Take A Shot : Chapter 2 [ 1ST HALF ]
Pairing: Joel Miller x soccer player f!reader
Chapter Summary: You spent more time with the Millers and the ice is slowly breaking.
Chapter Warnings: no beta, fluff, light angst, Idiots in Love, childhood friends
WC: 7k
series masterlist, AO3
A/N: Half of this chapter has been sitting in my drafts for more than a year and I finally got the urge to finish it. It's been a while and hopefully I get to finish the story. Thinking that it would be 4 or 5 chapters for this series.
Two days later, you were sitting with Tommy for dinner at the Millers' house. You had reached out to Tommy right after the shoot with the academy players, and the two of you had continued messaging back and forth a little bit. Tommy told you about his job as a contractor with Joel, which you did not expect Joel to be doing. He was athletic just like you; he even was in a baseball club in high school. But of course that was a long time ago.
You told him everything about your career when he asked, and that was about it. It felt surreal to be talking about the mundane stuff with the boy who you had once taken care of. The two of you never crossed the line to ask about the past yet, and you know meeting him in private was what was going to set it off.
“Didn’t expect you to be coming up with this for dinner,” you looked at him as you took a bite out of the lasagna that he had made.
“There’s so many things you don’t know about me now,” he replied with his signature smirk on his face while he chewed on his food.
“Yeah, I guess not.” You turn your gaze away from him, having mixed feelings of being relieved to see him again and also forlorn about the fact that you have missed so much that has happened.
Sensing the change in you, Tommy tried to lighten the mood by talking about your soccer games. Tommy had been a loyal supporter of you whenever you played your games during your school years. He would go on and on talking about your duels and plays. When you scored a goal, you would be welcomed with him jumping and hugging you tight, showering you with praises until you parted ways.
Sometimes when the games ended, you would think about Tommy and whether he still watched your games. A part of you believed that he did; that’s why when he told you that he had been watching your games even when you moved to different clubs, you felt your eyes stinging with tears. It’s not only Tommy who watched your games. Nana often watched your games live on TV, and that was how Sarah got interested in soccer. Joel wasn’t mentioned at all, and you were not surprised to know that he was not interested in it except when it involved Sarah.
“So, what happened to Nana?” You questioned Tommy, changing the attention back to Nana.
Tommy sighed heavily, shaking his head. He filled you in on the incidents that happened with Nana. You felt extremely terrible hearing about it. To hear the ever-kind Nana suffering like that broke your heart. You felt the guilt of not keeping in contact and checking up on her even though she was not a family member of yours. In your heart, though, you considered her family as one of yours. They were the source of your happiness while growing up, and you missed them dearly, but you could not risk disturbing the peace between them and Joel.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have been there for all of that. Nana is a strong woman, and I have no doubt that she will get through this. If any of y’all need anything, don’t feel shy to just hit me up, alright?“
“I’m not sure if Nana’s heart could take it if you visit her,” Tommy jokingly said with a small boyish smile on his face.
What both of you didn’t expect was to be interrupted by noises from the front door. Tommy and you looked at each other with confused looks.
“Are you expecting anyone?” You asked him.
“No. Not that I know of.” He muttered with hesitation as he stood up to head out front.
Curious, you scuffled out of your seat to follow behind him. The front door opened right when you stepped out of the dining room. There he was. Joel Miller. Walking into the house, carrying a few bags of groceries and kicking the door shut behind him. You hid behind Tommy to catch your breath for a moment.
“Joel? What are you doing here?” Tommy asked warily, knowing Joel might not be happy to see you.
“Sarah is at a sleepover, so I thought we could get some dinner together. I brought some groceries too for when Nana comes back,” he paused, seeing Tommy’s distraught expression, “Whose car is out front? You got a girl over?”
He stepped closer towards Tommy and peeked over his shoulder to see this mystery woman who was keeping his brother company for the night. To his surprise, the last person he expected to see stepped out into view.
