"Morning," Billie smiled at her brother and Coach Beard as she and Keeley joined the two men in their office, "Me and Keeley have something to ask you."

"We've got a fun, new branding opportunity for a coach, it's only one public appearance, it's decent money, would be really good for the club, Bils would be there with you to capture the content," Keeley filled them in on the opportunity that had been placed in their joint inbox that morning.

"Would either of you want to help us out by being a spokesperson for this-" Billie's voice trailed off, noticing the men's mutual disinterest as she gave Keeley a knowing glance, the sort of glance she gave the woman just half an hour beforehand when she suggested approaching Roy about the opportunity, as if to say 'I told you he'd hate the idea.'

"You were right," Keeley sighed at her best friend before glancing at both Roy and Beard, "Fuck you both."

"I respect that we didn't have to say a word," Coach Beard simply muttered as Keeley left the room.

"They get us," Roy nodded at his sister.

"I'm going to be a spokesperson," Nate grinned as he entered the room, "Where's Ted?"

"He texted, he has some emergency." Beard explained calmly.

"What emergency?" Nate frowned.

"I didn't ask."

"Why not?" Nate frowned again.

"It's his emergency," Billie and Roy answered in unison, having always had a good sense of respect for privacy, especially in emergency based situations, having a sister who worked in medicine.

"If he wanted him to know, he would've said," Roy explained the siblings' point as Beard pointed at the Kents in agreement.

"We have an FA Cup semi final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, who's running training?" Nate remarked, folding his arms, clearly unimpressed that he hadn't been kept in the loop.

"Me."

"You?" Nate exclaimed, far too perplexedly, considering that out of everyone in that room, Roy Kent was the one with the most professional football experience, not to mention a Champions League title and caps playing for England.

"Ted asked, I don't give a shit," Roy replied as both his and Billie's phones buzzed.

The siblings both glanced down at their phones to see one new message in the groupchat they shared with their sister, which they had lovingly titled, 'Kunts'.

Billie looked up at Roy after reading their sister's message which explained that Phoebe was in trouble at school, and work needed her to stay on shift.

"I'll handle this," Roy promptly told his sister before looking at both the coaches "I've got to go."

"Where are you going?" Nate frowned.

"None of your fucking business," Roy quipped before strolling out of the office, Billie smiling as Beard pointed at Roy in agreement, yet again. 

Nate let out a heavy sigh, "Well, guess that just leaves us two, I mean-"

"You can run training," Beard quickly answered.

"Yeah, no, thank you, that will be great, yes, thank you," Nate nodded before leaving the room.

"I'm gonna sign off on some content with the boys ahead of this weekend's match," Billie told Beard, "If Ted calls, tell him I can take the rest of the day off if he needs help with anything."

Beard offered Billie a prompt thumbs up before she left the office, heading straight for the gym where the team were working out, building their strength in preparation for their match against their own personal Goliath. Body by Tion Wayne was playing through the speakers, which she knew meant Colin was on the aux.

"Morning, Bils," Colin looked up from where he was spotting Jamie's chest presses, "You good?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, glancing down at Jamie who had promptly rested the weight on the rack above his head on her arrival, before sitting up, "You boys been working hard?"

"We've got to be on top form for Wembley, eh?" Colin grinned. 

"I have every faith in you boys," Billie replied, glancing at Jamie who was sitting on the bench, taking a quick sip of water from his bottle.

"What brings you down to the gym?" Jamie asked, having only recalled seeing her there once or twice after she continued to complain about the smell of sweat.

"Apart from the delight that it is watching you boys work out," Billie smirked, her iPad tucked under her arm, "I've got some content I need you boys to sign off on."

"Why don't you just email it to us?" Colin remarked as Jamie stood up from the bench, "You said you hate the gym."

"Well if I did that, I wouldn't get to see your lovely faces, would I?" Billie smiled, squeezing his cheeks.

"You're in a weirdly good mood, Bils," Colin furrowed his eyebrows in intrigue as he took his place on the bench.

