read 50 first!

psa: the chant used during the match is based off a real life chant west ham fans use for one of their players which i thought would work well in this chapter...enjoy!

"Morning, babe," Jamie smiled as he entered Billie's bedroom, armed with a brown paper bag of breakfast from the local cafe, surprised to see that she was sitting up in bed, scrolling on her phone, wearing his hoodie as always, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, even though Jamie could tell she was holding something back, "How was training with my brother?"

"We just did a run round the green...well, he sat on the bench, 'cause of his knees and controlled me music, choosing shorter songs with each lap, said he didn't want me to overdo it before today's match," Jamie told her as he climbed back into the bed, Nelson wriggling up in between them, resting his head on Jamie's lap, "You gonna tell me what's really going on?"

"What did you get for breakfast?" Billie asked, choosing to avoid his question.

"Omelette for me, pancakes for you," Jamie replied, handing her a box, "Now will you tell me what's wrong?"

Billie opened the box, smiling at the sight of her favourite strawberry and Nutella pancakes, "You're a diamond for getting me these, J."

"Billie," Jamie replied sternly, "What's wrong?"

Billie looked up at him with trepidation, having hoped to avoid the conversation for as long as possible, but deep down she knew it was far better to talk about it than keep it to herself, "I think my Dad's gonna be there today. He's got a season ticket at West Ham, I've not seen him since the day of the bonfire."

"You don't have to see him, you know that, don't you, babe?" Jamie assured her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to her chest, she felt such a need to be cradled that she didn't care that he was laced in sweat, in fact that never really bothered her.

"That's what we thought about your dad at Wembley," Billie whispered, "And look how that went."

"If he's got a season ticket that means he'll be in amongst all the other fans, he won't be in the VIP area, which is the only way he could reach you," Jamie attempted to comfort her, even though they both knew that there was always the possibility of an unwanted run in.

"I just really don't want to see him, J."

"I know, Bils," He kissed the top of her head, "Have you spoken to Roy about any of this?"

"No, he doesn't really get it," Billie told him, "I mean he knows what happened when I was a kid since I told him, but he's never experienced that sort of thing from our Dad before, so he doesn't expect trouble, whereas I know it's inevitable."

"If we can get through a match against your ex's team, we can get through today, alright?" Jamie assured her as she opened her phone, clicking on a new notification that she had a message from Keeley.

"J, I literally had a panic attack at the Chelsea match," Billie sighed with a smile to reassure him that she was fine with it.

"Yeah, but you got through it," Jamie reminded her as she opened the link Keeley had sent her, "Nothing bad is gonna happen alright?"

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Billie exhaled as she showed him the article Keeley had sent her.

MISS SOUTH LONDON & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE

JAMIE TARTT CONFIRMS ROMANCE WITH ROY KENT'S SISTER, FOLLOWING MONTHS OF PUBLIC SPECULATION.

"How did they work it out?" Jamie frowned, his eyes fixed on the headline as Billie scrolled further down the article, stopping on a photo, "Fuck."

"They used a Taylor Swift song for the title," Billie muttered, "Could've at least used a One Direction song."

It was blurry and pixelated, but it was pretty obvious that it was them. The photo had been taken inside Sam's restaurant, a place she and Jamie had assumed was safe for them to be affectionate, amongst their closest friends.

As Billie scrolled further down the article, it became evident that the image had been picked up from someone's social media account. She stared at the original image, its quality was good enough that you could still see Jamie and Billie in the background, which in a way made it worse.

The photo had been taken from Shandy's social media, it was a selfie she'd taken inside the restaurant, and the combination of her own following and tagging Sam and his restaurant, meant that it hadn't taken long to be picked up by the tabloids.

Billie wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised that Shandy had done something so thoughtless, and she really hoped that it wasn't a deliberate decision, but with Billie's anxious mind working the way it did, she couldn't help but wonder if Shandy had done it in an effort to force Billie's hand, having made her attraction to Jamie pretty clear.

"Bils, don't read it," Jamie told her as he watched how her eyes remained trained on the article.

Two years since she first arrived at AFC Richmond, it seems Billie Kent has made quite the impression on the team's number nine, Jamie Tartt. Rumours surrounding the true nature of the pair's relationship have been circulating for some time.

"Well, it's out there now," Billie sighed, tossing her phone on the bed, and Jamie really hoped she wouldn't end up scrolling through social media posts and comments on tabloid articles, knowing how cruel people could be.

