𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 • 𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈

✿ 19.04.22 ✿

He brings me cupcakes, every morning

It's been a week since I made Noah that beautiful banquet of food, and we'd made love afterwards.

Ok, I guess "made love" sounds like we're some married couple or shit. Had sex, went to bed, fooled around, whatever you wanna call it. Basically we fucked.

I don't even know what was better, the food or the sex. It was like I'd gotten a visit from 17-year-old him, because it felt exactly like we were doing it for the first time. But overall, I was feeling incredibly pleased, and things couldn't be better between us now. We've reset to our old routines, thankfully, and he hasn't come back home late once in the past week, which tells me he's not so eager as before to "help out" Tiffany.

"Morning sugar plum." He says as he comes through the front door, leaning over and pecking me on the cheek. I'm sat facing the front door on the dining table, skimming through a Sparknotes page .

Sugar plum. Uh oh. He only says 'sugar plum' when he as bad news.

I brace myself for what he has to say.

"I, erm. . . have some bad news." He puts the cupcakes he's holding on the dining table, and drops his gym bag. "I've been feeling some, like, niggles in my left achilles the past few weeks, so I went to the clinic and it turns out I have some micro tears in it. It's fixable with surgery, but I'll be out of games for at least the next 3 months."

I'm taken aback by his news, but also slightly relieved. His tone was so serious I feared it was cancer or something, but just a damaged achilles. Nothing too worrisome. However, three months without playing football? That was like taking away Noah's arm for three months. He wouldn't be the same.

"Ohh, I'm sorry babe." I stand up and come round the table to hug him, feeling his sweat-soaked back on my hands. "You must feel terrible, with the scouts coming 'n all."

"Yeah, couldn't have come at a worse time." He sighs and ruffles his hair "But coach said he can ask the scouts to come back for just one game after the three months have passed, so I still have a chance."

I nod "That's good, hopefully by then you'll be all better."

"Yeah, yeah. But now I just have to figure out what to do with the next three months." He shifts his weight on the spot "I guess maybe now I'm not always away at training I can spend more time with you. . ." He puts his arms around my waist and I look up into his eyes. The expression I see takes me back to the times I would catch him staring at me in the corridor at school, that same cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"Oh, I would love that." I chuckle "Maybe we can do Friday night, part two."

He smirks.

He starts to kiss my neck softly and I let him for a few seconds.

"But not now." I sigh, breaking off him "I've got a class at ten."

I go over to the countertop and pour myself a coffee, and I can feel his eyes following me. "Wow, and there I thought we were having a moment."

"Yeah, we were." I say "Past tense."

"Oh, ok, I see how it is. . . keeping me waiting are we?"

"No. . . I'm just going to class." I try to say without smiling, but I fail.

He nods unsuspiciously.

"I'm gonna have a shower." I go to the bedroom and undress myself, then put on a bathrobe. I almost jump out of my skin when I see Noah peering into the bedroom doorway.

"Ok perv," I say as I tie the strings of my bathrobe "Go drool at some other naked woman."

He laughs, but I sense an air of uncomfort.