Chapter Thirty
Maya
Jamie grumbled as her alarm burst into life, reaching a clumsy arm to switch it off. Maya had already been awake for about an hour or so, her mind working overtime, watching the shadows move across the bed.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” She opened up her arm and, needing no more encouragement, Jamie snuggled into her, laying her head on her chest, and looping her leg over her torso. Maya’s eyes combed over her glorious, naked skin. Those white, muscular thighs. Lord, how I worship those thighs . She knew she’d been the one to suggest no sex before the big game, but this woman did not make that easy in the slightest.
Jamie tightened her grip around her and let out a sigh. She was always so soft and cuddly in the morning. “How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Not bad,” Maya answered honestly. Unlike last time, when she’d stayed awake tossing and turning most of the night, she felt nicely rested, despite waking up before their alarm. “What ’bout you?”
“Sleepy.” Jamie let her hands drift over Maya’s body and across her stomach, before shifting her head to place soft kisses on her bare chest. Her teeth grazed her nipple, and Maya’s whole body reacted.
She slapped her thigh. “No sex before the big game. Captain’s orders.”
Jamie grumbled, pouting, but Maya rolled her over to kiss her neck, grinning when she squealed underneath her.
“You have to rest those legs,” she murmured. “Goals scored will be rewarded in full.”
That perked Jamie up.
They had the whole morning to endure first as they attended the last of their lectures and seminars. They’d already finished the curriculum, and so the time was spent revising for their summer exams or practising papers. Not the most distracting of mornings, but it beat waiting at home.
When the time to leave finally rolled round, they boarded the minibus, ready to take them to the Harriers’ campus. The team seemed in good spirits, the sun was shining overhead, and Gareth, their driver, supplied a great mix of tunes to get them singing along.
The atmosphere in the bus changed when they pulled up at the Harrowsmith University entrance an hour later. Nerves wriggled in Maya’s stomach, but it was the look on Jamie’s face that made her grab her hand. She’d gone white as a sheet.
“Are you going to be alright?” she asked.
Jamie nodded, wetting her lips. “They can’t hurt me anymore. I won’t let them.”
Though her words were strong, the sadness in her eyes let slip her warring feelings.
Maya circled her thumb over her knuckles. “You haven’t done anything wrong. Remember that.” She picked up on the smallest quiver of an eyebrow. Doubt. “What is it?” she pressed.
“The team,” Jamie said quietly. “Our team. What if…”
“Our team loves you.” She squeezed her fingers. “We’ve got you. I promise. Now let’s go kick their fucking sorry arses.”
Maya held Jamie’s hand as Coach led them off the bus and into the school. Jamie’s attention was elsewhere, wandering the halls, seemingly taking in everything around her. Maya imagined she had a lot of memories here. Not all good. But not all bad, either.
She needed to do something. She needed Jamie at her hundred percent if they were going to beat the Harriers on their own turf.
They checked in and carried their equipment through to the changing rooms. The sound of music and chatter echoed from inside the home end. Jamie stiffened beside her. Maya squeezed her hand again as Coach unlocked the away door and ushered them inside.
Everyone found a space on the wooden benches. Maya eyed the peeling white paint in the corners as the smell of old socks filled her nose. The whiteboard hanging on the wall had a penis sketched in the centre, in permanent pen, judging by Megan’s feeble attempt to wipe it away with her keeper gloves.
Leah switched on her speaker and started playing her pumped-up playlist loud enough to drown out the noise next door.
Coach caught Maya’s eye, giving her a look that made her spine snap upright. “Do your thing,” she mouthed, before excusing herself so everyone could get changed. She must have sensed the unease too.
A swell of pride washed over Maya. Despite what had happened the last time they played the Harriers, Coach believed in her. Now she had to make this lot believe in themselves too.
She traced over Grandpa’s Only Fools and Horses pin, attached to the collar of her tracksuit. She could do this. She sucked in a deep breath. Then, once the team were mostly dressed, she walked over to Leah’s speaker and switched it off, halting Gala from bellowing out the chorus to “Freed From Desire”. Noodle opened their mouth to protest but closed it again when they saw the look on Maya’s face.