"This isn't how I wanted it to happen, Bils," Jamie assured her, knowing that the last thing she needed was to have that control taken out of her hands.

"I know," Billie replied, "Maybe it's better this way, like ripping off a wax strip, I just would've liked the idea of it being our choice, our way."

"I agree," Jamie sighed, "I know I've been ready to be a public version of us for a while, but it never should've been like this, how'd you feel about it?"

"Weird," Billie answered honestly, "Maybe it's because I didn't have control over how it happened."

"We're gonna be okay though, babe," Jamie assured her, hoping more than anything that she'd cope with the public speculation.

"Suppose this means I can kiss you in public now," Billie smiled, interlocking her hand with his, lifting it to her mouth and kissing the back of his, "Pretty hard to be mad at that."

"I need you to promise me something," Jamie replied, keeping his hand intertwined with Billie's, "Don't read anything they write about us, I know that you love me, you know that I love you, that's all that matters."

"You're right," Billie nodded, having made the mistake of obsessing over what people wrote about her when she was with Brad, "I won't read it, and I'll be okay, because I have you."

"And we're a team."

Somehow, the tabloid press had managed to work out where Billie lived, so when she and Jamie left for work that morning, there were five or six photographers waiting for them on the pavement. Without a word, Jamie had placed his hand on the small of Billie's back, guiding her to his car, he opened the passenger door for her, put her bag in the boot before climbing into the driver's seat as the photographers continued to shout questions at them both.

The team had all caught wind of the article by the time Billie and Jamie joined them on the team bus, offering words of encouragement, not quite understanding how Billie felt about the situation. Well, Colin did, and he spent the majority of the drive over to East London, offering Billie an ear to vent to.

"Come on, you," Jamie smiled, holding his hand out to Billie as the rest of the team filed off of the bus, knowing there'd be a sea of photographers and fans waiting to watch them enter the stadium, "They know about us now, and I don't want you facing them alone."

"Okay," Billie smiled, interlocking her fingers with Jamie's as he slipped her camera bag onto his shoulder.

Jamie led Billie off of the bus, not daring to let go of her hand as they were met with the sounds of fans and photographers shouting various things at them. Billie felt like she was under a microscope again, a feeling she hadn't faced since her split from Brad. 

"Jamie! Jamie!" A tabloid journalist called out as the pair headed for the stadium entrance, hand in hand, catching up with their teammates.

"Any comments on your relationship?"

"Did you cheat on Brad with Jamie?"

"Does your brother approve?"

"Did he get you the magazine cover shoot?"

Billie wanted the ground to swallow her up as she clung to Jamie's hand, hating how desperate people were to know about her life. She didn't understand the obsession, she couldn't comprehend that people would no doubt be going over their social media accounts with fine tooth combs, looking for any early indications of the relationship they'd worked so hard to protect from public involvement.

The minute they were inside the stadium she felt safe, or at least safer, knowing that the press inside the building were restricted from approaching teams or staff members unless they'd been booked for interviews.

"You okay?" Jamie asked, glancing down at her with a smile of reassurance.

"I am now," Billie nodded, watching as the team made their way down the corridor, no doubt headed for the locker room, but neither she nor Jamie were in any rush to join them just yet.

"Come here," Jamie wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest, "I love you, and I'm proud of you, alright?"

"You're proud of me?" Billie raised her eyebrows, surprised by the statement.

"None of this is easy, and you're handling it like a boss," Jamie replied, "That's all."

"Don't know what I did to deserve you, Tartt," She smiled up at him fondly.

"Billie?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Liam Carter, Brad's former teammate, approaching the pair, dressed in his West Ham training kit.

"Liam," Billie let go of Jamie, greeting her old friend with a hug, "It's good to see you."

"You too, Billie," Liam hugged her, "Finally both free of Barker, huh?"

"Seems that way," Billie smiled as she let go of him, returning to stand beside Jamie, "Can't say West Ham is a step up."

"Reckon we'll have to see how today's match goes," Liam grinned, knowing there was no harm in a little friendly rivalry, "It's good to see you again, Jamie."

Jamie and Liam had crossed paths a few times, both being close in age and on the England football youth programmes at the same time, they'd played together a few times when they were around sixteen. Since then they'd only ever really met in club matches, and neither of them had a bad word to say about each other. Liam was a decent guy and an agile footballer, he would've made a great Greyhound.

