The next day Alex popped in to Richmond Hill to tell Veronic about the night before at the stadium. It wasn’t that she was dying to share the story of her unexpected encounter with Nathaniel Cruz. Alex was still affected by the chance encounter, and after spending the night analysing her recurring emotions, she was absolutely knackered as she sat on the padded couch next to her sister, with circles around her eyes. Veronic could hardly wait for her to start talking, and then she told her about the recently rebuilt stadium, the VIP lounge, the prominent guests, the supporters, it was only Nathaniel she didn’t mention for a good while. Finally, when it seemed like they had exhausted the subject, she went quiet and lay her head on Ronnie’s thin shoulder.
“Did anything else happen?” she asked with a voice full of empathy.
Alex smiled. The question didn’t surprise her; she was almost expecting it. Nobody else knew her and her moods better than Ronnie. She didn’t want to play hide-and-seek with her, but she did wonder how to tell her something that she herself was still trying to unravel. She heaved a deep sigh, and began to speak with the most neutral voice she could muster.
“Did you know that Nathaniel Cruz had joined Bradford?”
“Who?”
“Nathaniel Cruz. Can’t you remember the boy from St. Andrew’s, who wanted to become a professional footballer, and…”
“Of course I remember Nathaniel,” Ronnie interrupted, and shifted to the side slightly, so that she could see Alex’s face. “It would be hard not to, after all the things you said about him. For months you were the first to empty the mailbox in case he had written to you.”
“Ronnie!” she laughed. “Don’t exaggerate. It wasn’t that serious.”
“Am I wrong?” she looked back, pulling up her eyebrows, tilting her head. “Well, I don’t know.”
“Makes no difference,” Alex waved it away. “The point is, yesterday we met again.”
Ronnie almost shouted out in surprise. She stared at her sister with a look of astonishment.
“What do you mean you met?”
“Yesterday, at the stadium. We were seated so close that I even recognised him on the pitch thanks to the tickets you had given me. I had no clue he was playing for Bradford. Did you?”
Her question had an edge, it even sounded a bit suspicious, making Veronic blush. She looked straight into Alex’s eyes when she said, “I swear, I had no clue, Alex. I mean it,” she confirmed with a desperate voice.
“All right, all right. It’s okay. I believe you if you say so,” she said soothingly, placing a hand on her arm.
“Once, years ago you mentioned that he had come back to England, and played somewhere outside London. That was all I knew about him,” she shrugged. “And one time I saw him on TV. But that was even longer before.”
“On TV…” Alex repeated pensively.
“He’s cute, for sure,” Ronnie observed, shyly glancing at her sister, who also looked at her, then smiled with resignation.
“I cannot deny that!”
Then Alex told her how the unexpected encounter took place in the lounge. She also shared what a silly misunderstanding had led them to lose sight of one another. Ronnie was amazed at the progress of the story. She could hardly believe her ears. It all sounded so romantic. She noticed how Alexis’ eyes glittered every time she spoke about him, and in those moments she even dropped her usual, playfully cheeky tone.
The seventeen-year-old girl’s experience with men had up to then amounted to zero. It was only in the last few months, since she’d started leaving home regularly, that she had begun to make friends with members of the opposite sex; but she still noticed that Alex was talking about Nathaniel in a different way. It was inexplicably different from how she spoke about Dominic. She made a note of this tiny detail, but couldn’t give it a name just yet, and back then, maybe she didn’t even want to.
