Love's Game (LarssonSiblingSeries#5)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DEXTER

If you are one of those people who believe footballers only turn up to kick a ball around for a few hours then I'm here to prove you wrong. I'm giving you a day in the life of a premier football player and it's no walk in the park. I arrive here early morning ready for the testing. They weigh me right away, checking my bloods and urine before measuring my heart rate and hydration levels.

We grab something quick for breakfast before going into my pre-training prep which consists of me pulling some fancy stretches with a resistance band in the gym with some of the teammates. It's a one-on-one with one of the team specialists and I'm feeling limber and ready for Physio when all the muscles are warm enough.

The guide shows me to the physiotherapy room where Olive is setting up her table and equipment, stopping to give me a friendly smile before getting on with her work. The other team members are hopping up on the cushioned benches ready for their feet and ankles to be strapped while I hold back a little seeing Olive's nerves a mile off.

"You can sit down," she says, fiddling around with the roll of ankle tape.

Doing as she asks, I refrain from helping her out knowing that it will only stress her out more. "You find your way in ok?"

Finally getting a hold on the tape, she walks towards the end of the bed, taking my foot in her delicate fingers. "I did, thanks. The tour guides helped a lot."

Wanting to ease the tension, I speak up. "Make sure you strap those ankles up good. They're worth a lot, you know."

The corners of her mouth turn up when she gently places my foot to rest against her stomach. "I'll be careful," she says, studying my feet, or toes to be more exact. "You could use a pedicure."

I try to peer down where she's looking, but can't see. "You saying my feet are dirty?"

"No," she sounds offended until she mutters, "Yes," right after it.

"Pedicures aren't my thing."

I get her intense gaze which softens with her words. "It's probably from your football socks and boots. Fluff can look like mud."

Working at double speed she wraps me up and slips the socks over my protected ankles, passing me my trainers from my gym bag. There's no need for studs as we're not off out on the pitch just yet, coach telling me that we're going onto the sports tarmac to do some warmups.

Olive grabs her phone out of her bag and takes a seat near the physiotherapy bed. "I'll wait here for you."

I frown nodding to a few of my teammates when they tell me to follow them. "We'll be a few hours yet."

"It's cool," she pulls out a book and a packed lunch bag. "I'm used to the wait. I have the whole killing-time-by-doing-stuff down."

I can't stand the thought of her waiting here without Sed. "Why don't you come out to watch me train?"

"I'm not allowed out there," she shakes her head.

"Says who?" I respond, thinking she has every right to considering she's caring for the ligaments that are vital to my career.