"I saw the photos this morning," Liam told them both, glancing at Billie, "I'm happy for you, Tartt's a big upgrade from Barker."

"Cheers, mate," Jamie nodded.

"It's only the truth," Liam assured him, "I better go find my team, Coach Shelley gets a bit...mad if we aren't on time, especially on match days."

"See you soon, Carter," Billie smiled.

"Laters."

"I thought Liam and Brad were good mates?" Jamie frowned at Billie as they watched Liam head down the hallway, having only seen the pair interact when he was still at City.

"Liam called Brad out on his shit when we broke up, he'd always been vocal about the cheating thing, and Brad hated that," Billie explained, "I'm pretty sure their falling out was part of the reason Liam moved to West Ham."

"Well, Liam seems like a sound bloke," Jamie sighed, "Would've been much better than bringing Zava to Richmond."

"Zava won't last, J," Billie gazed up at him, "He will get bored and he'll move on."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, "Now, to christen our public status, you wanna walk me up to Rebecca's box?"

"I'd be honoured, babe," Jamie smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, kissing the side of her head before they set off for the VIP area.

Being a large stadium, originally built to host the athletics at the London 2012 Olympics, the London Stadium was somewhat of a maze. Billie and Jamie wandered through the corridors lined with photos of West Ham legends old and new, including Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and their current captain, Declan Rice.

"Surely it can't be far," Jamie sighed, knowing that he didn't have too long until he was due on the pitch for training, "That bloke told us it was just down here."

"Maybe he was trying to mess with us," Billie remarked as they reached another corner, "The Wonder Kid effect?"

"Fucking hope not," Jamie's smirk mirrored Billie's as they turned the corner.

Her smirk that was quick to drop.

"Dad," She stuttered, laying eyes on the man she hadn't seen in almost two years, a man she had hoped she would be able to avoid.

"Billie," He glanced between his daughter and her boyfriend who's arm remained around her shoulder, having seen the photos that morning, choosing not to text Roy about it, "You look well."

"I thought you'd be down in your usual seat," Billie muttered, having relied on that in reassuring herself she wouldn't have to see her dad.

"Your brother got me a ticket in the family box," Her father answered, and she just wished Roy would've told her.

Billie felt like she was twelve again, still seeking her father's approval, trying to earn his love, which her siblings received without effort. She had spent her entire life living in the shadow of her brother's incredible football career and her sister's impressive role as a doctor. Every part of her wished that her brother would've just mentioned it to her.

She was doing best not to fall back into those habits she'd worked so hard to shake off, she knew that she didn't need her father's approval, and for the first time in her life, she didn't even want it.

"It's good to meet you, Mr Kent," Jamie held his hand out, choosing to remain civil for Billie's sake, knowing what it meant to have a challenging father.

"Likewise," He replied disingenuously as he halfheartedly shook Jamie's hand, before turning his attention to his daughter, "Landed on Tartt rather than a Hammer it seems?"

"We're not doing this," Billie huffed, tired of her father's ability to put a dampener on every situation.

"You must've been disappointed to lose a coach like Nathan Shelley to us," Her father remarked, adding yet another jibe to the mix.

"Actually, we outgrew him," Billie quipped, "Life has a way of imitating art, doesn't it?"

"We've got a match to get ready for," Jamie smiled, choosing to remove Billie from the situation before it got any more painful, "Great meeting you, Mr Kent."

Jamie wasn't really sure what he expected from Billie's father, his own experiences of complicated fathers led him to assume that all bad fathers were like his. But Billie and Jamie's fathers couldn't be more different in how they spoke to their children, yet they both meant the same thing, no matter what their children did, they'd never be completely content.

The lovers walked down the corridor towards Rebecca's box in silence until Jamie decided to say something, "I heard that One Direction performed here back when it was still the Olympic Stadium."

"Are you doing that thing where you try to distract me, Tartt?" Billie smiled as she looked up at him.

"Maybe," Jamie kissed the top of her head, "Is it working?"

"Yeah," She nodded.

"If you need to sit this one out, I can ask Will-"

"You think I'd rather voluntarily sit within a two metre radius of Rupert Mannion on the same day I've seen my dad?" Billie replied, "Fuck, I know I've got daddy issues, but still."