When things had calmed down around him, Nathaniel’s first priority was to thoroughly investigate the professional background of the team’s leading physiotherapist, Dr Graham. He made sure that the man was indeed lecturing at King's Medical College. The truth was, in the course of his recent sports career he had been extremely lucky. Other than a few strains, bruises and a mild Achilles tendon inflammation, he hadn’t had any severe injuries. Now, however, he definitely felt that he would spend more time on the massage bed, and he would turn to the physiotherapists for help more often. Since they had met again, he couldn’t get Alex out of his mind for a moment. The old attraction for the high school girl that Alex once was, now burst into flames with new strength, even more so because in the course of four years, the charming girl student had transformed into a stunningly beautiful, attractive young woman. The attraction that was becoming more intense in him every day mingled inside him with a big portion of jealousy and rage, every time Dominic Blake came to his mind. Although he hardly knew the medical student, he still had the definite feeling that the man didn’t appreciate Alex as much as she deserved. Or at least, he wasn’t so impressed by her as he would be in the man’s situation, if he had Alexis Woodville for his girlfriend. Although he had only seen them together once, he was still convinced that they didn’t make a good pair. They somehow didn’t strike him as a couple madly in love during the short minutes they spoke. And this made no sense to him at all. He felt that he would look and talk to Alex in a much different way. And by all means, he would touch her very differently too if the two of them belonged together. The more he thought about this, the more determined he felt that Dominic would have to go. And the one pushing him off his saddle would be he himself. He was confident about this. He remembered how the girl reacted to his touch. He wanted Alex now much more than he did four years ago, and his instincts (not to mention his other body parts) signalled that Alex wanted him too. The desire burned inside him. He was a hunter whose aim was to hunt down the noblest beast in the wood. And the first attack was to take place two weeks after their encounter in the stadium.
#
Alexis was sitting at the edge of the steps leading up to the grandiose columned entrance of the College building, absorbed in her thoughts. It was actually time for her to leave. Although she knew that the longer she waited, the more likely she was to be late for practice, she still couldn’t pull herself to go. Resting her elbow on her knee, she stared in front of herself, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. That day was the first time they were going to spend human kinesiology practice at a place none other than Bradford Stadium, among the footballers. The past two weeks had left a mark on her mental condition. However hard she had tried, she couldn’t get Nathaniel’s charming smile out of her head, and her skin was still on fire to the touch of his hot lips, every time she remembered it. She had got herself through the days quite easily, because she was busy with a lot of chores and her studies. The nights, however, had suddenly stretched to be unusually long for her. She tossed and turned for hours without sleep, thinking about the unfortunate turn, that stupid misunderstanding that had caused them to drift apart. Would they have come together? Become an item? Or would they have broken up eventually? Would their relationship have cooled due to the distance or other hindrances? Then she thought about Dominic, trustworthy and good old Dominic, who had been her faithful companion for such a long time. At times like this, she regarded the other issue as a silly, pointless crush. Slowly, she would drift into a restless sleep, but the next morning it was once again Nathaniel’s face that she saw with her mind’s eye. Her spiritual state was erratic and restless, which went completely unnoticed by Nick. During the week, they only met occasionally because they were both rather busy studying, and Alex wasn’t willing to give up on her visits to Ronnie’s either. She smiled inside when she remembered how challenging it was to keep secrets from her sister. Compared to her usual self, Alex was unusually quiet and pensive, which Ronnie was quick to notice. One time, when Alex was massaging her sister’s arm, Ronnie lightly asked Alex if she had a problem, as she had seemed quite listless recently.
Alex looked at her in surprise.
“Listless? Me?”
Ronnie gave her a look of wonder, and tried to take away the edge of her statement with a smile.
“Somehow you’ve been so silent over the past few days. Earlier… I mean, before the match…” she went quiet because Alex’s hand had stopped in the air.
She quickly turned in her direction, looking at her sharply, but immediately went soft seeing her sister’s big eyes full of shock. Alex was simply unable to be angry with her. Even if sometimes she upset her, her feelings changed as soon as Ronnie gave her a gentle smile, and her anger was gone without a trace. It was the same now. Besides, Alex knew that Ronnie was right. She had indeed been out of sorts and restless in recent times, and, of course, it was clear who was causing these moods. Still, the fact that the change had been so visible from the outside, upset her a bit. Could it be that Nick had also noticed something? No. She couldn’t imagine that. By now, Nick had been so passionately involved with his studies, he was so obviously in his element, thoroughly enjoying it, that he noticed nothing else going on around him. Typical Nick – she smiled. He would probably make it into the medical researchers’ elite one day. She was sure about that.
She heaved a deep sigh and continued the massage.
“You might be right. I am tense these days. There are so many things – she coughed – going on recently. Some issues that need to be clarified. I mean, I have to come to terms with a few things.”
