"Robert you will start today."

My head snapped up from the changing room floor, my ears adjusting to Pep's words as I sat and wondered if I had actually hear my coach right. I looked up to the board and sure enough, I saw my name written above a red magnet.

As I glanced around me at my team mates, their facial expressions proved to me that they were just as surprised as I was. Although I was ecstatic to be back in the squad after being secluded at home and at the gym by myself for the best part of five months, it didn't feel right to not have Mario around.

The dressing room was quiet, most of the team with headphones on after Pep dismissed the team talk, however it was usually Mario that played some music on the speakers or gave us an extra pep talk, since a lot of the time, nobody was listening to Pep. Granted, I was one of those people.

Time ticked on and kick off grew closer. I began to feel incredibly angry that not one person had asked me about Mario, when all of them knew I was there with him and nobody had bothered to go and visit him. I thought that Thomas at the least would ask, but it seemed like nobody wanted to even look in my direction.

"You're all a joke, you know that?" I said, catching everybody's attention as I walked into the middle of the room, the studs on my boots clattering against the tiles.

"You'd be nothing without Mario, last season, he carried us all. He supported us when he could, encouraged us from the bench when he wasn't playing and from that - we won games. We won game after game because of him and none of you have the decency to go and visit him in hospital?"

I felt my face grow hot, not out of embarrassment, but out of anger. Nobody tried to defend themselves because they all knew I was right. Some of the team even pretended to still have their music playing, though it was obvious that they just felt too guilty to face me.

Storming out of the changing room, I zipped up my jacket and walked into the tunnel and waited for my team. They had all probably been talking about me back in there, but as they all filed out into a line in the tunnel, there was nothing but silence from us all and a roar from the crowd that surrounded us.

That cold evening in December, I played the best game of my life. I scored four goals, made two off the line clearances and got man of the match, all with ignoring Pep and my team mate's instructions to pass the ball more. No, they weren't going to tell me what to do and I wasn't going to listen to them. I was doing it all by myself, for myself, and for Mario.

Walking back out of the dressing room after showering and getting dressed, I grabbed my match ball, trophy and headed back out into the car park.

I took the time to sign things for fans, their support for my return sent shivers down my spine. I never thought they would support me again, after everything that was wrongly written about me in the media, I wouldn't have been surprised if my own fans booed me as I walked to the car.

But in fact, I got a pleasant surprise.

Making my way back to my car, I grinned when I saw Jagger leaning against the door with a smile on her face. Walking towards her, I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her passionately, wanting everybody to know that she was my girlfriend and I fucking loved her. That would make front page news, Robert Lewandowski makes a public display of affection.

• • •

After taking my pills and going to several more sessions with me psychiatrist, I slowly started to see a change in myself. I came to the conclusion that it was partly because I was back playing football, which always helped to clear my head of everything that was weighing me down. But also, I felt happier.

I had been seeing Mario more often and watching him recover from his accident made me happy that my friend was getting better. As for the rest of the team, they still weren't on talking terms with me. Pep tried to get us all to bond on a weekend away, but that didn't work since I didn't turn up. I guess nothing changed with me there, I still didn't like socialising with them.

Not only that, but admitting how I truly felt about Jagger and actually accepting it myself, letting myself know that it was okay to love somebody, was making me feel so much happier.

I let the butterflies in my stomach flutter when I watched her making us breakfast in the morning instead of surprising them and telling myself that it wasn't right. I let my heart race faster when she slides out of bed in a morning and ties her hair up into a pony tail, letting it hang loose down her bare back. And I let myself fall in love with her, every single thing about her. Every inch of her, I loved, and I had no problem telling her every single day.

"Robert! Could you come here a second please?"

Hearing Jagger's voice call me from upstairs, I turned off the television and climbed the stairs up to the bedroom.

"What's up?"

I sat down beside her, placing my arm around her shoulders when I noticed how shaken up she looked. Her eyes were wide and pale, her skin drained of colour and her hands practically shaking as I held them to try and calm her down.

"I'm so sorry Robert, so sorry."

-

Jagger's P.O.V

Hammering my fist on Thomas' front door, I waited on the door step with my heart in my mouth, my teeth sunken into my lip so deep that I was convinced I could taste blood.

As soon as he opened the door, I wasted no time in storming inside his home, leaving him confused in the hallway, only to close the door a few moments later and follow me though into the lounge.

Pacing up and down the room, I felt like I was holding my breath the longer I kept this in my chest. I felt sick to the stomach, my mind was so clouded and my heart has grown heavy at the recurring thought of what I'd done.

Every night, my dreams were eating me alive as I lay next to Robert, his arms wrapped around me so tightly like he never wanted to let go. The guilt was suffocating.

"I thought we agreed that it was a one time thing?"

Thomas furrowed his eyebrows at me questioningly, wondering why I was at his house when to him, I had absolutely no need to even look in his direction whenever we were in the company of one another.

"Yes, well, it was a one time thing."

My face fell into a worried frown, my arms folded at my chest, my legs shaking as I stated Thomas in the eyes.

Slowly, I watched as his reaction changed when he started to realise why I was at his home. He started to shake his head, his lips parted as he continuously whispered 'no, please no' under his breath.

"I'm pregnant, Thomas."