closer to you again, holding his two hands out for you to take, "it wasn't anyone else. it was just granddad, so..."
placing your hands in his, you sit up on your knees, "this would be so much cuter if I wasn't basically at eye-level with your dick right now,"
with a loud laugh, Jamie pulls you up to stand on the mattress, still holding your hands. he looks up at you through his eyelashes, lowering his voice as he wraps his arms around your hips; "this better?"
"much," you nod with a small smile as you pull his face to yours, both hands placed on each side of this face. when you connect your mouths again, you feel his lips curve into a smile. without pulling away he mumbles against your lips: "Roy's on the couch, by the way,"
"fucks sake, Jamie!" you squeal again, quickly jumping off the bed and picking his discarded button up shirt from the floor. you pull it on, doing up some of the buttons as you walk towards your cupboard. Jamie cackles to himself behind you, and you conceal a smile from him as you bite back a laugh of your own. you bend down to dig through one of your drawers, and Jamie wastes no time to come up behind you and place a palm to your scantily clad backside, brushing himself against it as he pushes past you. rolling your eyes to yourself, you finally stand up again, a pair of old oversized gym shorts in your hands. turning around, you're faced with Jamie sliding on his boxers. ignoring the blush that creeps onto your face, you step towards him, holding out the shorts for him to wear.
"oh God, these aren't your ex's are they?" Jamie pouts.
"gross," you look at him with a disgusted grimace, "no, they're mine for bed- so is that top you're wearing, by the way."
"I figured... it smells grim." he teases, and you slap his bare legs with the shorts before handing them to him. after sharing another laugh, you turn to grab yourself a pair of joggers from your cupboard, hoping they're appropriate enough to wear in front of Roy.
"how do I look?" Jamie asks you, standing at your bedroom door with his arms stretched out.
"a bit like you're wearing someone else's clothes," you state.
"walk of shame kinda look?"
"yes."
"perfect."
laughing loudly, you chase him out of your bedroom and push him towards the bathroom, letting him know there's spare toothbrushes in the cabinet behind the mirror. "yes chef," he says to you as he jogs in, closing the door behind him with a wink. as you turn the corner at the end of the hallway, you're faced with Roy Kent sitting on your sofa.
"Roy!" you say cheerily, as if you didn't just scream at him to fuck off.
"y/n," he politely nods towards you.
"any coffee? or tea? or..." you ask, gesturing towards the kitchen half of the room.
"no thanks," he says, completely emotionless and seemingly unable to hold eye contact with you.
"okay..." you trail off, looking around the room awkwardly as you think of where you should sit down. assuming it's your safest bet, you settle on leaning in the open doorway, your back to the hallway. "did you have a good night yesterday?" you continue.
"I did. I especially enjoyed watching Rebecca embarrass your boyfriend at the table."
"oh- I don't think he's my..." you trail off. who knows what you and Jamie are -- you hadn't had the chance to give it much thought since the gala. "anyways, I'm glad you had fun!" you chirp, unsure of how to act around him. it's never normally this stressful interacting with Roy, but the air this morning feels different than at work, and it's definitely because he's sitting in your flat fully aware of how -- and with who -- you spent your night. the two of you stay in a comfortable silence after that, his head turned to look through the window next to the sofa as you stare down at the floor. just minutes later, not just the sound of footsteps, but also the hand sliding from your bum up to your lower back marks Jamie's entrance.
"chipper up, dickhead. you're a guest, act like one." Jamie says to Roy, palm planted firmly against the curve of your back as he nods his head towards the door.
"careful Tartt, or you'll be running through the streets of Richmond in your socks." Roy bluntly retorts, drawing your attention to Jamie's lack of footwear. you look up at Jamie with wide and amused eyes, trying not to laugh at the state of him. Roy stands up and walks towards the two of you, holding eye contact with Jamie as he drops a pair of runners on the ground.
"mind the floor! Jesus, Roy, you're a really shit houseguest," Jamie jokingly barks as he ducks down to pick up the shoes, and the cold air hits where his hand had rested, making disappointing goosebumps rise across your skin.
Roy rolls his eyes at Jamie, holding his stare with furrowed brows. but he slowly relaxes them before looking at you, genuine regret in his eyes now replacing his previous stern expression; "sorry about your floor, y/n."
"that's fine, don't worry," you wave a hand, dismissing his apology with a sweet smile. he strides towards the front door and twists the handle, waiting for Jamie.
you've never seen anyone tie shoes as quickly as he did, and he stands up with a small hop in his step. "let's go coach!" he chirps, and when Roy turns to leave, he quickly ducks down and kisses you again, running his tongue across your bottom lip teasingly.
"can I come back for my clothes in like an hour?" he asks you, staring deep into your eyes. his eyes hold a mix of sadness and hope, clearly also wishing he could just spend the rest of his morning in bed with you.
"two hours." Roy juts in.
"fine, two hours." Jamie corrects himself, not taking his eyes off yours. biting your lip, you nod up at him, completely infatuated with him. your night together was like nothing you could have ever imagined, and you're surprised your legs are working properly. Jamie, however, seems completely fine as he jogs out the door with a wave, a flirty smile on his face as he winks at you again. "oh, uh- y/n, you've got a little something..." he points towards his neck before sticking out his tongue and pulling the door closed. your eyes widen as panic sets in, and you sprint to your bathroom to look at the mirror.
"fuck..." you sigh to yourself, your face going beet red at the thought of Roy seeing you like this. no wonder he couldn't look at you -- there's a red and purple bruise right under your ear; a hickey from Jamie Tartt.
—
after his morning training with Roy, Jamie came straight back home to you, picking you up from the sofa and carrying you straight to the bathroom. you showered together that morning, adding even more steam to the already wet room. he spent the day at your house, lounging around with you. there was never a moment where you weren't touching, always a hand on your thigh or your fingers raking through his hair. he showed you his favourite film and you showed him yours, and you couldn't help but be surprised that his favourite was Ratatouille. that day was sweet, and calm, and you'd never seen Jamie so relaxed before. suddenly, he wasn't all mouth and attitude, he was tender and loving, even ordering you both takeout for dinner. you enjoyed both chatting and complete silence, taking your time to pick each other's brains and tell each other stories, but also just to enjoy each other's company and the weight of your bodies on top of each other.
he asked you on a second date that day, offering the next day as a good time to do it; "tomorrow's a Sunday," he said, "Sunday is the Lord's day of resting, and what better day is there to stay in the house and shag all day."
"that's seriously your idea for our second date?" you had asked him with an ugly chortle as response to his wild words.
"okay... what if, after work on Monday, I take you to my favourite restaurant, and you can wear that dress you wore to the gala." he said, voice deep and gravelly. all you'd done was nod sweetly before he picked you up and carried you to the bedroom.
you agreed on your date, and from that day on, you would never show up to work alone again -- Jamie would either pick you up in his car, or meet you on your way to work and walk the rest of the way with you. still, every time, there was a latte just for you. and every morning, Jamie still takes the time to sign in before training, always scribbling a small heart next to his name just for you. it didn't take long for him to ask you on a third date, then a fourth, and finally on the fifth he asked you to be his girlfriend. it's not like it was casual by any means, Jamie always went above and beyond on your dates, and you were definitely something more than just dating after the night of the gala. but he'd officially asked you to be his girlfriend after you met his mum for the first time.
he'd taken you and his mum to brunch in one of the fanciest hotels you'd ever seen, and with an endless flow of tiny sandwiches and tea as fuel, the three of you had gotten stuck chatting into the afternoon. you and his mum got on like a house on fire, laughing much louder than seemed appropriate in the esteemed hotel. but you didn't care -- you could tell how much his mum's approval meant to Jamie.
every match he played, you were there wearing his jersey. at Rebecca's request, you were always sitting in the owner's box with her and Keeley, letting you keep your eyes glued on him as he played. and before every match he would blow a kiss up to where you were sitting, just as he did the first time you wore his name on your back at a Richmond match. you even wore the same red and blue jersey to every match he played for England, despite the white jersey given to you when he got selected. during those matches, you would sit in the stands with his mum and her partner, sitting as close to the pitch as you could. that way, if they ever won a match he could run straight to you -- and that's exactly what happened when England won against The Netherlands in the Euros' semi-finals, much to Jan Maas' dismay.
the first time he posted you on Instagram was six months into your relationship, when he took you as his date to Beard and Jane's magical wedding at Stonehenge. you had gone back to Sarah, the tailor who made you your dress for the gala, to get yourself something to wear. this time, Keeley went with you, insisting you should keep your dress a secret from Jamie until the wedding just as if you were the bride and groom. and lo and behold, you caught Jane's bouquet at the wedding reception that night.
the longer your relationship progressed, the stronger the two of you became. Jamie was nothing but a gentleman. always. and as much as the two of you prioritised communication in your relationship, sometimes it was as if you could read each others' minds; taking care of each other quickly became instinctual.
when you eventually moved in with him, Jamie gave you free reign on redecorating his entire house. but you decided to sit with him for hours building a mood board instead, wanting to encapsulate both of your personalities in your shared home. during your first Christmas living with Jamie, both of your families came together to celebrate, and the love and merriness warmed your home for the rest of winter.
before you knew it, years had passed, and you had even gotten your own chance to toss the bouquet, wearing a beautiful dress designed by Sarah, of course. you and Jamie had joined the list of power couples at Richmond FC -- and as long as there were phone calls for you to answer at the club's front desk, and matches for Jamie to help the Greyhounds win, you were also colleagues.
safe to say you never had to force him to come by your desk ever again.
———
wowowow I'm so insanely sorry for how long this took to finish omg. thank u to everyone who took the time to read, like, reblog, and comment lovely things on this fic. i've loved every second of writing it and the fact I still get new notes on it is insane. thanks for sticking with it -- I will forever appreciate it. keep ur eyes peeled for new stuff from me very soon <33
pairings: Jamie Tartt x reader, a bit of Sam Obisanya x reader
summary: your first two weeks of training with Jamie result in red-hot tension. when insults are no longer enough of an outlet, things turn physical.
words: 8.4k
warnings: alcohol/intoxication, arguing, lowkey panic attack, gets steamy at the end but no smut (yet) ;)
———
Jamie's leaning against his car casually, the hood of his blue hoodie pulled over his head and tied tightly with the strings. Unlike his usual abstract fashion sense, he's wearing dark, loose joggers and trainers. You stare a little bit longer, quite enjoying the view, until you realise you have no idea why he's unexpectedly at your house again.
Reaching up, you unlatch your window, pushing it open and leaning over the windowsill. "Good morning boys," you call down to them, interrupting their conversation. They both look around, looking for where your voice came from, "Up here." you say flatly, waving an unenthusiastic hand.
"Good morning!" Isaac chirps, genuinely in a good mood.
"Nice hair." Jamie says with a smirk on his face, and you curse to yourself as you duck out of the window quickly. You glance at the mirror next to your bed, seeing yesterday's messy bun hanging on for dear life as your hair has folded in on itself in your sleep, making it even messier. you tug the hair tie out of it, leaving your hair down and wild as you appear back in the window.
"What's this prick doing here?" you ask Isaac, and a sudden shiver runs over your body as the cold really starts to bite you.
"He's giving us a lift to work," Isaac replies.
"Why?" you snap.
“Because he's being a nice person." Isaac snaps back, holding his hands out beside him.
"Yeah, so hurry up, woman, don't make me late." Jamie snaps as he dismisses you with a wave of his hand. Slamming the window shut, you move quickly between your room and the bathroom, getting ready as fast you possibly can. You decide to leave your hair down on your way to training, a new choice since you normally always have your hair tied up. Dressed in simple yoga leggings and a hoodie, you grab your phone and rush down stairs and grab your gym bag.
Gia has now joined Isaac and Jamie at the latter's car as they all chat. Jamie faces you, still leaning against the side of his fancy car, whilst the other two stand in front of him with their backs to you. You let your eyes rake over Jamie properly this time, stunned by how good he manages to look in such a low-effort outfit. The bagginess contrasts his usually too-tight jeans and tops, and you quite enjoy knowing the muscles are still underneath his clothes without seeing them almost ripping their seams. When the door clicks closed behind you, Jamie's eyes flick away from your friends, landing on you. He blinks a few times, tipping his head back slightly as he drags his eyes down your frame before coming back up to your face.
Jamie is well aware you're watching him stare, but he makes no effort to tear his eyes away. Gia and Isaac don't notice, continuing whatever explanation they're giving Jamie, but he's definitely not listening. It feels like time is moving in slow motion as you stare at each other. His fingers come up to untie the string of his hood, and you see his jaw clench as his neck becomes visible. Waiting for his next move, you're in a bit of a daze, not once breaking eye contact with him, even when he stuffs his hands into the pocket at the front of his light blue hoodie. Jamie licks his bottom lip before pulling it between his teeth, and your head tilts down slightly as your eyes focus on the movement. He lifts his lips into a smirk, the change in expression making you quickly look back up at his eyes.
"Nice hair," he finally speaks, his tone more genuine than mocking like it was when you were in the window. His comment pulls Isaac and Gia out of their conversation, turning to see you standing on your front step, bag over your shoulder. "Oh, finally. Let's go! We have to get breakfast at the club." Despite the small smile creeping up your face, you roll your eyes, pushing at the wooden door to make sure it's locked before walking towards the car. You walk right up to Jamie, looking up at him with your head cocked to the side; "Thank you, Jamie. Nice hoodie."
Giving you a tight-lipped smile, he mirrors your tilted head, letting his eyes flick down to your lips. But he's quick to dart his eyes back up to yours, his pupils completely dilating. Smiling at the reflex, you furrow your brows teasingly, wanting to tease him as he pushes himself off the car and steps aside to pull open his door. But instead you say: "Wait," hand involuntarily reaching out and wrapping around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. You gulp nervously, dropping the touch almost as quickly as you initiated it, before sighing; "I just want to say sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean it."
He leans down, holding his cheek right beside yours as he hoarsely whispers; "That's alright, darlin'. You'll find a way to make it up to me."
