"This one's my favourite," Jamie muttered as he trailed his fingertip over her bumblebee tattoo as they lay, tangled in his grey bed sheets, morning sunlight dancing over their skin. He then trailed his fingers down to the dainty stars on her hip, "Tell me about this one."

"I just liked the design," Billie answered simply.

"This one?"

"The goldfish?" Billie looked down at the tattoo on her bicep, "Got that when we got relegated, it's what Ted says, 'be a goldfish.'"

"I like that, what about this one?" Jamie traced the three words written in cursive above the inside of her elbow.

"That's a lyric from a Harry Styles song," Billie told him, delighted by his personal intrigue in her tattoos, "We'll be alright."

"What does it mean?" Jamie asked as he pulled her body closer, letting her head rest on his chest.

"Whatever happens, no matter how big or small, we'll be okay," Billie muttered as she began mindlessly trailing her fingers up and down his tattooed forearm, "I got it when I was in Manchester, and felt lost in myself, rather than the city."

"Do you miss it?" Jamie replied, "Manchester?"

"Yeah."

"You wanna come back with me one weekend during the off season?" Jamie asked, because he really wanted the two most important women in his life to meet each other, he wished Billie had met his mum instead of his father, "We could stay at me mum's."

"You want me to meet your mum?" Billie smiled.

"Well, she already knows a lot about you," Jamie told her, and Billie's stomach fluttered with delight, "But if you don't want to, that's completely cool."

"I'd love to meet your mum," Billie assured him, "And I'd love to see your Manchester."

"I'd love you to see it too," Jamie grinned as he kissed her slowly, "And my mum keeps telling me she'd love to meet you."

"You've been talking about me, Tartt?" Billie smiled against his mouth.

"To anyone who'll listen," Jamie smirked as he kissed her.

"So, you've been telling people about us?" Billie asked, shuffling her body onto Jamie's, her chest pressed against his, as her chin rested against his chest.

"I told Mum, and then I might've told Higgins accidentally," Jamie told her.

"Higgins?"

"Yeah, I called him when I was cooking dinner last night, and I might've mentioned it," Jamie explained.

"You called Higgins?"

"Yeah, to ask how to make that paella you like," Jamie replied.

"You're adorable, Jamie Tartt," Billie grinned as she kissed him, butterflies filling her stomach.

"I'm sorry for letting it slip," Jamie ran his hand over her jaw, "I know you wanted to wait."

"It's alright," Billie assured him, knowing that he meant well, "But I think we should wait till next season to tell the team, spend the off season in our own little bubble."

"I can live with that, sneaking around at work," Jamie murmured against her lips as he kissed her, resting his hands on her hips and pulling her closer, "It's fucking hot."

"Yeah?" Billie muttered as she rolled her hips against his, "How about that?"

"That's fucking hot, too," Jamie mumbled as he began pressing kisses along her jaw, "How long do we have till we need to leave for work?"

"Let me just..." Billie leant across to the bedside table, retrieving her phone which had been on silent overnight. As Jamie continued to kiss her neck, she began scrolling through the notifications she had missed, one text from Alfie stood out.

ALFIE: The Independent posted this, have you seen it?

She opened the link attached in the message as Jamie continued to deepen his kisses against her skin, wondering why she wasn't reacting to his touch the way she normally did. Her eyes scanned the headline of the article and Billie knew it was bad.

COACH LASSO SUFFERED PANIC ATTACK DURING FA CUP MATCH SAYS ANONYMOUS SOURCE

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Billie hissed as she climbed off of the bed, abandoning a half naked Jamie, who was wearing nothing but a white t-shirt.

"What's wrong, babe?" Jamie frowned as Billie rummaged through the bag of her clothes she'd left at Jamie's last time she stayed.

"Read that," She tossed him her phone as she pulled an old Fleetwood Mac t-shirt on, over her underwear before kicking on a pair of blue jeans, "It's not good."

"Fuck," Jamie muttered as he skim read the article, "You think the boys have seen it?"

"I don't know," Billie replied as she scraped her hair back into a ponytail, "Check the group chat."

Jamie opened the group chat on Billie's phone, which mainly consisted of the team, Billie and Will. He was met with a stream of messages, set off by Bumbercatch sending a link to the article last night, which neither Billie or Jamie had seen, because they were far too preoccupied on the kitchen counter and then in the shower.

"They've seen it," Jamie told her as he returned her phone to the bedside table, smiling at her home screen, which Billie had recently changed to a photo of them both before they got together.