"You amaze me, Billie Kent," Jamie grinned as they reached the open double doors, leading into Rebecca's suite.

"Ah, look who it is!" Higgins beamed as the small group turned to see Billie entering the room, accompanied by Jamie.

"Jamie, shouldn't you be downstairs with the team getting ready?" Rebecca frowned, her anxiety about beating Rupert dictating her words.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded, "Just wanted to make sure this one got here alright, this place is a fucking maze."

"You can say that again," Keeley sighed as Barbara laughed awkwardly and Shandy simply stared.

"You best go get ready, J," Billie looked up at him, "Got a match to win, don't we?"

"Yeah, I'll see you downstairs in a bit," He smiled, aware of the prying eyes that filled the room, and choosing to ignore them as he gave Billie a quick kiss, "Love you, be good."

"Ditto," Billie glanced over her shoulder as she watched him wander out of the room.

"So, Billie," Keeley nudged her, "This is Jack."

Billie's eyes widened, "Jack as in owner of the company Jack? Jack, who we assumed was a bloke?"

"Guilty as charged," Jack smiled, "I've heard a lot about you."

"All bad I hope," Billie smirked, glancing at Shandy, "Suppose that depends on who your source is."

"So, I assume Jack is short for Jacqueline, right?" Higgins smiled, trying to make light of an awkward situation.

"No, it's short for, my father wanted a boy," Jack replied.

"I'm gonna go and sit down now, outside, now," Higgins grimaced before leaving the women.

"I'm the same," Billie told Jack, "Except Billie's short for my brother who wanted me to be a boy, not my dad, my dad couldn't give a shit what I am."

The group stared at her blankly.

"Sorry, it's way too early to be talking about daddy issues, especially sober," Billie remarked.

"Well, we are not allowed to take drinks to our seats, so if we want to get plastered, we should probably do it now," Rebecca suggested, earning an overly intense laugh from Barbara, "After you."

"You're so funny, Rebecca," Barbara continued to laugh as she followed the two women to the bar.

"Barbara's obsessed with Rebecca," Shandy told Keeley and Billie as though it were hot gossip, "I hope she doesn't try and kill her and wear her skin as a suit."

"Suppose you'd know all about that," Billie scoffed, looking down at her invisible watch, "Oh, is that the time? I've got to run."

"Bye, Billie," Keeley smiled, feeling instantly caught in the middle between her two friends, knowing that accident or not, Shandy was responsible for leaking Jamie and Billie's relationship.

"I'm forever blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles in the air," The words to West Ham's iconic chant echoed through Billie's ears the way it did when she was a child, "They fly so high, they reach the sky, then like my dreams, they fade and die."

She watched as the two teams walked out onto the pitch, the Richmond boys clearly intimidated by the sheer scale of West Ham's stadium. She needed them to win almost as much as Rebecca did, and as she stood with her camera hanging around her neck, she found herself wishing, hoping and praying for some sort of miracle.

What she didn't wish for was to open her eyes and see Ted approaching Nate and shaking his hand, "Let's have fun out there today, yeah?"

Nate's eyes were cold, colder than she ever remembered them being. She wondered if there was any of the old Nate left under that robust 'Rupert Mannion-esque' exterior he seemed to have perfected. She knew that people could change for the better, she just chose to believe that they didn't change for the worse.

Ted promptly returned to the Richmond dugout, Beard and Roy offering unimpressed frowns while Billie hung back beside Will, waiting for the match to start.

"I meant to ask earlier, how are you doing?" Will asked as he reorganised the team's water bottles in his small crate, "The whole Shandy leak thing can't be easy."

"It is what it is," Billie sighed, "There's not much I can do about it."

"For the record, I'm happy for you both," Will told her, "Well, I've been happy for you both since I found out...I just think you're both great people, and you make a wonderful couple."

"Cheers, Will," Billie smiled as the whistle blew and the match began.

Despite their success in the league so far, West Ham seemed pretty content in soaking up the pressure, choosing not to take any risks, which was an unusual move in a match at home against a team like Richmond.

Billie and the coaches watched in anticipation as Zava commanded possession of the ball, lined up perfectly for a goal, and it could've been a great one, but Cresswell was quick to kick the ball from under his feet, knocking Zava to the ground.

"Referee!" Beard exclaimed in frustration.

"It's okay, we're alright!" Ted assured his team from the sideline.

