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Then Adriana sees Kira who folds her arms. Adriana wonders if she’s jealous that Maeve has paired up, maybe Kira wants a snog herself this evening to celebrate scoring another goal in their game today.

Adriana still doesn’t know for sure if Kira is queer, and scolds herself for having assumed so definitely just from her vibe.

Maeve and the woman part, their fingers lingering flirtatiously in each other’s, as the stranger goes with her friends to smoke.

As soon as they stop kissing, Maeve immediately seems to be meerkating around for someone else.

Adriana herself, maybe? Maeve doesn’t even notice that the woman she’d just been making out so passionately with had looked back smiling at her.

‘Woohoo!’ Adriana strides over, clapping her friend on the back. ‘Maeve! Kissing a stranger in a club! This is huge!’

She skips delightedly. But her friend is barely looking at her, only at Kira.

‘Yeah, she’s hot. Isn’t she so hot? She’s my type, for sure,’ Maeve slurs loudly.

‘Maeve, what are you talking about,’ Adriana laughs.

‘You don’t have a type. And if you did, it wouldn’t be pretty femmes like her, I mean don’t get me wrong, she’s gorgeous and I’m all for it, but like,’ Adriana counts on her fingers.

‘Megan Rapinoe? Quinn? Your ex Hannah? Your biggest crushes have always been androgynous sporty types.’

‘Is that so,’ smirks Kira.

‘No they’re not,’ says Maeve, blushing beneath her make-up.

‘Where has your girlfriend gone now?’ asks Kira, her voice low to Maeve. ‘If you like her so much, don’t you want to be back kissing her?’

‘Yeah, I do ,’ Maeve, faces up to Kira. ‘See? People want to kiss me. In public. Strangers fancy me. They’re not hiding me away.’

‘Lucky for some,’ says Kira.

‘Yeah,’ Maeve sways. ‘It is lucky for some. Lucky lucky lucky me.’

It’s like she’s gloating, but it’s not ringing true. Kira looks visibly uncomfortable, and Adriana thinks this is perfectly reasonable. It feels like Maeve’s gloating is personal, though she doesn’t understand why.

Adriana follows Maeve’s hair as she drunkenly strides off through the dancefloor. Adriana grabs her friend’s hand and pulls her to the side, shouting over the music.

‘Maeve, what the hell is going on with you this evening?’

‘Nothing!’ Maeve yells back. ‘Why would anything be going on! I’m just dancing and flirting, like I thought I was meant to be!’

‘Maeve, I’m serious,’ says Adriana, concerned.

‘Urgh, fine then, if none of you want to hang out with me then I guess I’ll find that woman again–’

‘Nope!’ Adriana steps in. ‘You’re drunk. I’m putting you in a taxi.’

Maeve seems not to hear her. With the slipperiness of an eel, Maeve pulls her arm away and heads off towards the bar. But Adriana keeps following her, until she manages, like a sheepdog, to guide her towards the entrance, and out into the fresh air of the smoking area at the front of the club.

‘Maeve, I’m serious. You’ve been off all night. You were being mean to Kira at the pre-drinks, and then what was that? It’s not like you.’

Maeve slumps dramatically down right on the pavement. Adriana is taken aback at this role reversal. She’s not used to being the sober one trying to make other people act more sensibly. Still, Maeve doesn’t answer, just pouts like an angry toddler.

‘What is going on with you full stop?’ Adriana asks. ‘You’ve been so off ! For weeks now! It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore!’

Maeve’s face contorts. Adriana can’t tell if it’s from the discomfort of not being able to think clearly in her state of drunkenness or if it’s finally all these crushing feelings coming through at once.

Then she covers her face like a baby doing peekaboo, like she can’t bear to have her expression seen. Maeve sniffles but doesn’t answer.

Adriana crouches down to be at her level. ‘Is this really all just about being Captain?’

‘It isn’t just ! It isn’t just! It’s – that’s my whole career! If I’m not good enough… I’m never good enough… She doesn’t… She doesn’t even like me. I’m such an idiot.’

Maeve is sobbing so heavily it’s like she’s struggling to breathe.

‘Maeve, I’m calling you a cab, okay? You need to go home.’

‘No! Shan’t!’

‘Who’s done this to you? Why haven’t you told me? I’m your best friend, aren’t I? You’re supposed to be able to tell me anything?’

Maeve mumbles something, and Adriana doesn’t quite catch it.

‘What?’

Maeve suddenly shouts it at her. ‘Kira!’

‘What about Kira?’ Adriana looks at her blankly.

Maeve opens her mouth to answer, then shakes her head ferociously, drunkenly mimes pulling a zip across her mouth.

‘You want to speak to Kira to apologise? I think that would be a good idea but you need to maybe do it when you’re less drunk, and when she’s less hurt.’

Maeve rolls her eyes and huffs. ‘She doesn’t care .’

‘Umm, yeah, I think she does,’ says Adriana. ‘We all care! It’s our team! And you were being a real dick to her!’

Maeve lashes out at the air, in a display of drunken frustration at herself, her inability to understand or communicate.

‘Not like that. Kira… She… She doesn’t care… about any of it. Not job. Not me. Not us. Not like I do.’

Maeve sighs dramatically, then suddenly picks up a half empty bottle of vodka that’s been left on the pavement of the smoking area, and lifts it to her lips.

‘Maeve! No!’ Adriana snatches it from her before she drinks any.

She’s never seen her friend like this, and she’s really worried about her.

She’s also, frankly, still disappointed in her.

But she takes a deep breath. She knows that Kira rubs people up the wrong way, especially at first impression, with her brashness and her brazen confidence.

But the more Adriana has seen of her, the more she thinks Kira really does have a kind heart – being confident in your own skill doesn’t make you think other people are less worthy of respect and it must be hard trying to fit into the team as the only summer signing so far.

‘Look, you’re not used to alcohol. You’re not used to going out. I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, Maeve, because I love you, but I know there’s something you’re not telling me–’

‘There’s something you’re not telling me!’ Maeve bursts out. ‘What’s going on with you , huh? I know you’re hiding something.’

Adriana’s taken aback by Maeve’s sudden clarity when she’s been so out of it and this being turned around on her. ‘W-what? Maeve, remember you’re drunk.’

Adriana feels bad for deflecting this truth, but she knows Maeve isn’t really in a state to talk seriously right now, and Adriana doesn’t want to pour her heart out only for her friend to not remember a word of it tomorrow.

‘I know you, Addy,’ Maeve mumbles. ‘I have known you for a decade. I know I haven’t been doing my side of our friendship recently, but neither have you. It’s not just me. Neither have you. It’s one thing to lie to me but don’t lie to yourself. I’m going back to find the others.’

Before Adriana can protest, Maeve storms off suddenly back into the club.

Adriana intends to go after her, but she suddenly feels so drained of trying to keep holding everyone else up instead of just herself.

Maybe she should call that taxi for herself, but her heart feels so heavy.

She just wants someone to comfort her. To look after her for a change, instead of her looking after everyone else.

She sits down on the side of the road where Maeve had been, and sighs deeply. She closes her eyes to try to compose herself.

‘Addy?’

Her eyes open at the sound of that familiar voice. Adriana must be more drunk than she thought. Because there, like she’d just been fantasising about, walking past the club with his blazer over his arm and his phone in his hand, is Jacob Astor.