"Are you saying I'm a moody bitch the other ninety percent of the time?" Billie folded her arms across her chest with raised eyebrows.

"She's got you there, mate," Jamie nudged the welshman.

"I'm only messing," Billie assured them, "But when you've done your next reps, we can sign these videos off, sound good?"

"Yeah," Colin nodded.

"You can stay, if the smell ain't too bad," Jamie told her, "Will heard that you don't like the smell in here, he had the cleaners buy some of them electric air fresheners."

"He's a good kid," Billie nodded with a fond smile.

"He is."

"The things that boy knows," Billie smirked at Jamie knowingly as Colin laid down on the bench, ready to do his set of twenty.

Jamie smiled at her and then his grin quickly faltered as he pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket, it didn't take much for her to work out who was calling as he promptly declined the call. Jamie had been spending a lot of time with her in the evenings, watching their chosen romcoms as usual, as well as joining Billie and her friends at the pub. His dad had been on his back for tickets to the semi final since Richmond won their quarter final. The man didn't even support the Greyhounds, but that didn't matter to him, his son was his ticket into a cushty day out at England's most iconic football stadium.

"You good?" Billie whispered as she stood opposite Jamie, her toes almost touching Colin's.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded, except she didn't believe him, he returned his attention to Colin, "Alright man, let's go, switch it on, boy, let's go."

Billie watched as Jamie spotted Colin's chest presses, both of them giving him positive words of affirmation, like two proud parents on sports day, until the sound of Sam's voice distracted them.

"Hello, Daddy," Sam spoke into his phone, which he put on loudspeaker as he continued to pedal on the exercise bike, never one to slack in the gym.

"Sam, do you know why I'm calling?" An unfamiliar voice came from the phone, as both Billie and Jamie watched on.

"Erm, no, sir."

"I'm calling because Cerithium Oil has just been ordered to stop operating in Nigeria," His father's voice bellowed down the line, a pure sound of delight and enthusiasm for his son's hard work and bravery.

"Wait, what?" Sam stopped pedalling in shock, "Wait, that's incredible!"

"And you were the butterfly whose wings made this happen, I'm so proud of you, my son."

Billie had never heard those words, not from her father at least. Whether it was learning to walk, passing her GCSEs, getting into University or even graduating, she had never heard those words from his lips.

"Thank you, Dad," Sam smiled, "I mean, look, I only did it because you inspired me to."

"I appreciate you saying that, because it is absolutely true," Sam's father replied, with laughter woven through his words, and Billie could tell from his voice that he was grinning ear to ear and then he was a genuinely joyous man, and knowing Sam, that made complete sense, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sam grinned, "Okay, bye-bye."

Those were words that neither Billie or Jamie had heard from their fathers, and if they ever had, it was made to feel like a chore. Billie knew that her father was capable of love, he loved his oldest daughter and his footballing son, he loved watching Roy play once upon a time.

Billie had always presumed that parents didn't split their already existing love between their children, but rather, each time a new baby was born, their heart grew to accommodate the love that child brought with them. But her own father's heart only seemed to stretch to loving two.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Isaac's loud bellow echoed around the room as Billie and Jamie snapped their attention away from Sam and onto Colin.

"Oh, fuck!" Billie hissed as she watched Isaac and Jamie lift the metal, heavily weighted pole off of his neck.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jamie asked tentatively, riddled with guilt for failing to complete the basic duties of being a spotter.

"It was on my neck," Colin wheezed, holding onto his throat.

"You okay, boyo?" Billie crouched in front of the Welshman.

"I think so," He nodded.

"Hey, if it bruises, just let me know and I'll lend you some concealer," Billie smiled at the young man, "Can't have the fans thinking you're into kinky shit, can we?"

"You and your mind go to some very interesting places," Colin muttered with a slight smile.

"Doesn't it just?" Billie smirked, looking back up at Jamie who was struggling to smile in a situation where he'd normally be grinning at her remark.