“Hi.” Your voice meekly came out, accompanied by a quick and hesitant wave towards him. His body tensed when he saw you. You saw his eyes widen and his lips slightly part in shock. He didn’t reply to your greeting as he slowly took in your form behind his brother.
Both of you were staring at each other in silence, not knowing what to say to one another. Tommy had to break the silence by taking the bags from Joel’s hands into the kitchen. Joel anxiously followed behind Tommy while you stayed in place, fidgeting with your hands before you turned to sit back down in the dining room.
“What is she doing here?” Joel whispered in a stern voice as he glared at his brother.
“For dinner,” Tommy replied while sorting the groceries that Joel had bought into the fridge.
“With you? What for?” Joel questioned.
“To catch up like normal human beings who haven't seen each other for a long time, Joel. What’s wrong with you?” Tommy turned to Joel with an annoyed look on his face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I know you’re gonna act like this.” Tommy focused his attention back on the groceries. Joel clenched his jaws together, looking away from Tommy. He let out a sigh as he relaxed his shoulders, leaning on the counter beside him.
“Come join us, I still have more food over here.” Tommy straightened his back as he closed the fridge door. “Why don’t you just talk to her, huh? Maybe this is the time for the both of you to talk things out. She really misses us, y’know.”
“If that was true, she would have called.”
“Well, did you? You could have called her instead. I know you miss her too.” Tommy raised his eyebrows to see if Joel would deny what he said. “I’m just saying, hear each other out. It’s been 12 years, Joel.” Tommy squeezed Joel’s shoulder before going back out to join you.
Tommy came out to sit back at his seat, shooting you an awkward smile. In the corner of your eyes, you see Joel’s broad figure slowly making his way to the table, hesitation visible in his mannerisms. You turned your head to look at him and noticed that he was avoiding your gaze as he pulled the chair out to sit beside Tommy. Tommy passed him his plate of food, and he dug into his food with small bites.
“Isn’t this great? The three of us are eating at this table again.”
Both you and Joel gave him a look at his attempt to lighten the mood. Tommy, not being fazed, continued to talk about the old days while you quietly listened. You could feel the tightness in your throat from how nervous you were sitting at the table with Joel again. You tried your best to swallow the food while glancing between the brothers from time to time. Joel’s gaze was still glued to his plate, and you so badly wanted to talk to him about anything to get his attention.
“Sarah’s a wonderful kid. You did a good job raising her," you blurted out once Tommy stopped with his own conversation.
Joel reacted to your voice with a quick turn of his head. His eyes pierced both of your eyes as he said, “Thanks,” in a whisper.
“She’s really good at soccer, isn’t she?” Tommy included.
“Yeah, I can see a lot of potential in her. She’s versatile, good with both feet, and has great ball control with great pace," you explained.
“You’re just saying that because she’s my daughter.” Joel looked at you with doubt in his eyes.
“No, I thought she was one of the best players on the field when I saw her play 2 days ago. That’s before I knew she was yours," you reassured him.
“She’s always been good at sports, even when she was younger. Don’t know where she got that from," Joel said, looking down at his plate with a loving look on his face, thinking about his talented baby girl.
“She’s a natural, then. She must have got her athleticism from you.” You looked at him with a small smile on your face. Tommy huffed at that statement, shaking his head.
“You don’t remember him being one of the best baseball players in our school?” You asked.
“Was he?” Tommy answered with his brows furrowed.
“He had hit 3 home runs in a row in that one game we watched together, remember?”
“Hmmm, I don’t recall.” Tommy cocked his head slightly as he looked at Joel with his lips pursed.
“Bullshit, you have been bringing that up for years since it happened, you little fucker.” Joel said with a small smirk on his face. Your heart did something funny seeing that for the first time after a little more than a decade of not seeing him.
“I’m just fucking with you.” Tommy playfully shoved Joel with his elbow. “I’m surprised that you remember that.”
“Of course I do. How could I not remember the amount of girls pestering me about him after that? And especially the amount of pizza you were stuffing in your mouth during dinner after that game.” You leaned forward to pinch one of Tommy’s cheeks like you used to back then.
