Striker (31 page)

Ryan looked at
Gary
. His immediate reaction was to say yes, he was up for it, he was
more
than up for it. But he couldn’t, could he? He’d promised Amber. He’d promised Max. He’d promised his mam and dad. ‘I can’t, mate.’

‘Which is it? “
Can’t
” or “
won’t
”,?’
Gary
asked, roughly towel-drying his light-brown hair. ‘Come on, mate. We know you’ve got your very own WAG now, and you probably still need a bit of time to wear her in…’

‘Jesus,
Gary
, do you want to try and be a bit more offensive there? I’m beginning to see why she turned you down now.’

‘Hey, listen, it looks like I had a lucky escape. If she’s the kind of lass that turns you into some kind of stay-at-home bore then you can keep her. I’ll take my Debbie any day. She knows the score.’

‘Yeah, thanks for that.’

‘A couple of hours, Ryan. That’s all we’re talking about. A chicken madras down the TyneGate Tandoori, some shots, and a few beers in a couple of bars, maybe a quick visit to the casino, what do you say? There’s always some decent talent in there…’

‘I’m not
after
any talent, Gary. For Christ’s sake…’

‘Okay, okay. Hey, listen, if
you’re
off-limits then that only means all the more for the rest of us, so don’t worry about it. You can occupy yourself at the frigging Blackjack table for all I care, all I know is that I’m on the look-out for a bit of pre-match fun. And I’m sure The Goldman will be quite happy to accommodate us, should we feel the need.’

Ryan sat back, closing his eyes and running a hand through his damp hair.

‘What you so scared of, mate?’
Gary
persisted. ‘She hasn’t got you on some kind of leash, has she?’

‘Fuck off,
Gary
. Shit!’ Ryan sat forward, bowing his head and clasping his hands together between his knees. ‘It’s not like that, okay? You don’t understand…’

‘I understand you’ve suddenly turned into a boring prick.’

‘For fuck’s sake!’ Ryan sighed, sitting back again. ‘I’ll come, okay? If only to stop you frigging banging on about it.’

‘Good man,’ Gary grinned, slapping Ryan hard on the shoulder. ‘You know you wanted to all along. You’ve just got to remember how to keep her indoors happy, mate, and you’ll have this relationship lark sorted in no time. Take it from one who knows.’ He tapped his nose and winked as he got up to retrieve some clean clothes from his locker.

Ryan closed his eyes again. This was all proving to be way harder than he’d ever imagined. Part of him really did just want to stay home with Amber and do all those things normal couples did, whilst another part of him couldn’t bear the thought of leaving a lifestyle he loved behind. The fame, the glamour; the women – he’d be lying if he said he could say goodbye to all of that and not regret it. It made him forget all the low times and the bad days that also came with that self-same lifestyle.

‘I’m going to see Amber,’ Ryan sighed, pulling his t-shirt over his head as he stood up, running his hands through his still-damp dark hair.

‘Asking permission, huh?’
Gary
smirked.

Ryan ignored him. Yes, he knew it was all just dressing room banter but it was getting to him maybe slightly more than it should do. So it was probably best to get out of there for a while, spend the break they’d been given for lunch with Amber. They weren’t supposed to leave the training ground – they still had a couple of hours of training left, with a little bit of help from Amber’s dad – but that wasn’t a problem. Ryan was sure they could find somewhere quiet, away from prying eyes, to spend a bit of time together. He needed to get her on-side, anyway, if he stood any chance of leaving the house that night without some kind of confrontation. Jesus, he felt about fifteen. It wasn’t as if he was grounded or anything. He could come and go as he pleased; he didn’t need anyone’s permission, despite what
Gary
thought.

‘You look as though you’ve got a lot on your mind.’

Jim Allen’s voice caused Ryan to jump. He’d been so deep in thought he hadn’t heard him walk up beside him. ‘No, I’m… I’m fine. This morning’s training was tough going, that’s all. I’m a bit tired.’

‘Tired? You’re young and fit, you shouldn’t be tired. I hope this isn’t a sign that your love life’s beginning to get in the way of your football.’

