Take Her On

Chapter Twenty-Three

Maya

The university’s pitches were quiet, except for the distant rumbling of cars in the distance. Maya bent her knees, keeping her focus on the ball by Jamie’s feet. Jamie took a few steps backwards, blew out a breath, then smacked her laces through the ball, curling it towards the top corner.

Maya pushed against the floor and leaped up. But the speed of the ball made her duck her hands out of the way, and it rippled the back of the net.

Jamie laughed. “I think you should stick to being a defender.”

“Noted.” She picked the ball out of the back of the net and passed it to her. “Anyone’d think you were trying to take my head off with those shots.”

“You could stop them if you didn’t duck last minute.” She took aim, then drilled the ball hard into the bottom corner.

Maya didn’t even attempt to save it. She collected the ball again with a sigh. “This is Megan’s job, not mine.”

“Good job too, or we’d be at the bottom of the league.”

She volleyed the ball at Jamie, and it bounced off her arm. “If you ducked last minute, you could’ve stopped that.” She laughed and then let out a child-like scream as Jamie charged towards her. She fought off her attempts to tickle her and ran across the pitch, Jamie in hot pursuit.

Then she heard a cry from behind her. “A-a-h! My ankle!”

Oh shit.

She spun round, ready to assess the damage, but Jamie seized her in her grip, a huge grin on her face.

“That’s cheating!” She squirmed and chuckled as Jamie dug her fingers in her ribs. “How dare you use my compassion against me.”

They fought for a little while more, until Maya remembered what she could use against her. She grabbed her arse and pulled her towards her, locking them in a kiss. Jamie’s hands forgot their torturous tickling and gripped her waist.

Maya felt her smile into the kiss, and Jamie pulled back. “And now you’re using your womanly wiles against me. Fair play.”

“Works every time.” She threaded her fingers through Jamie’s, and they collected their things to begin making their way back to the changing rooms.

Now that exams were finished, she and Jamie had been coming out to the field after classes to practise some drills. Jamie had pleaded with Maya to help her get back to fitness, and Maya had taken it as an opportunity to practise her strength and conditioning coaching. Her injury had been a worry, but witnessing her powerful strikes today had given Maya hope. Still, the thought of the Harriers’ game next week brought a knot to her stomach.

Every mention of that particular game put Jamie in a strange mood, so Maya had stopped bringing it up.

“You heard back from any jobs yet?” Jamie asked.

Maya had finally bitten the bullet and applied for a handful of graduate jobs—with some pushing from Jamie and Coach. Coach put in some references for a couple of assistant strength and conditioning positions, one at the Millton City women’s football team and one at the men’s. Maya had never been very good at talking up her strengths for this sort of thing, but Hannah had helped her with her application—Jamie, too.

“I haven’t heard anything yet, but it’s only been a couple of weeks.” She didn’t want to get too ahead of herself. If her placement year was anything to go by, the positions were limited and the applications overwhelming. The chances of her getting in were about the same as her mother packing in her job to become a goalkeeper. She’d most likely graduate with nothing lined up, and that made her feel more than a little nauseous.

Thinking about the future made her head spin. There was too much to consider, so she quickly changed the conversation. “You got any plans for tonight?”

Jamie flicked the ball by her feet into the air and caught it, tucking it under her arm. “The Morley twins are out at their craft club tonight, so…I have my place to myself.”

“Mmm, is that so? Sounds like there’s a question in there somewhere.”

One side of Jamie’s mouth lifted in a cheeky smile. “I guess that does mean we could be as loud as we wanted and not have to worry.”

“I do get loud when I play Mario Kart, that’s true.”

She could feel Jamie’s gaze on her but tried to keep a straight face.

“Mario Kart? Is that some sort of euphemism?”

“I don’t know. You tell me, Miss English Lit.”

They pushed through the doors into the corridor, immediately feeling the benefits of the overhead heating.

Jamie shook her head. “I dunno. Maybe if we talk about getting…serviced…at a pit stop?” She burst out laughing. “It’s not exactly the sexiest dirty talk I’ve had, though.”

“Something about oil, maybe?”

Jamie slid her hand around Maya’s waist and pressed her up against the wall with a thud. She bit back a gasp, grasping at Jamie’s T-shirt with her fingers.

“No,” Jamie whispered. “I know you like it when I’m a bit more direct about things.” She kissed Maya hard, her lips bruising as she pushed her further into the wall. Jamie’s knee lifted between her legs, and she couldn’t stop the groan from leaving her mouth.

Jamie pulled back, breaking the kiss, and leaned closer to her ear. The pressure between Maya’s legs kept her pinned in place. “So how about we go back to mine, and I can put my new strap to some good use? You know I’ve been desperate to use it on you ever since it arrived.”

“Will you be alright…with your injury and everything?”

“It’s just my ankle. All the important parts still work.”

Maya gulped, feeling herself pulse. “Yep. Come on. Let’s go do that.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Fuck. Yes, please.

