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It was past the 90th minute and all they had to do was wait. Coach Beard was already throwing his cap up and running through the sidelines, sometimes hugging Ted´s back and sometimes lifting Nate. Ted just stood frozen there the whole time; he didn´t want that to happen again. To celebrate and suddenly see all he had conquered escape between his fingers in a blink of an eye. First, it was Michelle, then they were relegated. He didn´t want to risk it. Not again.
But then the referee blew his whistle for the last time that season and it was official: AFC Richmond was Premier League Champions after over 50 years. He did it. They did it. They really fucking did it. When he looked around to try to let reality hits him, he was already in the air, on the team´s hand, while everybody else was shouting and yelling: we´re Richmond ´til we die, we´re Richmond ´til we die, we know we are, we sure we are, we are Richmond ´til we die.
They all got back to the locker room, singing and hugging each other, some even throwing champagne in every single person on the way, all because they didn´t have a care in the world at that moment. They didn´t have to. Once they were all inside, Ted stood up on a little bench and tried to get everyone´s attention (coach beard was the one to yell at them, but he still got what he needed.)
- That was just amazing, and this word just isn't enough to describe all of that. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Shit. Well, that´s not what matters. Folks, we all came back to this league way quicker than everybody thought, and, as we should, surprised all of them once more and became Premier League Champions in our first year back. I could spend hours here, telling every single one of you how proud I´m of all of you, but y´all already know that pretty much. So, right now, I say we get out of here and go to celebrate like there is no tomorrow! But there is so please be careful and take care of each other.
He couldn´t even finish his little speech and every man in the room was already grabbing their stuff and running/jumping while leaving. Ted got into his office just to get his coat when he saw something.
´´Coach, are you ok?`` he heard Beard´s voice because of course he would be there to check on him. ´´Yes, yes. I´m just gonna get some things and I´m going. Go ahead, coach. These kids gonna need someone to watch them. Nate is included and Roy can get angrier than usual. I´ll be right there.``
Coach Beard nodded, understanding that Ted might need some space and left. What he had seen was Henry´s drawn, the one he made before he left America for the first time. He had already grabbed Henry on his shoulders after a match, just like it was on the piece of paper; why was it making him feel sad, then?
Things were amazing. He had got his comeback with the team and they were England´s champions now. But that´s not how Ted had imagined things would be. He´d always seen this moment in a way that the first thing he would do after the match was to call Michelle and Henry, tell them how happy he was and listen to them saying that they couldn´t wait to move in. Things were definitely not like this. His now ex-wife had fall out in love with him (he was over it, but it still hurts) and his son was growing old and getting further and further from him.
His head started spinning, he felt like he could cry and hated himself for that. They did like he´d promised and won the fucking thing and with still more to come. But he wasn´t hurt because of something that was there; it was quite the opposite. There were things - feelings - that should be there and weren´t. At least he liked to pretend they weren´t, because, if he admitted to himself that those feelings were there, just with somebody else, it could be even worse.
He looked around his office and the room, all empty. Of course he had a lot of people in his life, and he was glad for every single one of them, but when this kind of moments came, he was on his own. His players were younger than him and would stay later at parties; his players´ families lived nearby and they would visit them on holidays/vacations, and the others could simply travel to meet his loved ones because people were waiting for them all around the world. And was on these times that he would just come back to his empty apartment, alone.
- I don't wanna be alone.
The words snapped out loud, but he didn´t care, because he knew there wasn´t anyone else in the building. All he could do was hold his head between his hand while sitting in his chair and looking to the floor, doing everything he could to not have a panic attack in one of the happiest days of his life.
-You´re not alone, Ted. We´re not alone.
It was a familiar voice, the only one that could make him calm down when he had his bad moments. The only one that would cheer him up more even if he was already having a great day. And she didn´t have to even try to cause these effects on him. It was all-natural, like it was meant to be that way.
