Stranger Things Have Happened | Marcus Bontempelli

seventeen.

The last time I checked the time on my phone it said 1:18am and that was easily an hour ago but we didn't care. Marcus and I had spent the last three and a bit hours chatting about our lives, past and present and I was thoroughly enjoying his company. The more I got to know him, the more I began to see why everyone I'd met so far loved him, not that I hadn't seen glimpses of that for myself.

Marcus was funny and incredibly smart, he loved his family more than anything else on planet earth and football was always second to that. That wasn't to say he wasn't incredibly passionate about his career because he was. He talked about football as if it was air that kept him alive and it was hard not to find that passion unbelievably attractive.

We'd launched into telling each other some of our childhood horror stories, the ones reserved only for the deepest of conversations and the ones that give you the authentic glimpse into ones past self.

"We'd missed every single car driving past until Tom threw the last rock and all I heard was a loud smash... He'd hit Lindsay Gilbee's brand new Holden SS ute and smashed the entire windscreen and I honestly felt like throwing myself off that roof," I said, head in my hands covering my eyes and Marcus was in stitches.

"That's actually so fuckin' bad," Marcus admitted covering his face.

"It was horrifying and we were only like 13ish... so we really had no idea what to do except run. Bubba was first on the scene after hearing the smash and he was gonna help us cover it up but Rocket came out and went off his fucking nut, immediately called Tony and my mum so that was the end of us," I continued and Marcus shook his head with wide eyes.

"Noooo! Not a Rocket Eade spray?" He asked gobsmacked and all I could do was nod my head and cringe at the memory.

"Tom and I were banned from training for the rest of the pre-season but they needed us to run water at training so they let us back after round 1 but yeah it's probably one of the worst days of my life," I finished with a light chuckle.

Marcus poured out the remaining white wine from the bottle into my glass, still stunned by my story.

"You're more of a cult figure than most of the boys that have played at the bulldogs I reckon 'cause since you've been back, I've heard Libba and Mitchy talking to so many different people at the club about how you were back and they all say how much they miss you," Marcus enthused taking a sip from his glass.

I sighed and smiled, "I spent my entire childhood and teen years running amok down there so it's a very special place for me which you obviously know all about," I confessed also taking a sip of my nearly empty glass of wine.

"It's been good to me so far," Marcus admitted with a grin, which I mirrored.

"Does it feel like somewhere you could see yourself playing for the rest of your career or too early to tell?" I asked as Marcus reached down and popped a chip in his mouth.

"I hope so. It feels like home to me but you never know what's gonna happen. But if I had it my way then definitely," He answered with a look of sincerity in his eyes.

"Well you look hot in the red, white and blue so please don't leave us," I teased with a pleading tone which caused Marcus to laugh.

"Not as hot as you look in that skirt but fine, I'll stay just for you," He teased sending a smirk my way.

"Appreciate it," I said taking my hair out of the tight bun I'd slicked it into for dinner and readjusted it so that it was in a messy topknot.

Marcus looked down at his watch and his eyes went wide seeing the time.