She climbed onto a bench and clapped her hands, wishing she had the same prowess at whistling as her grandma.
“Listen up, everyone.” Maya forced her breathing to steady as each pair of eyes turned to her. She lingered a little extra on Jamie before letting her gaze drift across the group. “I know there’s a lot riding on today, and it’s the last chance that some of us will have to win the league.” She caught some solemn looks on faces and quickly redirected. “But we’ve got to push that to the side. When it comes down to it, it’s just football.” She smiled to herself, the meaning of ‘just football’ shifting to a new philosophy. “We can outplay these players with our eyes closed. They know that. That’s why they have to play dirty, with their mind games and tackles. We’re better than that. We don’t play them at their own game, we play them at ours—football.”
Noodle and Leah let out a cheer, and the wave of bobbing heads spurred Maya on.
“We’ve got to keep our heads—I know that better than anyone—and focus. Have each other’s backs. Fight for each other. Leave everything out on that field. If we pull together, we’ve got this. I believe in you all. Do you?”
Tiny, one of the smallest—and strongest—defenders in the league, clapped her hands. “Fuck yeah.”
The enthusiasm spread around the room. Everyone applauded and chattered among themselves, relighting the fire they so desperately needed to keep burning. For one more game, ninety minutes, all the way to the end.
Maya caught Jamie watching her, those soft blues of hers crinkling at the edges. Everyone else faded away for a moment, and Maya swallowed, overcome with the rush of adrenaline and all the other things this woman made her feel on a daily basis. Her breathing quickened. She needed her to know she was there for her, in her corner, always. To understand that her feelings for her were unlike anything she’d experienced before. The sensation was overwhelming, filling up and spilling out of her pores, and she couldn’t stop it.
She wanted Jamie to know. It couldn’t wait.
“And one more thing!” She raised her voice above the raucous noise. Her heart was galloping away in her ribcage as she looked into Jamie’s eyes, but her lips were already moving. “I’m…in love with her.” The words came out softly and flopped out at the end, but Maya could tell by the way Jamie’s face stilled that she’d heard her. She jumped down from the bench, her face reddening. “I love you,” she said again, a little louder this time.
Maya didn’t really notice the team staring or have time to be embarrassed about the public declaration, because all she wanted to do was hear the response from Jamie’s mouth.
Oh, god. What if she doesn’t say it back? Maybe she hadn’t thought this through. She certainly hadn’t planned to say this to her now, but looking into Jamie’s eyes, she hadn’t been able to help it. Oh, fuck it.
She’d spent too long worrying about what other people thought. Now, she was trusting her instincts, and she loved Jamie. She knew it, just like Grandma knew about Grandpa, like Maddie knew about Alex, like Jamie knew the words to every bloody eighties song. It was instinct. Whenever she closed her eyes and everything else fell away, that sensation still remained, all-consuming.
Jamie stood up, her lips pulling into that Jamie Mellor cheeky smile as she closed the distance between them. Maya’s stomach flip-flopped. She was so beautiful.
“I love you too.”
She watched the words fall from Jamie’s lips and grinned, an electric tingle spreading from her fingers to her chest, fizzing and expanding and loop-the-looping through her body.
“Kiss her then!” Aiysha shouted.
“Let’s see the good stuff,” Leah added.
Maya gasped as Jamie grasped her jaw, crushing her mouth to hers. The changing room erupted into cheers and hollers, and Jamie laughed against her lips. Maya kissed her again and again, unable to get enough of her taste—and this feeling that was lighting her up all over.
Jamie’s hands found her waist, and she looked into her eyes. “I didn’t have you pegged for public declarations,” she murmured.
“Me neither. Don’t know how that happened.”
The team started stomping their feet and slamming their hands against the benches. The thumping sound intensified, getting faster and faster, until Coach pushed her way into the room, eyes wide. Her attention fell on Jamie’s hands on Maya’s waist, and her wild eyebrows raised slightly, before she addressed the group.
“That’s more like it.” She thrust her hand into the middle of the room, and the team jumped up to place their hands on top. “Let’s show them what we’re made of, Millton. Let’s go!”
