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Straddling me, he wrapped his arms around my neck. “We’re gonna get a lot of shit for this.”
“I know. But we’ll get through it. One day at a time.”
“Yeah.” Reaching for his phone, he scrolled through his contacts. “Okay, then. If we’re doing this, we’d better make some calls.”
* * *
The conference room was a hive of activity and noise. Around me, people were barking into phones, tapping furiously at laptop keyboards, and talking over one another.
“Bloody hell, it feels like we’re preparing for battle or something.” Jordan slipped into the seat next to me, instinctively reaching out for my hand. I slid my fingers between his, the knot of anxiety in my stomach loosening as his warm palm pressed against mine.
“I suppose we are, in a way.” I glanced over at him, and he bit down on his lip.
“Any regrets?” His voice was uncertain, and I immediately wanted to reassure him.
“None, baby.” I stroked over his skin with my thumb. “Believe me, I’ve thought about this long and hard. I’m fully prepared to see this through.”
He exhaled a relieved breath. “Good. Me too.”
“Alright!” Harvey slammed his fists down on the table, making both me and Jordan jump. The room instantly fell silent. “Let’s get this started.”
The large conference table filled up as everyone took their seats. Harvey was at the head of the table, and joining him in today’s strategy session were Rory, Amir, Grant, Reuben, Ainsley, and Lars. Six people who could be counted on to support us, whatever life threw at us.
The others sitting around the table were mostly unknown to me, although I was aware of who they were. Members of our PR and legal teams, two people from the Professional Footballers’ Association, aka the PFA, and Daniel Dawson, the owner of Glevum FC. It was an intimidating combination of people, and I was so glad I didn’t have to face this alone.
“PR have drawn up a plan.” Harvey met my eyes, then Jordan’s. “None of this is set in stone, and I want you to speak up if there’s something you don’t agree with. This affects us all, but you two are at the centre. You get the final say.”
He clicked his mouse, and the large screen at the front of the room lit up, and then we began.
Harvey spoke about the fact that he would prefer to delay our coming out statements to the end of the season in order for the focus to remain on our performance in the league and the team’s aim of getting into Europe. In addition to that, our PR team hoped that it would make it easier for us because we wouldn’t have to deal with fan pressure at the most crucial time of the season. Coinciding our statements with the beginning of the summer break would give us a generous cushion of time for everything to die down before the next season began.
The two PFA members ran through the things we might experience when we made our statements, citing the homophobic abuse that we would probably have to deal with, particularly online. They assured us that they were here to provide us with day-to-day support, as well as a network of trained professionals to help us through the process.
Apparently, our social media accounts would be temporarily taken over by our PR team to help protect us from any abuse. Jordan was unhappy about this until Rory promised him that he would personally ensure that Jordan’s selfies were posted regularly to his accounts.
By the time everyone had their input, over two hours had passed. But we’d come up with a plan.
Three days after the end of the football season, a pre-prepared statement would be jointly shared by Glevum FC and Jordan’s social media accounts. The same statement would be sent to news outlets. The club would encourage players to reshare the statement or provide messages of support. Harvey would discuss this with the team before the statement was made, to give everyone a heads-up and to let them know that homophobia would not be tolerated, and anyone caught making homophobic remarks would face heavy penalties. In addition to the team discussion, our sponsors would be contacted in advance to give them time to prepare accordingly, should they wish to publicly comment.
A week later, my own statement would be shared. There was some disagreement about the timing—whether it was better to share both statements at once or whether we should wait even longer. Most had agreed that it would be better to wait, even as long as a full season, but there was no way on earth I would let my boyfriend go through the process of publicly coming out alone. A week was the maximum I was prepared to wait.
As for our relationship—we’d been strongly advised to keep it hidden for now. Speculation would be rife as it was, with us both being on the same team, but it was decided that we needed time for the public to get used to the idea that two Premier League footballers could be anything other than straight. We would have another meeting a few weeks into the season, when we had more of an idea of how our coming out was being handled by the media and fans.
“So that’s it, then,” Jordan said when everyone else had left. “There’s no turning back now.”
“No turning back. Only forwards. One step at a time. One day at a time.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Whatever happens, I’m so glad we have each other.”
“Me too. You don’t have to go through anything hard alone anymore, Theo. You’ve got me now.”
“I know.” Whatever came next, we’d face it together.
37
JORDAN
Why did it always come down to the final game of the season? If we won this, we’d be home and dry. We’d finish in sixth position, and we’d earn a place in the Europa League.
Our fans were hungry for it. We were hungry for it. It wouldn’t be an easy game, though. We were playing away, with a record away fan attendance. Our opponents were Chelsea, who were a much bigger team than Glevum and who were also vying for a place in the Europa League. This was the day of reckoning for both teams.
