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Maeve looks up at Kira, her mouth wet, and for a second they just freeze.

‘Jesus Christ,’ Kira groans, looking like she wants to punch every single one of these early arrivals.

Then their self-preservation action muscles kick in.

Kira pulls up her pants and her shorts, lunging away from the door to one of the lockers.

Meanwhile, Maeve has sprinted towards the sinks, and splashes her face thoroughly with cold water.

She still feels dazed when the door opens and Milo, Nat, Liv, and Adriana walk in.

They notice Kira first, and all hesitate still unsure about their new teammate.

Kira’s reputation as arrogant has clearly ruffled feathers and much as the team admire or indeed fear her on the pitch, they haven’t had the opportunity to click with her socially.

What Maeve might see as Kira working hard through their extra training hours has just been seen as Kira deliberately not making an effort to get to know the rest of the players.

Adriana is the only one to give her an attempt at cheeriness. ‘Hey Kira! Good weekend?’

Kira keeps her face in her locker, slamming it shut, and heads towards the showers to cool off. Maeve can tell that Kira is just so bamboozled and sexually frustrated by the unfortunately timed interruption that she can barely focus, but the others don’t know that.

‘Jeesh, what is her problem?’ Milo tuts.

‘Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt, guys,’ says Adriana, and Maeve feels a rush of affection for her kind friend. ‘Maybe she just woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.’

‘God, maybe she needs to get a new bed,’ grumbles Milo. ‘Seems like every morning is the wrong side for her.’

Maeve’s stomach twists. She hates hearing anyone being talked badly of, it reminds her too much of being bullied herself when she was in school.

The cool girls thought she was weird for being football obsessed, and maybe they could somehow sense that she was awkwardly closetted.

But hearing Kira specifically being criticised feels a different level of sordid and complicated.

Should she stand up for her? But if she did, then surely everyone would question why she’s suddenly defending her supposed rival for the captaincy?

And, if they’re going to keep hooking up secretly like this, then it’s a good idea to maintain that she doesn’t like Kira either?

She could join in, start criticising Kira too, because that would be a good cover to hide her real feelings. But she can’t bring herself to do that.

‘Like, I get that she’s a good player,’ Milo says, begrudgingly, still loudly enough for their voice to carry. ‘But whatever, we’re all good players. She acts like she’s too good for us, just because she’s Hoffman’s special baby, and–’

Maeve can’t stand it anymore. Not really planning what she’s doing, she slams her locker shut loudly and heads into the changing room. The others all spin round noticing her for the first time, and all look guilty – even Adriana.

‘Good morning, team,’ Maeve interrupts, loudly.

‘Morning, Cap,’ Nat and Liv acknowledge her. Adriana avoids her eye, and Milo goes uncharacteristically quiet.

Maeve still feels tense and alert as she walks by them all to fill her water bottle, wondering if she should say something more, but then not knowing which side she should take. At least she stopped Milo from saying more, she thinks. It was a good defensive move.

They all go about changing into their training kit silently.

It’s only then that Maeve hears the shower turn on. Kira must have been close enough to hear the rest of the conversation.

Fortunately the tension in the room is cut short by the arrival of the rest of the team, and all their general chatter about their weekends, and talking about the upcoming fixture that week – their first of the new season, and first under Coach Hoffman.

Maeve remains on edge, waiting for Kira to return from the shower, feeling the same uncertainty as to their relationship as she’d started the morning.

Will she be annoyed at her for not speaking up more in front of their teammates, or understand that she was trying to be secretive about their… relations?

‘Choksi,’ Maeve calls out, trying to sound casual, as the others have all filed out ahead. ‘You coming?’

‘I was very close,’ Kira calls back. ‘But unfortunately I got interrupted.’

Maeve flushes and heads out, unable to face her. She only hopes they’ll get a chance to carry on what they were doing another time very soon.

On the pitch, Coach is stern as ever in her smart navy tracksuit, authoritative next to Kevin and the other assistant coaches who have just arrived, looking at Serena with admiration and more than a little fear.

‘Good of you to join us, Kira,’ says Hoffman.

Maeve’s head jerks back to see Kira’s jogged up behind them, her hair wet and forehead still creased.

‘Thanks boss,’ says Kira. Maeve would have said ‘sorry’, if she’d been late, but that’s Kira’s unshakeable confidence for you.

Maeve studies her face for signs of whether she’s angry, upset, or maybe still horny (which Maeve would secretly like this to be the case), but Kira’s just a mask of indifference, listening half-heartedly to Hoffman as she stretches her hamstrings.

‘So, Tigresses,’ Hoffman claps them to attention. ‘Of course you all know that this week is a big one. On Saturday, you’ll be playing your first fixture of the new season. Your first since the team’s new ownership.’

Maeve stands up a little straighter. She can’t believe that in all the excitement with Kira, she’d not realised how quickly the first game had come around.

‘Now, it should be a comfortable start for us,’ says Hoffman, tapping on her tablet.

‘Home match against the Bristol Robins. They’re expected to be mid to bottom half of the table, and from what I’ve seen of everyone in training, we should have more than enough to beat them comfortably.