* * *
The ball flew from Tiny’s boot to Noodle’s, then quickly landed at Jamie’s feet. Before she could do anything, a crunching tackle dispossessed her. She chased down the defender. The Harriers were man-marking her out of the game. It made sense. They knew the danger she posed, and having the Harriers’ number five follow her around like a lost puppy was the most effective way to limit it.
On second thoughts, puppy might not be the most accurate description. More like a snarling Rottweiler, snapping at her heels. And Robyn was an overexcited evil Chihuahua from the pits of hell, committed to not giving Maya a moment of peace.
“Did you miss me, Thomas?” she asked, trailing her hand around Maya’s waist.
Maya slapped her away and exhaled, determined to keep her cool. She focused on the Harriers’ keeper, who was leisurely placing the ball down for a goal kick, taking her time. They knew if they kept a draw, they’d win the league.
“I missed you,” Robyn said. “I thought about you a lot, actually. When you pushed me with those strong hands of yours—”
The keeper thumped her foot through the ball, and it sailed high into the middle of the field. As the Millton midfield rose to meet it, it pinged around the centre circle, no one able to gain control.
“Get the ball down, Millton!” Maya shouted, jogging along the line and keeping Robyn in her peripheral.
“Get a fucking grip!” Robyn bellowed. “This is pathetic!”
They needed to step up their game. Their defeat to the Harriers at home meant they had to win today to draw level on points. The deciding factor would come down to goal difference—and thanks to Jamie’s impressive netting across the whole season, they were ahead in the league by two goals. So, unless they got beaten 3-0—not on Maya’s watch—they just had to win to draw level on points.
One goal would be enough to win the championship.
The first half finished 0-0, and they trailed to the sidelines, huffing and puffing. It had been a battle, to say the least. Maya passed around the water bottles while Coach delivered her talk.
“So, stand your ground, be physical, and get that bloody ball on the bloody floor, and play bloody football!” She huffed and clapped her hands. “Thomas, anything to add?”
“I don’t care how you do it.” The Harriers’ coach’s voice travelled across the field. “You stop Mellor from getting absolutely anything. Not a sniff!”
The team shared a look around the group, but luckily Jamie was smiling.
“I’ve heard them say worse.” She shrugged.
“You have them rattled. Let’s really give them something to be afraid of.” Maya winked at her, then pulled her gaze away and addressed the whole group. “Keep pushing. Work for each other. We’ve got this if we all stick together.”
“A draw might as well be a loss to this lot! Sort yourselves out. You’re a disgrace! Have some pride!”
They blocked out the Harriers’ coach and stuck their hands in a circle. “One, two, three, Millton!”
The second half made the first look like a teddy bear’s tea-party. Voices were louder, passes were quicker, tackles were harder. The Harriers were out for blood. Literally.
Maya wiped the red streak up her knee with her hand. Playing on Astroturf guaranteed at least three nasty leg burns from slide tackles, but the adrenaline stopped her from caring. She was determined to do anything to stop Robyn from getting near their goal. This was what they’d been working for all season. She wasn’t going to let it slip away.
“I think you’re a bit obsessed with me,” Robyn hummed, flicking her brown ponytail into Maya’s face. “ You’re so close.”
She’d figured out that the more she ignored her, the more frustrated Robyn got. The ball went out for a Millton throw, and they pushed further up the pitch. Leah called for Jamie, but the Harriers’ number five pushed her in the back and onto the floor. The ref blew for a free kick, and they gained more ground.
“Come on,” Maya mumbled under her breath. It was a great set-piece opportunity. Someone just needed to get something on the ball.
Just one goal.
“She’s not as good as I remember,” Robyn said, standing in front of Maya to block her view. “Jamie, that is. She’s lost her spark, playing with you.”
“More like from the way you all treated her. And she hasn’t lost her spark.” She cursed herself for engaging, but she couldn’t stand hearing her talk about Jamie.
And Robyn knew it. She turned around to grin wickedly. “Has she lost her spark in the bedroom too? She used to be such a little firecracker. I do remember that.”
Anger spread through Maya’s belly, and she gritted her teeth. She couldn’t let Robyn get to her. Jamie had assured her nothing had happened between them, so she had to let her comments go.
