Cruel Summer

Chapter 3

Fifa World Cup 2018... 

Kaliningrad Stadium is a sleek, contemporary building just outside of the city center. Dele likes Kaliningrad, likes how clean and modern and neat it is. Leafy parks and Soviet monuments dot the city, all locked away behind the remaining Kaliningrad gates. While the coach crawls through the traffic towards the stadium, Dele entertains himself with people watching. He waves at a group of kids who jump up and down in excitement when they see the England bus. They can't see him, of course, but he grins at them anyway.

The stadium is nice, too. It's big and airy and Dele thinks it would be a great place to play hide and seek. The white walls still smell of fresh paint and there isn't a single speck of dust to be seen.

Dele and Harry are sitting at the back of a sparsely-furnished media room, sharing a bag of sweet popcorn that Harry bought from a vending machine when Gareth Southgate wasn't looking. Some of the players are being filmed by the media team for England's Instagram Live, but Dele and Harry have ducked out of it on the basis that they aren't even in the starting eleven.

Ruben turns to look at them and shakes his head when Dele throws popcorn in the air before catching it in his open mouth. Harry lightly nudges him in the ribs.

"You know if you choke, Gareth will kill me right?"

Dele throws another, catches it again. "I'm so good at this," he says proudly. 


Harry's facial expression changes and he suddenly looks serious, "Del, obviously we got closer before! I-I just don't know how to navigate this. Is that alright?" Harry must notice Dele's sad expression because he quickly adds "I'm not saying I want it to stop! I don't want it to stop! quite the opposite, but you know what I'm saying, right?" Harry asks and Dele nods. "Yeah," and rubs Harry's arm, but then a runner comes in and he lets go. She informs them the match is going to begin soon. "Will it be a good match?" Dele asks and Harry nods.  




It isn't, in fact, a good match. They lose 1-0 but the team is fully aware that a loss will help them avoid Brazil in the quarter-finals, so at the very least it feels like a tactical loss.  







.... 






Back at the hotel Dele is sat alone on his balcony his feet submerged in a bucket of ice, Harry enters and sits next to him on the floor legs crossed. "So..." Harry begins and then goes quiet before saying, "Oh, whatever" He kneels and lifts his bodyweight up to Dele snakes his arms around Dele's neck pulls him lower slightly and kisses him! Dele is a little baffled but most certainly returns the kiss. When they pull apart they both laugh. And it is clear that even in defeat they are both extremely happy.  







Present Day 2019... 







Dele tells his agent, "No!" He has no desire to consider any transfer offers or any desire to move from Tottenham, "But they let you go, Del!" His agent replies down the phone, before adding. 
"Sorry, that wasn't what I meant, look, you have a mortgage to think of, a career, you are a damn good Footballer Dele! I just want the best for you, just consider it?" His agent says and Dele simply hangs up. Dele knew Homophobia was rife in Football and he also knows not a single other player in the Premier League is "Out" as gay or bi. at least not publicly. Dele hadn't ever planned on coming out either, but he fell in love. And love is love in any job, country, language, whatever you do. He doesn't regret his decision.  






He decides he needs to get out of this hotel room so he grabs the key card and his car keys and as he opens the hotel room door he jumps as Harry Kane stands there about to knock. Harry has a deep frown set on his face. "Can we talk?" Harry asks cautiously and Dele crosses his arms, feeling intimidated, but also kinda relieved, he nods, before replying. "Yeah, come on in," and Harry enters and closes the door.