The sound hits you right between your legs, and all you can do is dive into the backseat of the car. Squeezed in behind the driver's seat, your face is hidden behind your massive gym bag. And you're grateful for it, not brave enough to face Jamie in the rearview mirror. You settle your gaze out the window, a stubborn pout on your lips remaining there during the whole drive, desperately trying to slow your heart rate.
When the car finally pulls into AFC Richmond's car park, you're the last to get out. Gia and Isaac rushed inside to see your coaches, leaving you and Jamie behind.
"Coach duties, I guess," you mutter as you watch them race into the training center, saying it more to yourself than to Jamie. He has one hand resting on the roof of his car and the other reaching out towards you. With a grimace plastered on your face, you look up at him with an eyebrow raised, puzzled by his gesture; "What?" you snap.
"So much for feminism," Jamie groans, rolling his eyes and sighing before jutting his hand closer to you like he's a child trying to show you a snail on his hand. You dart back, shaking your head at him with confusion and disgust on your face. Dropping his head forward with another sigh, he drops his hand for a moment, smacking it against his leg.
"Your bag," he says, clearly irritated, before bringing his hand out again, "Can I carry your bag in for ya?"
"What the fuck?" you cackle loudly, attracting the attention of other staff members making their way into the building. Jamie lifts his hand to give them a curt wave, sending them an awkward smile. As you clutch your stomach with laughter, you turn away from Jamie, walking towards the entrance.
"What?" he whines, following close in your step, "I'm being serious! I'm trynna be nice here."
"Jamie, since when is it feminist to assume a lady needs her bag carried?" you push through the doors, smiling to yourself, knowing you're driving him nuts.
Glancing back at him, you see him walking with his shoulder slumped, a bewildered look on his face; "I'm so confused," his words are surprisingly genuine, no more bitter edge to his tone.
"Jamie," you smile at him, stopping in the middle of the hallway to face him, "I'm just fucking with you. But, no. Over my dead body will I ever let you touch my stuff." you continue walking, speeding up your pace as you approach the staircase which leads to the women's locker room.
"You say that, y/n, but I was literally on your couch last night so..."
With your back still turned to him, you hold your tongue, simply rolling your eyes as you choose not to bite back.
"Woah, Jamie, you went home with her last night?" is the last thing you hear someone say before sprinting up the stairs, again, ignoring it. Whatever Jamie replies to that question will only make you angry, so you decide to be the bigger person by tuning it out.
As you make your way down the hallway with the fake grass-covered ground, you bump into Roy. Your eyes lighten up at the sight of him, raising a hand to wave at him, but when you see his smile turn smug, you drop your arm. Your cheeks go hot as you remember the words you two parted with yesterday, and your wide smile shrinks into a polite, tight-lipped one.
"How was your shit?"
You sigh, ignoring his question and looking at him with stern eyes; "Do you think I should train with Jamie?" Roy fills his cheeks with air before blowing out slowly, extremely slowly. He stares down the hallway for so long that you glance over your shoulder to make sure there's not a ghost standing there.
"Roy, I'm going to be late to training if-" you whisper, but he's quick to interrupt you.
"Yes."
"Yeah? Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?" you challenge his deadpan answers, crossing your arms over your chest and raising an eyebrow at him.
Taking a deep breath in through his nose, you're actually quite nervous for his answer. You're well aware he and Jamie haven't always been the best of friends, and Isaac's told you all about their old rivalry, but you also know they've somehow managed to move on from that by now.
"Because..." he starts, dragging the word out in a growl, "As much as I hate to say this, I think he needs real competition with someone in order to be good at the game."
"Why do I have to be that competition? Can't you just use someone from his own team,"
"Sadly, I can't personally fight him, and he's too much of a team player with the boys now."
"So I'm gonna be his fucking punching bag just so you guys can score more goals?" You suddenly start getting warm, and not in the nice way. "Gia said this would somehow help her as our captain but now you're saying I'm basically just doing Jamie Tartt a favour," you continue.
"Not entirely," Roy breathes out, staring at you with a look of hope, "First of all, Ted's made Jamie all nice by giving him a second chance, so he's not as intense on the field as he used to be. Sometimes we need him to be a prick, just not to his own teammates. So, after seeing you guys rile each other up at training yesterday I thought it would be a good idea to have you bring back that fire in him."
With a stubborn pout, you stare up at Roy while he speaks, completely bewildered by his explanation. You consider protesting, but since this is probably the most consecutive words he's ever said to you, you let him finish.
"And second, Gia thinks you might need the same kind of thing," he stutters through his statement, clearly wary of your response. But when he sees your unwavering expression, he continues; "I mean, I do see where she's coming from. She wants you to enjoy football again, and she knows you have fun with the more aggressive side of it,"
"Fun... fuck's sake," you mumble to yourself, pinching the bridge of your nose.
Roy ignores your interjection; "Y/n, I think in asking you to do her a favour, Gia is also doing you one. She wants you to play the best you can, and you want her to succeed the best she can. Don't even think about Tartt in all of this, he'll be just fine without or without you."
You chew the inside of your cheeks, staring up at Roy with a complete lack of emotion. your mind, however, is running on high, and you feel like an overheating motor as you mull over his points. You want to ask what Jamie thinks about this whole idea, but you decide against it; this isn't for Jamie, this is for Gia. You want her to be the best captain she can be, and you want to be the best footballer you can be. You know your passion has worn off with the stress of playing for Richmond, and as much as you don't want to agree that this will help you, you know they're right. You know very well that you need this as much as Gia needs you, and you hate to think of having to leave the team just because you couldn't do your best on the pitch. The deep need for football has dissipated over the years, but your want for it has returned.
"Fine."
And that one word is the reason you are on Richmond's training pitch again, trailing behind Roy and Jamie as you follow them away from the rest of the team. You take this as an ideal opportunity to look Jamie up and down, knowing you'd get caught if you do it at any other time today. His hands are wrapped in the front of shirt, pulling the fabric slightly higher on his back. A bit of skin peeks out from underneath, and sadly, his summer tan is fading. His navy shorts cling tightly to his form, the stretchy fabric pulled taut over his ass and riding up his thighs as he walks. What a slag. He knows he looks good -- calf muscles straining with every step, and you have to shake your head to get rid of the amused smile creeping up your face.
Jamie must feel your eyes on his back, because he turns his head to look at you, making you shoot your gaze to the sky and pretend to be very interested in the few clouds above you. "Hurry up, you." he teases with a some sweetness to his voice, rather than the usual cocky snark. The unfamiliar tone has you obliging with a smile, jogging up to meet him and Roy.
"Stretch." Your coach instructs, and you do exactly what you're told without even glancing at the man next to you. You lunge, bend, and bounce as you feel your muscles loosen. The grass is still dewy and wet from the morning mist beneath your exposed thighs as you sit on the ground and you can feel your shorts dampen beneath you as you bend forward, folding your torso over your outstretched legs. The feeling of Jamie's eyes on you is overpowering, making you subconsciously rush through some of the movements. Maybe this is his opportunity to shamelessly stare at you, but with the way it's making your face hot you don't actually want him to stop, appreciating the warmth in the crisp air.
Roy works the two of you to the bone, making you run the entire length of the pitch a dozen times before having you doing the same kicking drills over and over. And of course the captains were right; being paired with Jamie is giving you that extra push of competitiveness you've been missing, and it seems to be doing the same to Jamie. Between all the offensive remarks and nicknames you throw at each other, you both do always take the time to compliment each other on the particularly impressive skills you pull off. Your competitive camaraderie does not go unnoticed by Roy, who continues to up the ante every time he senses one of you getting fed up with the other.
After a round of broncos to top off your fast-speed exercises, Roy shouts "Whistle!", finally allowing you and Jamie a break.
You collapse in the grass the second you hear his call, spreading into a starfish position on your back. Jamie follows suit, dropping onto his front in a similar shape. Lifting your hands to cover your face, you try to steady your heart rate and slow down your heavy breathing. The focus on your body silences your mind, and you can't hear anything except for the blood rushing through your veins.
There's a light tickle on your right leg, blades of grass brushing your skin, and you assume its an ant or spider which managed to make its way through the lawn. However, when you feel the tickle continue in a steady rhythm, you move your hands to your chest and tilt your head to the side to look down at your leg. Without lifting your head, you can see it's actually due to Jamie, whose deep breaths are blowing the green grass against your skin.
His hands lay limp next to him, and his deep blue eyes are hidden behind his lids as he attempts to calm his body the same way you are. Somehow, his body has landed a mere few inches from yours, and the heat radiating off of both of you should be overwhelming, but instead, it's actually deeply comforting. The ground beneath you is cool and soft, and Jamie's body beside you is warm and hard, tempting you to reach out and brush his skin the same way his breath fans yours.
The open palms of his hand is begging you to take it -- he's so close you could graze your fingers against his and he probably wouldn't even notice. While his eyes are still closed, you take your time to admire the sheen across his forehead, a strand of bleached hair sticking to his sweaty skin. His training top clings to his body, having rode up the same way it had before, and this time even more of his back is exposed. There's a dip down the middle of his spine, leading your eyes to the band of his boxers peeking over the waistband of his tiny shorts.
"Y/n?" Jamie sighs out your name.
"Mhm?" you hum back.
"Why are you staring at me? Do I have mud on my arse or somethin'?"
Jamie's words cause you to lift your head properly now, stretching your arms behind you and leaning back on your elbows. How did he know?
"What? I wasn't staring at you."
"Don't play dumb."
His words make you scoff and get defensive, despite being true; "I'm not playing dumb!"
"Yeah you are. I know you was staring at me... at my bangin' bod."
He has yet to open his eyes to look at you, but his words alone manage to bring a smile to your sweaty face as you accept defeat. A teasing smirk sits comfortably on his face, and you can't help but wonder what this man's actually genuine smile looks like. You can only imagine the way his eyes would crinkle, or maybe he's one of those people that scrunches their nose or bites their tongue.
"I wasn't staring at you..." you mumble, tipping your head back to take in the autumn sun. Hoping his eyes are still closed, you take the opportunity to move your right leg ever so slightly closer to Jamie's face, hoping it replaces your urge to touch his hand. Her doesn't seem to take any notice to your closer proximity, instead continuing to lay in your comfortable silence. You welcome the sun's heat as your body begins cooling down, but the entire right side of your body still feels wired and full of static. It feels illegal to be this close to Jamie in such a gentle moment, and it's almost wrong not to be touching him with such a proximity.
Suddenly, your face is cast in a dark shadow, forcing you to open your eyes. Roy towers over your sprawled out frame, arms crossed as he looks down at you and Jamie. "You two," he starts, grabbing Jamie's attention. He opens his eyes and turns onto his back, creating an unwelcomed distance between the two of you. You want nothing more but to reach out and pull him close again -- not even to touch him, but just to feel him there. "You both get a one hour break before we start divided training again. Well done this morning."
You groan and squeeze your eyes shut again, and you can tell Roy starts walking away by the way the sun returns to your face. With your arms out beside you, you wish this moment could last forever. You just want Jamie to roll back onto his stomach and reconnect the current that ran between your closely separated bodies. Did he feel it too?
However, instead of fulfilling your silent wish, you hear him hoist himself up off the ground with a grunt before coming to stand over you the same way Roy just had. Only opening one eye, you look up at him expectantly. You expect him to shoot you some cheap jab, but instead he shamelessly rakes his eyes over your body. Yet he didn't seem to be checking you out, he was simply just looking.
"What's with the sock thing? Why do you wear one down like that?"
"Uh," you say with a shrug. You're surprised he noticed it enough to ask you such a genuine question about it, expecting him to make fun of it. But he seems genuinely intrigued; "I've done it since I was a kid. It's a pressure thing. It just keeps me more aware of the leg I strike with. I don't like the wind getting in the way, y'know?"
"Yeah..." Jamie breathes out as he reaches a hand down to you. His agreement could mean anything, but he doesn't let you linger for long as he says: "I got you." And you're unsure if he means physically, or with your sock thing, or something more.
You slot your thumbs together, finally palm to palm, and you're on your feet before you can even process his touch, Jamie lifting you up with ease. Expecting him to drop your hand, you move your elbow back, but he doesn't let go just yet. Instead, he shifts the hold into a handshake, placing his free hand on your shoulder; "Pleasure doin' business with ya." he says with a goofy smile, and you fail to suppress the small giggle that escapes your mouth.
Jamie doesn't give you the time to think of a joke in return, simply dropping your hand and turning his back to you as he walks away. That bit of his back comes back to haunt you as he lifts his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, and you feel like collapsing all over again.
Digging the toe of your boot into the ground, you're well aware of the deep crimson blush creeping up your cheeks, and you know very well it's because of Jamie, but you still put it down to the exercise.
Training with Jamie feels like walking on a live wire -- he fires you up in all the right ways, and you know it, but that doesn't make it easier to admit out loud. Sure, you enjoyed today's training and the bickering made you want to fight for success, but having him in your home felt completely different. Sitting beside him on your cramped sofa, even though he was actually quite calm, it didn't feel right. So far, the electricity on the pitch has been nothing but exciting, but that's only because it was accompanied by an outlet. Off the pitch, the electricity between you two was more like a gaseous dangerous fuel, ready to explode at any moment. If there isn't something physical involved, your tension simply runs too high.
—
The next day looks practically identical, and so does the one after that, and the one after that... and soon enough, two weeks of mixed -- and Jamie -- trainings have passed.
Jamie's started giving you, Gia, and Isaac a lift to and from work almost every morning. But not without protest from you, of course, who stays completely silent with your noise-cancelling headphones turned up loud for every single car ride. Your name-calling and mean jabbing only got worse with each training with Jamie, and even Roy was struggling to keep up with how intensively you were training together.
Watching him win the drill challenges is almost impossible for you, your head going hot and nostrils flaring every time he rubs it in your face. And somehow, it was even harder to win against him since he's adopted a new catchphrase; "I'm not just a loser. I'm the loser."
The harder the trainings, the less time you spend checking him out and flirting with him during practice, your frustration running so deep you can't even stomach looking at him. His voice haunts you, even in your sleep, his thick accent coating his vicious digs playing on a continuous loop. Sure, your cortisol has never been higher, but your game has also never been better.