"I'm gonna go check on Ted," Billie sighed, retrieving her phone and glancing at the time, "Do you reckon if I run I could get to his place before he leaves for work?"

"You ain't running anywhere," Jamie assured her, "I'll get ready and then I'll drive you."

"You sure?"

"I know you'll worry if you don't see him before work," Jamie assured her as he got out of bed, grabbing some clean clothes from his wardrobe, "And I don't want you getting all hot and sweaty running across town, there's only one place for that."

"Jamie," Billie rolled her eyes with a smile, "Thank you."

Billie couldn't stop worrying about Ted for the entire drive over to his flat. She had known about his trouble with panic attacks since the match at Wembley, and she had been handling them with genuine concern, checking in with him, making sure that he was doing okay.

There were only six people in that room when Ted shared his struggles with anxiety, one being herself, another being Ted. She knew her brother would never dare disclose that information to anyone, nevermind the press. Then there was Beard, Ted's best friend since...well, forever, and there was no way he'd share that. Higgins wouldn't either, he was too good a man, too kind a soul.

That left just one person, a person Billie assumed until recently she could trust, the sort of man who wouldn't kiss her brother's girlfriend, nevermind committing an act of such devastating betrayal against the man who had given him countless opportunities to showcase his talents. Once upon a time, Billie might have considered Nathan Shelley a friend, but how could she consider him a friend when he committed the ultimate act of betrayal?

"You okay, Bils?" Jamie asked, placing a hand on her thigh which hadn't stopped bouncing as they pulled up alongside the pub, the green on their right.

"I'm alright, thanks for driving me over," Billie replied, placing her hand on top of his, "I just need to know he's okay before we get to work."

"We're lucky to have you, Bils," Jamie smiled, leaning across and kissing the top of her head.

"I'll see you at work, alright?"

"Not if I see you first," Jamie smirked, squeezing her hand before she hopped out of the car.

Billie wandered towards the narrow street where Ted lived, but before she could reach the street, she noticed Beard strolling towards her, balancing three takeaway cups in his hands.

"Thought I'd find you here," Beard sighed, handing her a cup, Billie smiled at the familiar smell of hot chocolate, touched by the notion of Beard assuming she'd also want to check on Ted.

"You've read it then?" Billie muttered as the unlikely pair took a seat on their favourite bench.

"Yeah."

"So, you've also worked out who the source is?" Billie sighed, the look on his face told her that he too had worked it out.

"Yes."

"Are we going to do anything about it?" Billie asked, more than prepared to confront Nate for wronging the man who had been nothing but kind to him.

"No," Beard answered simply, knowing that Ted wouldn't want them to say anything, "Does Jamie know?"

In the time Billie had been working alongside the two American coaches it hadn't taken her long to realise that Beard was somewhat of an omniscient being. So she was not entirely surprised that Beard seemed to be aware of her closeness to Jamie.

"I showed him the article, but he didn't ask about the source," Billie explained, "He's good like that."

"So you told him?"

"I just told you that I didn't tell him," Billie frowned in confusion before sipping her hot chocolate.

"You told him that you love him," Beard simply replied.

"How the fuck'd you know that?" Billie remarked.

"You're quite the obvious piner," Beard stated simply.

"I thought I was subtle," Billie replied before Beard simply shook his head, "You won't tell anyone, will you? We're trying to keep it lowkey."

Beard didn't say a word, he simply mimed zipping his mouth, and Billie was grateful, grateful to have such supportive people in her life. She was incredibly glad that she hadn't told Nate anything about her and Jamie, yet in the same breath, she would've swapped places with Ted in a heartbeat to protect him from that media onslaught.

"Hey, Coach," Beard nodded as the pair looked up to see their dear friend and colleague wandering along the street.

"Thank you," Ted sighed as Beard handed him a coffee cup.

"Hey, wanker," A man who Billie recognised as a Crown and Anchor regular approached the trio, "If my father had a panic attack at Normandy, we'd all be speaking German."

In true Kent fashion, Billie clenched her fists, "Keep walking, Mann."

Mr Mann took a few steps before turning towards the American coach, "Just do the work, pal, you'll be alright," He sighed before strolling off towards the pub.

"I assume you know what that was all about, yeah?" Ted looked between his two friends as they stood up.

"Nope."

"Not a clue."