“Alex! I seriously don’t insist that you come here to see me, especially after your classes. I know you have a lot of others things to see to instead of…”
“Ronnie! It’s not like that at all,” Alex shook her head.
“I know you mean well, and I really, really appreciate it. But we could hire a masseuse anytime, someone who does house calls. She could take the burden off your shoulders.”
“It’s not just the massage, sis, and you know that!”
Alex sent her sister a naughty smile, who returned it. Of course, they still knew what it was all about. Without any difficulty, their family could have afforded a good visiting masseuse to see Ronnie as an addition to her regular medical treatments. When they met like this, as a bonus to the therapy, it was equally important for the sisters to nourish their loving relationship. Veronic was crazy about her beautiful, waggish and – at least up till now – vivacious elder sister. And Alex, well, perhaps even due to Ronnie’s condition, returned the feeling with more dedication and care, providing most of the motherly care Ronnie lacked. So the time they spent together, and the thoughts they exchanged were just as important and beneficial for their soul as the massage was to her sister’s body.
“Unless you mean I disturb you, and you’d rather spend your time with someone else,” said Alexis, pulling up her shoulders quizzically.
“You know it’s not like that at all!” Ronnie responded, planting a kiss on her sister’s face. “I simply don’t want to take advantage of you. I don’t want you to overburden yourself.”
“I know how you mean it, but believe me, this is not permanent. Things will soon settle around me, and then I’ll also feel calmer.”
She didn’t sound terribly convincing, and Veronic did wonder what could cause things to settle in the near future when most of Alex’s medical studies were still underway, and undoubtedly, Nathaniel Cruz’s recurrence didn’t make things any easier. Still, she said nothing, just focused her eyes on Alex’s fingers moving rhythmically up and down.
“For now, things are going okay. And if it does get too much, we can still find a sexy, young and handsome therapist who does house calls. We’ll see. All right, sis?”
She smiled reassuringly, and Ronnie blushed, giving a silent nod.
Now she was sitting on the steps of the university, feeling apprehensive and excited about the moment she would see Nathaniel Cruz again, the reason for her restless state all through the past two weeks. She picked up her stuff, and at the bottom of her bag she found the chain with the Bradford pass that the professor had given out to them at the university. She unwillingly began to walk towards the bus stop. She was just as much looking forward to meeting him as she was dreading it. And then, as she approached the stadium, she thought he might not even be there, and this silly excitement made no sense, after all. Suddenly she was taken over by complete uncertainty. What if he was just playing with her, if he just wanted to wind her up when he behaved so provokingly last time? After all, what could he want from her now? Even if he had had plans about the two of them before, having learnt that Alex had a boyfriend, he must have held her in a different regard. It had to be that way! She belonged to someone else, and it had been clarified. Nathaniel only considered her a friend. She scolded herself for assuming otherwise. She was ashamed that her thoughts were so unruly and upsetting, far from just ‘friendly’, any time Nate came to mind. Her thoughts were like a boat tossed at sea without a rudder, and by the time she stepped through the stadium’s staff entrance, she had partly convinced herself of the fact that there would be no trouble at all. They both had grown up since their last encounter. They had matured and become wiser. They would be able to handle the situation, and establish a wonderful friendship. That unpleasant episode from the past would be left behind, and they would show the greatest possible respect for each other’s private life. She also convinced herself that Nathaniel would probably not be there, as he didn’t have the kind of injury for which at present he required physiotherapy treatment.
She didn’t have to wait too long to find out how wrong she had been!
Most of her groupmates had already arrived, and they were having a conversation, forming a circle in front of the buffet. Alex joined them, and almost at the same time, Dr Graham also appeared, immediately calling the group to follow him. They started down the hall towards the lift, and soon found themselves near the fitness rooms. One of her group mates, Lisa Davis talked to her almost continuously, which somewhat distracted her mind from her crazily beating heart.