Now two weeks and two days into your updated training schedule, your priority is still the same: ignoring Jamie as much as possible. But it's not easy.
You're the first to finish the warmup lap around the pitch, folding your arms on top of your head as you bring your panting back to breathing. Will hands you your personalised Richmond water bottle with nothing but a polite smile. "Cheers, Will. Appreciate it." you reply before bringing the bottle to your mouth and popping it open with your teeth. As you chug down the cold water, you look around, seeing who's managed to catch up with you already. To much dismay but no surprise, Jamie is the second to arrive at the drinks table.
"Y/n," he says curtly, nodding at you with absolutely no emotion in his voice. But when he turns towards your kit man, he's all chat; "Mornin' Will! How's your mum doin'?" He takes his bottle from Will. "Good morning, Jamie. She's very well, thanks for asking." What the fuck?
"Y/n!" you hear a cheery voice behind you, and when you turn you spot Sam jogging towards you. Will effortlessly tosses him his water bottle and he thanks him with a bright smile.
"Good morning, Sam!" you say, beaming up at him. Sam squints one eye shut as he tilts his head towards the morning sun while drinking from his bottle, and you can't help but stare. He's practically glowing in the sunlight, positivity and joy radiating off him. Sam is irresistibly cute, and when he lowers the bottle from his mouth, the smile which emerges is blinding.
That's when you realise you hadn't looked away from him even once since he walked over. And quite frankly, you don't want to. So you continue to stare, shamelessly, allowing you to catch his eyes darting down to your lips, the movement so quick and subtle you fear you may have imagined it. You let yourself do to the same thing, flicking your eyes to his full lips, and you feel your cheeks start to blush.
"Why are you so red, y/n?" Jamie pipes up as he suddenly appears beside you and Sam, looking between the two of you. Your smile drops as quickly as it appeared, and both you and Sam dramatically roll your eyes.
"Fuck off, Jamie" you say, keeping your eyes on Sam's and changing the topic of conversation; "How are you today, Sam?"
"I'm great! What about you?" Sam replies sweetly.
"I'm doing amazing, thanks for asking!" Jamie interjects with a sarcastic, high-pitched voice. You take a deep, shaky breath, not wanting to lose your temper before the training has even started.
Without even looking at him, you reach your hand up to Jamie's chest and push him away, all while replying to Sam; "I'm good... it's been an unexpected but fun morning so far."
"Oh, fun-" Sam starts, but Jamie interrupts him again.
"We did have a fun morning! didn't we, y/n?"
With another sigh, and your palm still pressed against his rock hard pec, you finally drop your Sam-fueled smile and turn towards him; "Jamie, please."
"What, love?" he acts oblivious.
"Sam, just ignore him. Jamie gives me lifts into work and it's never actually that fun, trust me."
Sam forces a small laugh in response, successfully ignoring Jamie's presence by keeping his eyes on yours.
"Look, y/n, I was wondering..." Sam starts, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder and diverting you away from the gobby shite beside you. "I was wondering if you'd like to go for dinner with me tonight?" Sam's words are smooth and confident, but not cocky, and his sugary tone makes your wide grin close into a shy smile. As you look up at him, you squint your eyes under the morning sun, hoping it looks somewhat cute rather than ugly; "I would love to, Sam."
"You'd love to what?" Isaac enters the conversation now, and you wonder if you and Sam will ever get the chance to talk without someone interrupting.
"I asked y/n to dinner this evening," Sam beams proudly, "Well, I asked her on a date," he looks at you and winks, and you subconsciously pull your bottom lip between your teeth.
"No."
Your flirtatious expression falls immediately upon hearing Isaac's simple statement, and Sam's face does the same.
"No?" you both ask in unison. "Why not?" you whine.
"Because you need to focus on training," he unwraps his arms to point behind you, "with him."
You and Sam turn around and follow Isaac's point, your eyes landing on a zoned-out Jamie standing on the other side of the large group of players, chewing on the nozzle of his water bottle.
As you turn back to Isaac, you throw your hands up onto your hips; "Surely that's not going to affect my evening plans?"
Isaac rolls his eyes and turns away from you; "A no is a no." he says as he walks back towards Ted and Gia. You let out a loud groan, dropping your head back and looking up to the sky, hands fidgeting with the lid of your water bottle.
"I'm sorry, Sam." you say as you lift your head again, taking one hand off your bottle and letting your palm graze Sam's elbow, the gentle touch bringing a smile back to his face as he glances down.
"That's okay. If it's meant to be, it will be." Sam winks at you.
As if on cue, Roy shouts "Whistle!", gaining the attention of you and all the players around you. Everyone crowds closer, giving you the chance to glance back at Jamie, his mindless stare replaced by his fixed gaze on you. When your eyes meet his, he doesn't tear them away, flashing you a cocky grin before turning towards the coaches. You tsk to yourself, looking down at your boots with a shake of your head.
Fucking Jamie fucking Tartt.
For the rest of the day, the anger continues to brim inside you. Even Jamie is surprised by your heightened aggression as you tackle him in drills which don't even ask for it, and as much as teases you about your aggression, you don't tell him about Sam asking you on a date. On the one hand, you know that if you tell Jamie, he'll spend all day giving you and Sam shit for it. But on the other, something inside you wants to keep it a secret so you can continue to feel the burn of Jamie's eyes on your body every time you stretch in front of him.
That same burn scorches you as you leave the training centre, walking out to see Jamie leaning against his fancy car the same way he did the first morning he picked you up. He's wearing the same blue hoodie as that day, hands stuffed in his pockets while he keeps his eyes fixed on his pristine white trainers. Sensing your presence, he lifts his head and instantly directs his gaze towards you, raking his eyes from your shoes all the way up to your face as slow as possible. As you approach him, his neutral expression changes to yet another bold smirk, tilting his head back when his finally then land on yours. Everything feels like it's going in slow motion, suddenly feeling very aware of how you're moving under Jamie's careful stare. And once you finish the seemingly endless stretch to the car, you stop right in front of Jamie, sending him a challenging look.
"Can we go?" you turn towards Gia and Isaac as they approach you two, "The sooner we get home, the sooner I can say bye to this twat."
—
"Alright then, I'll be off." Jamie says as he you all clamber out of the car. You duck down in the open door of the passenger side, eyes meeting his deep blue ones, but you don't say anything. No 'goodbye', no 'see you tomorrow', not even a 'thank you'. Until, of course, Gia pipes up.
"Jamie! Why don't you stay for dinner? I'm making lasagna!"
"Yeah bruv, join us." Isaac adds, making his way towards you and Gia's front door.
Jamie's eyes don't leave yours as he blinks a few times, clearly trying to read your response to the offer but you just stare back at him with no emotion. On the inside, you're screaming at him and begging him to say no, but you continue biting your tongue.
"Eh..." his brows scrunch in confusion as he holds your gaze, amusement eventually flickering in his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I'll stay! Thanks so much."
His words are met with an eye roll from you, making him mirror the motion right back at you before you slam the door shut a bit too hard for how expensive the car looks.
Rushing inside, you drop your gym bag at the bottom of the stairs and slip your runners off, quickly joining Gia and Isaac in the kitchen as you swipe a brand new bottle of wine out of the fridge and placing it on the kitchen island. The frustration still bubbling through you is made evident to the others by the rattling noise your forceful movements cause when you pull the corkscrew out of the cutlery drawer. Unnecessarily, you stab it into the cork before spinning the top, but it just isn't going in far enough. So you twist, and twist, and twist.
If anyone asks what's going through your mind, you'd refuse to tell, those stupid thoughts about Jamie's bulging muscles on repeat in your brain -- in his stupid skinny jeans at Sam's restaurant, during training in those tiny shorts, and every time he leans against his stupid car. You zone out the flashing images, replaying today in your mind, finally landing on Sam again. He had smiled so sweetly when he asked you out, clearly having carefully planned the suggestion, and you wish you were in his company this evening instead of Jamie's.
"I'm sorry, but what's the difference between this and me going for dinner with Sam?"
As if on cue, Jamie appears at your side; "What?" His voice is smaller than usual, but you ignore it.
"Holy shit! Sam asked you out on a date?" Gia leans her elbows on the kitchen island.
"Yeah, but your boyfriend said no." you spit.
Isaac doesn't turn away from the lasagne he's preparing; "It was in the best interest of the team."
"Sam asked you on a date?" Jamie's small voice again, and the softness of his tone is so unfamiliar it pulls at your heartstrings. But that's not the point of this conversation, so you only answer Isaac: "How?"
Isaac stays silent, and with every second that passes, your blood just continues to boil -- and the stupid corkscrew still isn't working.
"Isaac, what the fuck! You were literally just trying to set me up with him!"
"He was?" Jamie's voice is almost a whisper now.
"Yes, Jamie. Yes he did," you turn to look at him, "He literally made it a whole thing at Ola's two weeks ago. Gia, please tell your boyfriend to stop fucking with my life!"
"Woah, woah, that's a pretty serious accusation!" Gia interjects, "Look, y/n. It's kind of my fault. I told Isaac to make sure you stay focused on your extra training with Jamie."
Nostrils flared, lips pressed tightly together and eyes narrowed, you stare at your best friend in disbelief. The pinch in your nose is familiar but unwelcome as your eyes blur, tears threatening to spill. Your blood rushes through your ears, head going hot as you stay completely still. No words come to you, only feelings of anger and betrayal. You get Gia wants you to play better, but forcing you to blow off Sam in order to spend even more time with Jamie? That's just too far, even for the love of the game. How is that supposed to make things fun?
Jamie steps closer to you, reaching a hand out to pull the wine bottle away from you; "Here, let me-"
"I've got it!" you snap at him, your tone coming out harsher than you intended.
"Alright then, love." Jamie mutters, no longer sounding meek. He puts his hands up in surrender while he turns away from you. Dropping your fists on the marble counter, you finally let out the groan you've been holding back all day, earning Jamie's attention as he turns his head back to look at you with a confused expression.
"Stop calling me love."
For once, Jamie's not the only source of your frustration, so it isn't entirely fair to let it all out on him. But it's too late to drop it now -- you're going to have to deal with whatever he's about to say.
"Listen, love," Jamie's voice drops to a low husk as he steps closer to you, leaning down to look you dead in the face. He stops when his face is only an inch from yours, making your eyes jump side to side to maintain eye contact with him. Despite having seen him dripping in sweat earlier, he now smells like clean laundry, a dash of lavender lingering on his skin. It's different from the cologne he usually wears, but the soft fresh smell is welcomed by your senses as you fight the urge to lean even closer towards his warm body.
"We were both forced into this training plan, so don't go thinking you're the only one with a grudge here. Do you really think I wanna spend every day trotting around with some lass who thinks she's better than me just because she's a star rookie in the headlines? You can think again."
Jaw clenched, you blink up at him, nostrils flaring as you hold back both screams and tears. His words sting, but the punch to your gut reminds you that he's right -- neither of you want to do this. You're not the only one who gets to be stubborn and angry. You're not the only one whose evening plans are ruined because of this training plan. And you're also not the only whose game is actually benefitting from this. But you can't let him know you agree, so you put on your bravest face, eyes narrowing as you stand up straight.
"I don't think I'm better than you, Jamie. I know I am. You're just a washed up prick who's jealous he isn't the only one in the press anymore. I knew all that talk about the team making you look good was bullshit!"
Jamie's eyebrows furrow as he cocks his head to the side, expression quickly morphing from frustration to amused confusion; "Hang on... isn't that what I said at that press conference a few weeks ago?"
Your stern features drop too, eyes widening at the realisation of what you've just said. Desperately thinking of a way to recover, your mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. Jamie's arrogant smirk returns, confidence clear in his change of demeanor. He takes in a breath, clearly loading up some snarky response, but he doesn't get the chance. You attempt to escape this hellish situation, moving to push past Jamie and beeline out of this suffocating room.
But you're stopped by the press of a large, warm hand on your ribcage, having walked straight into Jamie's outstretched arm. His grip was gentle, but it's like all the wind has been knocked out of you. Keeping your eyes on the hand on your torso, you muster up all the air you have left in your lungs to growl; "Let me through, Jamie."
"Why? So you can go to your room and watch my press interviews? Under your covers, in secret, like a little girl doing something naughty."
The words hit you like a freight train, knees buckling under your weight. And once again, Jamie's grip keeps you on your feet. The low, teasing lilt in his voice twist your stomach into a complicated knot, pulling together in both anger and arousal. No longer breathless, you're now practically gasping against Jamie's neck.
"Uhm..." Gia's strained voice breaks the awkward silence, a reminder that her and Isaac had indeed just witnessed that entire encounter.
"Gia!" Isaac fakes an innocent tone, "Would you also like some wine? I can grab all of us a glass, and Jamie can open the bottle, and then we can all cheers to how well the new training programme is working!" His ramble is completely uncharacteristic, his voice not even sounding like it's coming from his mouth.
Finally looking up from Jamie's touch, you stare into his eyes. His pupils are blown so wide they almost smother their deep blue colour. He doesn't look angry, or upset, but not cocky either. Shaking your head, you press your mouth into a thin line before pushing against his hand again, successfully breaking past this time and rushing straight up the stairs.
Crashing into your room, you slam the door shut behind you. You quickly walk around your bed, going right to your window, pushing it open. The cold autumn air is welcomed as you throw off your hoodie, every inch of your skin on fire. You pace along the window, fingers chaotically pushing through your messy hair. Puffing through your nose, the tears that brimmed your eyes downstairs have completely dried up, leaving only overwhelm in their place. Your knees buckle again, but this time Jamie isn't there to hold you up, so you slowly lower yourself to the floor, sitting in the breeze of the open window with your back pressed against the side of your bed.
With your knees pulled close to your chest, you rest your forehead on them, hoping that holding yourself in a ball will calm your nervous system down quicker. Screwing your eyes shut, you wish the buzzing in your veins to stop, but to no avail. Desperately, you take deep breath after deep breath, counting each inhale and exhale.
Two minutes in, your heart rate has finally slowed to a normal pace again, and the deep anger has melted down to pure exhaustion. You're no longer seeing red, your mind now calm enough to make sense of everything going on.