“Next time you should bring it to practice,” Maya teased, looking into Jamie’s blue eyes and catching the curious glint there. “We’ve got the changing rooms all to ourselves now. Think of how loud we could be…”

“An emergency strap?” Jamie grinned. “I like it.”

She kissed Maya again, pushing her through the swinging door and into the changing room. The dim light cast eerie shadows, and a shiver ran down her spine. Something soft and unfamiliar brushed against the top of her head, and she stopped dead in her tracks. The lights flickered on, revealing a chaotic scene. Toilet paper covered every surface, dipping in big sunken arches from the ceiling.

“What the fuck?” Maya’s adrenaline quickly turned to anger. She tore at the paper with her hands, the flimsy material ripping easily and cascading to the floor. She spotted something on the mirror and pulled at the mess, making a pathway to see what it was.

A message scrawled in red lipstick.

This is to help clean up your shit excuse of a team. Shame there’s not enough for Jamie too. Some stains can’t be removed.

A cold shudder ran up Maya’s neck. The fucking Harriers. It had to be. How did they get in? And what was this Stephen King mirror-writing bullshit?

She spun to face Jamie. “What is wrong with these people? What does that even mean?” A few days ago, Noodle had sent screenshots of the Harriers’ social media, full of these cryptic posts and trash talk. Then they’d received a delivery from a bakery with “Traitor Pie” scribbled over the top in biro. The woman at reception had taken it home.

Maya ripped more paper from the ceiling. “Who let them in?” Anger bubbled in her chest, threatening to spill over. “Do you think we should tell Coach about this?”

“That’s what they want.” Jamie joined her, tearing down the toilet paper.

“But they can’t do this—”

“No, Maya. We can’t.”

Jamie’s stern tone surprised her.

“Well, they’re not getting into my head.” She pointed a finger at Jamie. “Don’t let them into yours.”

“They’re not.” But her body language told a different story. It had been the same for weeks now, whenever the game was mentioned. There was no doubt the Harriers were their biggest rivals of the season, and in order to win the league, Millton had to beat them. Jamie being fit enough to play was pivotal in that. They needed their top scorer, and Maya had no shame in admitting it, but the reality of facing Jamie’s old teammates seemed to come with a price.

Jamie collected the sheets off the floor, scrunching them into a ball with a sigh. There was no hiding how important this game was. Scouts for local teams paid attention to big games like these, and Jamie could secure a contract. Even though playing professionally wasn’t Maya’s goal, winning the title with this group of friends she adored was her dream. Ending her competitive career by beating the Harriers was all she’d thought about for years, but she didn’t want to put pressure on Jamie. She just wanted her to be okay.

“Hey. Don’t let it get to you.” When Jamie didn’t look at her, she wrapped an arm around her waist. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. It’s fine. Let’s just get this cleaned up.”

They worked without really speaking until they’d tugged down the last piece of toilet roll and thrown it in the bin. All the earlier sexual tension too, had been lost. Maya didn’t know what to do to make things better. Then Jamie broke the silence.

“Shall I take you home?”

I guess that’s it then.

They didn’t speak on the drive home, either. Jamie didn’t even choose a playlist—she just let the radio play. When they pulled up, Maya turned to Jamie.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Maya sighed, feeling torn. She reached out and took Jamie’s hand in hers, but Jamie wouldn’t look at her, and even her hand felt lifeless. She’d been working so hard to get to match fitness. It pained Maya to see her like this.

“Jamie. What is it?” she asked softly.

Jamie didn’t reply. In the yellow light of the streetlight, she looked so…sad. A terrible feeling mustered in Maya’s stomach, weighting her in place. Then Jamie spoke.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What? Why?”

Jamie’s response was sharp and final. “I just…can’t right now, Maya. Leave it.”

Maya swallowed, caught a little off guard. She hated pushing Jamie, but this unspoken tension was eating away at them.

That’s what worried her most.

After the way their relationship had grown, the last thing she wanted was the Harriers getting between them again. She knew rivalries could get out of hand more than anyone, but why did this situation feel like more than that?

Jamie’s secrecy had started to plant doubts in her mind. What could have happened that would’ve been so bad? An ex on the team, maybe? Did they hurt her? Did Jamie regret leaving?

Does she regret us?

But getting inside their heads was what the Harriers wanted, so Maya tried to push her thoughts aside.

She brushed her thumb over Jamie’s hand. “Are you going to see your parents for a little bit?”

“God, no. I think I’ll just go home.”

It was strange, Maya realised, how little she actually knew about Jamie’s parents. Since they’d come round for dinner all those months ago, Jamie had never really mentioned them. Was that because of Maya? Maya herself had not been shy about keeping their relationship on the downlow. Maybe she was giving Jamie the wrong messages.

“You could always come in,” she heard herself say.

Jamie glanced at her, eyebrows arching. “What, really? ”

Yes, Maya, are you sure about that?

Properly introducing Jamie to her grandparents made her intestines tie themselves into knots. It was a big step, with a lot of implications.

Her family had always known Carly from when they were kids. Maya had never introduced them to anyone she was dating before. It was new territory.

