Passing Through

Part Twenty Three

"I'll see what I can do."

Any cocky response died as he muttered, "shit, you are going to kill me."

Who needed more power than that?

A Sunday morning practice preceded his afternoon game, Natasha didn't go as she was meeting some friends for late lunch and a few drinks across town. She had a small network of friends, her past meant that she wasn't one who trusted easily. But the group she met once a month like this Sunday, were those she'd met at catering college, they all worked somewhere in the food and hospitality industry within the same region as her, and she loved hearing all their stories, the latest news, and of course gossip.

There were up to eight of them that met up, today it was just six, but the other three women and two men were as successful as her. Jane, one of her closest allies had just had a baby and had pulled out last minute as the little girl wasn't very well.

Other than that everyone was chipper, enjoying the Indian summer which seemed to be more reliable than the summer months. They sat out on a terrace, and drank crisp white wine whilst waiting for their lunch.

Natasha couldn't resist checking her phone every few minutes to see if the score had changed, the Hornets were winning by two goals, the internet didn't tell her who'd scored, but she could only imagine that Bo was involved in it all. If her friends noticed her distraction, they didn't comment, and eventually they all separated, arranging a meet in a few weeks time.

It was a bright sunny evening, and so back at her home, the two stories above the shop, she threw open some windows and turned on the radio. They were playing old classics, The Beatles following the Rolling Stones, and Fleetwood Mac, and she knew the word to almost all of the tunes and she busied herself around the kitchen not even paying attention to the cookies that appeared in front of her. She didn't even remember making them.

As she scooped them off the bake sheet and onto a cooling rack, she heard her phone bleep.

Hey, how was your day? We won...so the party is in full swing here

He didn't ask her to come, but she could sense the question in his message. And she wanted to go, wanted to see him, but it was too soon. She knew they needed to hold back a little, she still barely knew him and yet they'd spent the last three of the last four nights together. And that seemed a little much, too much too soon.

I'm already in my pjs, or I'd have come and join you. Have a drink for me.

It was a lie, she wasn't dressed for bed, but it meant she could decline an offer he hadn't made, politely. A coward's way out, admittedly. But she still wasn't sure if she was reading more into this relationship than he was. It was her greatest fear.

PJs are OK, no one here would mind, and I definitely wouldn't

She laughed out loud at that, at least he was playing along, that was a good thing.

You have a thing for my pyjamas? I'm sure there's a medical term for that!

No reply made her wonder if she'd over done it, pushed a little too hard, that was the problem with a new relationship, the treading on eggshells, trial and error, baby steps. It was as cliched as it got.

And then her phone rang.

"I like you pyjamas on you, Natasha, but not as much as I LOVE seeing them on the bedroom floor!"

She gulped, firstly at the sound of his voice and the effect that had, then at the actual words he'd spoken, "wow."

She managed a quiet breath. Then heard him laugh softly, "sorry, but it's true."

"I saw you won, did you have a good game?"

"Let me just move outside..." she could barely hear him for the din, presumably of the bar,and was glad when he moved somewhere quieter. "So, Coop was happy. I got two and an assist. So I have to be happy, that and Nails scored, which is his first as a pro, so we definitely celebrated."

"That's good, I'm glad."

He murmured in agreement, "almost a perfect day."

"Almost?"

"Well, I'm sat here, watching all the other players with their partners...that's why I text you."

She faux-gasped, "what?! Mr Holding is admitting to both missing me and enjoying his time here? Wow."

Groaning, he was quiet for a moment, "I like playing, I can switch off for five minutes."

"I've just finished baking cookies."

She swore she could hear his stomach rumble along the phone line. "Choc chip?"

"Is there any other?"

"A taxi will take ten minutes..."

She laughed, her body warming at the thought of him arriving, "they're still warm. Make it five?"