Gia and Isaac know what they're doing. If this wasn't working, Roy wouldn't let it continue. And if it wasn't good for the teams, both the women and men wouldn't have won the last two matches as easy as you did. But sadness still pools in your chest at the thought of Sam. It's been a long time since you've let someone in, and he's your safest option. He's deeply kind and so easy to talk to -- if only you were at dinner with him right now.
"Y/n?"
It's Jamie. You lift your head at the sound, voice once again unrecognisably soft. The sound sends goosebumps down your whole body, replacing the awful overheating feeling you've had all day.
"Sorry, eh- I would knock but my hands are full." he continues through the door.
You push yourself back to your feet, pulling the window shut and taking another deep breath. Your body feels weak, sore from all of the training and tired from holding so much anger. You have to trust Gia and Isaac. You have to give Jamie a chance.
And the next thing you know, your hand is twisting the cold doorknob. Opening it slowly, you're met with a coy-looking Jamie, two full wine glasses in hand. Without a word, he sends you a tiny empathetic smile and lifts the glasses up as a peace offering. His smile is sweet and seems genuine -- for once -- so you move aside and let him into your bedroom, hoping he doesn't do anything to tarnish your sacred space.
Heartbeat slightly speeding up, you watch him look around your room, eyes grazing over your perfectly made bed to the neatly organised desk across from it, before landing on the cork bulletin board hanging on the wall above said desk.
"No fucking way..." he whispers, and you can hear his shit-eating grin in his voice. Shit. Fully aware of what he's just spotted, you rush to close the door and step towards him, quickly taking one of the wine glasses from his hands and chugging half of its contents. The liquid runs down your throat with a welcomed burn, and you feel your body instantly rise in temperature again.
"Jamie-" you swallow thickly, the alcohol running through your veins and going straight to your head.
"Y/n y/l/n..." he grumbles, voice as low as it was in the kitchen. His sultry tone goes straight to your legs, turning them to jelly yet again. That coil retwists in your stomach too, and you can feel your face getting hot. The tension between you is so thick you can almost hear the electric hum in the air.
Jamie takes a large gulp of his own wine, fully turning towards you and stepping closer; "Is that me? On your bedroom wall?"
"Oh, don't flatter yourself," you try to give him attitude, but your voice cracks, breath hitching as Jamie stares down at you with dark eyes, "It's just a trading card."
Except he doesn't give up that easily, moving even closer to you. He towers over you, peering down at your face as he lets his eyes examine your features. Shamelessly, they move from your eyes to your forehead, dragging over your cheekbones and down to your jaw. No doubt you're blushing a deep crimson, watching as Jamie drinks you in.
"I came up here to check if you were okay, the last thing I expected to find was a picture of me pointed right at your bed."
"Fuck off. I supported Richmond before I played for them." you groan with rolling eyes, finding just enough of your voice to retort. God, Jamie has a special way of winding you up. His eyes still haven't returned to yours, scanning every inch of your face before reaching a hand up. Your breathing completely halts, stuck in the top of your throat as you await his next move.
His thumb slowly grazes up your hot cheek, sliding into your hair and pushing it behind your ear. Jamie doesn't drop his hand straight away though, letting his pointer finger run behind your ear before trailing along your jaw. Your lips part at the sensual touch, still holding your breath as his eyes continue to avoid yours. The usually charming blue of Jamie's eyes is now replaced by a deep, dark hunger as they move with his finger, eventually landing on your lips. Hooking his pointer finger under your chin, he tilts your head up, the movement bringing the breath back to your lungs. The sound that escapes your mouth alongside it is something between a whimper and a moan, and Jamie's eyelids flutter slightly in reaction. And when his thumb comes up to brush your bottom lip, all sense comes rushing back to you.
Quickly stepping back, Jamie's hand drops from your face. Breathless pants escape your still-parted lips, desperately trying to shake yourself out of the daze caused by the man in front of you. You lift your glass again, chugging what was left in the glass before setting it down on your desk. The buzz of the alcohol paired with the burning sensation Jamie's touch left behind on your skin makes your eyes blur, and after a few rapid blinks, you focus back on Jamie. Copying your movements, he chugs the rest of his wine too, keeping his hungry gaze on you the whole time. His chest rises and falls faster than normal as he brings a hand up to wipe at his lips, pulling your attention to them. As always, they're pouting, but not in the cocky way. Instead, they look soft and plump, tempting you into something you so desperately want but really, really shouldn't reach for.
But for the first time in a long time, you can't stop yourself.
You launch forward, fingers pulling Jamie's hoodie into your fists as you close the gap between you two, crashing your lips on his. Both of your mouths lap at each other hungrily, desperate to get as close as possible. Jamie somehow places his glass down on your desk before planting his hands on your waist. But they don't stay there, chaotically rubbing up your back before roaming down to your ass and squeezing. The thin fabric of your tank top hardly leaves anything between Jamie's touch and your skin, and you want nothing more but for him to rip it off of you. Your body is pressed flat against his, the loud ringing in your ears blocking out any sensible thoughts as you explore each other's mouths with your tongues.
The room is filled with both of your pants as you grab at each other. Your hands roam down his chest and under his Richmond hoodie, moaning as your fingers trace his abs. Jamie splays one large hand across your back while the other stays on your ass, holding you flush against his body as you wrap your arms around his neck again. His pull makes you change your footing, slotting your thigh against his crotch and immediately feeling a bulge against it.
Your eyes shoot open, going wide as you realise what is happening. Pulling your mouth off of Jamie's, you move your hands to his shoulders and nudge him away before darting back from him.
Out of breath from both the kiss and the shock, your jaw goes slack as you stare at an equally-breathless Jamie. You both hold your hands out in front of you, standing completely still.
"Shit." Jamie mutters.
"Fuck." you whisper.
———
thank you for reading and for your patience ily <3
So I’m a SLUT for the “she sits in his lap and he gets hard” trope, I love it every time. I’m curious which of the Richmond boys you think would do this and which would be able to keep it together?
OMG !! this is soooo Sam coded i fear !!
you'd be at his restaurant celebrating one of the team's big wins, at a table the wags had claimed, when Sam beckons you over to where he's sitting with two fingers. more than just a couple drinks in, the motion would have you blushing before you even stand up to approach him. but the buzz caused by the alcohol and the occasional flirtatious glances towards your man throughout the night made your legs weak.
after sauntering towards him, some of the guys at his table greet you before swiftly returning to their heated discussion about which designer watch brand is best. but Sam doesn't have to say a word, simply snaking his arm around your waist, sliding his chair back a bit, and pulling you down onto his lap. your left hand finds its place on the back of his neck as you cross your legs, not worrying about your weight on his for even a second. he can handle all of you.
with your left hand playing with the small curls at the nape of his neck, the right decided to fiddle with the buttons of his silky shirt. as your fingers get to work opening the top two buttons, you lean in close to his ear; "having a good night, babe?"
Sam remains silent, looking up at you wide his big brown eyes and a sweet, tipsy smile on his face. his lips look soft in the warm glow of the restaurant, and you have to physically resist the urge to kiss him by turning your attention to the table's conversation. removing your hands from Sam's skin, you twist your body, leaning forward and placing your elbows on the table before resting your head against your intertwined hands.
"i quite like a good tissot," you interject, interrupting Colin and Isaac's cacophonous arguing. luckily, not only they, but the whole table goes silent, staring at you.
moving your ass side to side, you adjust the way you're sitting in Sam's lap slightly. and you're not sure if his hands shooting to your hips is because of the sudden male attention on you or because of your grinding.
"you know watches?" Isaac asks, dumbfounded.
"well, yeah. they're not that hard to know," you shrug, accidentally grinding down on Sam's lap again. this time, the hands resting on your hips squeeze down into your dress, fingers gripping you hard and lifting you ever so slightly.
with a guffaw, Colin responds: oh, well that's where you're wrong!" before going on some tangent about how niche the watch market actually gets. but your ears instantly tune him out, quickly becoming distracted by something poking your ass.
you take a quick glance at Sam over your shoulder, and your eyes immediately meet his wide ones. he's staring at you with an alert look in his eyes that you know all too well, and you're not long to catch on to what's happening beneath you. Sam has a boner.
sure, you could sneak off to the bathroom right now and fix his issue. but it's way more fun to leave him waiting.
"Sam, can i borrow your phone for a minute." you ask sweetly. he says nothing, keeping his eyes on you, but he tilts to the side to pull his phone from his front pocket. in doing so, you adjust yourself on top of him once again, making sure to move your ass down against him just that little bit more as you take it from him.
"tell me more, Colin." you urge the ranting footballer to continue his yapping, once again pretending to listen whilst you unlock Sam's phone and quickly order an Uber black for the two of you. Sam's fingers grip you impossibly tighter, trying desperately to shift you as subtly as possible. but you don't make it easy for him, continuing to lightly grind on him. the movement is so small it would be impossible to notice by anyone but your boyfriend.
you nod mindlessly at the footballers' words, them talking over each other when throwing out a bunch of foreign names you've never heard of. every few seconds, you take your chance to glance down at Sam's phone, watching as your lift home fast approaches.
just as it buzzes to alert you of the car's arrival, Sam sucks in a sharp breath, fingers wrapping around the sides of your ass and physically shifts you up off his rock hard dick. Richard is mid-sentence, but your ride is here and you know Sam is about to explode, so you quickly stand up; "I'm so tired guys, we gotta go. Good game today!"
Sam is quick to rise from the chair, and he uses you as his human shield to conceal his tenting trousers, pressing the hard bulge right up against the top of your ass. without even a wave to his teammates, he guides the two of you out of the restaurant.
he opens the car door for you; "you gonna make me wait until we got home, sweetheart?" he groans in your ear right before you duck into the vehicle.
"you know it." you say with a sweet voice and an innocent-but-cheeky grin.
with a smack to your ass as you climb into the car, Sam is quick to drop in behind you. it's been a long and strenuous match day for him, but it's about to be an even longer and sweatier night for the both of you.
who on the Richmond team do you think is a secret freak in the sheets?
my first pick would be Roy, especially considering what the show itself has shown us about him. i mean,,, the way he can angle his dick to make it feel tilted? and how he reacted to Keeley being into him crying? so i think he'd definitely be a kinky fucker, a very giving kinky fucker :)))) but i think everyone should consider dom!Sam holy shit like he's so used to being the nice guy every day surely he has to get his frustrations out somehow?? we saw him crack when Jamie came back to Richmond and i looooved his stern side so i think he'd be quite dom in the bedroom sometimes. i don't imagine him as kinky as Roy could be, but he's definitely bossy and doesn't mind throwing his partner around for his pleasure. he'd be sooo focused on making them feel good while also getting himself off that he would lose it and just go wild in the bedroom like fully losing control and just getting rough and fast and messy mhmmm
hear me out!! Ted’s little sister or younger cousin who he’s super close with but is the same age as the players comes to visit and hits it off with one of the players (Jamie, Roy, Sam, whoever u want)
obseSSED with this thank u for inspiring me
--
"and this is the locker room. say hi to my little cousin, boys!"
you walk through the door and into AFC Richmond's men's locker room, the smell of Axe spray and lavender flooding your senses. the chatter you'd heard from down the hallway comes to a sudden halt, all of the players stopping their chatter at once. they all turned to face you almost immediately, eyes wide and curious. one of the players' jaw even slackens, a hand coming up to push his blonde hair up and out of his eyes.
the silence is thick, all eyes on you, and you're not sure what else to do but plaster a sweet yet awkward smile on your face and waving at the room.
"hi," you say softly.
"guys? what's goin-" Ted starts, but is interrupted by one of the boys finally speaking up.
"hello, it's so lovely to meet you," he walks towards you with one hand outstretched and the other on his chest, "I'm Sam Obisanya."
"it's nice to meet you, Sam," you take his hand in yours, looking up at his deep brown eyes, "I'm y/n."
you try to project your voice so the rest of the room can hear your name too, but you quickly forget about the full room of men you're standing in. your full focus is on Sam and his soft palm pressing against yours firmly, and your eyes are drawn to his smile. his lips look soft, smile beaming as the wrinkles reach the corners of his eyes. it doesn't sound like he was lying when he said it was nice to meet you, since he genuinely looks more than delighted to be shaking your hand in this moment. this definitely isn't the kind of guy you expected to meet on an English soccer team.
"y/n, this is Nate," Ted interrupts, "and you already know Beard."
out of the corner of your eye, you can see a short man walking towards you with his arm also reaching out for a handshake. this is when it dawns on you that your hand was still in Sam's, and your eyes had yet to leave his.
"uh-" you mumble, forcing your smiling mouth to close and letting your hand slip from Sam's grip. the air in the room became even more awkward as you turned to greet Nate, giving him a meek smile as you shook his hand.
you could still feel the eyes of more than twenty men on you, but after dropping Nate's hand, your gaze found its way to Sam on the right side of the room. his smile now changed from beaming to soft and warm, you need to physically stop your eyes from lingering on his lips by turning your back to the room and walking into the coaches' office. peeking in, you pretend to scan the room and examine its decor, pointing at a random poster on Ted's wall and smiling as if you recognise who's on it.
"okay," Ted drawls, shaking his head, clearly not oblivious to the awkward tension you've caused, "well, y/n is gonna be stayin' with me for the week and is gonna watch you guys practice today."
"only if that's okay with everyone!" you quickly add, holding your hands up in front of you in defence. a chorus of mumbled yes's and nods fill the room, some of the players returning back to their prep before training as they lose interest in your presence.
"coach, it is so lovely to have your cousin here to support us during training. thank you very much for introducing us to your family." an accented voice finally breaks through the crowd, and everyone turns to look at a long haired man towards the back of the room.
"thank you, Dani." Ted answers, and you repeat the sentiment while sending him a smile.
"I'm sorry about that, y/n," he continues once you're out in the hallway, "I guess they spend so much time with each other that they forget women exist!" he nervously combs a hand through his hair before pointing you towards the training pitch; "let's go."
