WOSO Imagines

The Other Lioness (Jill Roord)

"Holy shit," I scream, staring intently at my phone screen. "No fucking way."

The bathroom door flies open, and Hempo appears, wide-eyed. "What? Why are you screaming?"

"Jill Roord commented on my post."

"Jeez, Andy, you nearly gave me a heart attack. No one screams like that unless it's bad."

"Sorry."

She comes over, sitting next to me on my bed, peering over my shoulder. "What'd she say?"

"Nothing. It's just a lion and a heart."

She rolls her eyes, shoving me playfully. "You're so dramatic."

"I am not!" I protest, hitting her with a pillow.

"You're literally bloody screaming over a couple of emojis!"

I fall back, letting my phone drop from my hand. "I know. What is wrong with me? She's literally just a person, who I've never actually met, and yet I'm like obsessed with her."

Hempo lays down next to me. "Why don't you just ask Leah to introduce you? They played together at Arsenal."

"And expose myself to relentless teasing? I don't think so. I'd rather just pine from afar."

"You could just talk to her. I'm pretty sure we can find out where the Dutch team are staying."

"You mean be a creepy stalker person? Are you mad?"

"I don't think that would make you a stalker."

"How would you feel if a stranger showed up at your hotel room and confessed that they had a crush on you, even though you'd never met?"

"Weirded out," she mumbles.

"Exactly."

"I thought you were seeing that one girl from the bar?"

I cringe, remembering the wild ginger who I took home a month ago, slept with once, and woke up without, my watch and the 100 quid in my wallet gone. "That didn't really work out. And we're never going back there."

"Why don't you just DM her?"

"She doesn't even follow me."

"She knows you exist though. She commented on your post."

I groan, rolling over to snuggle into my teammate's side. "Sometimes I think I'm destined to be a spinster."

"You're only 24, Andy," she points out, poking my cheek. "You'll find someone, and maybe that someone will be Jill Roord."

"Thanks, Hempo."

At team dinner that night, I sit with all my Man City teammates, chatting about the upcoming season, wondering if we would be joining pre-season on time or if we really could make it all the way to the Euro finals. Suddenly, my phone dings. I ignore it, thinking it's just one of my friends from home sending me a reel or something. When it dings again a second later, I pick it up.

I have to do a double take when I see what the notifications are. "Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god!"

"What's wrong, Andy?" Ellie asks, trying to get a look at my phone screen.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

Alex reaches across the table and snatches my phone.

"Hey!"

"Jill Roord slid into your DMs," she smirks.

"She did not. All she said was 'hi.' It's not like she's flirting with me or anything."