“Ow! Get your fucking hands off me.” Tommy caught your wrist and pretended like he’s biting your hand.
“Joel, you didn’t teach him some manners or what?” You playfully poked fun at Joel.
“Why am I involved with this?” Joel glanced between you and Tommy, can't be bothered with the antics.
“Hey! You started it first!” Tommy pointed his finger at you.
Tommy and you continued arguing like siblings while Joel quietly finished his food, fondly staring at the two childish people arguing about something that doesn’t really matter at all. His heart had felt a slight warmth that it used to feel when you were around. He was not able to figure out why before.
The three of you had shifted the conversations from the dining room to the living room after everyone had finished eating. After what seems like hours of spending time talking with the brothers—more with Tommy, basically, while Joel responded with only a few words—you took a look at your watch to see that it was getting late and you had to head home to rest for training the next day.
“It’s getting late. I should get going.” You slapped your thighs and proceeded to grab your belongings to head out.
“Training tomorrow?” Tommy asked, guiding you to the front door with Joel following behind you. You nodded to his question before giving Tommy a goodbye hug and thanking him for the food. He released you, and you turned to face Joel to give him a small nod with a shy smile on your face. Joel’s hands twitched at his sides as he stared at you, giving a nod back at you.
“Text me when you get home," Tommy said.
“I will. It’s nice to see y'all again. I guess I’ll see you guys around. Goodnight, boys.” You gave them a small wave before you headed to your car.
Joel and Tommy stayed watching you as you pulled out of the driveway, stealing a few glances at Joel, who was standing with his hands in his jeans pockets. You waved back at Tommy before you drove off. Joel stared off into the road even after your car was out of sight. He felt a certain weight in his chest when you left, reminding him of that rainy night when he saw you last before you left Austin. The rain washing away the tears streaming down your face while you fought with him.
“Earth to Joel,” Tommy’s voice brought him back to the present. Both of them went back inside the house with thoughts of you flooding Joel’s mind for the rest of the night.
-----
The day before Nana was going to be discharged, Joel and Sarah walked into the ward room to find you talking with Nana. Nana’s laugh filled the room while you were telling her about your life after you left Austin. His grandma, who always nagged him and his brother and was only tender to Sarah, looked so joyful to be talking with you again. It's been a while since he found Nana to be that relieved. He had to witness her being sick and weaker than she used to be, and it had hurt him so badly. He wished to be able to take it all away from her. To see her feel slightly comforted by you made him think about those times that you could have been there for his family. It made him feel sick to his stomach that it was his fault that it couldn't happen. Maybe it would have happened anyway since you were already going to be pursuing your dreams.
Sarah got away from his grasp and ran to you immediately. Her frantic footsteps made you pause to see who it was. Your face brightened up with a wide smile, opening your arms to welcome Sarah as you waited for her to reach you. Her arms closed around your neck as she jumped up on your lap, burying her face in your neck. You rocked back in your seat from her sudden weight, making you groan lowly before laughing softly at her excitement.
“Hello, Sarah,” you said softly in her ear. She leaned back from you to see your face, beaming with an adorable smile. “Did you miss me?” You asked her, and she nodded shyly, as if she was suddenly hit with what she had just done.
“Sarah, get down from her. You’re heavy," Joel said while he slowly made his way to the other side of the hospital bed and took a seat.
“I’m not!” She argued back, shooting daggers through her eyes. “Am I?” Her gaze went back to you for confirmation, silently asking you to take her side.
“You’re not. Don’t worry.” You smirked as you gave a quick wink.
Sarah adjusted herself on your lap, facing Nana. Your arms encased her body when she was settled in a comfortable position. Your chin on one of her shoulders, listening to her talk about her day at school when Nana asked her. You can’t help but smile as she spoke; warmth slowly spreads in you. You missed this feeling of home with the people you care about. It’s been a while since you have had a circle of people who made you feel like you belong.
