Free FATED by A.S Roberts

by what we found inside. The rugby club resembled a club you would find in England. It was as if it had been designed to be just that, heavy wooden floors, exposed brickwork with plaques and trophies displayed on them. The bar looked like it had been made of one continuous solid piece of wood and polished to a deep shine. But it was the smell that floored me, a smell that deeply resonated within me, ‘Hops?’ I said out loud to no one in particular. The whole place felt like home, warm and extremely comfortable.
    ‘Girls, go and take a seat, what are you both drinking?’ Nathan made his way to the bar and a small group of blokes having a beer. They welcomed Nathan with smiles, obviously asking how he was, as they kept glancing towards his leg. Bella and I made our way towards one of the semicircle booths that ran down two sides of the clubhouse, and sat on the dark green and very comfortable velvet seats.
    ‘Well you must have had the heads up?’ mumbled Bella, rubbing her hand over the velvet upholstery.
    ‘Sorry?’ I responded.
    She touched JJ’s old rugby shirt I was wearing, running her fingers lightly over the green and white jersey.
    ‘Look around, this rugby team obviously plays in the same colours.’
    I caught her drift just then, and grinning slightly I smiled at her, ‘Oh yeah, what a coincidence.’
    One of the guys from the bar was helping Nathan over to us, carrying our drinks on a tray.
    ‘OK, so this is Brent,’ he said as he nodded towards the smiling bloke who was now placing the tray on our table. ‘Brent meet Bella and Frankie, Frankie is my physio and Bella is her very articulate friend,’ he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
    ‘Hi, pleased to meet you both,’ his right hand had stuck out towards us and we shook it politely. Brent took a seat next to me and lifted his pint glass to his lips and proceeded to take a mouthful. After swallowing he looked at me quizzically and then again back at Nathan.
    ‘The Frankie,’ he questioned Nathan, raising both eyebrows in disbelief.
    ‘Yep,’ replied Nathan, ‘The Frankie... the best physio in the world,’ he said lifting his glass probably filled with JD, his drink of choice, and taking a large slug. A reverberating sigh leaving his lips as he gently placed the crystal glass down on our table with a clink. Nathan’s eyes slowly lifted up from watching his fingers turn the glass in a slow methodical circle and met Brent’s.
    ‘OK, well I have to go get ready for the match now, it was great to meet you both, ladies,’ Brent stood and climbed down from the raised booth, ‘hopefully I’ll get to see you after the match as well.’
    I watched Brent make his way across the floor and felt like I had missed a whole unspoken conversation between the two men.  Bella glanced at me and we shared a questioning look.
    ‘Right, girls, we have approx. 45 minutes until kick-off,’ Nathan stood slowly clapping his hands together with certainty. ‘I need to eat. Can I get you both anything? They do a mean steak and kidney pie here.’ He looked from face to face, tipping his head from side to side, ‘Starving, hurry up.’
    Bella and I both declined and Nathan slowly made his way towards the bar, again.
    ‘So?’ I heard from Bella, putting so much weight into that one questioning word. ‘Don’t you think that that was a little bloody strange?’
    I shrugged my shoulders at her, not verbally replying because all I could concentrate on now was the doorway that Brent had just disappeared into. I sat sipping my root beer, wondering if the elusive Alex was already here and changing into his kit. I felt my interest notch up a level at the thought of the man naked.

Eleven

    The whole rugby ground had obviously been well designed. The stands were well sheltered, with comfortable, covered over seating in three out of the four. Someone had clearly spent a lot of money on it that was for certain.
    It was just as well, the weather was the sort of cold that