Ryan looked at his manager through slightly-narrowed eyes. ‘No.’

‘Well, I hope you’re looking after her,’ Jim went on, staring straight ahead as they walked together towards the dining room. ‘Amber. I hope you’re treating her right. She’s a very special girl.’

‘Know her well, do you?’ Ryan asked, suddenly keen to know more about the relationship between his boss and his girlfriend. He knew Jim was a good friend of Amber’s dad, he knew he’d been close to the family for a number of years – ever since he’d been a Newcastle Red Star player alongside Freddie Sullivan. But how close was he, really, to Amber?
 

‘I know her well enough to care about how people treat her,’ Jim replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned to look at Ryan. ‘You’re a lucky man, to have her in your life. You shouldn’t take that for granted.’

What was this? Some kind of lecture? Ryan was slowly getting more pissed off as the day went on. Was everybody out to get him all of a sudden? He was prevented from saying anything else by his phone ringing. It was Max. ‘I’ve got to take this,’ Ryan muttered, placing his phone to his ear and walking away from Jim. ‘Max. What can I do for you?’

‘You behaving yourself?’

‘For Christ’s sake, what is it with everyone today? I’m at the training ground, Max, what
the frig
can I get up to here?’

‘I wouldn’t put anything past you, kiddo. How you fixed for a photo shoot with the club’s sponsors next week?’

‘Just me? Or is the rest of the team involved, too?’

‘Just you. They want you to be part of a new poster campaign – you’ve got the right look, apparently.’

‘What kind of money are we talking about here?’

‘I’m in negotiations as we speak, but we’re looking at six figures, at least. I just wanted to make sure you were on board. Can I tell them yes? You’re not averse to taking your shirt off for a few hundred thousand quid, are you?’

Ryan couldn’t help but smile. ‘Why not? At least it’ll get me out of the house for a few hours.’

‘Speaking of which, how are the cosy nights in coming along? I trust you’ve been a good boy since we last saw each other?’

‘I’m not in the mood, Max. I’m having a shit day…’

‘And those are the days we need to be aware of, Ryan. Remember that. Don’t let them get to you, kiddo. Fight it. You can do it; I’ve got faith in you.’

Ryan just wished he had as much faith in himself.

*

‘Are things going okay with you and Ronnie, then?’ Amber asked, sitting down on the edge of Anna’s desk, picking up a hole-punch and examining it for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

‘He’s just so lovely,’ Anna gushed, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the desk as she stared dreamily ahead of her. ‘I can’t believe he hasn’t already been snapped up.’

‘Well, the divorce kind of shook him up a bit, I guess,’ Amber said, putting the hole-punch back down and smiling at Anna. With her short dark hair and pretty face she was just what Ronnie needed. She’d given him a new lease of life and Amber couldn’t be happier for them. Ronnie deserved someone special in his life, and she hoped that Anna could be that woman. ‘But, I have to say, since meeting you I’ve never seen him smile quite so much.’

‘Really?’ Anna gasped, looking at Amber with wide, hopeful eyes. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry, Amber. I must sound like some sort of star-struck teenager, I mean, it’s not like I never mix with footballers, is it? It’s just that, well, Ronnie’s different. And I can’t believe he even looked twice at me.’

‘Come on, Anna, you’re beautiful! And I’ll let you into a little secret here – Ronnie said exactly the same thing to me after your first date.’

‘He did?’ Anna asked, her eyes wide and hopeful again.

‘Yeah,’ Amber smiled. ‘He did.’

Anna sat back in her chair, clasping her hands over her stomach. ‘It’s hard, though, I have to admit, him being away from the North East so often. I really miss him when he’s not here.’

‘Yeah,’ Amber sighed, sliding down from the desk. ‘Me too. But, at least he’ll be here over the weekend. He’s commentating on Red Star’s match against Spartans and, if what he told me was true, he’s going to be sticking around for a few days afterwards, too.’

Anna’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘That’s good. He did say he was thinking of taking a few days off after the derby game.’

