Family away from family

Chapter 2. The Dinner

We have three games left to play in the regular season of 2020/2021. Our first game is at home against West Ham United. We don't really play for becoming champions anymore, we can't make it on our own within the three games. Only if Chelsea and City lose all the upcoming games, we will be the champions. I don't see anything of that happen, City does have a real chance on the championship though. I'm slightly rooting for them to win all the games.

I'm at our shared house for a dinner with my parents. After the dinner I will be driving back to London for training the next day and the game against West Ham.

"You really want us to stay at the dinner? We get it if you want some time alone with your parents Liv." Keira asks using my most common nickname. It's a combination of my first name and my middle name. Leah is the one who introduced it when we played together as kids. She just casually put Alix and Evan together and made Liv with it. Mostly because I personally didn't like the nickname Ali she first gave me.

"Walsh, they insisted on Stan and you being there too. I even think they would cancel if you two weren't coming." I joke but both knowing it's the truth.

My parents really see my friends as their own daughters, as if one wasn't enough. Last year they took all of us on vacation with them. My grandfather owned a house at Ibiza, my parents inherited the house after his passing. When the football season was over, they got Lucy, Leah, Beth, Lotte, Jordan, Keira and Georgia all a plane ticket. They really wanted Viv, Jill and van de Donk to come too, but they already had other things planned with some players of the Dutch team.

Lucy is making Lasagna with a salad and some bread on the side. I'm not very good at cooking, I know the basics but that's about it. Though if Leah comes over for dinner, I will be the one cooking to keep it as plain as possible. That's my specialty.

I walk over to Lucy, while Keira is setting the table and Georgia is showering. I hug her from behind and lean my chin on her shoulder. "Would you want to taste the sauce, lieverd?"

Because my parents speak both Dutch and English, I was raised bilingual. So, I taught Lucy a few words in Dutch, including lieverd but also the words 'vriendin', 'gozer' and 'ik hou van jou'. It will surprise you but she especially uses the word gozer a lot. Since learning it she calls everybody gozer, even if they have no idea what it means.

I nod my head at her question. She turns around in my embrace and feeds me some sauce. She spills some of it on my upper lip on purpose. "I've got it." She says with a smirk.

With her fingertips she grabs my chin and leans forward to kiss me. She licks away the spilled sauce and kisses me with a smile on her face.

"Geez, warn me from now on, before you two eat each other in front of me." Georgia exclaims, now standing at the end of the staircase putting her hands over her eyes.

From the living room, Keira yells at us laughing. "This is always better than walking in on them having sex in the changing room, Stanway."

"Keira! Unbelievable, we agreed to never tell anyone." I say in amazement that she is outing us like that. I give Lucy one last kiss before I help Keira set the table.

Everything is done for my parents' arrival. The table is set, the food is ready and the wine glasses are filled.

Georgia flies up once the doorbell rings. "I will get it!" She shouts with it.

"Evelyn, David I've missed you two so much." Georgia hugs them.

"Georgia, we missed you too, how are you?" My mother Evelyn asks.

They have some small talk in the hallway before entering the living room. Like always they first greet Lucy and Keira before hugging me. "My precious girl, how are you holding up between these lovely women?" My father David asks.

"You are crazy. I'm fine, they are fine, everybody is fine dad."

During dinner, we mainly catch up on what we all have been up to during lockdown. Which is not very special. We trained a lot together in the garden. We are lucky it's big enough to kick a ball around, we even got enough space to play two versus two.

Beth also forced me to learn some TikTok dances. Keira wasn't amused at all, she hated every second of it. Every time I did one she would mock me about it. She had all the reasons because I was terrible at all the dancing. Although I was surprisingly good at lip-synching bits of text, but those dances... Never again!

Soon my parents start on the next topic. Marriage. They've already completely questioned Keira and Georgia about possible relationships and now it's our turn.

"Lucy, when are you going to get on one knee for our Alix." Mother asks.

"Honey, not again, Lucy or Alix will do it when it feels right." My father says to reassure us somewhat before he adds something to it. "But will it be soon? We are really looking forward to a wedding." He adds rushed.

"Gosh dad, seriously?! You've dropped to mom's level?" I say in disbelief. While Keira and Georgia can't hold in their laugh anymore.

"Yea Lucy and Alix, we also want a wedding, please do it soon." Keira says pleading with her hands and a smirk on her face.

Lucy lays her hand in my hand and tangles our fingers together. "Evelyn, David." Lucy begins after taking turns looking at them both. "When the time comes, you will be the first to know, I promise." She says honestly. She turns her head to look at me. That sparkle in her eyes says she really means it. Man, I am madly in love with this woman.