"Guys, guys!" Sam called out to the room, his eyes trained on the Bantr app, "Three dots! Three dots!"

"I'll leave you boys to it," Billie smiled as she watched Richard, Dani, Jan and some of the other players surround the young man.

"You said you wanted to show us videos," Jamie frowned, confused by how eager she was to leave.

"I'll email you!" She called out as she left the room.

She was happy for Sam, undoubtedly, but she couldn't be in the same room as Jamie when the conversation surrounded dating apps, not when she'd agreed to go on a date that night.

The message came through about three days before, her mystery man asking if she wanted to join him for dinner. She hadn't intended to say yes, but she was several gin and lemonades deep, and needed a distraction from the feelings that loomed deep in her heart. So she said yes, and a short while later the suitor replied with a time and a place. The restaurant of choice was Etereo, a highly regarded restaurant in Battersea, which she inferred was a sign that her mystery date was a man of wealth.

As Billie made her way down the hallway back towards her office she pulled out her phone to see several missed calls and voicemails from Dr Sharon. She promptly pressed play on the first of the bunch.

"Hi, Billie, I can't come to the phone right now, but I just wanted to remind you, when it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life."

Did Dr Sharon just quote 'A Most Violent Year'?

"But there's nothing to be afraid of, even when the night changes," Dr Sharon sang into the phone, "It'll never change youuuuu," She sang, purposefully getting the words wrong, "I remembered that you liked One Direction, oh, the CT machine's ready, byeee!"

Bewildered by the sound of Dr Sharon's voice that was so usually composed and the mention of a CT scan, Billie clicked on her sister's contact, waiting for her to answer the call.

"Billie?" Her sister answered, "Everything okay? Is it Phoebe?"

"Phoebe's fine, Roy's handling it," Billie assured her, "You haven't treated a well maintained therapist who went very loose lipped thanks to the power of good painkillers, have you?"

"You know I can't give you patient imformation, Bils," Her sister sighed.

"Yeah, but you could tell me if a heavily mustached American man was speaking in odd rhymes and referencing Grey's Anatomy on your ward, right?" Billie replied, having concluded that Ted's emergency was most likely whatever meant that Dr Sharon needed a CT scan.

"How did you work that out?"

"I have my ways," Billie smirked, knowing that nothing would stop Ted from referencing Grey's Anatomy in a hospital setting, "Can you at least tell me if she's okay, she's my therapist, so I need to know if I should take flowers to my next session, or if she'll even be there."

"You're in therapy?"

"With our parents? Obviously...you and Roy should try it, it's great," Billie rambled, "Anyway, can you just tell me if she's alright?"

"She's been discharged and that mustached man assured me he'd take her home and keep an eye on her," Hannah assured her.

"Ted's gonna lose his mind when I tell him he met my sister," Billie smirked to herself.

"Alright, well I've got to remove a crayon from a nose, so we'll speak soon?"

"Poor kid," Billie sighed.

"He's forty two," Her sister replied before ending the call.

"Are you gonna tell Jamie about your date tonight?" Keeley asked Billie as they sat at their respective desks.

"Why would I tell Jamie?" Billie frowned, looking up from her laptop, "I told you and Rebecca, why would I tell anyone else?"

"So you didn't tell Madds or Alfie either, because you know that they'd say you're doing it to convince yourself that you don't have those feelings for Jamie," Keeley insisted, having developed an ability to read the young woman like a book.

"It just wasn't something that felt worth mentioning, that's all," Billie sighed.

"You and Jamie are literally best friends, and you tell him everything, so why not this?" Keeley asked, hoping that maybe it would help Billie to make peace with the truth.

"I don't know." Billie mused, looking down at her freshly manicured nails which she'd had painted a Richmond shade of blue with a small red heart on each, ahead of the match that weekend.

A gentle knock sounded at their closed office door, and Billie promptly called out, "Come in."