The ref blew her whistle, and Leah crossed the ball into the box. Jamie jumped high above the defenders, and the ball connected with her head, heading straight into the bottom corner.
Maya held her breath as time stood still .
The keeper got low, pushing the shot wide with her fingertips. A collective gasp of relief and frustration emanated from the touchline and the supporters in the stands.
“That’s better, Millton. Keep going!” Maya clapped, feeling Robyn’s eyes on her.
“It’s cute you’re trying so hard. I guess you have to, with a team like yours.”
Does this woman ever shut up?
The corner was cleared easily, then the Harriers were on the break. Their left-back dribbled the ball up field, playing a long ball to their winger, who collected it easily at her feet. Robyn darted in front of Maya to receive the ball, but Maya stepped up behind her so she couldn’t spin. Robyn weaved left and right, trying to fake a turn, but she read her easily and dislodged the ball from her feet. Space opened up in front of her, and she ran into it, lifting her head to try and pick a pass. She spotted Jamie pointing at the top of the field and thumped an arching ball for her to run onto.
Jamie was faster than the Harriers’ defenders. And with her stalker lagging behind, Maya’s breath hitched as she faced one-on-one with the keeper. She feigned a shot and sidestepped her, but the keeper’s outstretched arm caught Jamie’s ankle, sending her flying. Roars erupted over the pitch, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Maya sprinted over, praying it wasn’t her bad ankle. Thankfully, Leah was already helping her to her feet. Jamie looked up as she approached, her chest heaving .
“You okay?” Maya nodded to the spot. “You up for taking it?”
“Just try and stop me.”
Maya looped her arm around Jamie’s back. “You’ve got this.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Skip.”
She laughed at the nickname. She’d not heard her call her it in a while.
They gathered outside the box as Jamie stepped up. Robyn forced herself in next to Maya.
“She’s gonna miss this,” she said, loud enough for Jamie to hear. “She was never good at that side of scoring.”
The Harriers’ players laughed, and Maya prayed Jamie wouldn’t let it bother her. Seeing only the back of her head made it hard to judge.
Jamie exhaled, relaxing her shoulders, and took three steps back. Maya recognised her method from all the times they’d spent practising when she was in recovery with her ankle. She just hoped the kick ended the same way it always had in practice, with the ball in the back of the net.
“Don’t slip!” Robyn shouted and gave a snigger. “That would be embarrassing.”
The referee whipped around. “You, Captain, be quiet. Final warning.” She blew her whistle.
The crowd fell silent. Maya’s breathing filled her ears.
Jamie waited. Maya was entranced by the slight movement of her shoulders. She tried to steady her breaths with hers. Jamie slowly raised her head. Then she ran, connecting with the ball and sending it flying into the top right-hand corner of the net. The keeper had no chance.
They screamed and shouted, running over to jump on top of her. Electricity fired through Maya’s veins as she relived the net rippling over and over in her head. Her teammates separated themselves from the pile-on, and Maya pulled a very smiley Jamie to her feet.
Jamie grinned back at her, gave her a quick kiss on her sweaty forehead, and they took their places for the spot kick. Before the ref blew her whistle, Jamie’s eyes flicked to Maya’s, full of fire.
The game wasn’t over yet.
The more the minutes wore on, the more Maya’s nerves multiplied. The Harriers were getting desperate too, sending high balls over Millton’s defensive line which Maya cleaned up easily—much to their coach’s dismay. He was so red in the face, she was surprised he hadn’t collapsed.
She called to their line-up to avoid playing the Harriers onside.
Robyn paced angrily in front of her. “Hey, girls, why don’t you try stringing some fucking passes together?” she shouted, after yet another long ball over the top had gone out of play.
Maya caught the ref checking her watch. Surely, there couldn’t be long left. She willed her to put the whistle to her mouth.
“Keep going till the last minute, Millton!” she called, noticing Noodle placing their hands behind their head and panting. Everyone had worked so hard.
The ball bounced awkwardly in the midfield, and a Harriers’ head knocked it over Millton’s defensive line for their winger to chase. Tiny ran after her, but their winger managed to get an early cross in before she made her tackle, knocking them both to the floor.
