Chapter 16
Callum
The locker room is bursting at the seams. Music is blasting from the speakers, and footballers are dancing and singing, jumping around to celebrate our victory. And because I’m the scorer, I get plenty of slaps on the back, on my face, and on my butt. Lucky me.
I shoulder my way toward my stall, dodging more high fives until I can finally sit down and release a long breath.
“Oh, come on, Grumpy,” Finn scolds me, hands propped on his waist. “It was a good match. You should be happy.”
“I am happy,” I mutter, tugging off my boots. “I just don’t express it by jumping like a lunatic and singing off-key, that’s all. But yeah, it was a good match.”
The volume of the room drops, and the entire team turns toward the entrance before erupting into another round of hollers and whistles.
I frown, twisting to see what the fuss is about, but her laugh hits me first. Millie’s striding into the locker room, filming the aftermath of our victory. For a second, I’m tempted to get up there and sing with the guys for Millie, but I quickly chase away that disturbing thought.
She walks toward our group, lowering her phone. “Sorry, just a quick post-game video. Then I’ll let you celebrate, and, um,” she says, her eyes trailing over my body, “get changed in peace.”
I nod. “That’s fine.”
She starts filming again, and Finn—of course—hams it up with a mock-serious post-match interview. Why is Millie even interviewing him? I was the scorer tonight.
Once he finishes, she thanks him and starts backing away. “I’m going to film over there, but I’ll see you later?”
My head whips up.
See him later?
Finn must sense something, because he turns to me and says, “To Archie’s. She came last time, and I guess she’s down for an encore. Obviously, I won’t ask you again. Getting turned down really hurts my ego.”
“What’s that about your ego?” Archie chimes in, slinging an arm around Finn’s shoulders. “Inflated? Yeah, I’d say so.”
Finn shoves him away, but Archie just cackles.
“I’m coming,” I say flatly to Archie. “To your place, after the game.”
The two share a knowing look, then drill me with a stare.
“Why?” Archie asks, his eyes narrowed. “You never come.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You lot whine about me not coming, and now you’re suspicious when I do?”
Finn shares another look with Archie. “Well… yeah,” he says. “‘Cause you never come.”
I grab my towel and stand up, stripping off my shirt. “Don’t make me regret it.”
As I walk away, I can still hear them whispering about how weird it is, but I don’t care. I had a good match. I scored tonight. Why wouldn't I want to celebrate a bit?
After hitting the showers and changing into a fresh set of clothes, I make my way to Archie’s luxurious residence. With the shortcut he gave me, I’m here in five minutes with no traffic. I knock on the door, and Millie answers with her signature smile.
“Hey, you came!”
My heart booms in my chest like a prat, and I order it to settle down. “Um, yeah. You know they keep badgering me to come, and it was a good night for me,” I say a bit too quickly. Why am I justifying myself? These are my mates, after all.
“Yeah, you did. That was a great goal you scored.”
I grin before I can stop myself. “Thanks.”
We just stand there for a beat, staring at each other. I don’t know what she sees, but I notice her skin. Smooth. Warm. Kind of… velvety. Not that I’d know what velvet actually feels like.
She clears her throat and steps aside. “So, want to come in?”
“Right, yeah.” I run a hand through my hair and follow her inside. Everyone except Fallon is here, and I wonder how they all made it to Archie’s place before me. I guess I did take a while in the shower, but I needed to clear my head.
“No Fallon?” I ask, my eyebrows pulling together. I assumed she’d be here.
“Not after evening games,” Cameron explains, picking at the couch’s upholstery.
“You know how my sister loves her routine,” Finn adds. “She’s not fond of staying up late.”
“But we’ve got you tonight.” Wade raises his glass for a toast. “So we’re not getting the short hand of the stick.”
Cameron rolls his eyes and mutters, “I beg to differ.”
Archie tosses a crisp in the air and catches it, shooting Millie a goofy smile. “So, how did you like watching from the sidelines, Millie? Pretty fun, huh?”
Her face lights up. “I loved it. It’s much more intense and exciting than up in the stands. You feel everything, as if you were right there on the pitch.”
“Not everything, I assure you,” Finn says, massaging his ankle, and we all chuckle.
Millie nods. “I was talking with the med team earlier, and I honestly don’t know how you guys manage to keep going. The toll on your bodies is—”
Archie groans and flops back on the couch. “Stop. You’re making me tired just thinking about it.”
“Oh, shut it. You barely had anything to do today, you glorified statue,” Finn says with a snort.
“Yeah.” I grin. “I did all the work for you.”
Archie breaks into a laugh. “Sure, sure. Let’s just remove me from the cage, then, shall we? We’ll see how that goes.”
“Callum’s got a point,” Finn continues. “Did you even touch the ball tonight?”
Archie flips him the bird.
I lift my glass. “Hey, don’t act like I didn’t do your job too.” I nod at Finn. “And yours,” I add to Wade. “Who scored tonight?”
They both burst out laughing.
“Right, sure,” Finn says. “This lad is delusional. One man team, eh?”
“Maybe. But who kicked that corner?” Wade counters, giving me a pointed look. “I’ll give you this, though—you had a great game. Where did that fire come from?”