In walked Jamie, having changed into his own clothes, "Hi, Billie, hi, Keeley."

"You okay?" Billie asked, wondering if he wanted to talk about his dad.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded, although Billie didn't believe him, "Isaac's about to cut Sam's hair, me and Colin thought you'd want to be there."

"Well, I make you right," Billie smiled, knowing that it'd be a good way to avoid discussing the date she hadn't told Jamie about, "You joining us, Keeley?"

"No, I'm getting lunch with Roy," Keeley assured her, "You have fun."

Billie and Jamie walked into the locker room where the rest of the team surrounded Sam who was sat on a chair upon the large platform that was in the centre of the room.

"Glad you could join us, Bils," Colin whispered across the room as Isaac retrieved his clippers from his locker with great gusto, the room falling quiet.

Dani fanned out the cape that would protect Sam's clothing, stepping up onto the platform as Richard and Jamie stepped up behind Sam, clipping the cape in place before returning to their positions on the floor.

Isaac clicked his fingers dramatically, stepping up onto the box, standing in front of Sam with a pair of clippers in his hands as the room watched in awe.

"What is the big deal?" Jan frowned, having not been introduced to the team's haircut based tradition since his arrival in the last summer transfer window.

The room fell into disarray, frustrated by the disrespect for what Richard had once compared to the story of how Jesus turned water into wine as Bumbercatch spoke up, "My guy, Isaac's an artist with those clippers."

"But he only gives you one haircut per season, so you try and save that for a very special occasion," Colin explained.

"I'm not using mine until I marry," Dani told the room, "Or I get circumcised."

"Bro, I can't believe you're wasting your Isaac cut on a blind date," Zoreaux remarked.

"Yeah, man," Jamie nodded, "What if you and this babes only got textual chemistry?"

"Such a way with words," Billie whispered to herself.

"Guys, I believe, this could be something very special," Sam smiled fondly.

The boys nodded as a show of understanding and Will wiped away a tear as Isaac switched on the clippers, just the faint buzzing noise filling the room.

"So do we just all stand here-"

"Oh my God!" Will exclaimed as the team cut Jan off in disgust for his lack of respect for what they considered a sacred moment.

"Shut the fuck up, Jan Maas," Jamie quipped.

"Sorry," Jan whispered, finally understanding the sanctity of the moment.

Isaac began to shave Sam's hair, moving around the platform with flare and gravitas as though he were performing at a ballet.

"It's like Swan Lake," Colin whispered in awe.

The entire performance continued for a while, Will was on hand with a tray of other tools, while Billie filmed moments to add to her 'Road to Wembley' video she'd been working on, which she planned to post the night before the big match.

She glanced over at Jamie as she put her camera down, noticing the look of disdain on his face as he looked down at his phone.

"You okay, Tartt?" She approached him, gently nudging him with her elbow.

He didn't utter any words, he simply showed her his phone screen which displayed a message from his dad, in which he asked if his son had got him tickets for the match at Wembley. There were no niceties or polite questions, James Tartt was forever straight to the point when it came to asking for things.

"I know a guy, come on," Billie interlocked her hand with his, leading him out of the locker room.

"Where are you taking me?" Jamie asked as Billie maintained the grip on his hand, leading him towards the staircase that led down to where the maintenance staff worked.

"I know God is a woman, but even I can't get your dad Wembley tickets," Billie told him, "But, if it were up to me, he wouldn't be getting them."

"I thought about it, but it ain't worth the aggro," Jamie sighed as they began making their way downstairs.

"Which is what I thought you'd say," Billie replied as she let go of his hand, "So we're visiting the big man downstairs."

"The devil?"

"God no," Billie shook her head as they reached the bottom of the stairs, "Higgins."

She quickly knocked on the cupboard door, hearing a chipper, "Come in!"

She opened the door to be greeted by Higgins' delightful smile, a large plank of wood balanced between the two shelves on either side of the cleaning cupboard acted as a desk.

"Hi," Higgins smiled eagerly.