Minutes later West Ham had a free kick and five of Richmond's players were lined up as a wall of defence. With a kick from Rice, the ball flew straight over their heads, but Zoreaux was on hand to make a remarkable save.

"Zoreaux!" Beard shouted in jubilation.

"Van Damme," Ted quietly corrected his friend.

"Van Damme!"

A good fifteen minutes of passes and tackles later, Sam had the ball, passing it across the pitch, letting it weave between Zava's feet before it landed at Jamie's.

"Come on, J," Billie hummed with bated breath.

"Tartt is on fire and he's shagging Billie Kent, Tartt is on fire and he's shagging Billie Kent," The Richmond fans began to chant to the tune of 'Freed From Desire' as their Mancunian striker received the ball.

"Well, that's new," Billie raised her eyebrows, unsure what to make of the chant.

"Tartt is on fire and he's shagging Billie Kent, Tartt is on fire-"

Their chants came to a halt as Jamie's ball hit the crossbar, missing the goal entirely. It would've been a remarkable moment, Jamie's first goal of the season that had nothing to do with Zava.

"Zava was wide open!" Roy huffed, earning a telling frown from his sister.

Jamie looked across the pitch at Billie, he knew how much a Richmond win meant to her, especially against her father's team. He wanted that goal for her as much as himself, no...he wanted that goal for them, he wanted to associate it with the day their relationship was revealed to the world.

"For Zava!" Zava shouted as Jamie looked over his shoulder to see his teammate, visibly frustrated by Jamie's decision not to pass him the ball. But to Jamie it wasn't as simple as scoring an assist, he wanted to prove that he could still do it, that Richmond's golden boy could still command the pitch, despite Zava's dominating presence.

"Let's fucking dance, boys!" Billie exclaimed in an attempt to motivate Richmond's players.

Two minutes remained of the first half of an already nail biting London derby. Billie watched as Sam took the ball from Soucek's feet, but before Sam could make a pass, West Ham's captain, Declan Rice was quick to intercept, slipping the ball to a wide open Carter who ran with it at his feet, bearing down on the goal. He took his chance as Van Damme slipped, shooting for the goal and scoring West Ham's first goal of the match.

"Alright, guys," Ted clapped his hands in an attempt to motivate his team, "Let's end this half strong!"

Billie stood by her brother's side, where she felt safest, especially at a match against their father's football club. She glanced across to the home team's dugout, watching as Nate whistled at Benrahma, offering him a discrete hand gesture.

"What's this shit?" Roy nodded towards Nate.

"Exactly my sentiment," Billie smirked as she folded her arms across her chest, "Our Kenty senses must be tingling, get it? Like Spidey-senses?"

"Not now."

"Low," Benrahma told his teammates, "Move it right and lower, five, low."

"Ref, just blow the fucking whistle," Roy huffed anxiously.

The whistle blew, but it wasn't the outcome anyone on Richmond's bench wanted.

The Hammers were on the attack, their front midfielders running towards Richmond's strikers, stealing the ball from Jamie's feet. Soucek had the ball, dribbling it down towards the goal, passing it to Bowen who scored a goal with ease just before the sound of the halftime whistle.

"Fuckity fuckity fuck!" Billie exclaimed.

"Fuck!" Roy added in the same breath.

"How did that happen?" Beard sighed in disbelief.

"I don't know, but I didn't fucking like it," Billie huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The same sentiment was shared by Richmond's players as they trailed off of the pitch and back towards their locker room, a cloud of defeat already looming over their heads. Billie and Will trailed behind the coaches who were walking behind the players, no doubt attempting to brainstorm some bold trick plays that could be used to redeem Richmond's place in the match.

"You know, I actually think that chant was a good thing," Will told Billie, who hadn't mentioned the chant that the fans repeated anytime Jamie had the ball.

"How'd you reach that conclusion?" Billie remarked, having concluded that the chant was simply a product of the minds of misogynistic middle aged men.

"Well," Will gulped as they wandered down the corridor towards the locker room, hoping Billie would understand his thought process, "They're saying Jamie's on fire, which means they think he's playing well."

"Okay," Billie nodded with narrowed eyes.

"And they're saying the reason he's so good is because...he's shagging you...I suppose," Will muttered, hoping his words might be lost in the space-time continuum.

"When you put it like that," Billie smirked, "Nice one, Will."