As they entered the huge fitness room full of workout machines, Dr Graham began to talk. He was visibly very familiar with the grounds, which was no wonder, as this was his second work place besides the university. Here and there, sportsmen were working out, torturing themselves on the machines. Some wore headsets, concentrating solely on themselves and the treadmill, while others were talking away loudly and cosily during their routine. Alex seemed to recognise some footballers’ faces, but she couldn’t see Nathaniel anywhere. Was she relieved? Or disappointed? It was hard to tell. They stepped closer to two men, one of whom wore a bandage on his thigh, and sat by a weightlifting bench. Beside him, a physiotherapist was busy explaining something with all his might, removing one of the hanging weights. As the group caught up, Dr Graham greeted the two men. He began to explain what type of injury the footballer had, and also talked about the applied therapy method. The doctor briefly outlined the damage, the condition of the thigh muscles and the expected healing process. All of this he did so matter-of-factly, as if the person in question hadn’t even been present. Alex at least, had the impression that she would feel bad if her condition was being discussed in her presence, as if she was a lump of muscles and bones, which had to be changed from condition A to B within a set period of time. She felt that the manner in which the doctor talked about the footballer was rather impersonal, although the man himself didn’t really seem to mind it. The young man had the name “Villa” written on his T-shirt, which led Alex to the conclusion that he must have been Spanish or Brazilian. He smiled widely at the medical students – perhaps even more widely at the female ones – and obviously revelled in the special attention. They slowly moved on, while Dr Graham’s words never seemed to dry up.
They stopped at a door with the notice “Massage” on it, and before entering, Dr Graham stuck his head in to make sure every footballer was decent. At least, Alexis assumed this to be the reason for the prior investigation. One after the other, they ventured into the almost snow-white room, which was much smaller than the gym. On the opposite door, a huge poster was hanging, showing the human muscular structure. On the side of the room where the windows were, small, white armchairs were positioned, with matching white tables. To the right and left, stood the water dispensers, whose quiet murmur wonderfully contributed to the sterile, calm atmosphere of the room. In the middle, there were three massage beds, placed about two yards from each other. Two beds had been taken, as Alexis had spotted in the first moment. On the nearest one, a man was lying on his front with a bare torso. He cast a quick and painful glance at the people entering, only to stick his forehead again into the gap of the headrest. The masseur was kneading his back with small motions, making the man occasionally moan with pain. Things seemed much more relaxed at the other bed. The footballer looked comfortable as he allowed the masseur to work on his body. He may have fallen asleep, Alexis supposed, as he didn’t even stir when the others greeted the people entering.
“Oh, good morning, Dr Graham.”
“Hello, doc!”
“Greetings, boys! Jimmy, Matt,” the doctor waved to the others in a friendly way. “How’s things here?”
“Everything’s okay, but I think this strain will still take a bit longer than we assumed at the beginning,” said the masseur who answered to the name Jimmy, and who – as it seemed – was causing continuous agony to the man lying under his hands.
“What are you saying?” came the unfriendly murmur from between the gritted teeth of the patient. “I have to be up and ready for the Manchester rematch, whatever it takes!”
“We’ll soon see, Will, we’ll see,” Graham replied, and patted the footballer’s shoulder. “If we rush it, you’ll suffer more in the long run, you know that too! Tomorrow, after the training we shall know more.”
Will nodded unwillingly. Dr Graham told his colleagues to just get on with their work, as if he and his team weren’t even there. Alex found this rather funny, because Dr Graham was so loud, as if they had been in one of the huge lecture halls at the university. Ignoring his presence was impossible.
“Miss Davis, please give out the folders I’ve left on the table next to the window. There should be enough for everybody, I think I’ve even brought too many. When that’s done, please turn to page three, and study figure number two. Read the explanation underneath carefully, and I'll be looking forward to any observations in relation to it.”
Miss Davis, with acute efficiency, took no more than a few seconds to distribute the folders. Alexis was about to turn the pages, when the door opened at the other end of the room, and two men came in. Alex lifted her head, and realised with a shock that one of the men deep in conversation was Nathaniel, and the other was someone called Carlos, an equally famous defender. For a moment of surprise, her breathing stopped as she took a look at the boy wearing a long, shin-length white gown and slippers. Nathaniel and the other man were talking away merrily, and as he spotted her while entering the room, the smile had become even bigger on his face. As soon as she was over the first surprise, she also forced a smile.