"What's this about?" Jamie muttered, inspecting the state of the 'room' that Higgins was using as an office.

"Oh, I'm just in here until my office exists," Higgins explained, which Billie felt bad for, despite the previous efforts she had made to find space for him in the office she shared with Keeley, "It's really no problem, if I spill anything, I'm next to everything I need to clean it up."

"This is very, very sad," Jamie sighed as Billie, who was leant against the other side of the door frame, elbowed him dramatically, "What were that for?" He protested.

"This is literally his office," Billie hissed, as though Higgins weren't right there.

"What can I do for you, both?" Higgins smiled awkwardly.

"Pretty boy wants Wembley tickets," Billie told him, while Jamie picked up on the nickname she had subconsciously grown accustomed to using for him. Did she think he was pretty?

Higgins stared at the pair blankly.

"Erm, I think she means me," Jamie scratched the back of neck.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Billie smirked, gesturing to the empty corridor.

"Can I get me dad and his two mates on the list for Wembley tickets, please?" Jamie asked.

"Of course, family section? VIP?" Higgins smiled endearingly.

"Put 'em in the car park for all I care," Jamie remarked, hoping he wouldn't have to interact with his dad during his first match playing at Wembley, "Just getting him tickets so he'll get off me back."

"Fathers and sons," Higgins sighed, "So tricky, they should really write songs about it."

"Think they do," Jamie replied, not catching onto the joke.

"Yeah, I know, I was just-" Higgins smiled awkwardly, "Anyway..."

"You...Are you close with your dad?" Jamie asked the man, knowing enough about Billie to know that the relationship she had with her own father was rather complicated.

"Ups and downs, like everyone, it's complicated," Higgins remarked.

"Mine's not complicated, he's just a dick," Jamie muttered, "Every situation, he does exactly what a dick would do, not much you can do with that, know what I mean?"

"Well, I try to love my dad for who he is and forgive him for who he isn't," Higgins told the pair.

"If I did that I'd just be loving a random fucking man who didn't do anything to earn the title of 'Dad,'" Billie huffed, "Don't tell my brother I said that."

Higgins mimed zipping his lips before turning back to Jamie, "Look, Jamie, whatever he may be, he's your father, which makes him a VIP."

Jamie scoffed at the very notion of his dad being called a VIP and Billie just wanted to hug him.

"Names?" Higgins asked.

"Er, James Tartt," Jamie told him, "His mates are Denbo Cullens and Bug."

"Bug?"

"Just Bug, one G," Jamie nodded, "Like the animal, it's his legal name, changed it."

"Because he's small like a bug?" Higgins remarked.

"No, 'cause he eats bugs for money," Jamie explained.

"Manchester's fucking weird," Billie muttered to herself, earning a smile from Jamie.

"You literally lived there for three years," Jamie remarked.

"Yeah, and?"

"All done!" Higgins chimed.

"Thanks for that," Jamie nodded at the Head of Football Operations.

"Oh, tell Julie I tried that paella recipe you told me about," Billie was quick to tell Higgins, "Loved it."

"Will do." Higgins gave her a thumbs up.

"Is that the one you made me?" Jamie asked her.

"Yeah."

"It was fucking good to be fair," Jamie told Higgins who remained intrigued by the blossoming chemistry between the pair, "Open or closed?" Jamie gestured towards the door.

"Closed," Higgins sighed, "You get less questions."

"Alright," Jamie nodded, closing the door before looking at Billie, "You up to anything tonight?"

"No," Billie was quick to answer, "You?"

"No, me neither," Jamie replied quickly.

Billie had been sitting at the restaurant's bar for almost thirty minutes, nursing a passion fruit martini, not because her date had stood her up, but because she had arrived early. It was what she often did in situations that made her feel nervous. Whether it be a job interview or a date, she preferred to arrive early, cool down, assess the space, look for the nearest exits, and then treat herself to a drink that could set the night's mood.