Your parents were still back in Orlando. You have a family, but you don’t feel loved by your dad at all. You called your mum whenever you could to check on her, busy worrying about her instead of having a good talk. Some of your close friends were still at your previous clubs. You had an amazing time playing with them, performing well on the field, and hearing the crowds cheering for your teams. They do text you sometimes, but this feeling with the Millers is something you cannot find anywhere else in this world.
You laughed softly when she complained to Nana about her Uncle Tommy being annoying, always joking around with her. Turning your head slightly, you gazed at her side profile. You took in her features, from her eyes to her lips. She reminded you of Joel back when he was a kid. You wondered about her mum. How could Talia have a kid that is wonderful and kind, totally opposite to her character? Why haven’t you seen her yet?
Your eyes darted forward to Joel, who was sitting opposite you. His eyes fluttered for a moment, and he slightly straightened his posture when you caught him staring at you. His eyes were soft as he looked at you, a tinge of saddled eyebrows. He could not tear his eyes off of you from the moment he walked in. Something clawed at his heart when he watched you hold Sarah in your arms with a smile on your face when you leaned forward to put your chin on Sarah’s shoulder. That beautiful smile of yours when you’re content. The one that he had missed. The one that he did not expect to see again. The one that got away before he knew it. Sarah’s only mother figure in her life was her grandma, so when you held Sarah tight to yourself, he felt something funny in his chest.
He did not process anything that Sarah was saying. He was occupied with you right there, and when you finally took your eyes off Sarah to look at him for the first time since he arrived in the room, he swore his heart had stopped for a few seconds before it started to beat rapidly. Your smile faded away when your eyes landed on him. He looked down at his hands on his thighs and did not want to see the disappointment in your eyes when you looked at him.
“Nana said you were friends with my dad when you were a kid. Is that true?” Sarah’s question caught you off guard. You blinked a couple of times to get your bearings, thinking of how to explain it to her.
“Yeah,” you paused before speaking again, “we were.”
“Why did you stop being friends?” She asked innocently.
Your eyes were stuck on the ground, just like Joel’s were. “Um, we lost touch.” You glanced at Sarah to see her looking at you for answers. “I had to move to Orlando when I was 18 to play in my first pro club.”
Sarah furrowed her brows, trying to understand. “Was my dad a naughty kid?”
The ends of your lips curled as you replied, “He was a little bit of a troublemaker.”
Sarah looked towards her father in an instant with wide, round eyes.
“That’s a lie.” He responded, looking straight at Sarah. She turned back for your confirmation. You widened your eyes, eyebrows almost touching your hairline to make a funny face. Sarah giggled at your expression, making everyone in the room smile.
After her giggles died down, she took a breath before asking you, “Can you be friends with him again?”
Joel’s ears perked up at that. You noticed the hopeful look in his eyes even though he tried to hide it.
“Do you want us to?”
“Yes. He’s lonely.”
You involuntarily snorted; you did not expect to hear that comment from her. You cocked your head to the side to make it seem as if you were thinking about it.
“We could try.” You shrugged, smiling at Sarah. Sarah smiled back at you before turning to Nana sheepishly. Nana gave her a quirky wink that was unnoticed by you and Joel since both of you were staring at each other with so many words on the tip of your tongues that were not being said. Sarah was already your weakness even though it was only the fourth time meeting her, and you wondered whether Joel knew about your soft spot for kids, using her to melt your heart and bring you back closer to him.
You excused yourself to go to the restroom after a while, and Joel’s eyes followed your movement until you were out of the door. Nana cleared her throat, a smirk on her face as she looked at Joel.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just missed seeing the two of you together in one room. Even if it meant being in this hospital room.”
Joel let out an exasperated sigh, knowing what Nana was thinking about. “Don’t get any funny ideas now.”
Nana with a pointed look, “Now’s the time, kid. Fix it before it’s too late. Don’t let that hard head of yours keep you from doing what’s right.”
Joel pursed his lips, eyes flickering to the door, deep in thought. Joel noticed that you’ve been gone to the restroom for 20 minutes already, and you were still not back. He got up, pretending to stretch a little bit before excusing himself from the room after reminding Sarah to behave while he’s gone.
