I didn't choose her, my heart did

The rumour

Lucy's POV:

I sat at the kitchen table, my phone in my hand as I tried to wolf down a simple breakfast. The news of the selections for the England squad was still fresh in my mind, but what concerned me now was the silence between me and Keira. Last night had been intense, our argument unexpected and raw. I had barely slept and Keira had not left our room since she had gone to bed.

The phone in my hand began to vibrate, and I saw a message from Sarina Wiegman in the team group chat. The time and location for the first training of the camp had been confirmed. Training, I thought, a place where I could always lose myself. But how was that supposed to happen with Keira there? We were on the same team and playing for the same goal, but right now it felt like there was a one-kilometre gap between us.

Keira suddenly entered the kitchen, her gaze weary but determined. She clearly hadn't slept either. Without a word, she sat down across the table and started her coffee. Awkward silence filled the room until I couldn't take it anymore.

'Kei, can we talk?' I asked softly, my voice almost fragile. Keira looked up, her eyes filled with weariness and a hint of distrust.

'If you want to talk about yesterday, Luce, I don't know if I'm ready for that,' Keira said, her voice hoarse. 'We still have a whole week of camp ahead of us. Maybe we should just stay professional ... and talk it out when it's over.'

I frowned. Staying professional? I knew this was coming, but it felt like a slap in my face. 'Kei, I can't. I can't play alongside you, pretending nothing is wrong, and meanwhile...' My voice broke. 'Keira, I don't know what to do without you.'

Keira finally looked at me, her eyes softer now. But before she could say anything, my phone vibrated again. It was a notification from the Lionesses: an extra team meeting was scheduled before training camps, and all players were expected.

'I think we should both go there,' Keira said simply, standing up from her chair. Her voice was neutral, but I could feel the wall Keira had built between us.

_

The meeting went awkwardly. Me and Keira sat on opposite sides of the room, and although I looked at her several times, Keira avoided eye contact. The tension between us was unmistakable, and a few teammates clearly noticed. Leah gave me a questioning look, but I subtly shook my head. This was not something I could explain right now.

Sarina, who was leading the meeting, discussed strategies and expectations for the upcoming camp. Everything felt normal-until halfway through her speech, Sarina turned her gaze to Keira.'Keira, a moment please,' Sarina said. 'Can you speak to me after the meeting?'

Keira nodded briefly, while I held my breath. This didn't feel right. Sarina seemed nervous, which was definitely not her habit.

After the meeting, me and a few others lingered in the canteen. I tried to pretend everything was normal, but my gaze kept sliding to the door where Keira and Sarina were now behind together. Minutes seemed to last for hours. When Keira finally came out, her face was a mixture of shock and anger. She walked straight to me.

'We need to talk,' she said tightly, walking out without waiting for an answer.

_

I followed her to the car park, where Keira stood with her arms crossed, clearly upset.'Keira, what is going on? What did Sarina say?' I asked, my voice worried.

Keira turned to me, her eyes now filled with something I couldn't immediately place. 'She told me that there are... rumours,' Keira said slowly. 'About us.'

I felt my stomach turn. 'What do you mean, rumours? What kind of rumours?'

'That we... are together,' Keira replied, her voice trembling. 'That we're more than just teammates.'

I felt my breathing quicken. 'But those aren't rumours, Kei. That's the truth.'

Keira shook her head. 'Luce, I know that. But if this comes out... We are professional footballers. This could ruin our careers.'

I stepped closer, my voice now more determined. 'Keira, listen to me. We have done nothing wrong. Love is not a shame, and I refuse to hide because others might not understand.'

'But you don't understand, Luce,' Keira said, her voice now almost a whisper. 'Sarina said that if the rumours persist, it could affect our selection. She wants to protect us, but there are people higher up who won't accept this.'

It felt like my world was collapsing. This was my dream, football, the national team, the pride of wearing that shirt. But Keira was also my dream. How could I choose between the two?

Keira's eyes filled with tears. 'Luce, I don't know what to do. If this keeps escalating...'

I grabbed her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. 'We are doing this together, Keira. Whatever happens, we do this together.'

But before Keira could reply, our moment was rudely interrupted by a voice behind us.

'Miss Bronze, Miss Walsh,' sounded a stern voice. We turned to see a PR manager of the Lionesses, his gaze cold and businesslike. 'Can I ask you to come with me for a moment? We need to discuss something urgently.'

I looked at Keira, whose face stiffened with fear. I gently squeezed her hand as a sign of support, but in my own head panic thoughts began to rage. What was going on? What had they heard?

The PR manager led us to a meeting room, where a laptop was on the table. On the screen was a picture. I stepped closer to get a better look and felt the colour draining from my face. It was a picture of us, together on the sofa in my flat, our faces close together, clearly intimate.

'This was forwarded to us this morning,' the manager said. 'It comes from an anonymous source, but it is already leaking on social media. If we don't act quickly, this could be disastrous for your reputations and those of the club.'

I looked at Keira, whose face was completely pale. This was it. This was what I was afraid of. Our secret was no longer safe.

'What... what is going to happen now?' I finally asked, my voice hoarse.

The manager sighed. 'That depends on you guys. But you must understand that the media can be merciless. This could change everything.'

Keira turned to me, her eyes filled with tears she could no longer hold back. 'Luce... what do we do now?'

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, forcing myself to stay strong even if it felt like the ground was disappearing from under my feet. 'We fight, Kei. Whatever happens, we'll fight through this together.'

But deep down, I couldn't stop thinking about one thing: who had betrayed us? Who had taken that picture, and why?

As we walked out hand in hand, determined to face whatever was coming together, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and my heart sank into my shoes. It was an unknown number. Hesitantly, I picked up.

'Lucy Bronze?' sounded a voice, cold and matter-of-fact. 'I think you want to know who is behind that picture.'


AN: What do you think? 😏