She glanced down at her phone, smiling at the photo of her, Jamie, Colin and Alfie which Madison took at Winter Wonderland a few weeks before Christmas. She'd made a habit of changing the photo regularly, switching between the different people in her life that meant a lot to her.

The energy in the restaurant put her at ease, a pianist was playing jazz renditions of classic pop songs on piano, while the servers waltzed around, serving drinks and offering complimentary olives.

She still didn't understand olives.

She couldn't decide whether she was underdressed or overdressed, but after telling Keeley and Rebecca the location of the date they facetimed to discuss what she should wear.  She then showcased almost every item of clothing she owned until both of the blonde women screamed in excitement when she showed them the figure hugging little black dress from Prada that Keeley had generously gifted her at Christmas.

So she had opted for that dress and a pair of black heels with pointed toes, which were causing enough discomfort when she walked in them that she vowed to throw them into the river that night. Her makeup was classic and her hair was styled into effortlessly loose Hollywood curls, and she felt content in her appearance.

As she sat at the bar she felt a cool breeze of air dancing over her skin, suggesting that the door had opened and someone had entered the restaurant.

She looked over her shoulder towards the door, and her heart began to race, of course the universe had decided that she couldn't have just one easy shot at romance, they had to send yet another reminder that the Bantr date wasn't what she wanted.

Billie quickly downed the shot of prosecco that accompanied the passion fruit martini, bracing herself as the man in question laid eyes on her.

Jamie Fucking Tartt.

Who had made a considerable effort to dress well for the classy establishment, wearing a leather fitted bomber jacket, white t-shirt and black trousers, not jeans, trousers.

"You stalking me now, Tartt?" Billie smirked as the striker approached her with a nervous smile.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Jamie assured her, a looming feeling of guilt in his stomach at the thought of telling her that he was meeting someone, even though they were just friends, "I promise."

"And of all the restaurants in all of London, you walk into this one?" Billie teased.

"I think that's what some people call fate," Jamie smiled to himself as he sat on the bar stool beside hers.

"Didn't think you were a fate kind of man," Billie grinned.

"I'll believe in anything that gets us through Sunday's match," Jamie sighed, turning to face her, mesmerised by her appearance, knowing that she wouldn't go for drinks at a place like that if she was on her own "You look incredible by the way, Bils...whoever he is, he's a lucky fella."

"How'd you-"

"I've never seen you drink alcohol that's not beer or cider anywhere that wasn't the pub or your flat," Jamie told her with a small smile, "If this makes it weird, I can go-"

"Don't be stupid," Billie insisted as she typed a quick message to her Bantr date, hoping that he'd materialise soon enough, "We're both adults."

She didn't feel like an adult when she heard Jamie's phone ping in his pocket after she pressed send on her message.

Jamie pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening the app and reading the message as he smiled to himself.

He definitely fucking believed in fate.

"I'm at the bar, wearing a black dress," He read out the message on his phone before looking back up at her with a smile, "If this ain't fate I don't fucking know what is."

"Fuck," Billie muttered to herself, slowly standing up from her stool, stabilising herself on her heeled shoes, "I should go...we can't...this was-"

"Bils," Jamie wrapped her hand around her wrist, "We don't have to call this a date, we can just be two good friends who've come for a dinner at a nice fucking restaurant, alright?"

She really wanted to say yes, and she did want it to be a date, but the doubt continued to linger in her mind.

"Okay," Billie sighed, "But I'll need another," She pointed to her empty glass.

"Mate," Jamie waved down a waiter, "Another one of those for the lady," He told him, not knowing what she'd been drinking, "And I'll have a beer."

"Very good, sir," The waiter nodded, "One of my colleagues will be over soon to take you to your table."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Billie asked Jamie, "What if someone recognises you, and then realises I'm Roy Kent's sister? You remember what happened last time we got photographed together, right?"

"Bils, we hang out in public all the time," Jamie reminded her, "There are definitely already pictures of us online, and it's a fucking good thing that your brother doesn't use the internet."