He stepped out into the hallway, eyes darting around, looking for you. He saw a glimpse of your side profile at the counter, talking to a nurse. As he got closer, he realised why you were gone for that long. The nurse was giving you the receipt for Nana’s hospitalisation payment, and he lost his head at that. You thanked the nurse and turned to go back to the ward, but seeing Joel taking big strides towards you, his body tensed with an angry look on his face, made you pause. You took a few steps backwards, holding your hands up towards him as if it would make him calm down. He took you by your arm and dragged you to a quiet corner.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He snarked when he released your arm.
“I-I just—" you waved your hands around, trying to explain yourself.
“She’s in my care. It’s my responsibility to handle it.” He pointed to himself while trying his best to keep his voice low. To be honest, he was struggling with the payments. After his bills and expenses for his family, he could not afford to pay for Nana’s hospital care even though Tommy tried to cover half of it. But even so, he did not want your help. He did not want to add more weight to his guilt.
“I know, I know.”
“Then why? You pity me or something?”
“No! Not at all.” You whispered frustratedly. Chests heaving as you stared at each other, realising how close you are to one another.
You let out a big sigh, scratching the back of your ear before tilting your head back up at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t discuss it with you, but I just wanted to repay her kindness. She really means a lot to me.”
“If she is, you would have called her.” His jaws clenched, restraining himself from saying anything that he might regret.
“This isn’t the time and place to get into this, Joel.” You closed your eyes, pinching the bridge of your nose. You don’t want to have that conversation with him in this situation.
“Look, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m sure you’ve been taking care of her well, no doubt about that.” You gazed into his eyes, unblinking. “Let me just do this one thing for her, Joel. Please.” Your eyes communicated with him silently, begging him to let you have this. He felt the walls that he built crack when he looked down at you at that moment.
“Fine. On one condition.” He raised one finger with a pointed look. “I'm paying you back.”
“No, you don’t have to.” You shook your head at him.
“I’m not taking no for an answer.” He was firm with his words that you cannot refuse him.
“Okay, if you insist.” You sighed in defeat.
Joel dug into his pocket and unlocked his phone before passing it to you. “Give me your number, it’ll be easier for us to settle it.”
“You deleted my number?” You raised a brow at him.
Joel parted his mouth, only to say nothing. His eyes flickered everywhere but on you.
“Just kidding, big guy.” You snorted, noticing his anxious movements. You had a new number after settling down in Orlando anyway. That number stayed with you even when you moved to Kansas City and then back to Austin again.
You punched your new number into his phone while his eyes were glued to his phone screen watching your thumbs move. You called your number so that you could save his on yours as well.
“I guess I’m not the only one that deleted a number.” He commented after seeing what you did. You only shrugged before passing his phone back. He stared at his phone screen displaying your number for a few seconds before tucking it back in his pocket. You both nodded at each other before making it back to the ward room together awkwardly.
-----
The boots clacking on the floor filled the dressing room as the team changed into their uniforms for the match. You sat on your locker seat, pulling your socks over the shin pads, from one leg to the other.
“So I heard that you finally brought some company tonight.” You looked up at Kiara, confused.
“Huh?”
“The people in your box.”
“Ohhh. Yeah, old friends of mine.” You had invited the Millers to watch the game since Tommy had been gushing about soccer game nights that they had going on during the weekends to watch your matches. He had sent photos of the family in their living room wearing jerseys and scarves around their necks, except Joel. He’s there in the background looking like he was forced to be in the picture. Nana was back at home with her family finally. She had been doing better since being discharged, and you wished her a full recovery. You couldn’t be happier seeing the pictures of them and figured that since you have your box that was empty all the time, you might as well invite them over to watch the game live at the stadium.
That night, you paced back and forth in your kitchen, rehearsing what you were going to say to Joel. You could have just called Tommy to make it easier for you, but there was a pull in you to hear his voice on the phone. You shook your body and took a big breath before dialling his number.