Despite Beard's notion that neither of them should confront Nate over his betrayal, he and Billie found themselves propped up in the coaches' office, awaiting his arrival, hoping to detect whether or not he was rattled by the news. They both cared greatly for Ted, and they at least wanted to understand whether or not Nate was unnerved by the whole thing. Billie was sitting at Ted's desk, filtering through emails from various brands requesting to work with players that Keeley had forwarded to her.

"Alright," Jamie nodded as he appeared in the doorway, glancing between Billie and Beard, whose head was buried in a book, "You alright, Bils, get up to anything nice last night?"

"I know." Beard answered before Billie could, not daring to tear his eyes from his page, amused by the striker's attempts to disguise his sleepovers with the woman he called his girlfriend.

"He knows," Billie sighed with a smile, "And he won't say anything."

"Right," Jamie nodded, "Is Roy here?"

"I don't hear any grunting," Beard answered simply.

"You want to talk to my brother?"

"Yeah," Jamie nodded, glancing at Beard who seemed completely withdrawn from the conversation, "Just wanna make sure we're cool before the big match."

"Just tread carefully, okay?" Billie smiled, fearing that her brother might have been on edge, having seemed particularly tense after the photoshoot wrapped.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded before leaving the office, promptly replaced by Nate.

"Hey, morning."

"Morning, Nate," Beard muttered while Billie remained silent, eyes trained on her laptop.

"Is Roy here?" Nate asked with a certain sense of unease.

"Why does everyone want a piece of my brother all of a sudden?" Billie huffed as she leant back in Ted's chair.

"He's not," Beard remarked, looking up from his book as he held up the day's newspaper, a photo of Ted plastered across the sports supplement, "You seen this?"

"Erm, er, yes, it's awful," Nate stuttered awkwardly.

"Yeah, it was awful," Beard replied blankly.

"Awful." Billie reiterated, her fists clenched under the desk.

"Yeah," Nate nodded before turning to leave the room, almost colliding with Roy, "Roy-"

"Jamie's looking for you," Beard told Roy, who walked straight through the office towards the locker room.

"Oh, is he?" Roy grunted as he entered the locker room.

"If my boyfriend ends up concussed on the locker room floor, it's on you," Billie whispered across the desk to Beard.

"Oi!" Roy shouted, startling the team who were standing in the locker room, "Tartt!"

Jamie pointed at himself, as though there was another person in the room who shared his name, Roy simply nodded, before gesturing to the boot room.

"Through there?" Jamie muttered, "Yeah."

Colin frowned at Isaac and Sam as they watched the two men leave the locker room. Colin, having done some investigating of his own, had a vague suspicion that the conversation was not one of a footballing nature, he just wasn't sure the rest of the team knew that.

There were only two things that Jamie Tartt and Roy Kent had in common, their love for football, and their love for a certain Billie Kent, albeit different types of love. But neither of them wanted to see her get hurt, and since finding out about the relationship, Roy had been conflicted over how he felt about the whole thing. Meanwhile, Jamie knew just how much Roy meant to Billie, if anything, Roy was Billie's father figure that Jamie required approval from.

Once the boot room door was firmly closed, Jamie looked up at Roy, attempting to loosen his shoulders as he contemplated where to start, "So...well, what do you wanna talk about?"

"You were the one looking for me," Roy frowned.

"Oh, right, yeah," Jamie nodded, feeling a looming sense of nervousness he hadn't felt before, "Right, well, Billie and I-"

Roy groaned in frustration, not wishing to discuss his sister's romantic endeavours, especially not those that involved Jamie Tartt. He might have been civil with the man on their trip to Chessington for Billie's sake, but he still wasn't entirely convinced that a relationship with Jamie was right for his sister, whether it be because he was a protective big brother, meaning no one would be good enough, or that he doubted the man's integrity.

Roy might have moved beyond his refusals to coach the striker, but he still held some doubt that perhaps there were still some traces of that cocky arrogant prick that got Richmond relegated. Because Roy Kent was human, and human thinking was not linear.

"Can I just say something first?" Jamie asked, hoping to clear the air between them both.

"Yeah, okay, that's a good idea," Roy nodded, "'Cause when I'm done, you won't have any teeth left, and you'll need them for the talking bit."

"Alright," Jamie sighed, "But, I'm not sure Billie would like that...you know, she says she loves me smile, and I'm not sure it'd be the same if-"

Roy exhaled heavily.