"see you all on the pitch." Ted states with a slight voice crack before ushering you out of the locker room. you glance behind you as you get pushed out, catching a glimpse of another player smacking Sam on the shoulder and shaking him a bit, clearly congratulating him for his interaction with you. English boys are something else.
once through the doors of the training centre and onto the pitch, the cold hits you quickly and you can feel your nose turn red in the winter air. you follow Ted up into the small bleachers and choose a seat which lines up to be right in the middle of the pitch.
"you stay here, y/n. don't need you causing any more awkward silences." you and Ted share a laugh as you get as comfortable as you possible can in the plastic red seat. you're not left waiting for very long, all the players you'd just seen walking out onto the field in small groups.
they're laughter and chatter makes a smile creep up your face, a smile that only grows when Sam appears. he instantly drops his conversation when he feels your eyes on him, turning his head and immediately finding you in the stands. a smug smile appears on his face as he sends you a subtle wink, the gesture making you bit your lip as you sink further down into your seat.
using your scarf to hide your blushing cheeks definitely came in handy during the 2 hours of training you watched. except, you weren't really watching the training, you were mostly focused on Sam Obisanya. you just couldn't get enough of his smile, and he clearly loved smiling since it didn't drop from his face even once during the training, even when he messed up. eyes glued to him, you examined every part of him, cursing the cold weather for being the reason he's wearing a full tracksuit, making you use your imagination for some parts. there was some moments where Sam would glance up at you, that same signature smile warming you up.
the daydreaming and occasional cups of tea brought to you by Will made the time fly by, and soon enough you were strolling through the training centre waiting for Ted to take you for lunch. you admire the awards and trophies in the cabinets, as well as the old newspaper clippings framed on the walls, and you start appreciating the second home Ted has found across the pond.
your eyes land on a large sticker of one of the Richmond players, and you realise that they're on the walls all the way down the hallway towards the exit. following them like candy on a trail, you start for your search for Sam's sticker. on your way down the hallway, you see the blond who had stared at you with an open mouth earlier, the sweet long haired man, and a few stickers featuring faces that stuck out to you in the locker room. as you pass them all, you stare them down with furrowed eyebrows, and you almost give up your search before you turn the final corner.
right beside the reception desk, you find the man you'd been looking for. except, instead of finding a picture of him plastered up on the wall, you instead find the real Sam leaning against the tall reception desk next to the exit. you stop in your tracks, suddenly overheating in all of your winter layers, and you stare at him with wide eyes.
"are you okay, y/n?" he asks with an amused look on his face.
"uhm- yes, yes. I'm okay," you force a small smile onto your face and stuff your hands into your coat pockets, desperate to hide your embarrassment, "are you okay, Sam?"
your words make him laugh as he pushes himself off of the desk and takes a few steps towards you. his expression softens the closer he gets to you, the big grin he usually wears now melting into a warm closed-mouthed smile.
"I'm okay," he speaks quietly, he's close enough for you to hear it loud and clear, and the tone of his voice sends shivers up your spine.
"that's good," you reply shyly, not sure what to do with yourself. your hands are still shoved in your pockets, and Sam's are too, but all you can think about is what is touch felt like against yours when you met this morning.
"are you waiting for Coach Cousin?"
a cackle suddenly comes from your throat, all the nervous energy bursting out at once, taking both you and Sam slightly aback. but you manage to wave it off, answering his question with a more self-confident voice; "yeah, yeah, we're going for lunch together."
"will you be back for our next training?"
"no, actually, I think I'm just going to explore Richmond a little bit."
"what if," Sam draws the words out as he leans forward, bumping a shoulder to yours, "you just come back after lunch and I can take you around Richmond when I've finished for the day? maybe I can take you for dinner afterwards."
his voice pitches up sweetly at the end of his question, his soft smile slowly growing to a beaming one again. the question makes your heart rate double, and you can feel how red you're going as you consider what to say next.
"are you asking me on a date, Sam?"
"I'm not sure Ted would appreciate me asking his cousin on a date, but, maybe we can keep it a secret?"
"keep what a secret?" Ted interrupts, walking up to the two of you with his thumbs looped around the straps of his backpack. his smile is polite and oblivious as he glances between you and Sam.
"keep it a secret that I will be coming back to watch the second training later!" you chirp before Sam can speak, drawing your mouth into a tight smile as you hope Ted doesn't ask why.
"alright!" he exclaims, smile widening, "such great team spirit, y/n!"
"yes, y/n," Sam speaks suspiciously, "you have such a focus when watching us train. almost like you always have your eye on the prize." he smirks down at you as you open and close your mouth a few times as if gasping for air.
"like cousin, like cousin!" you saw with a fake grin, eyes avoiding Sam's knowing look, "okay, Ted, let's go!" you start towards the door, hoping Ted is following you.
"bye, y/n. I cannot wait to see you this afternoon!" you hear Sam call behind you, but you stay facing forward, desperate to get outside so you can blame your blush on the cold.
when Ted catches up with you, the confusion is clear in his voice as he asks: "why would your presence have to be a secret?"
"oh, you know," you answer without looking at him, "wouldn't want me attracting any more of the boys' attention."
Ted hums in agreement as he falls in line with your fast-paced steps through the car park; "it sure does look like you've already caught someone's eye."
shaking your head with a furrowed brow, you scoff dramatically at Ted's words. "don't be crazy, Ted. I'm just visiting."
"maybe you should extend that visit while you still can."
--
once again not proofread (sorry) i'm really just trying to have fun with writing again and not put too much pressure on myself! hope you enjoyed <3
how do you think it would go if jamie tried to teach his girl some football but she was really bad? lmao
ooooh i feel like Jamie would need some persuading with this, like she'd have to reallyyyy beg him to teach her a trick or two. and it would have to be a trade deal, like if Jamie teaches her some football, he'd get to choose which movie they watch that evening. he'd start with teaching her the basics of football -- kicking the ball with the side of her foot, using her hips to aim the ball, and how to roll the ball under her foot and bouncing it up onto the top of her foot. this would probably prove surprisingly difficult for her, and Jamie wouldn't be able to wrap his head around how someone just doesn't get it like football is so instinctive to him that he just can't grasp it. he'll even get a bit frustrated and she'd start taking the piss out of his strops and fussiness and she'd be laughing while jamie would be pouting and ugh this is so fun actually like she'd even purposefully mess up sometimes just to see him get annoyed !!! but it would all be fun and games and when she finally kicks the ball into the goal or steals the ball from him he'd cheer her name over and over and mimic the sound of the crowd hmmm so cute
What do u think Jamie would have his girl in his phone as? Like you think he just has her government name or a nickname or emojis? And what kinda photo you think he’d put for her caller ID/contact photo?
UGH i love thinking about this. i kinda feel like he'd have fullllll government name but with her nickname instead of her first name,,, like i think it would've started as her full government name out of respect for her when they started dating, but then he changed it eventually. he definitely also got you to take a selfie when she gave him her number or when they started dating and refuses to change it; he likes thinking about the giddy way they both felt when they first started going out :p
pairings: Jamie Tartt x reader, a bit of Sam Obisanya x reader.
summary: as the striker for AFC Richmond's very first women's team, the pressure is on. you're desperate to bond with the men's team, especially their number 9. so when your captains make you two train together, you find special ways to make it fun for both of you.
words: 10.5k
warnings: nausea mentioned, no smut but sexual references, a looootta dialogue (sorry but I love it), mean Jamie and also mean reader ooooh
———
you, Gia, and Isaac all pile into her car on monday morning, heading to Richmond for another day of training. "just to give you a heads up, y/n," Gia says as she starts the car, "we're trying something different at training today." you perk up, leaning forward between the couple in an attempt to feel less like a third wheel.
"oooh, what are you planning for us captain?"
"over the weekend, Isaac and I were discussing maybe combining our morning trainings with the guys? just to spice things up a little, you know?"
"yeah, because it's the middle of the season and everything, Gia and I thought we could use a little switch up just to make things more fun." Isaac adds.
"oh yeah! that's a great idea," you say, genuine excitement in your voice. Isaac stares at you with a furrowed brow, trying to sense any sarcasm in your tone, and Gia's silence proves she's thinking the same thing. "whatever you do, don't make me train with Tartt. if you can promise me that, then I'll try to have fun." your emphasis on the last word is only half-mocking -- you really do want to try to make football fun for you again.
"y/n..." Gia trails off before taking a deep breath, "it's gonna be quite hard to train you both as lead strikers if you don't train together..."
"that's so not true!" you stubbornly protest, shaking your head with a confused face, "just make me striker for one half of the training team, and make him striker for the other, that way we won't have to interact."
"right, until you play a game against each other," Isaac adds, "what then?"
"then I'll just have to fucking destroy him." you huff, leaning back in your seat and peering out the window. maybe kicking Jamie's ass in training is what will make all of it a lot more fun for you. the grumpy expression on your face contradicts your thoughts, the image of an anxious Jamie replaying in your head. you can't seem to get his big, sad eyes out of your mind, his eyebrows knitted together in worry and discomfort. Roy and Sam seemed equally as surprised in the moment as you were watching the reupload last night, and seeing that different side of him makes you think that maybe today he'll be different than at your match on saturday. maybe he was just having a bad day.
"good mornin' dickhead. ready to get your arse kicked?" Jamie's smug face winks at you as you meet him in the hallway on your way to the training pitch. "hi Jamie," you respond with a flat, unamused tone -- so he wasn't just having a bad day then. both dressed in different coloured training kits, the men's and women's team flood onto the grass, crowding in front of the coaches as they await an explanation for their joint training. Gia and Isaac step out of the large group of players and stand in front of them, ready to give their announcement.
"so, here's the plan." Isaac's booming voice quiets the chattering players. you're already listening, of course, refusing to talk to Jamie who is still standing next to you. "psst," he leans closer to you, and you reflexively lean the other way, "do you think they're gonna make us tie a string from our dicks to your tits and make us play." it's hard to ignore those words so with a disgusted grimace on your face, you side-eye him, catching a glimpse of his cocky grin. you roll your eyes, redirecting your attention to your captain.
"Isaac and I have decided that we're all going to train together this morning, and in the afternoon, we split off again." Gia announces.
"the point of today is to get you guys to have fun with football. just for this morning, you can all forget about the upcoming men's match this friday, and the girls can recover after their amazing win last saturday!" the group all clap and cheer at Isaac's words, both in excitement for the next match, as well as in celebration of the last match. clapping and smiling along with the group, you nudge your shoulder to one of your teammate's next to you, temporarily forgetting about the annoying presence on the other side of you.
once everyone calms down again, Gia continues the speech; "we're gonna start by having you all group up with everyone who plays your position. wingers with wingers, strikers with strikers, defenders with defenders, that kinda thing,"
your mouth drops, and you gawk at Gia who tries desperately to avoid your gaze, but she can only pretend to look at the sky for so long, eventually giving in. "I'm sorry," she mouths with a shrug, and your shocked expression turns into a bored one as you turn to face Jamie. with a smug smile on his face, he runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek as you both cross your arms across your chest.
"you've got to be fucking kidding me," you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose as you try to calm yourself with a few deep breaths. when you look up, Jamie is staring down at his feet, digging his studs into the grass. rolling your eyes, you turn to face Gia and Isaac again. everyone has grouped up, and you and Jamie seem to be the only duo. your brows furrow as you look around; "is there not even a second teamer than can join us? please, Gia,"
"nope," she pops her lips together as she says it, "you two are the lead strikers." her voice is stern, and you narrow your eyes at her with a curt nod. "right..." you drawl as you stare at her, challenging her. her simple smile is unwavering, and she's clearly not giving this up. she cocks her head towards Jamie, who is still distracted by his own boots. sighing loudly, you untangle your arms to slap a backhand to his, feeling his hard muscles through his long sleeve. the feeling surprises you, and you let yourself glance at his biceps, the taut fabric stretching over them. keeping the disgusted look on your face, you hope he doesn't notice you checking him out. when you lift your eyes, however, he's looking you straight in the eye, making you jump at the sudden eye contact.
"is there something on my arm?" he asks you, not taking his eyes off yours.
"no," you snap, and you hope the blush creeping up your cheeks is just because of the cold autumn air.
"are you blushing?"
"no, fuck off," you mutter, slapping his arm again as you turn your attention away from him. Gia and Isaac take turns explaining how today's training is organised, assigning different coaches to different groups. thankfully, Isaac gives Roy the responsibility of making sure you don't murder Jamie during your session. "alright, let's go!" Isaac shouts, Beard blowing his whistle at the words. but you stay rooted in place, trying your hardest to find it in you to actually go interact with Jamie. him and Roy are already making their way to the goal on the left side of the pitch, footballs in hand.
"good luck, y/n." Sam's voice appears, alongside a hand on your shoulder. you place your hand on his, smiling up at him meekly. "thank you, Sam. I'm gonna need it... have fun!" his smile is warm and sympathetic, and you kind of appreciate the pity, it's more than Gia gave you. Sam's words give you the courage to finally move, slowly falling into a jog as you head towards the far side of the pitch. if the whole point of today was to have fun, why in the world would they lump you and Jamie together with Roy as your peacekeeper?
"alright you two..." Roy says as you approach. you stand next to Jamie -- well, kind of -- leaving an obnoxious amount of distance between the two of you. Roy tosses you a bright orange football before continuing; "I've been told you need to be friends. I wouldn't have a fucking clue why since you're not even on the same team, but whatever. we're gonna keep it simple, you each take turns kicking the ball against the goalpost, whenever one of you fucks up and kicks it into the goal, you both get down and do fifteen push-ups. understood?"
"so scoring a goal is bad? what is that supposed to teach us?" you ask.
"and if she fucks it, which she probably will, I have to do push-ups?" Jamie groans.
"yes." Roy says, a simple answer to two apparently-simple questions.