He picked up by saying your name questioningly. You stood there in your kitchen, frozen and speechless.
“You alright?” His voice was laced with worry.
“Uh...yeah. Um, I just wanted to invite your family to watch my games at the stadium. If it’s ruining your game nights together, it’s fine.”
“One sec.” You heard some scuffling through the phone and his voice muffled, talking to someone. You could hear Sarah screaming in the background, which you assumed he had relayed the message to her.
“I think you already know the answer.” He huffed with a soft laugh, seeing his baby girl running around in the living room because of the news.
You laughed before replying, “Great! I’ll text you the details then. Have a good night. Tell Sarah good night for me as well. Bye,”
“Thanks. I’ll let Sarah know. Good night."
You ended the call and stared into space with a smile still plastered on your face. What you didn’t know was that, at that same time on the other side of town, Joel was smiling like you were.
“Old friends, huh? Not anyone special?” Kiara wiggled her eyebrows at you, arms playfully shoving you on your shoulder.
“Just old friends. Nothing else.” You smirked at the ridiculousness and shook your head at her.
“Sure.”
“Swear.”
“If you say so. But I know you, you don’t just bring anyone to your games.”
“Technically, they’re not just anyone. They’re kinda like my family.”
“I thought your family were back in Orlando,”
"Yeah, but the Millers were close to me when I grew up here. I consider them like my family, y’know.”
“I see. I see. Now I’m curious to meet the people who took care of our skipper here. One of our best.”
"If we're talking about the best, she's sitting next to me right now."
"Pshhh, don't need to flatter me."
"Gonna score another goal tonight?"
"You bet I will."
Meanwhile, the Millers were already settled down in your box, which could fill up at least 10 seats. You have a lounge room with glass doors just behind the seats, which have snacks and drinks laid out on the table. Sarah took the opportunity to grab some chips and candy that you had requested for her. All of them were marveling at the hospitality and the environment that they were in even though it was the third visit for Sarah and Joel.
The stadium seats were slowly filling up before kickoff in 40 minutes. Joel had his phone in his hands, taking pictures of Sarah as she posed with Nana sitting beside her. Tommy, on his left, was eyeing the people in the next box, which appeared to be a group of women his age. Five minutes of that went by when they heard a distant cheer on the lower tier seats. The Austin Violet Women's Team was coming out of the tunnel for their warm-up. You were jogging with Kiara to where the cones were set up at one side of the field.
Sarah silently clapped her hands, excited to see her favourite team. Joel's eyes never left you as you moved smoothly through your warm-up sets. Your focus was unwavering as you did your sprints before moving on to do the passing routine. Still looking at you while you did your shooting routine as well, striking with massive power and accuracy. He could hear Sarah gasping and Tommy saying "Damn" under his breath.
This was the first time he had seen you doing your warm-up in his three visits to the game. He was impressed with your growth from the little girl that he knew to the respected athlete that you were now. Your juggling and ball control skills had been your advantage since day one, and seeing you do it casually almost turned him on. Your attitude in training and warm-up shows why you were the captain for your previous club, Kansas City FC, boosting the team's morale.
While everyone took a short break after warm-up ended, either drinking from the bottles prepared for them or talking among themselves or signing some items for the fans, Kiara dragged you to look at the Executive Box level where the Millers were seated. Her arm was around your shoulder while the other waved up at her family sitting at the box next to yours. You used your hand to bracket your eyes to see clearly. You saw Sarah and Nana waving down at you, which you returned. The brothers were looking nonchalantly as per usual. You felt another arm snaking around your shoulders, crossing Kiara's arm already on yours. It was Izzie. She waved once at her box, then turned to look at you.
"Who's the hottie?"
"Right. Your 'old friend' is apparently a hot guy, huh?"
"Oh my god." You tried to get away from them but failed with their strong grip on you. You bent your body to move backwards and decided to tickle their sides, which allowed you to be released.
Right as you got away, you sprinted back to the tunnel, laughing at your teammates. They ran after you, not wanting to let it go.
