Page 98 of Playing the Game

In the end he retrieved his phone from his pocket.

“Sorry we argued. Hope ur ok. Text me if u want a chat.”

He pressed Send.

“In five minutes, you’ll see the view of your lives,” Udo said. “It’s a shame the weather is shit but you’ll get the vibe.”

“The weather is always shit,” Jonas added.

Udo laughed. “Not always. You have to seize the moment. We had an amazing summer.”

“I’m surprised you saw the outside,” Jonas said.

Sure enough, in no time the woodland cleared and exposed a truly breathtaking vista. Udo stopped in a layby and they all hopped out.

“Go and take it in,” Udo said, clapping Noah on the shoulder. “Imagine waking up to something like that every morning.”

Noah wandered over to a gate that he climbed and sat on top of.

Jonas checked his phone. Adam hadn’t read the message.

What is he doing?

“I’m going to have a nosey down the road,” Noah called to them.

He jumped off the gate and dashed down the lane.

“He’s a nice guy,” Udo said.

He and Jonas leant against the car. It would be special to live in a place like this. The silence except for birdsong entranced him. Jonas had always lived in cities. Maybe he should get a place in the middle of nowhere. Try something new.

“He needs to loosen up a bit,” Jonas replied.

“Like Tito?”

Jonas chuckled. “Not quite that loose.”

“Are you enjoying your time here? Looks like it on the pitch.”

“The season is flying,” Jonas replied. “Not sure what I’ve been doing with myself. I wish I was as organised as Noah.”

They watched Noah peeping over walls and taking photos.

“Are things okay with you and Adam?” Udo asked. “I’ve not heard from him all day.”

“We were supposed to spend this evening with each other. Now he reckons he has flu.”

“And you don’t believe him?”

“Not sure.”

They both wandered over to the gate Noah had sat on. Jonas leant against it. His body ached. He wasn’t sure if it came from training that day or from stress.

“Adam isn’t the type to mess you around,” Udo said, eventually. “I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. He cares about you.”

“I don’t know if caring is enough.”

“What is it you want?”