I shrug. “It’s nothing special. I always play like that.”
Another fit of chuckles and more teasing are thrown my way, but I’m more focused on Millie and the melodic sound of her addictive laughter. Having her so close during the game did fire me up. It’s as though I could feel her energy, her excitement. I wanted to give her a good show.
“By the way,” she says to the group, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Do you guys understand Francois’s speeches? I mean, his analogy was a little hard to follow, right?”
“Oh, no,” Finn says. “We really don’t. Sometimes the drawings help.”
Cameron winces. “Or make it worse.”
Archie nearly chokes. “Remember when he drew a horse, and we all thought it was a dog? He had to erase it and start over.”
“Or the croissant one,” Cameron blurts out.
Laughter bubbles up again, the kind of side-gripping, breathless laughter that fills the room. Finn’s actually crying, thumping a hand on the table. “That was the best one. I wish you could’ve filmed it, Millie. I’d pay to play that back—”
Three loud knocks on the door interrupt him.
“Did Fallon decide to show?” Cameron asks, standing up. “Um, I’ll get it.”
But he’s back seconds later, a strange look on his face as he walks up to Archie. “It’s your neighbour.”
Archie’s smile falls. “Brilliant.” He pushes off the armrest. “I’ll be right back. Wish me luck.”
“Oh, boy.” Finn winces. “Here we go again.”
I frown. “What’s going on? Who’s his neighbour?”
“Some doctor chick,” Finn says, flopping back into his seat. “She’s insufferable. Always complaining about the noise, the bins being left open, Archie using the gym.”
“You’ve really never heard Archie go on about her?” Cameron asks, surprised.
I shrug. “He says a lot of things. Can’t listen to all of it.”
“Well, it is kind of late,” Millie says, checking her phone. “Maybe we should quiet down.”
Cameron shakes his head. “These flats have triple-insulated walls. No way she actually heard us. Besides, it’s like this after every match. Even the afternoon games.”
“Maybe she just has to wake up early,” Roxy chimes in. “I’ve said it before. If she’s a doctor, her schedule is different than most.”
“Yeah, but we’re not exactly throwing a rave here,” Finn says, rubbing the back of his buzz cut. “We’re just talking. Laughing a bit.”
“And slamming your hand on the coffee table like a lunatic,” I deadpan.
He grimaces. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
Raised voices echo from the hallway, and Finn stands up. “I should go apologise.”
But before he gets the chance, Archie reappears, looking like he’s aged ten years. “This woman,” he groans, flopping onto the couch. “What a nightmare.”
Finn scratches his head. “Sorry, mate. That was me. I banged the table. I’m an idiot. Like Millie said, it is a bit late.”
Archie waves him off. “She probably loved having an excuse to storm over and rant. Her favourite hobby—right after lecturing me about hygiene standards in the shared gym.”
Millie opens her mouth, but Archie holds up a hand. “Please. Don’t ask. She’s a pain in my backside. Let’s leave it at that.”
He glances toward the door. “But we should keep it down. She’s in a particularly sour mood. Who knows what she’ll do next?”
“Maybe we should call it a night,” Roxy suggests, glancing at Wade, who nods in agreement.
“Yeah, last thing we need is for her to call the cops or something,” Archie mumbles.
I snort. “I can already imagine the headlines. ‘Party Animal Footballers Disrupt Peace in Luxury Central London Residence.’”
The room erupts into a fit of suppressed laughter.
“Probably pretty accurate,” Finn says, standing up. “All right, then. I’ll see you lot on Tuesday.”
Standing up, we trade goodbyes, and Finn and Archie do that ridiculous secret handshake. We all make our way out of the apartment, down the lift, and into the underground garage.
Everyone heads straight to their cars, but I linger next to Millie.
“Um, do you want a lift home?”
She spins to face me, a faint blush coating her cheeks. “Oh, that’s very nice of you, but I just bought my car this morning.”
“Right enough, I forgot. How do you like it?”
She fidgets with her purse strap. “It’s fine.”
I frown. “You don’t seem very convinced.”
“Well, here it is,” she says, pointing to a black car parked at the far end of the garage. I barely see it because it’s so small. And dark.
“Wow,” I say as we approach. “It’s tiny. I don’t even think I’d fit in there.”
She winces. “Probably not. Works for me, though.”
“And here I thought you’d show up with a pink Barbie car or something. I’m surprised you went for a classic black.”
She shrugs. “I had my eyes set on a bright yellow car with daisy decals, but my dad insisted this was a more reliable option. And, well, I know nothing about cars, so…”
While a bright yellow car would have been the perfect fit for her, I do agree that safety comes first.
“Anyway,” she says, resting a hand on the roof. “Have a good night, Callum. See you on Tuesday.”
I nod. “Yeah, you too.”
“Oh, and say hi to my boy Fergie, will you?”
Turning around, I roll my eyes. “You love him as much as he loves you, eh?”
Her eyes sparkle. “Maybe. When’s your next away game?”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Wednesday.”
“Great. Then it’s a date.” She winks, slipping into her doll-sized car.
My stupid stomach flips at that word—or maybe it’s the fact that I suddenly wish I could be the one staying home on Wednesday night.