-----
It was the 80th minute, and the game was still at a nil-nil draw. The players were getting more tired as the clock ticked by. However, your presence on the field was still commanding with how much ball possession you had. You were everywhere on the field as the midfielder, controlling the play and creating many opportunities for the attackers. Bringing the ball from the halfway line to the penalty box, the opposition players were pressing you to make a mistake and lose the ball.
One of them tried to get the ball from you by tackling. With your quick feet, you kicked the ball to your other foot before she came sliding in, catching your leg in the process, and you rolled to the ground. The fans roared with complaints when that happened. Joel’s nails dug into his thigh, worried about you. The referee blew the whistle, calling it a foul, awarding you a free kick just outside the penalty box. You stayed lying on the ground, clutching your leg to catch your breath. Eva Martinez—the centre-back—reached down for your hand, pulling you up.
You grabbed the ball and set it down on the mark. The opposition players set up their walls while your teammates took their positions for any opening spots. Taking a few steps away from the ball, you leaned back slightly, taking a few controlled breaths. The chants from the fans were muffled in your ears. The whistle blew, and you accelerated to kick the ball, and it barely flew past the players’ heads as they jumped, and it went in at the top right corner of the post.
The silence was deafening for a second; everything looked like slow motion to you before the stadium erupted. You had just scored a direct free kick. Your teammates were running after you while you were running to the corner flag to celebrate with your arms wide open. You jumped in the air, pumping your fist up, and screamed with the fans. Someone jumped on your back through the chaos, and you don’t even know who it was. Everyone surrounded you, hugging and patting you on the head. As they dispersed, you peered up at your box seats, blowing some kisses and hearts to Sarah before running back with the rest.
"Hearts? That's new," Kiara teased you as everybody made their way back to their positions.
"Fuck off. It's for the little girl, dumbass." You shoved her lightly, jogging back.
The situation at the box level was sensational when you scored. Almost everyone got up to their feet, jumping around, clapping their hands, and screaming. Sarah and Tommy were two of them. Tommy went to Sarah and picked her up, screaming at each other’s faces. Tommy bounced her by his hips while Joel and Nana smiled fondly at them. All of them clapped their hands when you ran to the corner to celebrate. Sarah returned your kisses, giggling to herself watching you go. Joel patted her head, finding Sarah so adorable.
Before they knew it, the full-time whistle went off, and everybody cheered because of the win. It was the fourth win in a row for your team since the second loss of the season in one of the away games. The players shook hands and customarily went round the stadium, thanking the fans for their support. You were walking with Kiara and Izzie side by side and waving to the fans. The group of you passed by the area of your boxes. Kiara did a little silly dance as usual for her niece, making you and Izzie laugh. Casually waving to the Millers, you walked back to the tunnel with them.
The family and friends of the other players beside the boxes stood up to go inside their respective rooms. Some of them introduced themselves to the Millers and exchanged a couple of words.
One of the girls went up to Sarah, “Hello! I’m Kayla.”
“I’m Sarah.”
“I’ve never seen you before over here. Kiara’s my auntie. How about you?”
Sarah explained that you were friends with her dad, and from there, both of them connected about football before they separated back to their families, leaving the stadium.
-----
That night, you joined the Millers back at their house. Nana insisted that you come and celebrate the win, inviting you to a dinner prepared by her and the boys. Of course, you had accepted her invitation. You would not pass up the opportunity to taste her cooking again.
You arrived at their house with unopened ice cream tubs that you had stored in your fridge. You did not want to come empty-handed, and there wasn’t anything else that you could bring. Luckily, it was a short drive, so the ice cream was still in good condition when you got there.
The door opened after you rang their doorbell, and quickly, you were almost thrown back by the force that hugged you. Sarah had heard the doorbell and ran straight for the door, ignoring Joel’s warning for her to be careful. You realised that you could get used to her strong hug every time you guys meet, always bringing a smile to your face.
