When Fools Rush In

Chapter 10 - Breakfast at Jack's

The park looked stunning as the early autumn sunlight streamed through the trees, their leaves gradually turning yellow. A Sunday afternoon throng of families was gathered by the play area, with a snaking queue at the wooden coffee hut by the tennis courts. Everyone seemed happy, busy, lost within their own worlds. Lucy sat down on a vacant bench, taking in the scene. She saw people looking at their phones briefly, placing them back in bags and pockets, before turning to friends and loved ones. What were they reading? Were they on Mail Online? Did they even know about the story? Was it even a story anymore? Were they fans of Jack or did they think he was just another idiotic overpaid footballer? Lucy hadn't looked at any news or social media sights all afternoon after she had arrived back from the Etihad. She needed a long walk. The park was two and a half miles from her flat.

The time was 3.25pm. Gareth would be calling Jack at four, probably to reiterate what he had said in his predictably calm, collected statement. "Jack remains a valued member of the squad"..."We are here to focus on Wednesday's game in Poland"..."Jack will arrive with the rest of the team at St George's Park tomorrow". It was typically evasive and vague. Lucy hoped Gareth would be a little more candid with Jack when they spoke. At least, unlike Pep, Jack would understand him, Lucy thought.

Lucy's head was scrambled. Thoughts were clawing at her brain, taking turns to plague her with a mixture of doubt, uncertainty, angst and almost panic. What was she doing sleeping with a star footballer at the club she worked for? She was still in her probation period for starters. Why was she putting everything at risk? Why was she doing mad things in offices and schools and cars and toilet cubicles? She didn't quite recognise herself - throwing caution to the wind. She had always prided herself on her self-control, her caution, her good sense. Jack had forced his way into her life like a whirlwind - she was consumed by him, every waking thought, every check of her phone - and like a whirlwind he was causing havoc. She had never felt burning lust like this before, as though her body now only existed to breathe, sleep and be consumed by Jack. Sitting on the bench she wracked her brains, but she couldn't work it out. Jack was everything she had always despised in a man - unintelligent, vain, badly dressed, careless, a Brummie footballer for heaven's sake! But she was enthralled by everything about him: his playful eyes, his cheeky smile, his floppy hair, his sense of humour, his softness, his god-like body, and most of all his laid back approach to life which contrasted sharply with Lucy's perpetually worrisome state of mind. Would Jack even be vexed about all this right now?

Most of all, fretted Lucy, as she decided it was time to walk home, she was trying to assess her feelings for him. It had only been just over a week since their physical relationship began but already it felt like a lifetime; they had flirted ceaselessly in the weeks before that. She told herself it was just sex, just a bit of fun. Jack would be off to the next girl he fancied soon - probably another love islander - or would his ex girlfriend Serena start crawling back? She hadn't even asked him what was going on there, was she even his ex? The questions came thick and fast in Lucy's head and she had no answers for them.

By the time she returned home she was desperate to speak to Jack again, to lower the defences she had angrily put up earlier that day.

It was four thirty when she arrived in her flat and put her keys on the table. She boiled the kettle and made a cup of tea. Then she messaged Jack.

Lucy - have you spoken to Gareth? x

Jack - yeah just got off the phone

Lucy - I'll ring you

Sitting on the sofa, Lucy rang Jack. He answered immediately.

"Hi bab," Jack said, quietly.

"Hey, so what did the gaffer say?"