She hurried to catch up with her brother and his fellow coaches, noticing Rebecca further down the corridor as she caught the tail end of Ted's words.

"I don't know," Ted shrugged, "Surprise me."

"What was that about?" Billie looked between her brother and Beard.

"He wants us to do the halftime talk," Roy sighed.

"Okay," Billie nodded, "Let's see what we're dealing with."

The three of them wandered into the locker room to be met with what could only be described as a sea of despondent faces, as though they had already given up on the hope of winning the match.

"Right now they look like lambs waiting to be slaughtered," Billie muttered as she stood between Beard and Roy, "You need something that'll make them fucking Duracell bunnies."

"Like what?"

"You tell me, you're the coaches," Billie quipped.

"We could..." Beard nodded towards the TV screen in the corner of the room.

"It'd be rude not to," Roy shrugged, immediately on board with the idea, "No secrets from the team, right?"

"Okay, what's going on?" Billie frowned at their ability to communicate in some sort of code.

"Wait and see," Roy patted her shoulder before approaching the TV screen.

"Greyhounds, gather up!"

Billie hadn't been entirely sure what she was in for when Roy plugged a USB stick into the TV, she had hoped that it might be to play a motivational montage set to Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. She did not imagine that she would have to rewatch the footage of Nate destroying the 'Believe' sign.

To say that the boys were mad was an understatement, in fact Billie wasn't sure there was a word to quantify the rage that filled that room. They were angry enough when they found out that the sign they considered sacred had been destroyed, but to find out that Nate the betrayer was the perpetrator. Well that lit a fire under them that no one could put out.

Isaac and Colin were the maddest of the team, shouting and yelling at the TV, swearing at the video of Nate. Jamie and Sam, the most attached to the poster out of the group, were visibly upset too.

"This is your surprise, huh?" Ted remarked as Roy, Beard and Billie glanced at him.

"A minute ago, they were catatonic," Roy replied, "Now look at them," Right on cue, Colin launched his water bottle across the room before apologising to Will, who instead copied Colin's display of anger, "They're killers."

"Frankly, Ted, sometimes that's good," Beard added.

Billie sat beside her brother in the dugout, waiting for the teams to return to the pitch, and she decided that probably wouldn't be a better moment to discuss their father, "Saw Dad earlier, he told me you got him a seat upgrade."

"Bils-"

"Could you warn me next time?" Billie quipped, "So I can at least prepare myself to run into him, nevermind having to introduce him to my boyfriend."

"He met Jamie?"

"Yeah."

"How did that go?" Roy sighed, knowing how their father could be.

"He's still obsessed with the fact I'm not dating Declan Rice or Jarrod Bowen," Billie huffed, slumping back in her seat, "You know Dad, it's the Hammers or nothing."

"You know it was the same when I moved to Chelsea?" Roy replied, a revelation that Billie had been none the wiser about, "I had offers from a few London clubs, including West Ham, but I chose Chelsea, and Dad wasn't too happy."

"You were playing in the Premier League and Dad wasn't happy?" Billie remarked, "The man never fails to baffle me."

"I think he just dreamed of me playing for his team," Roy explained, "I just wanted to play for a club near home, the trophies were just a bonus."

"I bet they were."

Billie watched as the two teams walked out onto the pitch, the Richmond boys strolled out with clenched jaws and chips on their shoulders. If looks could kill, Nathan Shelley would be a dead man.

The coaches and Billie stood on the sideline, waiting for the whistle to blow, signalling the start of the match, "Come on, boys, fucking kill 'em!" Roy exclaimed.

"Fucking kill them!" Beard added.

"I'm all about 'treat people with kindness,' but I can get on board with the killing thing," Billie nodded as the whistle blew.

It didn't take the referee long to blow his whistle again as Bumbercatch wasted no time tackling one of West Ham's midfielders, knocking the player to the ground.

Within just seconds of the second half starting, Bumbercatch had been dealt a red card.

Another whistle was blown some moments later, as a result of Zoreaux purposefully colliding with West Ham's striker, which was not an approved method of defence for any player, never mind the goalkeeper. A second red card was given, Richmond would play the rest of the match without their keeper. 

Two yellow cards were dealt moments apart for Richard and Jan, who had made less than legal contact on the pitch.

Then came Sam, loveable Sam Obisanya and West Ham's keeper went for the same ball as it flew through the air, Sam purposefully colliding with their keeper in doing so.

