39
Claire barely remembered getting home.
The walk from the stadium blurred into streetlights and silence, the echo of cheers replaced by the hollow quiet of Auckland at night. By the time she reached her apartment, her throat felt tight, like she’d been holding her breath for hours.
She’d just kicked off her shoes when there was a knock.
Not polite. Not rushed. Familiar.
Claire opened the door to find Tania standing there with two bottles of wine tucked under one arm and a paper bag under the other.
“I brought reinforcements,” Tania said. Then she took one look at Claire’s face and dropped the joking tone entirely. “Yeah. Okay. Definitely the right call.”
Claire stepped aside without a word.
Tania didn’t wait to be invited further. She set the wine on the counter, grabbed glasses from the cupboard like she’d lived there forever, and poured generously.
“So,” she said, handing one over. “Talk.”
Claire sank onto the couch, elbows on her knees, glass untouched. “Jack told the world he loves me.”
Tania’s eyebrows shot up. “We saw. Everyone saw. Tell me why.”
Claire said, “Because we had a thing at one point.” Tania scoffed. “But not anymore!” Claire had to get that out before Tania jumped to conclusions.
“Oh Claire…” She cut herself off, took a long sip. “I thought I warned you that he is a fuck boy, honey? He breaks hearts.”
“Yeah… you warned me.”
“I’m so sorry this is happening,” Tania exhaled slowly and sat beside her. “And?”
“And I let him get to me anyways” Claire’s voice wobbled despite her best efforts. “You’re right.”
“As always,” Tania murmured. “To be fair, he has never confessed feelings of love on live television… And Noah? He is the captain; he can’t have a player in love with the team doctor. He is probably livid that Jack loves a staff member.”
“Noah… He… kind of… kissed me too.”
“Claire!” Tania screamed.
“I know! It’s so bad!”
“You have an affinity for luring professional athletes, don’t you?” She took another sip and side-eyed Claire. “Are you a masochist?”
“Oh my God, no I’m not a masochist, Tanny!”
“What did Noah say about Jack’s spectacle?”
“He asked me if I loved Jack. If I’d slept with him.” Claire stared at the floor. “He already knows about Jason–”
“You told him?” Tania was surprised. Claire told her about Jason in confidence, when she discovered that Jason had moved from football to rugby. Tania hasn’t told a soul.
“Yes, over Christmas, but he confessed that he already googled me. So that happened…”
“Wait, wait,” Tania said, trying to catch up. “Noah was at Christmas?” Then she realized Kelsey’s texts are all making sense now. She takes a sip of wine.
Claire told Tania everything from the beginning, about Jack and about Noah, from Johannesburg, to her and Jack in the office, to Noah being her fake boyfriend, something that Kesley still thinks is true. And how in exchange for Kesley’s silence, she introduced him to a duke to play with.
Claire finally took a big sip of wine. It burned on the way down.
“I told him the truth,” she said. “That I don’t love Jack. That what happened with Jason, broke something in me. That I wouldn’t survive doing that again.”
“And?”
“I reached for his hand.” Her fingers curled around the stem of the glass, remembering the empty space where Noah had been.
Tania closed her eyes briefly. “Jesus, Claire. I think you’re in love.”
“He said he needed time.” Her voice cracked. “And then he left.”
Tania leaned back against the couch, contemplating. “He’s not punishing you.”
“I know.”
“He’s protecting himself. He is protecting the team.”
“I know,” Claire whispered. “That’s what makes it worse.”
Silence settled between them, heavy but safe. Outside, a car passed. Somewhere down the block, someone laughed.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Tania said finally. “You didn’t invite Jack to say that. You didn’t lie to Noah. And you didn’t owe anyone anything.”
Claire shook her head. “It feels like I keep being the common denominator in disasters.”
Tania nudged her shoulder. “You’re not a disaster. You’re just standing in the aftermath of men making emotional decisions without asking first.”
Tania stood and refilled both glasses. “Noah will come back when he’s ready. Or he won’t.”
Claire leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “Ugh, it’s selfish of me to say this, but it will devastate me.” Then looked at Tania. “If he doesn’t talk to me again.”
The constriction beneath her ribs softened, letting her breathe again.
“Who is the better kisser? I have to know.” Tania shifted on the couch to face Claire with both feet up.
“Tanny!” Claire laughed.
“Whose dick is bigger?”
“Oh my God,” Claire was so embarrassed. “I’m a shameful whore, don’t ask!”
“I bet it’s Noah. Isn’t it?”
Claire smiled wide at her friend, feeling lucky to have someone like her in her corner. For the first time that night, she didn’t feel like she was about to shatter.
But she knew this wasn’t over.
Not with Noah. Not with Jack. And definitely not with the team.
Coach Reynolds stepped into his office first, expression unreadable but calm. Behind him was Miriam from HR, tablet tucked against her chest, posture practiced and neutral, and Tania. This wasn't a concern. This was a procedure.
“Claire,” Coach said, voice even. Her stomach dropped, but she nodded. She knew what was coming. She has braced herself to get fired.
Miriam closed the curtain behind them, sealing the windows off from the rest of the indoor pitch below. The sound of warmups and men stretching in the vast room.
“We’ll be brief,” Miriam said, offering a tight, polite smile. “This is just a check-in.”
Claire folded her arms loosely, grounding herself. “Okay.”
Coach Reynolds exchanged a glance with HR before speaking. “We’re aware of what was said during the press conference.”
Claire didn’t flinch. “I assumed you would be.”
Miriam nodded. “We’ve already spoken with Jack.”
“Oh,” Claire said unexpectedly.
“He was very clear,” Miriam continued. “He acknowledged that he spoke out of turn, that emotions ran high, and that he made a personal statement without considering professional boundaries.”
Coach Reynolds stepped in then, tone firm but not unkind. “He took responsibility. He told us there are no official labels. No relationship.”
Claire let out a slow breath. “That’s correct.”
Miriam tapped something on her tablet. “For the sake of clarity – and compliance – we just need to hear it from you directly. You are not dating any member of the team?”
Claire hesitated only long enough to choose her words carefully. “No. I’m not.”
“There are no explicit rules against that, with someone in your position, however, we will need to be prepared, if there were any issues,” Miriam confirmed.
“No. Not officially dating anyone on the team,” Claire said.
Coach Reynolds watched her closely. Not suspicious, just assessing. Making sure this didn’t turn into something bigger than rugby.
“Good,” he said. “Because we need to protect you as much as we protect the team. Optics matter, whether we like it or not.”
Miriam softened slightly. “This isn’t disciplinary. No one’s in trouble. We just need to ensure there’s no conflict of interest, no breach of policy.”
Claire nodded. She understood all of it. That didn’t make it suck less.
“Thank you for your professionalism,” Coach added. “Both on the field and off it.”
They turned to leave, but Miriam paused at the curtain.
“For what it’s worth,” she said quietly, “this situation was not encouraged. That distinction matters.”
Claire felt strange leaving the coach’s office. She felt reduced to confirmations and policies, even as her thoughts still burned with everything left unresolved.
When she finally made it back to her office, she sank onto the edge of the exam table, staring at the blank wall where the TV had been.
Jack had spoken.
Noah had walked away.
And now the Rugby League had spoken too.
And Claire was left standing exactly where she always seemed to be, between her job, and an unnecessary public narrative.