But she wanted to prove to Jamie she was serious about their relationship, and that she could trust her. She wanted to do this. But was she ready?

Jamie’s sad little eyes looked back at her, and her heart squeezed.

Maya exhaled. “Yes. If you want to come in, that is. But no pressure.”

Jamie smiled, and the sight loosened the tension in her chest. “I’d love to.”

Maya was expecting Grandma to be waiting inside watching the soaps or pressing her nose to the window, but the house was quiet and dark.

Jamie removed her Nike trainers and lined them up beside hers. The quietness only emphasised the sound of her own heartbeat. Why was this so damn scary?

“I…uh, my grandpa. We should see if he’s okay.” She led the way up the stairs, and Jamie followed.

Maya knocked softly and pushed the door open. Grandpa looked up from the TV, the light flickering across his features. A smile stretched across his face.

“Hey, kid,” he greeted.

“Hey, Grandpa. Where’s Grandma at? ”

“She, uh, sent one of those…emails.”

An email?

No wonder Maya hadn’t read it. She couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling in her throat. Grandma thought emails and texts were the same thing. It was surprising that old people could still function in this century at all. She hovered in the doorway, suddenly feeling very unsure.

Grandpa’s attention moved behind her. “And who you smugglin’ in there?” His words were a little slow and slurred, but he was making good progress with his rehabilitation, despite still spending most of his time in bed.

“Grandpa, this is Jamie. She’s…”

Shit. They still hadn’t spoken about the title of their relationship. Maya had no idea if they were dating or not. She couldn’t call her a friend—that would be absurd—but she didn’t want to freak Jamie out, not with everything else that was going on. “She’s…special to me.”

She cringed as the words left her lips, but Grandpa smiled. “You best come in then,” he said. “Sorry ’bout the mess. My cleaner is a big-time football star.”

Maya blushed. She’d only cleaned his room for him yesterday, but there was a fresh spill on the carpet by his feet. Jamie was letting her gaze wander, taking in the surroundings. Maya wished she knew what she was thinking.

She scratched her neck. “Where’s Grandma, then?”

“Tourin’ with the Beatles…last I heard. ”

Maya smiled. She loved days where Grandpa cracked jokes, even if they seemed to confuse people.

“The Beatles?” Jamie asked.

God, her confused face is so cute.

Grandpa nodded. “Aye.”

“He’s pulling your leg,” Maya said, shaking her head. “Where is she really?”

He chuckled deep in his chest. “Next door.”

Maya nodded, forcing herself to relax a bit. This wasn’t so bad. Grandpa was laughing. Grandma and Mrs Mcpherson were probably watching the soaps together. And Jamie was here, admiring the strange elephant lamp that used to frighten Maya when she was younger.

“I’m assuming this is…this is…” Grandpa’s brows knitted together, and he let out a frustrated sound, squeezing the blanket resting on his lap.

That helpless feeling swelled in Maya again. But all she could do was wait. Jamie was patient too, and she softened seeing the two of them occupying the same space.

“Would you like a drink, Grandpa?” She offered him his cup and straw from the table, and he took a few small sips. Afterwards, silence reigned as they waited for Grandpa to continue.

“You sneaked in.”

Heat flushed up Maya’s neck. Was he talking about when she was ill and Jamie snuck out the window? She opened her mouth to try explain it away, but Grandpa chuckled again. The sound fuelled a collection of memories deep in Maya’s brain. Grandpa and Grandma laughing in the kitchen. Grandpa teasing Mum and winking at Maya afterwards. Grandpa coming home from a fishing trip, smiling wide and telling them all about his catches.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I could…tell ya lots of things.” He laughed again. “Me and Grandma used to get up to all sorts—”

“Grandpa!”

Jamie and Maya shared a look, and they all cracked out laughing. Grandpa held up shaky hands in defeat, and the sound of Del and Rodney filtered in from the TV.

“Ah, I love this show,” Jamie said. “I used to watch it with my uncle.”

“Great taste.” Grandpa motioned for her to take a seat in the armchair beside him.

“Have you seen the one where the bus blows up and they end up in the creepy guest-house?”

“Of course. Top three fo’ me.”

“Top one! Has to be.”

They started a debate—a slow one, but a debate nonetheless—about the top ten Only Fools and Horses episodes. Warmth blossomed in Maya’s chest, spreading to the tips of her fingers. Seeing them together fused pieces of her heart she hadn’t even known were broken. She dipped out of the room to make drinks for everyone, the sounds of their combined voices stirring a feeling inside her she couldn’t quite describe.

Happiness? It felt stronger than that .

But she wasn’t ready to address the conflicting voices whispering in the back of her head. What isn’t Jamie telling me? She didn’t want to overreact, but her belly tightened at the question. Focusing on the happy-sunshine feeling instead, she pushed the thoughts away, to find the space filled with another word that she immediately rejected.

Because to say she loved Jamie Mellor would mean the most dramatic change of all.

Maya definitely wasn’t ready for that.