"They're playing like Italians," Billie winced.

"I know," Roy nodded, "Fucking incredible."

"Oh, fuck, there goes Dani," Billie sighed as the Mexican striker began squaring up to West Ham's captain.

Richard was quick to pick up the ball, tossing it at a West Ham midfielder, hitting him straight in the face. It was an obvious red card, and in must moments, Richmond had lost a third player in the match.

Isaac got angry, deciding not to lead by example, tossing the first Hammer he laid eyes on to the floor with ease.

The match ended 4-1, with a breezy goal from Zava that felt meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

"What a fucking day it's been," Jamie huffed as Billie handed him his plate of food, tossing a piece of chicken onto the floor for an eager Nelson. The couple were cosying up on the sofa before they got an early night in preparation for Jamie's 4AM training session with Roy the following morning.

In the wake of offering to train Jamie, Roy had created a meal plan to ensure that Jamie was consuming enough protein, which Billie was happy to cook for him. She'd been making the effort to cook protein filled meals each night, knowing how determined Jamie was to succeed. The meal of choice that night was a Mediterranean salad which she'd added chicken to, meeting Roy's approved levels of protein consumption.

Roy's training had paid off in many ways already, Jamie was readying himself to reclaim his spot as Richmond's best player. The only aspect of Roy's teachings that hadn't rubbed off on the Mancunian was the anger exhibited by his teammates during the West Ham match.

Jamie made a conscious effort to play smart, to play fair, to channel the anger and resentment he felt into being his very best self. He didn't want to be the player his father had always wanted him to be, he wanted to be the best.

"That chant was interesting," Billie sighed, having pondered on Will's perspective of it since the match ended.

"I'm sorry about that, babe," Jamie replied, "It was sexist as fuck of them to chant that shit."

"I didn't hate it."

"You didn't?" Jamie raised his eyebrows in intrigue.

"They're saying you're on fire because you're shagging me," Billie smirked, "How can I be mad about that?"

"When you put it like that," Jamie returned her smirk, relieved that the chant hadn't unsettled her.

"Seeing as everyone knows about us, I might post that photo of us from the Sports Industry Awards," Billie told him, pulling up the photo in which she was wearing a pink slip dress and he was wearing a suit, taken at an event the whole team had attended at the start of the season, "You cool with that?"

"Of course, darlin'" The words rolled off of his tongue, as he pulled up a photo of Billie that he'd taken when she came home from her Rollacoaster cover shoot, admiring the various bouquets of flowers the people who loved her had sent.

Jamie had bought her two (unable to decide which she'd prefer), Georgie had sent some from Manchester, she also received flowers from Keeley, Roy, Alfie, Madison, Higgins, Rebecca, Ted, Beard, Will and not forgetting the Richmond boys who surprised her with a bouquet of sunflowers and a rare retro England jacket which Isaac had sourced for her.

"Can I post this one?" Jamie showed her the photo in question.

"You want to post that one?" Billie remarked, "Not a photo of the two of us together?"

"I like this one," Jamie smiled, and he'd probably say it was his favourite photo he'd ever taken of Billie, "But I'll only post it if you're cool with it."

Billie glanced down at the photo, realising that the photo in some ways captured how Jamie saw her through his eyes. Her face was makeup free (having scrubbed it all off after the shoot), her hair was tied back in a bun, she was wearing a plain black top and sweatpants. Everything about that photo were things she would consider to be imperfect and yet Jamie considered the photo completely perfect.

"I love it, J."

billie_kent posted

liked by: jamie_tartt and 163,201 others

billie_kent: my brother approves <3

COMMENTS:
colinhughes: FINALLY!

maddsgreen: adore you both!!

alfiesykes98: the hottest couple ever

jamie_tartt: fancy being the posh to my becks?

will_kitman: MY PARENTS

keeleyjones: posh and becks who?

jamie_tartt posted

liked by: billie_kent and 459,159 others

jamie_tartt: My Kind of Woman.

COMMENTS:
colinhughes: she's a keeper

maddsgreen: i'm so happy she has you :)

billie_kent: forever my favourite number nine

isaac_mcadoo: the only woman ever

keeleyjones: big day for hard launches!

author's note: finally in their public era (even if it wasn't their choice) i just knew that shandy would give that energy i can't lie

hope you enjoyed the chapters!