I want to start the season by making a statement. ’

Her gaze flashes around, and Maeve can feel the team’s anticipation growing. ‘All eyes are going to be on us. Announce your arrival as who the Tigresses really are, under your new management. You need to show them all you’re here to go all the way. Non-stop winners in a serious promotion push.’

Maeve wonders if this is the club’s ambition, if they’re going to be freshening up the squad with more comings and goings before the transfer window closes. When will the issue of club captain be settled?

Maeve finds her eyes drifting over Kira’s hands, her long, dextrous fingers. She doesn’t know if Kira notices, but Kira starts fiddling, her right hand lazily circling her thumb against her finger in a hypnotic motion which makes Maeve zone out entirely.

‘Murphy? Choksi?’

Maeve snaps back to attention, terrified she’s been caught lusting too overtly.

‘How were this morning’s drills?’

Maeve’s mind goes blank. She looks over at Kira, wondering who will manage to reply first.

‘Yeah, it was very productive,’ says Kira, with an impressively straight face. ‘I think we’ll need a bit more time, in the future, just to get really good at finishing.’

Maeve feels the heat flare in her face and can’t believe how bold Kira is. Maeve finds it incredibly hot, and she only wishes she could be so daring.

‘Yes, I’m learning a lot from working with Kira,’ Maeve speaks up. ‘But I agree, I think practice will make perfect. A lot of practice.’

Kira shifts a little. Maeve wishes they were alone so that they could keep practicing right now. Hoffman looks between them, her silver eyes flashing.

‘Is that so,’ she says. Maeve worries for a brief second that Hoffman knows exactly what is going on between the two of them.

She has a sudden memory of being in Football Academy, lying to cover that Adriana had been sneaking contraband alcohol the night before, on a very rare occasion that Maeve hadn’t done what an authority figure had wanted of her.

But now, as then, there had been a slight twinkle in the eye, as if even if they did know, they were glad Maeve wasn’t being a rat, was loosening up a little.

‘Good,’ Hoffman nods. ‘Well, keep at it then. Keep pushing each other harder.’

Maeve’s ears go pink.

Then Hoffman turns away from them to give feedback to Elisa about her goalkeeping.

Kira flashes a wink to her across the team, and Maeve can’t help grinning back.

Is this what it is, to be naughty? To not play by the rules all the time?

Maeve can suddenly see why people do it.

She’s learning a lot from Kira indeed – like how to prioritise her own pleasure, her own wants, how to be a bit selfish and ruthless every once in a while. It might be no bad thing for her game.

But even as she’s feeling the elation she notices a face turned towards hers in the group. Adriana is staring at her. Maeve quickly stops smiling as her face reddens further. She wishes it wasn’t so easy for Adriana to read her every thought.

She tries to concentrate on Kevin explaining the next drill, but finds her eyes sliding back to Kira’s back, her hands, her bum…

When they’re finally given a five-minute break to stretch, Maeve feels a tap on her shoulder.

‘Hey stranger,’ says Adriana.

‘Hey!’ says Maeve, feeling like she’s been caught red handed. She throws her arms round Adriana in a big hug, trying to cover her weirdness but definitely, obviously, overcompensating.

‘Someone’s in a good mood this morning,’ says Adriana, suspiciously, pulling back. ‘Did something happen?’

‘Oh, nothing, nothing of note! Just, you know! Excited for the new season! Glad to be playing football with my favourite people! As in, you! You, my favourite person!’

Adriana tilts her head, her red curls like question marks round her face.

‘How– how was your weekend?’ Maeve asks. Now Adriana is the one to look away.

‘Oh, yeah, it was… it was fine.’ She mumbles.

‘What did you get up to?’

‘Oh you know… not much…’

That attracts Maeve’s attention. She studies her friend’s frowning face. She looks different than usual, her sunniness dimmed. She’s hiding something. Or maybe Maeve’s just being paranoid.

‘You didn’t go out did you?’ asks Maeve.

‘No, no,’ says Adriana, looking a bit grumpy at being suspected of doing so. ‘I just, you know, went for coffee…’

‘Where?’

Adriana bites her lip. ‘At Honey. Emily’s doing well. The wildest thing I did all weekend was eat half of one of her brownies.’

‘Only half of your favourite brownie?’ Maeve frowns. ‘What natural disaster got in the way of you having the rest of it?’

Adriana shrugs. ‘Just wasn’t hungry I guess. Anyway, what about you, did you do anything wild?’

Kira jogs past them, and wipes her face with her t-shirt, revealing the abs Maeve had licked minutes earlier. Maeve can’t help staring as she replies to Adriana.

‘Nope, I didn’t get up to much either. Not much at all.’

‘So neither of us have anything to report,’ Adriana says flatly.

‘Nope,’ says Maeve. ‘Just… just football, I guess.’

There’s an uncomfortable silence between them.

Then Charlie and Elisa come over and hug Adriana in greeting, and Maeve peels off from her. She feels a little relieved. If they’d spent any longer together, she would have worried Adriana might see the trace of Kira’s hickies on her neck.

And so Maeve takes a breath to steady herself, and jogs over to where Kira is waiting for her, the string of her shorts still wonky and half-undone.