It's Coming Home

Chapter 27

Monday 12th July 2021

By the time Jack had eventually let Amy leave, there was no time to go home and change. His t-shirt and yesterday's shorts would just have to do for the day, it wasn't like she'd be keeping them on for long anyway, and at least she'd showered. The t-shirt smelled amazing though, just like he always did, even when he stepped of the pitch somehow. It wasn't even the scent of his aftershave, it was just the way he smelled naturally.

The taxi ride across London to the hotel where the photoshoot was took almost an hour, and for most of it Amy's mind was swimming with Jack and the things he'd said the night before. She was still in shock at how much he'd opened up about his feelings for her. He was normally so awkward when it came to talking about emotions, and in the past they'd argued about it, but the words had just seemed to flow freely from his mouth this time.

He'd seemed so different to how he was before, maybe he'd matured, after all a lot can happen in two years. She'd loved how sweet he had been, saying the things that she'd wanted to hear for a long time, so why did she now feel so unsettled. Surely she should be feeling elated or hopeful or even excited at the prospect of a reunion with the man who she'd always thought of as the love of her life.

The thing was, instead of flattered, she felt shellshocked. This wasn't something she'd ever expected to happen. After their split, she'd vowed never to see him again, and had stuck to that until this last week. All she'd really wanted, was to be there for Jack at Wembley and now she was going right back down the rabbit hole by agreeing to get to know him again. Maybe it was the speed of it all that was messing with her head. Up until yesterday she didn't know how Jack had felt about her after all this time, but now she most definitely did. All she needed to do now was work out how she felt.

Easy. No, easier said than done, because then there was Brad too.

Brad, who was rapidly becoming her unofficial work husband, was definitely working his way into her emotions. They seemed to have a real connection, she felt comfortable with him and they always had fun together. Dangerously however, there was also that spark between them. She paused to wonder what would have happened in the villa if there had been no cameras. Would she have taken the next step with him?

And what if there was no Jack? Would she?

Brad had made it crystal clear that he was interested in pursuing a relationship with her, but again there was something holding her back from him too. She now also had to apologise to him for standing him up the night before, and explain the photo that he would have inevitably seen splashed all over the place. The photo that was making everyone jump to conclusions about their reunion, when in reality all it was, was an accidental kiss in front of the cameras. Nothing had been decided properly yet.

*****

Feeling slightly more human after his fry up, Jack and the rest of the England team boarded the team bus again. Thankfully not to a game this time, because Jack honestly didn't think his legs had another one in them, but to a tv interview outside the BBC studios.

'So.....' said Phil excitedly. He'd been waiting for Amy to leave so he could ask.

'She's agreed to give me another chance' Jack said happily.

'So you're back together then?' Phil loved his gossip.

'Yes we are and I'm absolutely buzzing about it' Jack beamed widely. 'Honestly, I never thought it would ever even be a possibility. I swear yesterday was the best day of my life. Scored a goal, man of the match, won the Euro's and got my girl back. I could not be happier'

'Mate, I'm so pleased for the both of you. You know I was always a big fan of hers, and that curry she used to make was unreal. Just don't fuck it up this time' Chilly warned.