"jesus christ," you and Jamie both mutter at the same time, making you both look at each other and roll your eyes, also at the exact same time.
you move toward the penalty spot to go first, ignoring how in sync you two seem to be, and the ball firmly at your feet. you push down your right sock before pulling the left as high up your leg as possible. taking a few steps back, you blow out a sharp breath before charging forward and kicking the ball, perfectly hitting the middle of the top goal post. Roy claps with a small smile on his face, and you look at him proudly. without a word, Jamie bumps into you as he places his ball down, quickly taking a shot, the ball smacking in exactly the same spot as yours had. you both jog to collect your footballs, and you decide to up the stakes. aiming for the top goal post again, you now kick the ball so it curves up high into the air before slowly dropping and bouncing off the right spot. Jamie wastes no time to copy you, even turning his back to the goal in a cocky manner, knowing he aimed it perfectly. he holds his hands up in the air as he slowly spins around, proud smile on his face. you roll your eyes for the umpteenth time, turning your head away from him to hide the way the corners of your mouth lift slightly at his bragging. pressing a hand into his chest, you push him out of the way for you to take your next kick, and you finally let the smile through.
with a loud laugh, Jamie claps and whoops, pushing his fists into the air; "I did it! I made it laugh!"
"it?!" you shout back, obviously offended.
"go on then, try something harder." he cocks his head towards the goal, biting down on his bottom lip as he grins at you. you run towards the ball and thrust your hip forward with as much might as you can muster, swinging your leg. the ball shoots at the goal, knocking off the top one before bouncing against the left post. "ha!" you shout as you turn to Jamie, pointing a finger at him, "watch out Tartt, I might be coming for your reputation," you mock his words from saturday evening, and he struggles to wipe the shock from his face. his lips are pouted with his eyebrows raised, head tipped forward as he looks between the ball, to the goal post, then back to you. his jaw clenches, and you can see his sharp jawline jutting out before his adam's apple bobs up and down with a gulp. although it's mid-october, the skin of his neck is still sun kissed from summer, and you let your eyes drift down to the collar of his navy training top. even through the fabric, the muscles in his shoulders are defined, and the lines on his biceps are still showing without him needing to flex.
"what?" his voice snaps you out of your daze, dragging you back to the cold pitch. your cheeks feel hot again, and you do your best to look pissed off at him; "what?" you snarl back.
"you're staring at me."
"no I'm not," you mutter with a huff, turning away from him and abruptly jogging toward the side of the pitch. as you run away from Jamie, you squeeze your eyes shut, cringing at yourself. what possessed you to just run away? grabbing your water bottle, you chug as much as you can in one go, taking a few deep breaths. "come on, y/n... focus," you mumble to yourself before walking back to the goal as casually as possible.
neither Roy nor Jamie bring up your little trance, and you count yourself lucky since it would be pretty good ammo for Jamie. the two of you continue your competition, the smack of the ball against the goal becoming almost rhythmic as you don't waste any time to outdo each other with each turn. Jamie even takes it to the next level, moving to the middle between the penalty and the halfway line. from there, he attempts to hit to goal post, and you hold your breath as you watch the ball soar through the air. Jamie locks his hands behind his head, and you have to begrudgingly tear your eyes away from his arms yet again to avoid entering another daze. the ball skims past the top post, missing it by mere centimetres, and you flinch as Jamie screams at the top of his lungs. you stare at him with wide eyes as he falls to his knees, keeping his hands behind his head as he plants his forehead into the grass. he groans and whines to himself dramatically, and you look to Roy. when you see him look equally as confused as you are, you find your feet carrying yourself towards a floored Jamie.
"Jamie?" you ask with a soft voice, reaching a finger out and poking him in the back, "you okay?"
"did I lose?" he asks, voice pitched and cracking.
"Jamie, what the fuck? get up!" your tone is no longer gentle as you poke him harder and tap your foot to his ass. he lets himself topple over, lying on the ground in fetal position, faking loud racking sobs. looking around you, you notice a few other footballers staring at you two, clearly concerned and confused. you crouch down, looking at him with your mouth drawn in a tight line, rubbing your hand over his arm.
"Jamie, baby, should I get the medic?" you pout as you coo at him condescendingly, and the petname snaps him out of his dramatics. his face morphs from a cry to a disgusted look as he stares at you. you tilt your head to the side; "if you do these push-ups with me I'll let your mistake pass as a bit of fun instead of a loss."
he jumps up almost immediately, jogging towards Roy before you can even stand up straight. getting down on his knees, he looks up at your coach and asks; "fifteen? why not twenty?"
"fine." Roy grumbles and you look at him with a defeated look. "are you serious, Roy?" your coach simply shrugs at you as you whine, getting down on all fours in front of Jamie.
he smirks down at you, chuckling to himself as he contemplates his words for a few seconds; "you know, y/n, whenever I imagine you in this position I'm usually behind you."
his words knock the wind out of you, and you cough a few times as you sit up on your knees. you slap your hand on your chest as you clear your throat, completely shocked by the nerve of Jamie Tartt. throwing his head back, he laughs at your reaction, hand clutching his stomach as he struggles for air. Roy doesn't say a word, doesn't even laugh, just looks around waiting for you two to stop your antics. as Jamie recovers from his laughing fit, and you finally stop coughing, he keeps his eyes on you, dropping forward and planting his hands in the grass.
"you know I'm just joking, yeah?" his words may be kind, but the brazen smirk on his face says otherwise. with a smooth wink, he runs his tongue along his bottom lip before dropping his eyes to your lips just briefly. your mouth opens slightly, his behaviour giving you absolute whiplash. he's teasing you, winding you up, but also flirting? you give your head a little shake before putting your hands down again, keeping your eyes glued to the ground as you try to hide the blush undoubtedly making its way up your face.
"okay, stop fucking around," Roy interrupts the flustered silence, watching as you and Jamie get into position, holding your body weight with your arms. he starts counting out loud, going painfully slow. still facing the ground, you huff breaths out through your mouth, persevering. glancing at Jamie, you look up through your eyelashes to see his strong arms flexing as he pumps up and down. his fingers clench, digging into the ground as he brings his chest all the way down, brushing the blades of grass without letting go of the push-up. the lines in his arms are impossibly deeper now, and you can see his shoulders bulging through his top. with your jaw slack, you drag your eyes up to his neck, seeing the muscles strain in its sides.
"y/n!" Roy shouts, making you jump and sag through your elbows a little before picking your weight back up. your head snaps up to look at Jamie, who's staring at you with an amused grin, eyes dark with his pupils blown wide; "you missed a count, love," he drawls, "too busy starin'?"
embarrassment takes over as you roll your lips over each other and put your head down, arms starting to shake as your holding plank becomes almost unbearable. you just got caught staring at Jamie's muscles, again, by both him and Roy. all you want is to run inside, lock yourself in the bathroom, and never show your face on that pitch again. instead, you mumble a quick and quiet "sorry" and continue your push-ups.
as Roy starts counting again, you screw your eyes shut, swearing not to let them drift across Jamie's body ever again. you squeeze your eyes so hard you start seeing red specks float across your vision. Roy gets to eighteen, and your ears throb as your blood pumps quickly. your arms shiver under your weight as he counts excruciatingly slowly. but on number nineteen, your body suddenly tenses, feeling warmth on your right hand. you allow one eye to open, squinting down at your hand, only to see Jamie's fingers laying between yours.
the feeling makes your skin red hot, and your arms suddenly stop shaking on your last push-up. with your ears ringing, you know your face is bright red as you forget to breathe for the last strain. Roy counts the last number, and Jamie's hand immediately pulls away from yours as he sits back on his knees. you fold through your elbows, collapsing flat onto the ground, your flushed chest cooling against the cold grass. fighting the urge to glance over at Jamie, you screw your eyes shut, taking deep breaths as you recover from the strenuous push-ups. twenty push-ups is easy, but with the slow speed Roy was counting at, you feel as if you did double that amount. your right hand clenches into a fist, the lingering feeling of Jamie's fingers touching yours making your nerve endings feel like static. why did he do that? it must have been on purpose, him having to outstretch his arm uncomfortably in order to reach you. but why?
"well done. take a quick water break," Roy says as he walks away from the two of you. you don't hear Jamie move to get up, but you can't keep your eyes closed forever, so you push yourself up and onto your knees. his legs are sprawled out in front of you, mud and grass coating his metal studs, and his arms hold his torso up as they're outstretched behind him. trying to avoid his gaze, you keep your eyes down as you reach up to tighten your ponytail. still, you can feel his eyes burning into your skin, and you know he's going to say something.
"ooh, y/n," Jamie starts.
"knew it," you mutter to yourself, squeezing one eye shut as you look up at him.
"I think you've had a bit of an accident." Jamie hisses through his teeth as he points at his own cheek. you quickly reach a hand to your face, wiping your cheek before looking at your fingers. you roll your eyes at him and grunt when you notice it's just some dirt, the irrational thought of it being dog shit leaving your mind just as quickly as it came. "you're the worst," you groan, standing up before jogging towards the dugout, heading straight for the walkway into the training centre. pushing open the door to the women's bathroom, you sigh deeply, wondering what the fuck just happened between you and Jamie. running the tap until the water heats up, you pull a sheet of paper towel from its dispenser before soaking it. as you bring it up to your cheek to wipe off the mud, you stare at the hand Jamie touched. it felt like electricity, like pins and needles, and like hot fire running through your veins all at the same time. maybe it was because you had been holding your weight for way too long, or maybe it was touch deprivation.
"y/n!" Gia bursts into the bathroom, making you jump and drop the wet paper in the sink with a slapping sound.
"fucking hell, Gia!" you shout at her, placing your hands on each side of the porcelain sink to stabilise yourself.
"how's it going?" she drags out her words, turning to the mirror to redo her hair. she smiles at you and raises her eyebrows suggestively, but when she sees your defeated expression, her face drops and concern clouds her eyes. she nudges you with her knee, her hands occupied as she twists her long hair into a bun, "what's up? did he say something?"
once again, you sigh deeply, too shy to look her in the eye as you think about how to word your thoughts; "no, no, nothing too crazy. he did talk about tying his dick to my tits, though. I have no idea what that was about-"
"oh," Gia laughs, "that was something Roy made them do in training one time! they, like, tied a red string to their dick and then connected it with another guy's dick and tried to play football. it was... kinda hot."
"okay, anyways," you grimace at the thought, disgusted with your best friend, and shake the image out of your head. you continue: "we were doing shooting drills and we made it a bit of a competition and it was actually quite fun, you know?"
"yes! holy shit! I did it! I need to tell Isaac," Gia yells, turning to leave the bathroom. you reach a hand out, grabbing hers to pull her back to face you. "Gia!" you yell, snapping her out of her blind excitement. "oh, right, sorry. continue," she clears her throat and sniffs, trying her best to act casual.
"it was a lot of fun until- basically, if we missed goal post we had to do push-ups together, right? so, Jamie missed and was such a fucking baby about it, and we were facing each other while we did them..."
"go on," Gia's eyes are wide, a smile growing on her lips as she stares at you.
"Jamie caught me checking out his arms- which you can't blame me for!" you say quickly, knowing Gia was about to interrupt you again, "and then when we were doing the last push-up he put his fingers between mine like this, see?" you demonstrate by interlocking your fingers, turning them to get the perspective right. "or, like, here," you pick up her hand, moving your fingers between hers to show her properly. Gia is completely silent, and you wonder if she just hasn't understood your explanation, but when your eyes flick up to hers, her face is frozen in shock. you roll your eyes and drop her hand, clapping in front of her face. her jaw is slack, and she doesn't blink at all until you poke her chest, dragging her back to earth.
"Gia, chill, it might have been an accident." you say, grabbing a new paper towel to dry the remaining water droplets off your cheek.
"an accident? are you fucking serious?"
"he was probably just trying to throw me off or something..." you reason, walking backwards to throw the tissues into the bin.
"y/n... really? he wanted contact with you- physical contact, and that isn't an easy mistake. this is great!"
"no! nothing about this is great! he's a dick, he was definitely just fucking with me. he saw me staring at his muscles, so what? Jamie's got such an ego, I bet he loved the attention."
"yeah he did..." Gia drawls, putting her hands on your shoulders and shaking you side to side. she cackles in your face, and the contagious sound forces a smile through your grumpy exterior. "there you go!" she chirps, "and even if he is just messing with you, just do it back! he's Jamie Tartt, it's okay to think he's fit-"
"I don't-" you protest, but Gia interrupts you again; "shut up. he could get any girl he wants, but I guarantee we can get him to chase you."
you scoff and huff a laugh at her words; "why would I want that?"
"because it's fun."
back on the pitch, you push away your nerves as you head towards Jamie and Roy. you continue your drills, taking shots from different angles to the goal, and you even kick it against Jamie on purpose during one of your turns. this time, when Roy makes you do push ups, you stay a safe distance away from Jamie, keeping to yourself. if this was any other day, you'd find the repetitive drills boring, but you can't deny you're having a lot of fun with him. of course, your constant competition is the main source of that fun, and with every mean or teasing jab you throw at each other, you find yourself enjoying the outlet. football always riles you up, anger and frustration taking over when you miss a goal or pass, but oddly enough, having someone to be unapologetically mean to helps. every time one of you hit the post, you call each other a rude name, or insult each other's skills, and you always count yourself successful when your words bring a small smile to Roy's face.
a whistle blows at the other side of the pitch, pulling you and Jamie out of a childish argument about how to best tie the laces of your boots. you pause mid-sentence, a finger still poking his chest from your back-and-forth bickering. he chuckles, bringing his hand up and wrapping it around yours before pushing it down; "that means I win." you glance down at your hands, his fingers still lightly holding on to you, before looking back up at his face. clenching your jaw, you huff a breath through your nose and pull your hand from his; "this isn't over, Tartt."
jogging away from him, you meet the rest of the team at the side of the field, everyone grouped together to listen to Isaac and Gia again. you find Sam, standing next to him; "hey Sam," you sigh, grateful to have a break from Jamie for some positive energy from Sam.
"hi, y/n, how was that?" he asks you, eyebrows arched as he awaits your answer.
"oh, you know, fucking awful." Sam laughs at your words, and you smile up at him as you shake your head.
