Football singularity

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[Date: 18/02/2020, Time: 21:55, Hahnwald Estate]

The low hum of the silver Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 purred through the tree-lined private road like a jungle cat stalking prey. May's fingers wrapped a little too tightly around the steering wheel, her gaze focused and unreadable as the streetlights flickered on either side. Next to her, Rakim sat reclined, his right foot propped awkwardly against the dash, wrapped in a reinforced compression brace.

His eyes flicked from the road ahead to her profile, lingering a second too long before looking away. "I still can't believe your dad got you this spaceship," she muttered.

He cracked the faintest smile. "Don't tell Jane, but she's my new favourite love."

"No way you're cheating on good old Jane, she's been taking you everywhere for more than a year now," she replied, her voice lighter than she intended, trying to ease the awkwardness that hung in the car like mist. A teasing smirk curved her lips, but her grip on the wheel didn't loosen.

Rakim let out a breathy chuckle, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "She's in the shop getting her heart rebuilt. Carbon ceramic brakes snapped again."

May gave him a side-eye glance. "Maybe if you didn't drive like a maniac every time you hear an engine rev; she'd last more than six months without blowing a valve."

"Where's the fun in that?" he retorted with a tiered half smile. "Though it's not like I ever go too far over the speed limit."

The silence returned with neither speaking as May simply followed the onboard computer's navigation. Since Christmas, there hadn't been any calls, let alone texts, between them, so the tension was definitely present. "Y'know, I've been meaning to ask you, but how did you get to me so quickly?"

"Oh, like I said, I was in the flat with a couple of friends from my study group when it happened." She flatly replied, brushing a strand of her now raven-dyed hair. "My Uber driver did the most getting me there, though I was lucky one of the guards recognised me and let me through to see you."

Rakim nodded slowly, eyes narrowing in thought. "To be honest, I thought I was dreaming for a second when I came to."

May's hands shifted slightly on the steering wheel, her voice sounding softer, almost drowned out by the sound of the tyres gliding over the wet road. "But you scared the bejesus out of me."

Hearing her tone brought a light smile to his face as he had missed her a lot during their time apart. "You know I really missed you,"

May didn't answer right away as she turned the wheel, pulling into his driveway. The security system recognised the car and Rakim in it, and the metal gate opened a second later. The white stone path, flanked by arching bamboo trees, appeared before them, and May didn't hesitate in flooring the gas pedal.

"I missed you, too," she finally said, "but I'll be honest, for a while I didn't know if I should."

The words settled, causing the mood to go heavy again and with the car barely travelling at 20 mph, the silence was particularly loud. "It felt like we were actually thriving apart, you with football and me with my Uni classes. I don't know how to put it, but it felt like we were both growing as people, though when Emma told me about the marques, I felt like shit for even thinking that way."

May eased the Sián to a halt under the cantilevered port-cochère in front of the garage. Rain pattered on the carbon-glass roof, tiny needles of sound filling the hollow between them. "You don't have to apologise for that," he said, eyes fixed on the garage door opening on its own as the LED lights in the interior flicked on.

"Not gonna lie, I was angry at first after we fell out, but after a couple of weeks of binge-watching Grey's Anatomy and Castle, I got over it," Rakim stated as May slowly eased the car into the garage under its designated spot. "How about we just have dinner and leave unpacking our baggage tomorrow."

~~~

[Date: 19/02/2020, Time: 8:30, Hahnwald Estate]

On the master bed, the figure of Rakim could be seen fluttering lightly as he stirred from his REM sleep. Sunlight, thin and winter-pale, angled through the slatted blinds and painted faint zebra stripes across the duvet. A soft gust from the climate control rustled the gauzy curtains and tickled Rakim's nose. He blinked once, twice—then let his eyes adjust to the muted gold of the room.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing that caught his eye was a head of raven barely peeking out of the duvet. Almost immediately, memories of last night's happenings rushed to his brain. Despite deciding to talk later, they ended up talking all night after they had cooked dinner.

Well, it was more like May cooked dinner, and he did his best to step out of the way as he was more of a burden in the kitchen than an asset with his crutches. She had cooked a balanced rice dish with broccoli and mushroom sauce, which Rakim somehow found tasty. From his memory, her cooking was barely edible, but from what she had told him, her grandmother made her help in the kitchen, not letting her mope around for even a second.

Rakim eased an arm out from beneath the covers and brushed a strand of May's hair off her cheek. The movement stirred her; she made a small, sleepy sound and burrowed deeper into the duvet as his hoodie she had commandeered, became visible. He smiled at the light scrunching of her nose as he took in her appearance.

He eased himself onto one elbow, pulling himself up to lean his back against the headboard, careful not to jostle his brace. The mattress dipped toward him, and May's eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, she only blinked—still half-dreaming—until her gaze focused on his face. A slow smile ghosted across her features.

"Morning," she whispered, voice husky with sleep.

"Morning." He brushed his thumb over the faint pillow crease on her cheek. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't." She yawned, then glanced down at the oversized hoodie that swallowed her frame. "I've been up for the past hour, just didn't want to wake you."

May shrugged lightly, letting the duvet slide from her shoulder. "Your bed is criminally comfortable. I nearly went back under for another dream loop."

Rakim tipped his head back against the headboard, amusement lighting in his eyes. "Must be the memory foam mattress and the 3,000 Egyptian thread count. Julia gave me this complimentary for renting the house."

She laughed under her breath. "In that case, I'll steal it once you're healed."

"Steal my bed, steal my hoodie—yeah, this isn't gonna work out, I move, we get a divorce?" He swiftly replied.

"…partial custody of the espresso machine," May shot back without missing a beat, scooting upright so she could face him. A lock of her raven-black hair fell forward; she tucked it behind one ear. "Non-negotiable."

"Hmm, no deal, I love that machine too much, guess we're stuck together," He replied with a light teasing smile.

May's smirk softened into something almost shy. "Stuck together, huh? I can think of worse fates."

Rakim's reply was interrupted by the faint trill of his phone on the nightstand. He shot her an apologetic glance, reached awkwardly across the duvet and angled the screen toward him. "Coach," he muttered.

"Take it. I'll—uh—start coffee," she said as she slipped out of bed, revealing a pair of black joggers under the hoodie she had snatched from his closet.

He watched her leave for a moment before pressing the answer button on his phone screen. "Morning, Coach."

"Morning, kid." Cocha Bosz's voice resounded from the phone speakers as the sound of traffic resounded in the background. "I didn't get to chat with you after the game, so I wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

"Cheers, coach, my girl picked me up, so we decided to leave early before the vultures could find us." Rakim quickly replied before the two delved into a conversation about his recovery. "Yeah, the good doctor said as much, but it looks like I'll be out for 6 weeks at least."

"Just keep your head on straight and don't go rushing to get back on the field. You have a bright future ahead of you, and this is just a burden for you to overcome." He said, trying to comfort him over the phone, something he appreciated given that he knew just how busy his coach was. "If you need anything, don't shy away from contacting the club or me personally. Alright, I will let you get to it, try and enjoy your day."

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To Be Continued...