Rollercoaster • Jesse Lingard

𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣

"Hi ladies" I say sitting at the table where my best friends are waiting. It's finally Friday and I've never been more pleased. I'm having dinner with the girls tonight, I'm going to the match with my grandad tomorrow which is our weekend tradition then the rest of my time will be spent on the sofa with a cup of tea and a blanket. I know, I'm wild but after my Vegas escapades I'm never touching alcohol again.

"How's this week been?" Erin asks as we all look over the menu.

"Like hell" I say "I've felt hungover everyday. It's only really today where I've felt like myself"

"I've been the same. Work has been terrible" Lizzie says and I'm not surprised. She's a dance teacher so I can only imagine how bad dealing with kids has been.

"You're not selling Vegas to me mind girls" Layla says taking a drink of wine "it hardly seems worth it when you've both been dying for nearly a week"

"Don't get me wrong we had the best time for the most part, I think I just underestimated how much it would all catch up on me" as Erin and Layla leave the table to order our food Lizzie stops to look at me.

"Have you heard from your hubby? Has he got any kind of update for you?" I know she wants to know what's going on and I appreciate her waiting until it's just the two of us.

"Don't call him that. I saw him at the beginning of the week and he said they weren't very helpful in Vegas so he's using his own lawyer. It just looks like it's going to take time with them being like eight hours behind"

"How come they couldn't help in Vegas?"

"I don't know but I feel awful not telling these two, they tell us everything and here we are both hiding the biggest secret ever from them" I hate lying. Yes I've told white lies before but this is huge.

"I mean you know you could tell them it's whether you want to let more people know" I always thought it was best for no one else to know but now I don't even know how long this divorce will take. Is it worth the risk of telling my friends?

A few weeks pass and I hear very little from Jesse about what his lawyer has said, I'm at the point where I'm considering hiring my own lawyer. Hearing a knock on our office door I look up to see the building receptionist.

"Rachel there's someone here to see you" she says opening the door so I see Jesse stood there. I'm so angry with him right now, standing in my office with a smug look on his face.

"Rachel we need to talk" that's all he says before standing back in the corridor. I'm livid. As I leave my desk I feel five pairs of eyes all watching me like a hawk. I'm going to have some serious explaining to do. Closing the door to the office I turn to Jesse.

"What is it? I can't believe you've showed up at the office like this! Everyone is going to want to know why there's a first team player turning up and asking for me!" I say annoyed as I walk out into the corridor behind Jesse.

"Well you haven't been answering my phone calls. We need to talk"

"I'm at work so no I haven't answered any of your calls today. Just tell me what's going on, you're hiding something" I say getting frustrated

"We can't have the marriage annulled. We've got to wait a year then divorce because apparently we both willingly entered into the marriage" Jesse says and I feel the rage burning inside of me.

"That's bullshit! We were absolutely fucking shitfaced when it happened how can they say that we consented when neither of us remembered what happened the next day? When did you find this out because the only time I haven't answered was today?" I ask wondering how long he's known. Every time he's phoned or text me with an update, I've answered except today because I've been working.

"Probably a week after I got back from Vegas. I've been going back and forth between my lawyer and Clark County marriage bureau trying to sort something but there's no other way"

"That's nearly two months! Why the fuck are you only telling me this now! You've had weeks to tell me!" I can't help shouting. I'm absolutely fuming Jesse has kept this from me.

"Well if you answered your phone"

"No! Don't you dare!" I shout a little too loudly cutting Jesse off. "Before today I've answered the majority of times you've phoned me and if I haven't answered I've always rang you back. You've had so many chances to tell me what was going on!"

"Rachel Catherine what's all the shouting about?" My grandad asks coming out of his office. How could I forget he's this close to where we're stood arguing "alright Jesse son. What're you doing here?"

"Ask her" Jesse says walking away towards the lift.

"Are you fucking kidding me! You're a coward Jesse Lingard" I know I'm probably coming across as being nasty but I'm so angry I don't know how to process it.

"Same goes for you Rachel Lingard" Jesse says with an edge to his voice as he gets into the lift. The little bastard. I can't believe he's just dropped me in it like that.

"Do you want to explain what that was about?" My grandad says behind me. I don't dare look at him. From my experience that wasn't a question.

"Not really" I say trying to calm myself down.

"My office now Rachel" my grandad bellows as he walks into his office, sadly I have to admit defeat and follow him curling up in the corner of the sofa as I sit down "What the hell was that about? I don't appreciate a first team player coming here when he should be at training"

"It's nothing. I'm dealing with it" looking at my grandads face I know I'll not get away with that. Everyone has heard of the famous hairdryer treatment, well I'm probably about to get it tenfold.

"Don't lie to me Rachel!" My grandad shouts. He never shouts at me, I'm the favourite I get away with everything but something tells me I won't get away with this one as easily. "What the hell does he mean Rachel Lingard?"

"We might've got married in Vegas" I say sheepishly. I don't want to annoy my grandad anymore than he already is. This literally feels like pulling off a plaster slowly.

"You married him? I don't believe this. When? How long has this been going on? I didn't even know that you two knew each other"

"We don't know each other" I say biting my lip. I know Jesse's name and career that's about as far as my knowledge goes "it just happened when we were drunk in Vegas. I didn't know who he was until the next morning"

"You don't know each other? Stop with the short answers and tell me everything! I told you not to marry a stranger when you went to Vegas, bloody hell Rachel!" My grandad says putting the pieces of my explanation together.

"Technically he's not a complete stranger. I know of him and you actually know him"

"Don't take the piss Rachel. I'm not in the mood" watching my grandad pace the room I don't dare breathe let alone speak. "So what was the shouting about?"

"He's just told me we can't get a divorce for a year but he's known for a few weeks and he didn't tell me" I say quietly but I know my grandad has heard me.

"A fucking year! Rachel I thought you were the sensible one! There's only one thing for it, you'll have to live together"

"What!" I shout, I never shout at my grandad but this is tipping me over the edge.

"You'll have to live together in case this gets out in the press. Then you can say you've been together for a while you just didn't make your relationship public"

"You've lost your fucking mind" I say standing up to pace the office.

"Don't speak to me like that Rachel. Just don't okay! This is your only option or would you prefer it if someone got wind of this and sold a story to the press that you two got married in Las fucking Vegas after only knowing each other for a few hours!" He's angry. Very angry and the angrier he gets the more and more Scottish he sounds.

"Jesse's never going to agree to this! I don't even agree! You can't make me live with a stranger!"

"Trust me, he'll agree. Remember though Rachel he's not a stranger is he, he's your husband" the tone of my grandads voice terrifies me. I have no idea how he's going to make Jesse agree to this but I don't think it'll be good either way.