"don't pretend it was all bad, y/n. you enjoyed checking me out didn't you?" Jamie's voice appears behind you, and you suck in your lips and close your eyes at the sound. dropping your head forward in defeat, you're scared to open your eyes and see Sam's face, so you whip around to look at Jamie instead. clearly, he caught up with you, and clearly, he has no desire to leave you alone before the next exercise.
you cock your head to the side, squinting at Jamie with a challenging look in your eyes; "you wish I was checking you out, Jamie."
he pouts and throws his eyes to the sky, pretending to be deep in thought for a few seconds. he hums to himself as he crosses his arms; "I don't know..." you hold your breath as you await his next words, "you seemed to be doing it at Sam's restaurant too, and uhm, when else did you- oh yeah, earlier before we even started training! you're a thirsty one,"
your hand comes up to your hair as you nervously fix your already-perfect ponytail, thinking of what to say to that. he isn't lying, but you also didn't think he'd noticed your particular admiration with his biceps. "yeah, yeah, as if," you mutter, hoping your tone seemed stern enough to get Jamie off your back. you turn back to Sam, looking up at him with a grimace, widening your eyes and shaking your head at him; "what an ego, right?" Sam squints at you skeptically, pouting his lips and nodding along, but you can easily tell he believes Jamie more than you.
"whistle!" Roy's loud voice interrupts your awkward silence, and you face forward and blow out a breath. the thick air is heavy between the three of you, and you can feel both of your shoulders brushing their arms ever so slightly, finally noticing just how close they are to you. you make no effort to move away, however, enjoying the warmth their presence gives you as the cold breeze hits your bare legs. cheeks flushing, you're kind of enjoying the buzz standing between them gives you; is this the chase that Gia was talking about? maybe this is the excitement you initially missed with Sam?
"we're about to play a full 90 minute game as if it was the real thing. we have a starting lineup, and a big list of subs, so-" Gia shouts.
"boys, I don't wanna see any fucking injuries before this weekend, so don't be big men about it and just sit out when you need, understood?" the guys all hum in agreement, some of them saying a simple "yes captain."
"if I call your name, that means you're starting eleven for the bibs, so just stand to the side a bit," Gia continues, motioning a hand to the left of the crowd, "then, I'm gonna call out the subs. whoever's left will be the starters for shirts. everyone got that?" you nod at her words, and the others do the same amongst a chorus of yesses. once she's finished calling out the list, you're in the starting lineup for shirts, Sam beside you. the team is made up of a mix of the two teams, and the smirk on your face as you watch Jamie slip on a bib is priceless. Gia and Isaac know what they're doing, and you can't say you're complaining.
"dream team?" Sam leans down beside you, whispering in your ear. you turn to face him, sending him a quick wink; "you know it."
you all get into position, you and Jamie standing face-to-face in the middle of the pitch. Roy stands beside you two, holding the football under his arm. no captains have been assigned, so it's up to you and Jamie to flip the coin. you stare into his dark eyes, his pupils blown wide, reminding you of the way he looked at you as you were doing push-ups. lips parting slightly, your heart rate speeds up as you struggle keeping your eyes on his; his gaze is intense, completely unwavering as he looks at you. his smirk is subtle, but present, and you let your eyes flick to his lips for a split second. of course, Jamie notices the slight movement, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly.
"heads." you say abruptly, pulling yourself from your staring competition with him. he sucks in a breath as he finally tears his eyes off yours to look at Roy, realising there's no time for him to tease you about your wandering eyes. Jamie watches the coin as Roy tosses it in the air, but your eyes stay on his face, taking your chance to stare at him without being called out for it. dragging your eyes over his sharp features, you admire how smooth his skin is, wondering why such an idiot deserved such good genetics. just as Roy shouts "tails!" your eyes land on Jamie's lips again, and it's too late to look away as he turns to face you again. he leans forward, bringing his face close to yours; "you can kiss 'em if you let me win."
his teasing words make your nostrils flare in frustration as you bring a hand up, pushing it to the middle of his chest. the slight blow makes him take a step backwards, and he laughs out loud at your strop as you move out of the way for him to kick off the match.
jaw clenched, you keep your eyes on the ball as he places it down. his feet drag backwards in the grass three times before tucking his training kit shorts into his skin-tight undershorts. your eyes linger on his thighs, the deep lines highlighting his muscles. with your eyes glued on his legs, you watch as he runs and shoots the ball to his defenders. you hang back as Jamie's team charges forward, staring as he sprints towards your goal. it all goes so quickly, he catches up with the ball, intercepting a pass between your team and pelting it into the goal all within the first five minutes of the game. "offside!" you shout, but the ref, who's really just one of your assistant coaches, counts it as a goal.
and so begins the game, with an instant score by Jamie. he couldn't be more cocky about it, running across the pitch with his arms outstretched, Dani jumping on his back to celebrate. clearly your irritation is obvious, Sam jogging over to you and placing a hand on your arm to keep you close as he whispers in your ear. your eyes find Jamie's across the pitch as he stares at the two of you, no longer celebrating with his team. his mouth is turned down in a grimace, and you stick your tongue out at him playfully. Sam explains a tactic to you, making sure you understand which play you're going to do. apparently, it's one the men do all the time, and that's exactly why they won't be expecting you to do it.
with the ball back in play, your team immediately snatches it from the bibs. making its way down the pitch, everyone is quick on their feet, and you run aimless circles trying to get in the way of the others. the ball is passed to Sam, and as he runs towards you, you start asking for the ball; "yeah, Sam, here! pass it!" defenders are on you instantly, all crowding around you as you run towards the goal. instead of passing it to you, however, Sam makes a sudden shoot for the goal, aiming for the corner of the net. his kick is sharp and fast, the ball flying through the air at a rapid pace before crashing straight into the goal. he sprints towards you with his arms open, and you run straight into them to hug him. your team runs up behind you, all crowding around you and jumping up and down as you all celebrate.
"our false nine!" Ted screams across the pitch, "yes, y/n! that's exactly how you do it!" he runs over to you and Sam, giving you both a fist bump. "hey, Jamie, take notes buddy." he says with a delighted smile before strolling back to the side of the pitch, hands deep in the pockets of his khakis. you widen your eyes at Jamie, holding your fingers in an L-shape and bringing it to your forehead, sticking out your tongue again for added effect. it seems he took it to heart, immediately huddling his team together to discuss plays. you and Sam do the same, but decide with your team to just have fun with it and play as well as you can.
with five minutes left before half-time, you're nearly ready to sub someone else in for your position, the exhaustion and cold suddenly hitting you deep in your bones. the game is red hot, everyone running on pure adrenaline. right before making your second goal of the game, you lose the ball to the opposition, but decide to use your last bit of energy to burst to the middle of the pitch, desperate to get that ball back. they pass it to Jamie, and you narrow your eyes as you chase him. technically, it's up to the others to get the ball off him, but as you watch the ball rolling at his feet, your rivalry trumps the way of the game. sprinting as hard as you possibly can, the cold air pulls tears from your eyes as the wind hits you, and you can see your teammates following you in your peripheral; perfect. you push through three powerful strides until you're right on Jamie's heels. using all your force, you slide a foot in front of him, aiming more for his feet than the ball. you trip him up perfectly, and he comes crashing down as the ball rolls ahead of him. whilst you fall to the ground, you see one of your teammates get possession of the ball, immediately passing it back down the pitch.
after landing on the ground on your side, you push yourself up, leaning on your arm to see Jamie lying flat on his back in front of you. his legs are sprawled in front of him, hands coming up to his face and rubbing it in frustration. as he sits up, he smacks the ground, grunting loudly. you throw your head back and cackle as pure adrenaline flows through your veins. whilst catching your breath from your crazy sprint, you force yourself onto your feet, and you stumble over to Jamie with a tired huff, looking down at him with a smug smile. reaching a hand out for him to take, you hear loud cheers and screams erupt behind you, but you don't need to check to know your team scored.
"I win?" you ask Jamie, who squints up at you with one eye shut. he's taking his time to stare at you, so you raise your eyebrows at him in question, and with a deep sigh, he finally lifts up his hand, grabbing yours. you pull him up to his feet, smile smug.
"you win," he sighs, dropping your hand and brushing the grass off his clothes. his face is stone cold, eyes avoiding yours. you move your head to try to catch his gaze, but he quickly turns away from you, walking off the pitch. his shoulders are hunched with his head down, keeping his eyes on the ground as he walks.
"wait, sorry, what was that? I don't think I heard you right," you attempt to tease him, jogging behind him. he ignores you, so you reach a hand up to his shoulder trying to get his attention. Jamie turns to you abruptly, shrugging your hand from his shoulder before catching it and pulling you into his chest. your smile drops in surprise as a smirk appears on his face again, and your breath hitches in your throat as you crash against him. your legs are too tired to hold you up through the slight force of his tug, so he quickly wraps a hand around your waist, holding you close to him. completely taken aback, you don't have it in you to push him away, instead looking up at him with wide, stunned eyes.
Jamie leans down, placing his mouth right beside your ear. his breath fanning your skin makes goosebumps appear, and you struggle to keep breathing at the feeling. "you win, y/n." his voice is sultry and low, and your hand being held against his chest lets you feel the vibrations rumble through him. your knees threaten to buckle, but you dig your studs into the grass beneath you as he lets go of your waist. you're speechless and breathless at the same time, and the feeling of his arm around you leaves your skin tingling. his hand lingers on the hand he's holding for just a beat too long, and you quickly pull it away from him, reaching your hands up to run them through your ponytail awkwardly. "okay. thank you, Jamie," you sputter before turning on your heel and walking off the pitch, hearing your blood pumping through your veins as your legs carry you straight towards Roy.
"just sub someone in for me, I need to- uhm... take a shit?" you say unconvincingly, and Roy bites back a smile as he stares down at you with one eyebrow raised. awaiting his permission, you stick to your guns, popping your hip with a hand on your side as you keep your eyes on his.
"and this shit... is it going to take you until the end of the second half?" he asks you, voice pitching slightly as he holds back his laughter.
"yes, coach." your statement is simple, and you hold your mouth in a straight line.
"alright, you're off the hook. have a good shit." he gives you a curt nod.
"thank you, coach." you nod back before letting your legs carry you inside and straight for the stairs. taking two stairs at once, you fly up them, running for the door to your changing room.
you stumble towards the bench in front of your name and number and let yourself drop down onto it, knees wobbling under your weight. you release the longest breath you can, placing both hands on the edge of the bench beneath you in a poor attempt to ground yourself. your skin feels like it's on fire, and the sudden warmth after being outside for so long makes you start to overheat. you stand up, completely overwhelmed by the adrenaline, pulling your long sleeved top off as fast as you can. you push your sock down, trying to cool your skin as much as possible. your hands fan your face as you huff deep breaths in and out. pacing up and down the room, your mind races with everything Jamie Tartt; the way his hand gripped yours, and the way he held you up with just one arm around your waist, how dark his eyes looked when he caught you checking him out, and especially the way he looked so up close. his tanned skin looked smooth and soft, and the image of his strong fingers between yours makes your vision blur. you catch your bottom lip between your teeth, slowly lowering yourself back to your seat as you picture his face close to yours. your mind begins to drift even furhter, but you don't let it, sitting yourself down again and looking up at the ceiling.
"he's a prick, he's a prick, he's a prick," you repeat quietly over and over, pulling yourself away from the hot spiral your mind is approaching.
"y/n?!" you jump at the sound of Gia's loud voice interrupting your mantra, "Roy said you were shitting..."
"oh my god-" embarrassment hits you like a truck, hands flying up to cover your face.
"fucking hell, y/n. you're, like, bright red and topless... are you okay?"
"yeah, I mean, I don't know if it's the adrenaline or what, but, I don't think I can do any more today," your defeat clear in your weak voice, you drop your hands to your lap and look down at your fingers, pins and needles running through them as you recover from being in the cold.
"ew, okay, go home for today. I'll see you later. just get some rest, yeah?"
you nod quickly, suddenly feeling a confusing nausea kicking in at the sheer memory of how Jamie's hard chest felt against your hand. as you shake the thought from your head, you feel the need to tell Gia: "I wasn't actually shitting, just so you know."
"jesus, y/n," she shakes her head at you, walking towards where you're sitting. she squats down in front of you, placing two hands on your knees and looking at you with caring eyes. "go home and take a nice bath, yeah? relax and calm down... and I just wanna say," her face goes from sweet to serious as she looks directly in your eyes, "the way you played today made me realise what an honour it is to be your captain. I haven't seen you play like that since we were teenagers, y/n. each kick against that ball carried so much talent, and passion, and you were just having so much fucking fun."
you give her a weak, lopsided smile, rolling your eyes. she squeezes your knees before looking down and untying your boots for you; "Gia, you don't have to-"
"anything for my striker," she whispers to you with a wink, "I will literally do anything to keep you enjoying football the way you did today."
"I won't lie to you," you start before dropping your voice to a whisper, "training with Jamie definitely helped."
you aren't proud to admit it, and you aren't trying to give him kudos for that shitty attitude of his, but your constant quarreling added a new fuel to your old fire. even in simple drills, your motivation to win was doubled, and the satisfaction you felt whenever you beat Jamie was almost greater than winning a match -- but you would never admit all that to anybody.