“Oh, Dr Graham, I can see you are busy working. Are we disturbing your lecture?”
Nathaniel was directly addressing the doctor, while walking up to him and shaking his hand. There was a quiet murmur heard among the medical students, and the boys put their heads together, whispering. Looks like they’ve also recognised Nathaniel Cruz, Bradford’s midfielder, the thought crossed her mind.
“No, not at all. Please, just relax, gentlemen. It’s more useful for the students if you just ignore them and carry on with your routine like before.”
“Well, that will be hard to do,” Nate remarked dubiously, sending a sharp look to Alex, adding a wink for emphasis.
She didn’t know what to make of this, and anyway, she felt a bit embarrassed at the sight of his minimal covering. She had no idea what could be under the bathrobe, and hated herself as her imagination thought about it further. Alexis was having a hard fight with herself, trying to look neutral and relaxed, but she kept catching her eyes wandering towards Nathaniel. And what was even more confusing, Nate, while talking to the other guy, kept an eye on Alex, wearing a naughty grin. He didn’t seem in the least embarrassed, even made a show of not hiding his interest. He was openly sizing her up and down, without the slightest sign of discretion. Alex felt that her face was aflame in front of the boy’s all-seeing stare. Dr Graham’s words only reached her ears as some distant noise, and when Lisa pushed her elbow and whispered something into her ear, she had to force herself to focus on the doctor’s lecture again. She began to leaf through her folder without orientation, in an effort to find the figure that had just been mentioned, but her fingers wouldn’t obey her. Lisa looked at her with a frown, and resentfully turned to the previous page, then pointed to the figure with her pen. Alex just wanted to vanish with shame. She was unable to concentrate, and hated herself for that. Meanwhile, a third masseur had arrived, and invited Nathaniel to the bed. Nate cast a provoking glance at the girl, undid the belt of his bathrobe, and threw it onto a nearby chair. Not just Alex’s, but all the other female students’ mouths dropped, as they stared at the cappuccino-brown muscular physique of the half naked, sensuously sexy footballer. He was only wearing shorts, which accentuated his erotic, demi-god-like body’s exciting curves.
Nate positioned himself on the bed comfortably, never diverting his eyes from Alex.
“Oh, God, help me!”
“Somebody get me some water or I’ll swoon!” someone whispered from beside her. Alex rolled her eyes irritatedly, and with as much strength as she could muster, purposefully turned her back on Nathaniel. “Arsehole. Big-headed, conceited, mouth-watering, hot… ehm… twat,” she concluded her silent train of thought, and tried to fix her T-shirt which was revealing too much of her erect nipples.
In the meantime, Dr Graham called the medical students closer to the massage beds, all the time gesturing widely, explaining. While the medical students were fascinated by the footballers, the footballers were eyeing the girl students. Lisa Davis was a pretty, blond nosy parker with long, curly locks, and other than speaking an awful lot, her only drawback was that she was quite short. Alexis with her own height of five feet seven felt like a giant next to her. With all things considered, though, they both looked attractive, and this fact didn’t escape the footballers’ attention either. They were openly flirting with them. Alex wondered if Dr Graham was really unaware of the strange situation, or just ignored it altogether. His speech was uninterrupted as he tackled the various types of muscle strains, and if it wasn’t enough, he called on a male student to take the place of one of the masseurs and demonstrate a certain relaxing sequence. Alex began to feel apprehensive, as she spotted Nate’s cheeky grin out of the corner of her eye. And she turned out to be right. Half-jokingly, half seriously he inquired from the professor whether it was possible that – due to the special circumstances – he could select his therapist. At the same time, he was eyeing Alex with obvious provocation. She, at first scared, then angry, shook her head, signalling disagreement, but by that time the whole group was looking at her.
