Ainsley:
WTAF bro I thought I was your best mate?
Reuben:
Supply me with maple syrup and maybe we can talk
Lars:
You two are weird
Theo:
This isn’t a surprise
Jordan:
Which two? Could be any of us
The tiny, pleased smile tugging at Cody’s lips warmed me all over, and I let my phone drop to the floor, sliding my mouth against his. I already knew my friends accepted him, but now, he knew, too.
30
Jude
“How have I been house hunting for three weeks, and I’m only just getting to see these places?” I’d viewed what felt like hundreds of properties, none of them right, until Rory suggested I should widen my net outside of a five-mile radius.
“Maybe because you wouldn’t consider anywhere outside of Cheltenham or Gloucester?” Cody suggested.
“Says the person who lives less than a mile away from the Bobcats arena.” As soon as the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I didn’t want to remind Cody of the life he’d inevitably be going back to. It hurt too much.
At times, I could trick myself into thinking he was staying. He’d agreed to coach Cheltenham Storm’s summer youth sessions, and every day, he’d come home tired but euphoric. I’d cook for him if I’d had an easy day, otherwise, we’d order takeaway, curled up on the sofa watching TV while we talked about anything and everything. At this point, he knew me better than anyone else, and I couldn’t even imagine having this level of intimacy with another person.
The fact that he was leaving was always at the back of my mind, though.
“This one’s nice,” I said, banishing the unwanted thought before it could take hold again. “I like the Cotswold stone.”
We both studied the image of the honey-coloured stone cottage flanked by rolling green hills and ancient drystone walls. It was fucking gorgeous.
Cody shook his head. “Too remote. You said you wanted to be within walking distance of a supermarket, and you’d need to drive to get anywhere from this one.”
“Yeah, good point. I need to be able to walk somewhere. I don’t want to always have to rely on my car.”
“Okay. Which one do you want to look at next? The house in Bourton on the Water? Chipping Norton? Upper Slaughter? What the fuck— UpperSlaughter?”
“That would be a cool address, you have to admit.” Ignoring his unconvinced hum, I shrugged. “I don’t mind. You pick.” Any of them worked for me. They were all located in the Cotswolds. Rory had strongly hinted that owning a house in one of England’s most desirable areas was the kind of investment that made sense for someone in my position, aka a footballer with an unpredictable career. Many were lucky, but some only lasted a few years. Injuries, contracts, deteriorating form… The future was impossible to gauge. It made sense to invest, and I knew Cody had done that when he’d chosen his own apartment in Calgary.
“It’s your house, Jude. You should pick.”
I shook my head, not wanting to get into the fact that I couldn’t stop imagining him in every property we viewed. That I wanted his input. His honest opinion of the first house I’d ever own. “It’s not like we’re committing to anything. It’s just narrowing down the options.”
Scrolling through the listings, he paused, glancing over at me, and then scrolled back up again. “What about this one? ThePainswick house? Ross lives in Painswick, and he always talks about how much he loves the area.”
“Okay.” My mind was immediately made up. “Let’s do it.” I pulled up my maps app. “Only sixteen minutes’ drive from Barnwood Park, so it’ll be an easy commute to work, and look. It’s only twenty-three minutes away from Cheltenham Storm’s arena.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw, a faraway expression in his eyes.
Stay. Please.