"Right, yeah, okay," Jamie nodded, deciding to start from the beginning, or rather, from when he started being honest, "So, at Rebecca's dad's funeral, I told Billie that I love her, I don't regret it, 'cause she's me girlfriend now and I do genuinely love her...but I know that I should've told you, but the whole dead people thing made me realise that life's too short to just sit on feelings, you know?"

Roy stared at him blankly.

"I just wanted you to know that I respect Billie, and I love her," Jamie assured him, "And I don't want to disrespect you either, 'cause I know how much you mean to her."

Jamie wasn't sure he had ever been so honest with the man stood opposite him.

"And I know that your opinion matters to her, like, more than anyone else's," Jamie explained his reasoning, "So what you think of me matters to her too, so I just wanted to make sure that we're okay, because I know it'd be fucking awkward if you had some big grudge against me, and we all end up spending Christmas together-"

Jamie's voice trailed off as Roy stared at him with bewildered eyes. He couldn't quite understand what Jamie was asking, or why he was asking it, but he understood that all of it came back to Billie. And despite his efforts to avoid warming to the young man, he couldn't quite believe that Jamie Tartt was being so open with his feelings, and asking for his approval.

"Fuck!"

Jamie's eyes widened as he watched Roy exit the room, slamming the door as he stormed off to consider the notion of a family Christmas sat at the same table as Jamie Tartt (amongst other Jamie Tartt related things that involved his sister). The coach had a lot to unpack, and even more to digest. Did this mean they had to be friends?

"Woah," The young kitman who had stood frozen on the other side of the room, exhaled as he clung to a handful of towels, "Sorry, I kind of froze when you two came in here, and I just didn't know what to do."

"Alright."

"But, for the record, I've been hoping you and Billie might...well, I'm glad you're together now...because she's great, you're great, together you'll be great...I'm happy for you both," Will rambled anxiously, "You're like a real life Posh and Becks...except Billie can't really sing, but people say the same about Posh Spice, so..."

"Posh and Becks are real, mate," Jamie muttered, well versed on the lore of early 2000s football.

"Oh, yeah."

Billie had been on the training pitch for the duration of the morning's early training as the team ran through drills ahead of their last match of the season. She'd spent most of the session at Will's side, watching the boys run back and forth, doing what they did best, preparing to play Nate's false nine.

"Circle up!" Beard called out as Ted blew his whistle, summoning the team into a loose circle, Billie remained beside Will, laying eyes on Jamie with a smile.

"Hey, fellas," Ted addressed the group, "Before we get started here, I wanted to talk to y'all about the article you saw in the paper this morning."

They had all seen the article, and Billie and Beard both shared a knowing glance.

"Actually, y'all probably saw it on your phones, I still get the paper, 'cause, well, you can't cut cartoons out of a phone right?" Ted continued.

"Yeah, but you can screenshot them and text them," Zoreaux suggested.

"That's copyright infringement, bruv," Isaac turned to him with his arms folded, having taken a real interest in the legal world, following Kim Kardashian's recent judicial endeavours.

"I hear you, Zoreaux," Ted nodded, "But you can't hang a screenshot on a fridge either?"

"Maybe they don't have printers in America," Billie muttered to Will.

"My refrigerator has a television," Dani declared.

"Oh, I think I have the same one," Sam smiled as the rest of the team hummed in agreement.

"These boys, they've got way too much money," Billie sighed.

"Yeah," Will nodded, attempting to maintain impartiality.

"The point is, y'all found out about something from somewhere, when you should've found out about it from me first," Ted told the team, and Billie wondered how he could be such a strong human, choosing not to confront Nate, "But I chose not to tell y'all, and that was dumb."

Billie and Beard exchanged a look before glancing at Nate in their peripheral, he seemed on edge, rattled in fact.

"You know, fellas, we make a lot of choices in our lives every single day, ranging from, 'am I really about to eat something called Greek yogurt?' To, 'Should I leave my family and take a job halfway around the world?'" Ted pondered.

"I fucking love Greek yogurt," Billie whispered to Will who simply smiled.

"Me choosing not to be forthright with y'all, that was a bad choice," Ted told the team, "But I can't be wasting time wishing for a do-over on all that...cause that ain't how choices work, no, sir, no."

"That choice and my Chicago Bulls Starter jacket that I let Janelle Rhodes borrow in my sophomore year 'cause she spilled ketchup all over herself, and it looked like she'd been shot, those are two things I ain't ever getting back," Ted declared as the team stared at him blankly, "'Cause every choice is a chance, fellas."