‘He wants to spend some time with you, Anna. He really does.’

‘Amber… thanks. For introducing us.’

‘My pleasure,’ Amber smiled, checking her watch. ‘I’m just glad you two hit it off. He deserves someone like you. Someone who really cares about him.’

‘And how are things with you and Ryan?’ Anna asked, leaning forward again, resting her chin in her hand as she looked at Amber.

‘We’re ticking along,’ Amber replied, wondering if that was really the best description of her and Ryan’s relationship. Is that all they were doing? Ticking along? She’d thought they’d moved on from that. Yet that’s how she’d just described their state-of-play. Ticking along. ‘We’re both having to get used to a whole new routine, y’know? But he
is
kind of gorgeous, and he doesn’t always act like the egotistical idiot he’s sometimes been labelled as.’

Anna smiled at Amber. She really did have a pretty smile. Amber could well understand why Ronnie had fallen for her. ‘Everything’s alright, then?’

Amber looked at her. She’d become quite close to Anna since her and Ronnie had become an item, and it had been a long time since Amber had had a close girlfriend she could confide in. Did Anna want to be that kind of friend, though? Amber had always been slightly wary of opening up too much to people incase they didn’t really want to get that close.

‘You can talk to me, Amber. Really. I mean that.’

Amber looked out of the window, out at the muddy pitch down below, the housing estate in the distance that backed onto the training ground, the grey sky that was casting its murky glow across everything, making it all seem slightly more damp and depressing than it probably was. ‘I just can’t seem to get a handle on him, Anna,’ Amber began, turning back round. ‘I mean, everything was fine this morning, when he left to come here. And yet, by the time
I
turn up he’s in the middle of a kick-off with Gary Blandford and his mood seems all edgy and agitated.’

‘Have you managed to talk to him yet? Since you got here, I mean?’

Amber shook her head, absent-mindedly fiddling with the cuff of her jacket. ‘I haven’t had a chance. Jesus, Anna…’ Amber sat back down on the desk, sighing heavily again. ‘I know I grew up with a dad who was a famous footballer, but he never really went in for that extravagant kind of lifestyle some of them want to lead nowadays. Things were different back then. We were comfortable, well off, but both my mum and dad were very grounded. Very – normal, I suppose. If that’s the right word. And now I’ve suddenly been thrust into a relationship with what I used to consider the worst kind of footballer. And I never wanted to be a WAG, y’know? Ever. I can’t mix in those circles; I can’t be like those women, although I know I shouldn’t tar everybody with the same brush. It’s just that, some of the wives and girlfriends who get in that Players Lounge on a match day really freak me out. For some reason. I always feel like I should be running out to get myself a pair of five-inch silver-heeled ankle boots and a French manicure before I come to the match.’

‘I know how you feel,’ Anna sighed. ‘I’m not like that, either. That’s why I like Ronnie so much, because he never did subscribe to that kind of lifestyle.’

‘But Ryan has,’ Amber said, staring out of the window again, watching as her dad and Colin Bailey started setting up rows of cones along the pitch ready for the afternoon’s training session. ‘And I’m still not sure I’m going to be able to cope with that.’

Anna frowned as she looked at Amber, an expression Amber caught as she turned back around, quickly fixing a smile on her face. She couldn’t let anyone know the extent of Ryan’s problems, or how confused her feelings really were where this man was concerned.

‘I’m just being silly,’ she said, still smiling. ‘It’s been that long since I’ve been in a serious relationship that I’m letting every tiny detail bother me.’

‘It’s understandable,’ Anna smiled back. ‘Especially with Ryan being so high-profile.’

Both of them looked up sharply as the door opened and Jim Allen walked into the room, and Amber didn’t miss the look most of the girls gave him as he walked through the large, open-plan office on his way to his own office at the other end of the floor. They were almost swooning!

He stopped by Anna’s desk, smiling at the pretty P.A., and Amber couldn’t help but notice her blush. Jesus, this guy certainly left an impression wherever he went. And that wasn’t always a good thing.