Robyn pushed Maya away from her, trying to gain an edge as she sprinted towards the box. The ball floated into a dangerous area, too far out for Megan to come and collect it. Maya had to beat Robyn to that ball. If the Harriers got a goal back, it was game over.
She pushed herself forward, and they both jumped into the air. Maya knocked her off balance, but Robyn’s head connected with the ball, sending it high speed towards the net.
No. No, no, no.
A loud ping fired through Maya’s brain as the ball ricocheted off the post and out of play.
She sighed with relief, face down in the Astro, and pushed herself up off the floor. Robyn screamed, stomping her way over to the ref.
“She pushed me, ref. Didn’t you see that? I wouldn’t have missed if she hadn’t pushed me. It should be a penalty!”
The ref shooed her away, and Robyn stormed over to Maya, her eyes wild and wide. Maya just smiled, while Robyn raged to anyone who would listen.
Megan set up for a goal kick and played out to Tiny. Before the defender could do anything with the ball, the referee blew her whistle. A chorus of cheers and groans erupted over the field.
Maya didn’t know what to do. Everything that had been building to this moment suddenly burst, leaving her head silent.
Someone jumped on her back, then someone else, and she crumpled to her knees. Her brain and body struggled to compute.
“We did it!”
“We won!”
We won? We fucking won?
If the breath hadn’t already been crushed out of her by the tower of teammates, she might have screamed. Was this happening? The pressure on her was released, and Maya was pulled to her feet.
She blinked. Maybe her eyesight had stopped working, as well as her ability to speak and form meaningful sounds.
“You were amazing, love!” Her mum beamed, showing a full lipstick smile before crushing her in a hug. Maya spotted Grandma over her shoulder, who was waving madly.
“Brilliant, Maya. You’re brilliant,” she said as her mum released her. She traced her fingertips over the black captain’s band secured around Maya’s upper arm. “Grandpa would be so proud of you.”
Maya attempted to smile back. Tears pricked behind her eyelids. They’d done it. They’d won the championship. Her mum and Grandma had come to support her. She could barely—
“POT NOODLE CLUB!”
The shout made Maya swivel her head, just in time to be clattered by her friends. Hannah, Maddie, and Alex tangled their limbs around her, buzzing and chattering away.
She was completely overwhelmed in the best possible way. Everyone was here. But where was Jamie? She scanned the crowd that had invaded the pitch, smiling at Noodle and Megan, who were trying—and failing—to lift Coach onto their shoulders. Then Maya spotted her. Jamie shook hands with a man she didn’t recognise, then started to make her way over, the grin on her face bigger than she’d ever seen it. It shouldn’t be humanly possible, but that was Jamie, the epitome of human sunshine.
Maya ran to her, closing the distance, and wrapped her arms around her, melting into her touch, breathing in her familiar scent.
“We did it,” Jamie breathed into her neck, tickling her. “You’re amazing.”
“You did it.” Maya pulled back to look into her eyes, that all-consuming feeling flowing through her. “Who were you talking to?”
“Ah, you know…just a scout from Millton City.”
“What?” She gripped her waist. “What did he say?”
“He’s invited me to a training session. ”
“Oh my god! That’s incredible.” Now Maya was the one with the stupidly big smile on her face as she crushed her in another embrace.
Winning the championship and ending her football career on a high had filled Maya with a sense of dreamy wonder, but hearing Jamie getting an opportunity to pursue her dreams felt even better. She deserved it. Especially after everything she’d been through.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said, squeezing her harder.
“Thank you. I’m proud of you too… A whole ninety minutes without getting a red card.”
“Hey!” Maya laughed, but before she could defend herself, Jamie kissed her, fingers curling around her jaw, and everything fell into place. Maya couldn’t quite believe this was her life. Winning the championship? Being in love with Jamie Mellor? Her final year had come up trumps, completely blindsiding her.
Jamie broke the kiss, mischief twinkling. “Don’t forget your promise, either,” she said.
Maya eyed her, wracking her brain. “Promise? What promise?”
“About goals being rewarded?” She leaned in to kiss her again. Twice, in quick succession. “And I want to collect my payment in full.”