“Well, hello to you too, my lucky charm. Guess what I brought tonight.” You brought the bag up to her eye level, shaking it gently.
“What is that?!” Her eyes widened, fixed on the bag.
“Take a look.” You passed her the bag, letting her take a look inside.
“Ice cream!” she exclaimed, turning back inside the house. “Dad! She got ice cream. Can we eat it, please?” She pouted at Joel when she reached the kitchen, knowing that Joel could never resist that adorable face that she’s making.
“Only after dinner, babygirl.” He said while taking the bag from her and placing the ice cream in the fridge for dessert later.
“Okay, after dinner.” She grinned adoringly back at you when you stopped behind her to meet the rest of the family.
Nana greeted you enthusiastically, hugging and kissing you on the cheek, “Congratulations on the win, my dear. The goal was beautiful. I’m so proud of you.” She caressed your face with her gentle hands.
“Thank you, Nana.”
Tommy came downstairs after hearing the commotion and immediately wrapped you in his arms, spinning you around as he screamed, “The Player of the Match is finally here! You are literally the best player on the pitch today!” He squeezed you tight as you giggled at his behaviour.
“Well, everybody played their part, but I appreciate it, Tommy.” You said that after he put you down gently.
“I’ll escort you inside, your highness.” He put out his elbow towards you, and you took it immediately, playing along to his bit. He pulled out a chair at the dinner table for you and, with a formal tone, said, “Dinner will be served in 5 minutes, my queen,” before making his way to the kitchen, where Nana and Joel were busy finishing the cooking.
You softly chuckled before finding Sarah already by your side, trying to show you her drawings that she made of you. You let her sit on your lap as she pointed out the details of her drawings. You complimented her on it while Joel came out with the dishes, placing them on the table. He sneaked glances at you and his daughter, caught off guard by how sweet the both of you looked; he almost dropped the plates on the table. You looked up at him and gave a small smile before getting your attention back to Sarah. Ever since you have been back in the picture, he cannot shake the images in his head of the both of you together. It’s probably because there is no other woman in his life who has a good relationship with Sarah except for Nana. The same fuzzy feeling in him was back again. A feeling that he had lost for a long time since their fallout.
He got out of his daze when Tommy and his mum came out of the kitchen to the table with the rest of the dishes. Everyone took their places, and Sarah got up to take the seat next to you. Dinner went well, with Nana raving about your match earlier, which you were not used to, causing you to blush a little bit. You were awkward with praises since you were not brought up with it. Tommy occasionally talked about their work while Sarah talked about her friends in school. Joel, as his usual self, did not speak a word and only stole glances at you when you were not looking. Only when Nana asked you about your time in previous cities did Joel make eye contact with you. You could see the hesitation in his eyes, as if he has something to say to you.
“Do you miss Orlando and Kansas City?”
“Yeah, sometimes. But I don’t miss it as much as I miss Austin.” You gave Nana a small smile.
Looking down at your food, you continued, “I mean, I realised I did achieve a lot in terms of career wise over there. Made some close friends that helped me through the bad days, especially when I was injured. But looking back, I feel like I was just coasting through those years without anything that grounded me emotionally.”
“Didn’t meet anyone special there?” Nana gave you a look with a sly smirk, which made you laugh quietly.
“No one of significance.” You shook your head.
“Hard to believe that no one has snatched you up already," Tommy chimed in before biting his food.
“You think so?”
“Of course! You’re an amazing woman, honey.” Nana raised her voice a little more, wanting you to have more self confidence.
“Hard to believe that.” You cocked your head to the side while chewing your dinner.
Dinner continued with conversations about work from both the brothers, Sarah telling the dramas happening amongst her friends and Nana filling us up with the neighbourhood tea. It was coming to the end of the dinner when everybody was finishing up the food when Nana inquired about your future in Austin.
“Are you staying for good now?”
“Probably. Life took me back to where I started, and I guess it’s where I belong. Funny how life works.” You shrugged, and as you leaned back, you unintentionally locked eyes with Joel, who had already finished with his food, listening to you intently.
