Enhance

Chapter 16 - Tomlinson

Chapter 16 - Tomlinson

Today we have a new match and I’m so grateful because when I’m not practicing or playing football, I’m thinking of Robin and what Harry said. It’s like a curse, his words haunt me. How can he be so sure about that? Because he repeats and repeats it. He’s sure Robin fancies me back but I can’t believe him when it seems she only sees me as a friend.

I guess I think about that so much because I want that idiot to be right. He’s normally right but regarding this it’s harder to believe he is. It just doesn’t seem likely. But I want him to be right about this so badly, I want Robin to like me back. I want to ask her out, to make her my girlfriend. And I’m sure she knows how I feel, I mean, I couldn’t be more evident about my feelings, but still, she hasn’t said anything about it.

It’s obvious she doesn’t fancy me.

So I focus on the game we have to play. It’s the first game in which I’m a regular, which means I play the whole game if the coach thinks I can do it and I don’t have to be replaced by another teammate. This is the result of my hard work so far, so I better do my absolute best.

“Okay, boys,” coach Meyer speaks a few minutes before the game and after we went over the strategies for this game. “I know you can beat these guys. You have the potential and I believe in you, even if you are a bunch of lazy arses during practice.” Many chuckle at his words. “Do your best and beat the shit out of that other team!” he roars and we all do the same. After that it’s just finishing getting ready to go out to the field. I’m so pumped up that I can’t hold my excitement and I’m so focused that I almost don’t hear her calling my name.

“Louis!” I stop on my tracks whilst the team goes on and when I turn around I see Robin leaning on the wall by the lockers door, smiling at me. I frown a bit and step closer to her and she steps away from the wall, meeting me halfway through.

“Robin,” I greet and her smile widens. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to um— to wish you good luck. I know this is your first game as a regular so do your best!” She tells me with a big smile and even if I’ve been so worked up because of her, even if I wish things would be different, I can’t help feeling happy that she’s here wishing me good luck, smiling at me like that.

“Thanks, Robin,” I say with my own smile, not being able to look somewhere else but at her.

Why can’t she like me like I want her to like me? Why can’t things be different?

She doesn’t say anything else and I don’t know what to add either, so this awkward silence starts to form between us and I want to groan in frustration. Why are these so common between us?

But Robin surprises me by stepping towards me and cupping my face with her left hand whilst she stands on her tiptoes and kisses my left cheek softly. I catch my breath and I feel my heart racing as I feel the seconds drag longer than they normally do. I even close my own eyes whilst I feel her lips on my skin and my hand ends on her waist automatically, without me even realising it.

She finally steps back but her hand is still on my face and I haven’t released her either. We stare into each other’s eyes and I swear I feel like time has frozen around us. “You’ll do great, I know it,” she says with that beautiful smile of hers.

“Th-thanks,” I stutter and she giggles. I have to shake my head to clean my mind from this moment.

She steps back, breaking all contact between us and a part of me whines, wanting her even closer but I scold myself and stay where I am.