"Those pictures were probably taken at Winter Wonderland, Tulley's Farm or London Zoo," Billie quipped, "This is quite obviously a date location."

"I think all those places might be too,"Jamie smiled as Billie frowned, "Hey, it's fine, if they give us a window table, I'll ask them to move us, I'm not letting you waste that dress on going back to yours and ordering a takeaway."

"Sir, Madam," A waiter appeared beside them, "Are you ready to be seated at your table?"

Jamie looked at Billie, silently putting the decision in her hands, she looked at the waiter, "That would be great, thank you."

"This way," The waiter began leading them towards their table.

"Come on, trouble," Jamie held out his arm for her to hold onto, which she did, as he guided her over to the table.

Once they were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant, the waiter placed their menus in front of them and Billie's eyes bulged at the prices.

"Jamie, have you seen how much it costs to eat here?" Billie hissed as the waiter left them to browse the menu.

"It's on me," Jamie shrugged with a smile.

"No, because then that makes it a date," Billie was quick to dispute.

"Bils, just call it a treat," Jamie insisted, "You've done so much for me since I came back, this is the least I could do."

"You'll sneak up to the bar and pay anyone if I insist on splitting, won't you?" Billie sighed.

"You know me so well," Jamie smirked.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a date tonight?" Billie asked, the question crossing her lips before she could think about the words.

"I could say the same to you." Jamie smirked.

"I thought it might make things weird," Billie sighed, tapping her fingers against the table nervously, "With everything that's happened between us."

"I thought the same," Jamie told her, "I needed a distraction and didn't want to burden you with my shit."

"Hey, you can tell me what you're carrying any time, alright?" Billie placed her hand on top of his, "You've never been a burden to me."

"Cheers," Jamie squeezed her hand with a nervous smile before letting go, knowing how it might look to passers by.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Billie asked, "About your dad and Wembley."

"I don't want to ruin the mood," Jamie replied.

"And I don't want you carrying something like that without talking about it," Billie muttered, "A problem shared and all that."

"I really don't want you to meet him," Jamie sighed, "I don't want him to change the way you look at me."

"Jamie," Billie exhaled, his words breaking her heart, "I don't know your father, but there is nothing he could do to change what I think of you."

"You've not met him, Bils," Jamie began to other think what his father might be like, having not seen him since before Lust Conquers All, "He's got this way of making things about him, of getting in me head, and he'll fuck it all up, and if he talks to you, he'll probably tell you loads of shit that ain't true."

"Jamie, Sunday is about you, not your father, it's about you playing in a semi final at Wembley fucking Stadium, the sort of thing you dreamed of as a kid," Billie assured him, "I've known men like your father, I grew up on a council estate in South London, if he tries anything, I can handle him."

"Well now I wanna hear stories of you putting men like my dad in their places," Jamie smiled.

"I've kicked them where it hurts a few times," Billie smirked, "And they've always known better than to mess with Roy Kent's little sister."

"Your drinks," The waiter smiled as he reached the table, placing the glasses on the table, "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes," Billie replied, "I'll have the Carbonara, please."

"Very good," The waiter nodded, turning to Jamie, "Do you know what you want, Sir?"

"Yeah," Jamie put the menu down, looking at Billie, "I know what I want."

liked by: jamie_tartt and 84,119 others

billie_kent: reporting for duty 🫡

COMMENTS:
colinhughes: doesn't she scrub up well

alfiesykes98: so fucking cool

maddsgreen: fit as fuck!!!

keeleyjones: i'm leaving roy for you

will_kitman: Mother.

author's note: sooooo...thoughts, feelings, emotions?

i saw some of you guess that billie's bantr match was jamie and i did tease it in two ways. roll with it is an oasis song (jamie's a manchester boy and likes oasis), 519 (51 & 9 - jamie's shirt numbers)

get yourselves a cup of hot chocolate (billie kent style) and matilda by harry styles on repeat for the next chapter...