Unsettling - ONC 2023

Chapter 3 - Nikki

Making our way through the packed stands, I held on tight to a handful of the back of Drew's coat. The crowds pressing in on either side and the smell in the air, a mixture of food and sweat, made it difficult to see the appeal of the event.

"Stop pulling on me." Drew grumbled, shrugging off my grip.

The wave of anxiety that rose up in me eased with the realisation we were finally at our row. Inching round legs with mumbled apologies, I followed Drew to our seats.

We had a good spot, just a few rows from the front. Close enough to see the whites of the players' eyes Drew had proudly informed me on the way in.

The plastic seats weren't exactly comfortable, but I was beginning to see the appeal of the matches. There was a buzz in the air and excited chatter as everyone took their places. Two rows in front, a little girl who couldn't have been more than three, begged to be lifted onto her dad's shoulders and squealed with excitement as he swung her up.

Further along, an older man sat with his arm around his wife, both wearing matching tops from the visiting team. Drew took his coat off, revealing his pale blue Manchester City top, and reached out with a charming smile to help me take mine off.

I smiled back, both surprised and touched by the gentlemanly action. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I knew you'd enjoy it if you came." He said smugly.

I rolled my eyes. He obviously hadn't noticed how close I was to a panic attack in those crowds. Although that was on me, I had been so worried about ruining things; I had kept quiet and clung to him.

"It's alright, I mean, they haven't even started playing yet, so it's not like I can form an opinion either way." I joked.

Drew's expression darkened. "If you're so determined not to enjoy it, why did you even bother coming?"

I frowned. "That's not what I meant at all. It doesn't matter where we are. I just wanted us to spend some time together again."

Drew huffed and fished his phone out of his pocket. "We basically live together, Nikki, isn't that enough?"

I closed my eyes and swallowed down the annoyance. We couldn't even last five minutes without irritating each other. Maybe Claire was right. What was the point of trying to force a relationship neither of us seemed able to fix?

"I don't want to argue. I just want us to spend time together like we used to. This break is a last chance. If we can't reconnect and find what we had, then I'm done because I can't live like this anymore." I sighed.

Drew didn't glance up from his phone but offered a grunt that told me he hadn't listened to a word I had said.

"Drew?" I probed, touching his arm. "We said no phones. I thought we were trying to reconnect."

"For fuck's sake, Nikki, anything else you'd like to control? It's a work email, I have to deal with this." Drew snapped.

I flinched at the force of his anger and sat back in my seat, leaving him to the email. There were eyes on me and I forced myself to not meet any of them. Looking out onto the pitch and staring at the white lines until they blurred.

Music started playing and a sideways glance told me that Drew wasn't looking up from his phone any time soon. On the pitch, the players began to filter out of tunnels on either side, waving to the crowds and stirring them up into a frenzy.

The music stuttered and crackled a few times before cutting out entirely.

From the reactions of the players and crowd, this wasn't normal, and I looked sideways at Drew, biting my lip, "Is it always like this?" I asked.