"I can tell," Gia says, raising her eyebrows at you before pushing herself back, "now, get yourself an uber home. I'll see you later."
you do exactly that, getting straight into an uber without even changing out of your training kit. when you get home, you struggle up the stairs, your legs trying their hardest to keep you up. you start running your bath and pull off your muddy clothes, leaving them in a pile on the bathroom tiles. as you light your favourite candle, you stare into the flame. the adrenaline from training has worn off, but despite the exhaustion thrumming deep in your bones, you can still remember exactly how all of your heightened senses felt.
during drills with Roy, every time your kick hit a goal post, your heart soared. even though you used to play that game with Gia all the time when you were in school, something about the way you held your breath as the ball floated through the air made it all the more rewarding. the suspense and the competition made your blood pump faster, Jamie being a key component to that feeling. you even found yourself clapping for him when he made an impressive kick, and he did the same for you. you're physically unable to take that man seriously, and it's clear he doesn't take you that serious either, and maybe that's the secret to keeping the sport so fun, ultimately making you the player Gia needs you to be.
after your bath, your body is entirely relaxed, the weightless feeling of the water bringing a sweet relief to your tired legs. wrapped in your towel, you head down the hallway towards your room. as you pass the stairwell you call a loud "hello?" down to the rest of the house, but there's no answer. with a satisfied smile, you continue into your room, dropping your towel. after grabbing your pyjama bottoms, you throw on a tank top before standing in front of your mirror. you take your time with your skincare as your hair dries, giving yourself some much-needed tlc. whilst staring at your reflection, you can't wipe the smile from your face; all the excitement and energy from today has transformed into pure contentment.
in your slippers, you skip down the stairs, heading straight to the kitchen. thank god for your lazy sunday takeouts, because all it takes is heating up some leftovers for you to have dinner set for the evening. you get comfortable on your small sofa, plate in hand, as you turn the tv on to an old episode of your favourite comfort show. kicking your feet up, you stretch your legs over the other couch cushion, feeling an ache in your muscles similar to those after you've just played a real match. the food warms your bones, and your laughter floods the room even though you could recite this episode from memory if asked to.
walking across the room to the kitchen, you drop your plate in the sink before opening the fridge, bending down as you study what you and Gia have in there. grabbing a cold juice pouch, you laugh at another joke on the television, piercing the straw through the plastic as you head back to the comfy couch. dropping yourself on it, you sigh to yourself, staring at the tv screen as your mind drifts again. a blush creeps up your face as slight embarrassment takes over your thoughts, remembering how Roy saw you checking Jamie out at training. Jamie noticing you doing it was bad, but it's somehow even worse that a third person was just watching it all from above. the genuine smile you saw on Jamie's face was something you didn't think you'd ever get to witness with your own two eyes. when it was just you two mucking about during your practice drills, there were a few moments when his smile wasn't cocky, or at your expense, and he would just look genuinely proud of himself.
car headlights shine through the front window of the house, and you pause your show, leaning your head back against the arm of the couch. you crane your neck back and turn your head to the side, trying to see Gia walking in the door behind you. you hear chatter as she approaches, assuming Isaac is with her, and when she unlocks the door, you were right. behind her is Isaac, and you begin to smile until you see who they've brought home with them.
"what the fuck?" you sputter, quickly sitting up straight and running your hands through your damp loose hair. Jamie saunters in behind Isaac, ignoring you as he slips his trainers off at the door.
"how are you feeling now?" Gia asks sweetly, ignoring your shocked expression at the sight of Jamie Tartt standing in your living room. she drops herself into one of the bean bags across the couch, Isaac sitting on the one next to her.
"I was feeling great until now!" you exclaim, holding a hand out towards Jamie as you look between Gia and Isaac angrily. he's standing at the door with his arms crossed over chest, clearly unsure of what to do.
"Jamie, please come sit down," Gia beckons towards the sofa with a friendly smile, directly contrasting your not-so-welcoming expression.
"uh, where?" he asks, an unfamiliar shyness to his voice.
Gia raises her eyebrows at you, nodding her head towards your spread out legs. you huff and roll your eyes as you fold your legs beneath yourself, sitting criss-cross on the left side of the sofa. without saying anything, Jamie sheepishly walks over to you before sitting on the other cushion. suddenly, you regret ever buying the cozy two-seater, feeling Jamie's broad shoulders brush against yours as you both keep your arms crossed.
"so, we have gathered you all here today to witness the joining of two lives," Isaac says with a serious voice, brows low as usual.
"Roy spoke to us after training today, basically proposing a bit of an idea for the two of you." Gia follows, and your eyes are stern as you flick them between her and Isaac. you're trying your best to look unfazed by Jamie's close proximity to you, but the strong smell of his cologne is making that particularly difficult. it floods your senses, salty and fresh. it's the opposite of what you'd imagined Jamie wearing, but it still suits him. you steal a glance at his man-spreading legs, his black denim jeans tight around his thighs.
Isaac continues; "Roy said that he thinks you two had a lot of fun training together today, and loved watching the flirty little rivalry you've got going on."
"woah!" you shout, holding your hands up in surrender, "we were not flirting."
"yeah, she was checking me out! not the other way around!" Jamie shakes his head and grimaces, pointing an accusatory finger at you.
"I wasn't checking you out," you groan, looking over at him, "you're the one who offered to kiss me!"
he scoffs at you, sitting up straight as he says: "that is not what happened." with raised eyebrows, he looks between Isaac and Gia, now pointing at them too.
"okay, whatever, I don't care who wants to kiss who," Gia interrupts your protests, "we all think that you two should train and practice together outside of regular training. so, instead of going to the gym after trainings, you are going to continue doing drills together on the pitch."
the silence that falls over the room is deafening, you and Jamie matching in expressions as you stare at your captains with your jaws slack.
"train... with him?" you say, utterly appalled by the suggestion.
"instead of the gym? what about my gains? Isaac, come on, you can't be serious," Jamie holds his hands out, acting completely helpless.
"sorry bruv, you can still get your reps in as long as its outside of training hours, but we think you guys can really help each other get motivated and that." Isaac tries to smile at the two of you, bearing his teeth in a wide grin. but when he's met with your bored faces, he's quick to drop the expression.
"the next few games we have are... important, of course, but the stakes aren't too high. after last week's win the women have nothing to worry about, and I mean, the guys seem to be doing just fine, so," Gia rambles, using her hands to emphasise her point. but then she gives up and sighs, eventually dropping her hands in her lap as she slumps her shoulders; "y/n, I haven't seen you play the way you did today in years, and you said it yourself Jamie-"
"stop!" you yelp, interrupting her mid-sentence holding your hands up in front of you as if physically stopping her. while you bite your lip, considering their proposal, you turn your head to look at Jamie and to your surprise, his eyes are already on you. he blinks quickly, looking down at the ground and reaching a hand up to rub his chin. you scan his face, letting your eyes run down his torso before landing on the same place on the ground he seems to be staring at. fingers pulling nervously at the straps of your tank top, you chew on the inside of your cheeks. as you try to picture having to spend any more time alone with Jamie, you start shaking your head side-to-side. your eyes flick back up to Gia, a deep frown now appearing on your face; "no."
in your peripheral, you see Jamie's head snap to the side, eyes burning into the side of your face, but you can't make out his expression. Gia looks at you with a pleading look in her eyes, and Isaac stays silent. you stare at your captain, emotionless, waiting for her to let you off the hook and send Jamie home. instead, he's the first one to say something, huffing at your words.
"pfft, why not?"
"why not? Jamie, you don't want to do this either, right?" you spit out quickly, finally turning to look at him. your eyes meet, and you immediately notice how alert his eyes are, pupils blown wide.
"yeah, I mean, true... but I just don't get why anyone wouldn't wanna spend time with me." he scoffs.
"jesus christ, Jamie," you roll your eyes at him, leaning back against the sofa and crossing your arms again. Isaac and Gia mirror you, both rolling their eyes at Jamie's narcissistic comment.
"listen, if I were getting paid to play football with a woman that would be a whole different story, but I'm not, so." with a shrug, he draws his mouth into a straight line.
"Jamie, your whole job is playing for Richmond," Isaac starts, "you get paid to train... what's the difference if you're training on your own or with y/n?" Isaac takes his explanation slow, squinting at Jamie as he does so.
"it's different 'cus..." Jamie replies, confident at first before his voice falters, his eyes darting around the room thinking of a valid reason. you stare at him expectantly, genuinely curious about what he'll come up with next, but he trails off, staying silent.
"oh! let me guess Jamie, it's because you're not into all that feminist shit, is that it? or is it because I won today? because I beat you, and you're too fucking insecure and egotistical to admit that sometimes you're not the only person out on that pitch who wants to win. how embarrassing for you," you say, standing up from where you're sitting and walking over to the kitchen in a huff. you keep your back turned to everyone as you stand at the sink, turning on the tap and running the water over your hands just so it looks like you're there with a purpose. the air is heavy as long seconds pass, and you're not sure exactly how long the room stays silent for.
"right," Jamie eventually sighs, slapping his hands on his thighs before pushing himself up from the sofa, "I'll be off then." you turn to face the room again, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"Jamie, wait," Gia tries, but he holds a hand up to her as he pouts with a shake of his head, moving towards the door and slipping his trainers on.
"I'll give you a lift," Isaac mutters, struggling his way out of the beanbag before following Jamie out of the front door, still in his slippers.
hands still gripping the counter, you stare down at your feet, growing more and more embarrassed by your jab at Jamie.
"y/n, what the fuck?" Gia snaps as soon as the door clicks shut.
okay, maybe you're not just embarrassed, but actually regretful. you hear Isaac's car rumble to life in the driveway, and you can feel Gia's eyes burn into you. you're suddenly too shy to look up at her, feeling your cheeks turn hot.
"you literally told me you had fun with Jamie! what was that all about?" she first sounds confused before fading into a more concerned tone. the care in her voice makes you look up at her slowly. pushing yourself away from the counter, you lift a hand up to rub your tired eyes before pinching the bridge of your nose.
"I know," you sigh deeply, "I just don't want him to know that." the corner of your lips quirks up for a split second, but no real smile breaks through.
Gia sighs too, letting go of her frustrations and moving over to the sofa and sitting down where Jamie had previously been. she stares at you, a knowing look in her eyes, before patting the space beside her. you look away from her briefly, eyes glancing at the television, which is still showing the paused image of your abandoned tv show. shuffling towards her, she opens her arms for you, and when you sit down on the couch you lean into her. letting out a deep breath, your mind flashes with thoughts of Jamie for what feels like the hundredth time today; his strong fingers between yours, how big his hand felt around your waist, the goosebumps on his neck as he watched the coin flip. your eyes flutter as you imagine his lips, how soft they looked despite the cold air, and the sound of his voice close to your ear. whenever you found yourself close to him, shoulder-to-shoulder on both the pitch and the couch, he always felt so warm. he radiates heat and electricity, your blood running hot even just thinking about him.
whether that's in a good way or a bad way, you're not too sure.
"you don't fancy him, do you?"
"oh my god, Gia, no!" you laugh at her question, slapping her leg playfully.
"awe," she coos, "that's a shame. because I kinda think he has a bit of a thing for you."
you shoot up, leaning as far away from her as possible as if it would remove you from that thought completely. you stare at her with your eyebrows arched, a mix of shock and queasiness pitting in your stomach.
"wh- oh my god, ew," you shake your head, eyes darting around the room at a rapid pace as you consider her words, blinking fast, "why would you even think that?"
"I can see the way he looks at you, y/n. anyone can see he at least wants to shag you," Gia shrugs as if what she's saying doesn't absolutely repulse you. "what?" she asks you with a chuckle when you just stare at her blankly, "I bet you calling him insecure made him violently hard, and that's why he left so fast."
an unhinged laugh bursts out of your mouth at that, a hand flying up to cover it; "violently?! jesus christ... are you trying to set me up with the whole club?" you both laugh together, the tension in the air dissipating as you continue joking about the idea.
"I mean, Jamie is physically fit, yeah," you explain to her, "and who wouldn't wanna say they've slept with a famous footballer?"
"exactly! why do you think I'm with Isaac?" both of you chuckle before you continue, "but I just don't think us spending any more time together would do anyone any good. today was great and it was exhilarating and fun, but honestly, I think the bickering will only lead to worse. I don't trust him."
"you really think so?" Gia's eyes turn soft as she sounds hopeful in her question, "I know he was rude to you at the restaurant, but like... just think about it, y/n, please? for me and Isaac? things have been so stagnant in our teams- good, but stagnant, and I really think it would look good for the coaches if we can get you two on board with this."
you stare into her pleading eyes, completely understanding why she's asking this from you.
when you all elected Gia captain, she was the happiest you'd ever seen her. all weekend you heard her on the phone to every family member and friend she could reach, sharing her good news. at every training, she absolutely glows, and her eyes still sparkle when anyone casually calls her 'captain'. being able to share her passion for football through her role in the team even multiplied when her and Isaac started going out, and you really wish you still had the same spark for the sport. but spending one-on-one time with Jamie Tartt of all people? if he was literally any nicer to you, it would be an honour to train with someone you admire so much. but now that you know him just that little bit more, enduring any more frustration and anger-inducing strops from him would drain you more than the actual training.
"you never know, maybe he could surprise you," Gia suggests, almost reading your mind.
"he's nice to look at Gia, not nice to talk to." you sigh.
"I don't know about that, y/n, Isaac wouldn't be friends with him if he hadn't cleaned his act up."
"but he hasn't cleaned anything up with me. it really seems like he's just got something against me personally," you hang your head as you nervously fidget with your fingers. what Jamie said at Ola's got to you more than you'd care to admit, even to your best friend.
"give him a second chance, y/n. who knows? it might be fun."
when you lie down in bed that night, you try to distract your mind with seemingly endless tiktoks, but your brain feels too busy, even just to doom scroll. you place your phone on your bedside table, turning over and hugging the soft duvet closer to your chest. your mind races back and forth, the word 'fun' running circles through it. there's nothing fun about being disrespected by someone you once admired, but the thought of being able to shamelessly annoy that same person does sound quite enjoyable. you wouldn't mind getting the excuse to stare at his impressive build some more, that sounds quite fun, but your stomach cramps at the memory of Jamie catching you multiple times. he caught you staring at his arms, his shoulders, his lips. you feel like a mess, head dizzying at the mixed messages you're sending yourself.
after some deep breaths and counting an absurd amount of sheep, you finally manage to meet sleep, but when you wake up early the next morning, deep exhaustion still hits you. you turn your alarm as fast as you can and yawn so wide your ears pop, groaning to yourself as you dangle your legs off the bed. the cold morning air hits your body as you further climb out of the duvet, and you groan as pain sets into your muscles. "fucking hell," you mutter to yourself, not expecting the first minutes of the day to be so strenuous already. dragging yourself from the bed, you shuffle towards your bedroom window, squinting as you pull the curtains open. the sky is overcast, but still bright, despite the autumn sun having only just risen. you lean your forehead against the window, hoping the slight condensation forces your body awake, but it isn't the glass which shocks you into being alert, it's Jamie standing outside talking to Isaac.
———
-> part 3.
-> masterlist
yaaay part two! finally! i can't wait for the all the juicy shit coming up! i hope you enjoyed reading, i'm always open for any and all feedback AND REQUESTS! <3
