43. Lockheart
LOCKHEART
The locker room chatter is like white noise to me at this point in my career.
Everyone knows how I like to start my games, and tonight is no exception.
I take one last look at my team and close my eyes, lower my head, and place the towel over it.
My gloves are on, my game face is set, and I let my mind clear and focus on what needs to be done tonight.
I want a clean sheet. After the last game, I need to repent.
Make up for my mistakes. God knows the fans deserve the win from us today.
I don’t want to fail, not tonight, not when there’s so much riding on this game.
Our defence has been on fire this season.
Charlie is one hell of a captain. And I know Jaxson and Antony will do their best to get the ball at the feet of our striker, Luis Ramos.
Once that happens, there’ll be no stopping the shots he’ll fire at the opposing goalie.
So all I need to do is focus on the game and watch as this team helps me secure the greatest win of all time—the ultimate proposal.
The fact it’s against Highgate is an added bonus.
I take a few deep breaths and visualise the end goal. The big screen showing three-nil to us and Nico smiling and nodding at me, finally offering me the answer I’ve been desperate to get from her. I have to manifest it, put it out into the universe, and pray to God that the universe sees it.
The crowd roars as Luis gets the ball. Watching him is like watching magic happen.
He reads the game beautifully and instinctively knows where to be at the right time.
He slides past a defender, pulls his leg back and shoots.
The ball soars into the back of the net and I thank everyone that I’m not on the opposing end of those shots of his.
I train my eyes on the crowd, managing to pinpoint the outside seats of the executive box I know Nico and Lucky are sitting in. I can’t see them, but I look in their direction anyway as Luis runs to the corner flag and celebrates.
The big screen shows a replay of the play and I wait for it to zoom in on him and his celebration.
I chuckle when it comes on, his shirt lifted showing his abs and with a wink to the camera, he jogs back to position.
I pump my fist into the air and clap my hands, shouting at the guys to get ready, suddenly pumped with adrenaline and excitement over what’s about to happen after time runs out rather than what the end of the game results are.
Another shot on target has me jumping and cheering as this time Brady runs to the exact spot that Luis went to with his hands forming a heart—his signature celebration for Edie.
A couple fans call my name from behind the goal, and when I turn to look at them the roaring cheer coming from them settles in my veins and I cheer back. We’re doing it.
We just need one more. One more goal and we’ve not only beaten them but we’ve proved a point. We’re back this season, bigger and better than ever. Come on boys. I jump up and down a few times, the ball nowhere near my own half and watch as the plays run out.
The ball dances between Marcello and Brady before Jaxson sends it flying straight down the middle to land precisely at Ramos’s feet.
He glides through the defence, almost like he’s floating on air, and takes a shot.
The keeper saves it, but the rebound places it at Marcello's feet.
He blasts the ball behind the keeper and into the back of the net.
The roar from the crowd behind me is deafening, but not as much as the pounding from my heart in my ears.
I stand and fix my gaze at the seats. Charlie runs over to the exact same spot, Antony jumps on his back and happiness oozes through me.
It’s all going to plan. We can celebrate and be as mad with it as we want and no one will think it’s out of place.
We’ve just beaten our rivals three nil, secured our places in the hearts of our fans and shut down any chat about our team being out of sync.
I place my hands into a praying pose and blow a kiss toward the stands, knowing Nico and Lucky are seeing this all unfold, watching the magic of football happen and I hope they’re enjoying it.
Because the next step is going to knock Nico’s socks off.