“I choose her, doc,” he nodded towards her, at which Alex’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
She simply couldn’t believe Nate had the power to put her into such an unpleasant situation in front of the others. She gawked at him threateningly, but was also aware that the others had no clue about their history, so they couldn’t understand her reluctance. Inside she was shivering like a leaf, but the last thing she wanted was to look like a crybaby, so there was no other choice for her but to respond to the challenge. All the more so, because good Dr Graham had no objections to the match. Part of the team gathered around Jimmy, the others stayed next to Dr Graham and Matt. While Alex unwillingly stepped up to Nate, Tom, the physiotherapist tossed a T-shirt against Nathaniel’s chest.
“Come on, put something on, you heart-throb!” he called on him with laughter. “It’s not appropriate to show yourself like this in the presence of ladies.”
Alex sent a thankful look towards Tom, while attempting to ignore Nate’s lustful grin, which he was still wearing as he pulled his head through the neck of the shirt. Alexis chose to turn her gaze on the therapist’s hands, fast at work.
Tom looked at her, and stepping aside slightly, asked, “Would you like to give it a try?”
Alex instantly wanted to give a negative response, but the naughty, confident twinkle in the boy’s eyes caused her to stop. She knew he only meant to provoke her because he was sure she wouldn’t have the guts to do the task. He obviously counted on her ‘no’ answer. She wasn’t in the least convinced that she was doing the right thing; nevertheless, she lifted her eyes.
“I’d be happy to,” came her firm reply.
A wave of satisfaction ran across Nate’s face. Alex stepped close to him and took a deep breath at the sight of the male thigh with the perfectly shaped muscles. She exhaled loudly, and with a bit more force than necessary, she continued the massage exactly where Tom had left it off. Nate hissed a bit, but then immediately burst into laughter. He knew he deserved the rough treatment. This was the girl’s revenge for putting her into such an embarrassing situation. His skin burned under Alex’s fingers; it was almost aflame, and the knowledge that her hand was only about an inch from his pulsating crotch, drove him crazy. As the seconds passed, he began to doubt whether he had been right to initiate this sensual challenge. He needed all his power and strength to control his waking… interest.
“Hey, easy, missy!” Tom hissed at her, jokingly. “The knee under your hands is a very precious item. It’s the hope of this team. It’s worth a fortune! Be gentle with it!”
“I’m sure it’s well insured,” she retorted cheekily, pulling her mouth.
“I deserve it!” Nate admitted with a guilty grin. “Alexis and I know one another. From long ago,” he looked at her with significance, and she stopped the torture.
“Oh, okay! Does this mean I don’t need to worry about your health?” Tom asked, laughing.
“Well… I’m not so sure about that,” he said, looking at the girl questioningly.
“Of course not,” she smiled, giving in.
Nathaniel put his hand on Tom’s shoulder, and knowingly looking into his eyes, he spoke quietly.
“Would you be so kind as to bring me something cold to drink?”
The man stared at him for a moment, then, as evidence of getting the hint, he smiled and tapped Nate’s back.
“But of course, my champion.”
“Thanks, Tom.”
The man turned his back on them, and without rushing, headed for the door.
After being left alone, they just stared at one another for a few moments, but this time without smiling or teasing. Then, as Dr Graham sent them a look, and asked them loudly if everything was okay, they both gave him a wave of approval, and Alex got on with the massage. Nate watched her for a while, then began to speak slowly.
“Did I embarrass you?”
She looked at him, and shook her head.
“Come on! This is part of my medical practice. I’m used to it, believe me.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he laughed again sardonically. “Because just before I began to feel like…”
“Nate!” she interrupted him, and gave him a severe look.
He went quiet, but only for a short while.
“You’ve got good hands. You’re really good at this.”
“Nathaniel!” she said, lifting her voice again and looking at him rebukingly. “Please.”
“I’m not kidding,” he began again, with a more permissive voice. “I mean it. I have been under a good few masseurs’ hands, so you can believe me that I know who has the skill, and who is a butcher.
Alex smiled, this time with a bit more ease.
“The truth is, I have a lot of experience,” she responded, tilting her head.
“Experience?” he echoed, pulling up his eyebrows.
“Yes. I regularly give massages.”
“What do you mean? Like professionally?”
“No, no,” she shook her head. “I treat my sister,” she said, while drawing a pair of quotation marks in the air.
“That’s interesting,” he whispered w