He was right, if neither Billie or Jamie had made the choice to be honest with themselves and each other, they'd probably still be pining for each other, unaware of the beautiful relationship that awaited them.

"And I didn't give myself the chance to build further trust with y'all," Ted told the team, "To quote the great UCLA basketball coach, John Obi-Wan Gandalf, 'It is our choices, gentlemen, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"

"Oh, I like that." Will whispered to Billie.

"Now, I hope y'all can forgive me for what I've done," Ted sighed, which frustrated Billie, because he had no reason to apologise, he wasn't the one in the wrong, "'Cause I sure as heck wouldn't want any of y'all to hold anything back with me."

"We got you, Coach," Echoed around the team, who stood steadfast in solidarity.

"Yeah, no problem, gaffer," Colin added, hands resting on his hips as he glanced at his teammates, "And when we sniff out the rat, permission to take socks full of soap to their stomach and chest?"

"Col, I told you, a rope soaked in red paint is the way to go," Billie reminded him as her brother offered her a proud nod.

"We're gonna find 'em and fuck 'em up!" Isaac shouted, riling up his teammates who provided a chorus of enthusiasm.

"Fucking kill 'em!" Jamie added in solidarity for the coach who had been more of a father figure to him than his own.

"Follow the money!" Bumbercatch exclaimed dramatically.

Ted promptly blew his whistle, "No, fellas, look, I'm gonna nip that talk in the butt right now."

"It's 'bud' not 'butt,' Coach." Beard muttered.

"It is?" Ted remarked in intrigue, "'Cause of flowers, right?"

"Horticulture, baby!"

"That makes more sense, I appreciate that, thank you," Ted nodded, "No, look, gentlemen, I want us to focus on something a little bit more productive, like working on Nate the Great's false nine, how's that sound?"

The team nodded, ready to tackle the new tactic, except Jamie, who was too busy observing the scowl on his girlfriend's face anytime she looked at Nate.

"Okay, anybody got any questions before we get started?" Ted asked the group.

"Yeah, I got one," Jamie held his hand up, before pointing over his shoulder at the helicopter parked in the centre of the pitch, "What are we gonna do with that fucking thing there?"

"Yeah, that's a good point," Ted nodded, "Tell you what, let's all head to the north field, and if you guys hustle, that'll count as our cardio for today, yeah?"

"Scram!" Roy shouted, "Whistle! Whistle!"

The boys took their coach's instructions and began running towards the north field, while Jamie hung back, jogging on the spot beside Billie, "Ain't you coming with us?"

"I've got work to do," Billie told him, glancing over her shoulder to see that all the coaches were already on their way to the other field, "You'll have to make do without me."

"Alright," Jamie nodded, "You got plans after training?"

"I said I'd join Ted and Beard at the pub," Billie told him, "Then you can come to mine and make up for today's lack of cardio, if you like."

"I'd like that very much," Jamie smirked as Billie's phone buzzed, she pulled it out of her pocket to see that she had a new DM request from a verified account.

"No fucking way..." She muttered to herself with a smile.

"Everything okay, Bils?" Jamie frowned.

"Yeah, now get to work, pretty boy," Billie smiled eagerly, "I don't wanna hear you've been slacking."

"Not even to save me energy for later?" Jamie smirked as he threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"Don't use me as an excuse to slack, J," She told him with a grin, "Now go, before my brother sends out a search party."

"Alright."

"Love you," Billie blew him a kiss before he began jogging towards the north field.

"Love you more."

"Just need a second, it's Jane," Beard muttered.

"How's all that going?" Ted asked.

"We broke up," Beard sighed before looking down at his phone, "Oh, we're back on."

"Here you go," Mae placed a tray of drinks on the table.

"Thanks, Mae," The group replied in unison as Ted laid eyes on his face on the back of someone's newspaper.

Mae looked over her shoulder to see the newspaper in question, "Don't worry about it, Ted, it'll all wash out in a cycle, it always does."

"Thank you, Mae." Ted nodded.

The formidable landlady made her way back towards the bar, taking the newspaper from the punter's hands and scrunching it up in a ball.

"I was finished anyway," The random man muttered.

"If it helps, I can do the whole hiring photographers, constructing a fake scandal thing, might redirect the press attention ahead of the match," Billie offered, and even though it wasn't something she would ever wish to do, she would do it for Ted in a heartbeat.

