When Fools Rush In

Chapter 4 - Nearly Midnight

Lucy opened the door to her flat. It was on the top floor of the building - which was a converted terraced house - but it had its own entrance which she now realised had its use. Jack followed her inside, his hoody pulled over his baseball cap, his rucksack slung over his shoulder. He was pleased he'd packed his change of clothes earlier that day. He'd expected to shower after training and the gym but had wasted no time in seeing Lucy in her office. Lucy felt like she was smuggling him in the building, like stolen goods.

It was nearly nine o'clock and they were both hungry. Lucy frantically started throwing the cupboard doors open and rummaging in the fridge, but there was nothing substantial to eat, certainly not for a £100 million athlete. 

"Er, it's just tins of chickpeas and some old cheese," said Lucy, closing the fridge door. "And a Waitrose ready meal for one."

"Posh bird ain't ya," said Jack, "no pizzas from Asda?"

Lucy frowned, "no, no pizzas. I'm going to have to order delivery. Nando's?"

Jack nodded eagerly. "Let me think," he mused, "you're gonna go for lemon and herb?"

"How did you guess," laughed Lucy, annoyed by his accuracy. "I quite like it."

"Well, hot for me," retorted Jack, as Lucy got out her phone. "Extra chips for me as well, I'm starvin'."

Lucy ordered the food and grabbed half a bottle of Chardonnay from her fridge. She considered it briefly. She'd drunk the first half of the bottle herself the night before as she caught up on emails on her sofa, half watching the TV. She remembered thinking about Jack, how excited she was to be taking a solo trip with him the following morning to the school in Cheshire. Little did she know how it would turn out. The bottle was already aged - it was a memento from her life Before Jack.

"You don't strike me as a wine kind of guy," said Lucy, "but I do have vodka?"

"Yeah you're right, I mean, if there's nothing else to drink...but I'll take the vodka if that's OK?"

"Sure," Lucy took the unopened bottle from the shelf in front of her, and mixed it with the Coke she had in the fridge.

"I should be measuring you a single shot," Lucy said, handing Jack the glass, "what with training in the morning and the match on Saturday."

"Oi, no single measures!" exclaimed Jack, taking a gulp. "But I ain't as bad as Harry Maguire. He loves his vodka and Jager!" Lucy laughed, remembering the famous chant that had lit up her streets in London during the Euros.

Lucy cradled her wine glass as they stood in the kitchen. "Let's go into the lounge, see if there's anything on TV while we wait for the food to arrive."

The lounge was small; the flat was small in itself, with a small lounge, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. Her sofa suddenly felt very close to the TV, but she kept the lighting cosy with relatively dim lamps. She lit her candle on the coffee table in front of them as Jack sat down next to her. 

Lucy wanted to get to know Jack. They had only spoken in a professional capacity until today. He had been full of jokes and witty comments but they hadn't had time to speak deeply about anything. She wasn't sure if he could offer that, but after the day they had enjoyed together, she felt there was no better time.

"What's it like being at City - I mean compared to Villa?" asked Lucy, "do you feel at home yet or is it still a big change?"

"I love it here," replied Jack. "Yeah, it's totally different - I'm playing Champions League now but I've wanted to do it my whole life. But Kevin and Little Phil in particular are just amazing to play with and be around...I'll always be a Villa fan though," Jack suddenly looked said, "I mean, Villa has been my life...I love the club, the fans. I don't think the fans love me any more though."