Pretending to love the football king

ms

uzzed two hundred and fourteen times, and I had st

der at a red light, turned the radio down, and kept his eyes on the road like a man who knew better than to

d that v

he smell of bread comes up through the floorboards and makes the whole place feel like a hug. I chose it for exactly that reaso

rs, that had

ottle of red, and an expression I have learned to fear, the on

know about that re

did

entire country th

one arm out of

E OR CALCULATING OPPORTUNIST? Under it was a photo of me from the studio, caught mid-blink

s nothing, and now

is a legend. L

who p

e came out thin. "They

in England a liar about his dead brother, and then, what luck, an old voice message turned up." Sh

had waited four years for the perfect moment, the p

e flat felt too big. Downstairs, the bakery was closing,

meone started po

slow and heavy, each blow rattling the f

rs," I w

o kick it in." June stood and picked up the

face with my sleeve, smoothed my dress like that would

ened

ond, I forgot ho

doormat. He was taller than I remembered. Broader, too, and sharper in the face, as if four years of fame and fury had carved off everythi

voice so low it was

af

walk into my flat. He brought the smell of rain and cold air and something else, something I recognised and ha

re," I

o you have any ide

red a qu

word. "You sat in front of the whole count

ow about the

lie t

back, and the force of it s

. The wine bottle was still raise

n camera for years. The shadows under his eyes. The faint tremor in his jaw. He looked like a man who had n

sponsors are reviewing my contract. My agent says if this is

sn't my

t 11:42, Tamsin. That's what you said

di

er call

his face that I had not expected. It was not anger. It was fear. The look

owly. "What aren'

sion. Then his jaw set, the mask slid back into place, and t

he said. "And you're going t

e set the wine bottle

I do that

with something tha

ppened that night," he said. "And I'm the only one