"That's very kind of you, Billie, but I'll be okay," Ted assured her, because he knew how Billie felt about press attention, and would never wish that on her.

"So..." Beard sighed, "Are you gonna say anything?"

"Well, I mean, eventually, yeah," Ted nodded, "You may have noticed through the years I can be quite loquacious."

"No, to Nate." Beard replied, saying what both he and Billie were thinking.

"The anonymous source," Billie backed up his point.

"Wow, what makes you think it was Nate?" Ted frowned, even though he too, knew.

"Do you really want us to list all the reasons?" Billie sighed, "We'll be here a while, best get comfy."

Beard simply pointed at Billie in agreement.

"Well, you know my philosophy when it comes to cats, babies and apologies," Ted remarked, "You gotta let 'em come to you."

"That's not gonna happen," Beard decided to be honest with his good friend, "Some people need a little push."

"I'm happy to give him a big fucking push," Billie scoffed in true Kent fashion.

"Yeah, well I ain't pushing nobody," Ted seemed pretty set on his decision.

"I think it'll help," Beard sighed.

"Nate will be fine," Ted declared.

"Ted, we have a snake in the grass, ignoring that doesn't make it go away," Billie told him, "It reminds me of a One Direction related incident back in 2013 actually."

"How are you going to make this about your boy band?" Beard frowned in intrigue.

"All in good time, Beardo," Billie nodded, "The boys were on tour in Australia, and the fans wanted to see them at their hotel, so they were standing in a field at the back of a hotel, and this field was a snake habitat."

"Right."

"And even with tweets from the band members telling them this, those fans didn't care," Billie told him, "So what I'm saying is, you can't wait around expecting him to do what you want to do, for all we know, he probably thinks he got away with it."

"Billie's right, it'll help you," Beard replied, even if he was unsure about the tenuous One Direction connection, "Coach, you keep trying to hold all this in, I'm afraid your mustache is gonna pop off."

"What if you're like Samson and all your powers are in your moustache?" Billie remarked, "And then Richmond would go into a day of mourning...For the tache."

"Then I'll look like that fella from The Hangover," Ted sighed.

"Bradley Cooper?"

"You're too good to me."

Several pints later (or in Billie's case, pints of cider), the trio decided to call it a night, leaving the pub to return to their respective homes.

"You gonna be okay getting home, Sporty Spice?" Ted asked as the three friends stood outside the pub, noting how dark it was outside.

"I'll be fine," Billie assured the two men, "My flat is just down there."

"We can walk you home if you need." Ted insisted.

"There's no need, Coach," Beard gestured past the pair, the two of them turned around to see Jamie leaning against his car, hands buried in his pockets, dressed in a white hoodie and black tracksuit bottoms, perhaps attempting to remain inconspicuous.

"Oh, Jamie, what a darn sweet surprise," Ted remarked as the trio approached the young striker, "Just passing through? You should've joined us for a pint."

"I just came to pick this one up," Jamie smiled as he wrapped an arm around Billie's shoulder as she stood beside him.

"Oh, great," Ted smiled, pretending to be none the wiser about the pair's relationship that he had been delighted to watch blossom since Jamie's return to Richmond, "Well, you two have a great night, okay?"

"Night, Coach," Jamie nodded at the two men, who then proceeded to walk down Ted's street.

"You have a good evening?" Jamie asked, looking down at Billie.

"Yeah," Billie muttered with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his torso, "I was made quite an interesting proposition earlier."

"Erm, if anyone should be propositioning you, it's me, babe," Jamie frowned at his girlfriend.

"Not like that," Billie rolled her eyes with a smile, "You remember that GQ shoot I did with Leah Williamson?"

"Of course," Jamie nodded, because in retrospect, that photoshoot was the reason Billie was in Central London that day, and who knows what might have happened if they hadn't ran into each other.

Fate.

"She reached out, asked if I wanted to join the Lionesses to do some behind the scenes photography for their Euros summer." Billie recalled the message she had received from the Arsenal star earlier that day.

"Fuck, that's fucking huge, babe." Jamie lifted her up off of the ground with a proud smile.

"Careful, someone might see." Billie squealed as he spun her around.

"I don't care," Jamie answered honestly, because he knew that what they had was strong enough to take the pressure of public speculation, "You're me girlfriend and I always want you to know how fucking proud I am."

"You're proud of me?" Billie smiled as Jamie stilled, still holding her in his arms.

"Always."

author's note: i love them so much