It would die down eventually, but I had to make it through the storm first.
“I’m not trying to scare you, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t warn you.” Asher watched me carefully, like he was afraid I’d run off and never look back.
“I know. I appreciate the warning.” I inhaled a deep breath. The idea of being perceived so publicly terrified me, but I couldn’t let my fears hold me back from what I wanted anymore. “We’ll figure out the pap situation. However, there’s a bigger issue. My brother.”
Asher’s entire face shuttered.
“You two have to sort out your issues for the sake of the team and your careers,” I said. “Do you remember why we started training together in the first place? The Boss will be livid if your animosity carries over into the next season.”
“The Boss?”
“Your coach. Armstrong. Vincent and I call him the Boss because, well, he’s the boss. I guess it’s not very original.” I drew my bottom lip between my teeth. “Why do you hate each other so much anyway? It has to be more than the sponsorships or the title of greatest footballer.”
If I knew why, then maybe I could help them mend their relationship. I didn’t want my brother and exclusive non-boyfriend to hate each other.
“I don’t hate him,” Asher said. “I just can’t stand him.”
“Same thing.”
“Perhaps.” He leaned back, his face angled away from the rest of the diners. Luckily, the din was loud enough to muffle our conversation from potential eavesdroppers. “This career is weird. So much of it is played out in the public eye, and we’re constantly pitted against each other on and off the pitch. Competitiveness is in our blood. So yes, part of our rivalry stems from the eternal battle over who’s the better footballer. I can overlook that. It’s par for the course.” His eyes darkened. “Then the World Cup happened.”
Concrete blocks settled at the pit of my stomach.
That damn World Cup. I should’ve known. The answer was so obvious, but it’d happened years ago. I hadn’t realized how long of a shadow it cast.
Even though Vincent had been born in London, he moved to Paris and became a French citizen when he was six, after our parents’ divorce. As a result, he played for France in international tournaments.
During the last World Cup, England and France had been tied during the semifinals. A quarter of the way into the match, Vincent and Asher got into an altercation that resulted in Vincent feigning an injury and Asher getting red carded.
The loss of their star striker turned the tide against England, who’d been favored to win the cup. Instead, they lost two to four while France went on to take the tournament.
The ref got raked over the coals for his call, but it didn’t matter. Side-by-side images of a triumphant Vincent hoisting the trophy and a devastated Asher walking off the pitch had dominated the news for weeks afterward.
“He faked his damn injury, and the ref didn’t see it.” A muscle ticked in Asher’s jaw. “If it weren’t for him, I’d probably have a World Cup.”
I winced, unsure how to respond.
For footballers, the World Cup was the holy grail. Vincent had celebrated for months after France’s victory. He got a lot of hate from England fans after the tournament, but as Blackcastle’s captain and top defender, he also had a sizable fanbase that shielded him from the worst of the criticism. Eventually, people got over it and moved on.
Asher didn’t.
“There’ll be another World Cup,” I said softly. “That wasn’t your last chance.”
“I only have so many chances.” Asher’s eyes flickered in the dim lighting. “It takes place every four years, and a lot can change in that time. I have maybe two more tournaments left in me, and that’s not accounting for any injuries or accidents that might take me out early.”
There was nothing I could say to that because it was true. Most players will never win the World Cup. It didn’t matter how good an individual was; it was a team effort.
However, while this explained why Asher disliked Vincent, it didn’t explain why Vincent disliked Asher so much beyond basic rivalry.
“Long story short, your brother’s a dick,” Asher said. “That being said, I’m not the one you have to worry about if and when he finds out about us. You know him better than I do. How do you think he’ll react?”
“Um…” I gulped at scenarios playing out in my mind. None of them were ideal, to say the least. “Not well. But he’ll listen to reason.” I think. “He cares about his career as much as you do.” Fingers crossed he cares about it more than he dislikes you. “He’ll be angry at first, but he’ll get over it.” I hope.
Asher didn’t look convinced. “He warned me away from you during one of our training sessions.”
“What?”
“You were in the toilet.” The corner of his mouth tugged up at my indignation. “He said you were off limits but I wouldn’t have a shot anyway because you’d never date another footballer.”
I heard the implicit question in the second half of his statement, but I ignored it.
I wasn’t ready to talk about my ex yet.
“That’s just like Vincent,” I fumed. “He’s always butting in where I don’t want him to.” Sure, I’d wanted nothing to do with Asher at the time, but still. Couldn’t a girl make her own decisions about her love life? “He told me to stay away from Clive too.”
That reminded me, I needed to follow up with him after our date. Given the way it ended, I doubted he was looking for a second date, but I liked to close all my loops.
Asher’s smile morphed into a scowl. “He was right about Clive. That guy is bad news.”
“Because he’s a fuckboy? Vincent said the same thing. You know, you two are a lot alike,” I said. “You’d probably be best friends if you didn’t despise each other.”
I laughed at Asher’s grimace. I wasn’t kidding. They would make good friends, but they were too hardheaded to set aside their differences and see that.
Hopefully, that’ll change in the future. Until then, I could only pray and hope Vincent wouldn’t lose his shit when we broke the news to him. How we’d do that was a problem for another day.
“So now that we’ve cleared the air…” I gestured around us. “Is this our first official date as an exclusive noncouple couple?”
“This is a pre-date.” Asher’s darkly amused stare crept under my skin, flustering me. “When I take you on our first date, you’ll know.”
