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“I know. However, she is an estate agent, so she might be useful to me. She’s already sent me a couple of properties that are decent.” She raised her gaze to Sloane’s face. “But back to work. You ready for your session with me?”

Sloane scrunched her face. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I wanted to come in here today, but this is showing me what I’m missing.”

Ella chewed her mouthful before answering. “There’s nothing in the rules to say we have to do it here. We could do it wherever. I have a flat viewing right after. We could go for coffee and chat, and you could come see the flat with me.”

Not being at the training ground was exactly what Sloane wanted. “Is your date going to be the one showing us around?”

Ella shook her head. “I think she’s keen not to see me either.”

Lightness swept through her. “Okay, you’re on. Let’s go apartment hunting.” Sloane grinned. “For the record, if I had this boot off my foot, I might have even driven. Did you see the Jeep my agent got me?”

“I saw it on your Instagram stories.” Ella blushed.

Sloane folded her arms over her chest. “Have you been stalking me?”

Ella wouldn’t hold her gaze. “No, it just knows I like female footballers, so I got served your car.” She finally met Sloane’s gaze. “I saw it in the car park at the flats, too, and thought, flashy.”

“That’s me. Flashy. Hotshot, right?” She gave Ella a perfect grin. “But you might have turned me into a UK driver, which is great. The last couple of times we went out, I didn’t try to drive into oncoming traffic. I might be starting to feel at ease on British roads. Now, if they could just make them wider, that would be the ultimate.”

“One step at a time.” She pointed at Sloane’s food. “Eat up, then. We’ve got flats to view.”

* * *

The condo wasin a cute three-storey block in a suburban street otherwise full of terraced houses. However, it had space and light, if not Sloane’s terrace and views. Sloane knew she was lucky. She could stay where she was for as long as she wanted. She wanted to be supportive of Ella, who was navigating life on her own. Sloane had never really done that. She’d always had soccer to prop her up, even when her family or her relationship let her down.

The agent who let them in was a woman in her fifties with yet another strong northern accent, which meant Sloane caught every eighth word, if she was lucky. The woman said a very long sentence punctuated with what seemed like a lot of tutting, but Sloane couldn’t be sure. She caught the words “sofa” and “clearance,” but that was it. Thankfully, Ella appeared to understand the lot. That’s what came of being a local.

“I need the lot. I literally have nothing, so that would be brilliant.”

The agent nodded, then got a phone call. She stared at the screen, then back at Ella. “I have to take this; will you excuse me?”

“Of course.”

When she was out of earshot, Sloane leaned into Ella. She smelled delicious. Of apples and honey. Which was new.

“What did she say?”

Ella laughed. “It comes fully furnished. Which is great, because I’m a sad case who doesn’t have hardly a stick of furniture.” She paused. “I added the last bit.”

Sloane peered into the kitchen, big enough for a table, which made Ella produce a small “squee!”. When they walked through to the living room, Ella settled on a battered brown couch.

“This chesterfield is not the sofa of my dreams, but it’ll do for now.” She pointed with her hands. “I see an L-shaped blue velvet one in here eventually. I’ve already picked it out. I’ll have to save to buy it, but I feel like I might finally put down roots. I’ve got my dream job, maybe it’s time to buy my dream sofa.”

Sloane hobbled over and sat beside Ella. “I never buy anything big either, because what’s the point when I might be moving next season?” She longed for the day she could buy a couch that would stay in one place for a length of time. “Although maybe if you go for this flat, you should. Make a statement. Sometimes you have to make the big decisions, and work out the details afterwards.” Sloane wasn’t talking about the couch anymore, was she? She ploughed on. “Can you see yourself sitting here? Enjoying a glass of wine on this couch and watching Netflix?”

Ella considered the question, then gave a firm nod. “Definitely.” She turned her head. “Can you see yourself sitting next to me?” Her cheeks blushed red as she spoke. “Not that you’d be doing that often. Just on occasion.”

The hairs on Sloane’s head prickled. Her eyes dropped to Ella’s lips and stayed there, as if magnetised. Could she see herself on this couch with Ella, kissing her lips? One hundred per cent, yes. The more time she spent with her, the more she wanted to do just that. But was it something Ella wanted, too? She couldn’t be totally sure. If she wanted to keep the most important friendship she’d had since she arrived in the country, she had to tread carefully. She’d rather keep Ella in her life than lose her altogether. But what if she leaned in and kissed her, and Ella kissed her right back? It was a moot point. The agent would be back soon. Now was not the time to make a move.

The problem was, it never seemed to be the right time.

Ella’s gaze landed on Sloane’s lips, then her eyes, then she stood. “Shall we check out the bedroom?” She put her head down and blushed a little more.

Sloane nodded, and followed her through.

It was spacious, with wardrobes, a white chest of drawers from Ikea, and a large bed.

“Looks king-size, which is perfect.” Ella walked around the bed to stand by the main window. “The street looks peaceful, too. I get a good feeling.” She turned, then got onto the bed and lay down, getting comfy. Then she patted the space beside her. “Come test it with me?”