Page 108 of Take Her On

Tiny, one of the smallest—and strongest—defenders in the league, clapped her hands. “Fuck yeah.”

The enthusiasm spread around the room. Everyone applauded and chattered among themselves, relighting the fire they so desperately needed to keep burning. For one more game, ninety minutes, all the way to the end.

Maya caught Jamie watching her, those soft blues of hers crinkling at the edges. Everyone else faded away for a moment, and Maya swallowed, overcome with the rush of adrenaline and all the other things this woman made her feel on a daily basis. Her breathing quickened. She needed her to know she was there for her, in her corner, always. To understand that her feelings for her were unlike anything she’d experienced before. The sensation was overwhelming, filling up and spilling out of her pores, and she couldn’t stop it.

She wanted Jamie to know. It couldn’t wait.

“And one more thing!” She raised her voice above the raucous noise. Her heart was galloping away in her ribcage as she looked into Jamie’s eyes, but her lips were already moving. “I’m…in love with her.” The words came out softly and flopped out at the end, but Maya could tell by the way Jamie’s face stilled that she’d heard her. She jumped down from the bench, her face reddening. “I love you,” she said again, a little louder this time.

Maya didn’t really notice the team staring or have time to be embarrassed about the public declaration, because all she wanted to do was hear the response from Jamie’s mouth.

Oh, god. What if she doesn’t say it back? Maybe she hadn’t thought this through. She certainly hadn’t planned to say this to her now, but looking into Jamie’s eyes, she hadn’t been able to help it. Oh, fuck it.

She’d spent too long worrying about what other people thought. Now, she was trusting her instincts, and she loved Jamie. She knew it, just like Grandma knew about Grandpa, like Maddie knew about Alex, like Jamie knew the words to every bloody eighties song. It was instinct. Whenever she closed her eyes and everything else fell away, that sensation still remained, all-consuming.

Jamie stood up, her lips pulling into that Jamie Mellor cheeky smile as she closed the distance between them. Maya’s stomach flip-flopped. She was so beautiful.

“I love you too.”

She watched the words fall from Jamie’s lips and grinned, an electric tingle spreading from her fingers to her chest, fizzing and expanding and loop-the-looping through her body.

“Kiss her then!” Aiysha shouted.

“Let’s see the good stuff,” Leah added.

Maya gasped as Jamie grasped her jaw, crushing her mouth to hers. The changing room erupted into cheers and hollers, and Jamie laughed against her lips. Maya kissed her again and again, unable to get enough of her taste—and this feeling that was lighting her up all over.

Jamie’s hands found her waist, and she looked into her eyes. “I didn’t have you pegged for public declarations,” she murmured.

“Me neither. Don’t know how that happened.”

The team started stomping their feet and slamming their hands against the benches. The thumping sound intensified, getting faster and faster, until Coach pushed her way into the room, eyes wide. Her attention fell on Jamie’s hands on Maya’s waist, and her wild eyebrows raised slightly, before she addressed the group.

“That’s more like it.” She thrust her hand into the middle of the room, and the team jumped up to place their hands on top. “Let’s show them what we’re made of, Millton. Let’s go!”

* * *

The ball flew from Tiny’s boot to Noodle’s, then quickly landed at Jamie’s feet. Before she could do anything, a crunching tackle dispossessed her. She chased down the defender. The Harriers were man-marking her out of the game. It made sense. They knew the danger she posed, and having the Harriers’ number five follow her around like a lost puppy was the most effective way to limit it.

On second thoughts, puppy might not be the most accurate description. More like a snarling Rottweiler, snapping at her heels. And Robyn was an overexcited evil Chihuahua from the pits of hell, committed to not giving Maya a moment of peace.

“Did you miss me, Thomas?” she asked, trailing her hand around Maya’s waist.

Maya slapped her away and exhaled, determined to keep her cool. She focused on the Harriers’ keeper, who was leisurely placing the ball down for a goal kick, taking her time. They knew if they kept a draw, they’d win the league.

“I missed you,” Robyn said. “I thought about you a lot, actually. When you pushed me with those strong hands of yours—”

The keeper thumped her foot through the ball, and it sailed high into the middle of the field. As the Millton midfield rose to meet it, it pinged around the centre circle, no one able to gain control.

“Get the ball down, Millton!” Maya shouted, jogging along the line and keeping Robyn in her peripheral.

“Get a fucking grip!” Robyn bellowed. “This is pathetic!”

They needed to step up their game. Their defeat to the Harriers at home meant they had to win today to draw level on points. The deciding factor would come down to goal difference—and thanks to Jamie’s impressive netting across the whole season, they were ahead in the league by two goals. So, unless they got beaten 3-0—not on Maya’s watch—they just had to win to draw level on points.

One goal would be enough to win the championship.

The first half finished 0-0, and they trailed to the sidelines, huffing and puffing. It had been a battle, to say the least. Maya passed around the water bottles while Coach delivered her talk.