´´Hi, Rebecca. What are you doing-? I thought you were with the guys-. Look, I´m sorry, you shouldn´t have listened to that, I thought I was-... ``
´´You´re not.``, she interrupted him before he could say that word again. ´´I was grabbing some stuff and taking a look at the club, thinking about these two last years. They were terribly awesome.``
´´Yeah, they were. So, we should probably be going.``
´´Ted, wait`` she interrupted again.
He was still sitting on his chair, but looking up now, looking at her. ´´What´s up, boss?`` She didn´t answer. Not by saying anything. She walked to him and took both of his hands. ´´Ted, you have to know that you´re not alone, and I mean when I say this.`` ´´I know, Rebecca, and I really appreciate you for that.`` He said it trying to avoid what this conversation could become, what he could let go out. ´´Just listen for a moment, ok? Please?`` He couldn´t do anything but nod.
´´Look, I know you have been through a lot, and I got to say, you are the bravest man I´ve ever known for handling all of this. Things have changed, but a wise man once said that we have to embrace change. And, as far as I´m concerned, we should listen to this guy because he is a really good one. When I say you´re not alone is because there´s a whole team out there that look up to you, after you, and would do anything for you. And after everyone else, there is me. As long as you want me around, I´m going to be in your corner. Coupon for life, remember?``
For probably the first time in his life, he didn´t know what to say, so he just kept looking at her when she leaned back on his table while meeting his eyes and watching one of the biggest smiles she has ever seen on his face, and that was way more than enough for her.
They could have stayed there like this for seconds, minutes, hours, and none of both would be able to tell the difference. Some words need to be said, to be heard, and some... did not. Meeting each other´s gaze was more clarifying than some syllables together.
Theodore Lasso was a gentleman, so he decided to take the first step and stood up. Rebecca tried to mirror the act, but he put his hands on her tighs so she could stay the exact same way she already was. ´´Sorry``, he said after realizing what he had done, and that was not the way he was looking for breaking the silence, but thinking, caring and all of this was just who he was.
She didn´t say anything, just nodded in a way that he could understand that it was ok. The feeling of his palm against her, even if through the fabric, was something new in a good way, probably in the best way; but that was some thought she would try to just have later.
´´You know``, he started to talk, pushing her mind back to him and his voice. ´´When I came here, I thought that we would do fine in the very first season. Beard told me something about some Conference League... I still have no idea about what it is, but back there he said that considering the team´s situation, it would be like a dream spot.``
´´Well, it is-``, she tried to start to explain because he deserved to know everything he wanted, even though she always thought that it was cute how he didn´t and used to yell that he had no idea about what offside meant. ´´Later, okay?`` he interrupted her because he didn´t know if he would have the courage to say what he was about to say forever.
´´And then, after that, Michelle and Henry would call me and tell me that they couldn´t wait to move in here and all that kind of stuff. Then we got relegated in the first season and I got divorced.``
She wanted to say something, anything. Just to let him know that every little thing was ok now, that things were better, but she also didn´t want to interrupt him again, so she just stroked her fingers on the back of his hand because, for some reason, they never let their hands go apart after all this time. And he knew.
´´But then we were crowned as fucking champions of the Premier League after just two years of all that. When the referee pointed to the centre of the pitch I thought that I would have all these desires again... and I did. They were just different. Because of course I thought about Henry, but heck, the one thing I wanted to do at that moment was to run up those stairs and kiss you right there, without a single thought in the world.``
-For how long? she said in a low voice, not believing in what she had just heard.
-What? For how long what?
-You have wanted to do it.
´´If I´m being honest, for a couple of months now. I realized you were you`` he pointed to her whole body and face while saying this, which gave her goosebumps she thought she would never feel again in her life. ´´way before I would like to admit``. ´´Well, it means that both of us are equally as good at hiding our feelings and wishes, then``. This time she dropped his hand and grabbed hers together behind his neck, making him look down a little bit and stare at the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life.
After her last word, everything was fast. Their lips met and embraced like that moment was meant to happen for all eternity, in all timelines, and every single thing in their lives would lead them here, just like it did. It was soft, but it was needed. Like the last, but also first, piece of a puzzle they were ready to solve together.
He finally broke up the kiss, laughing, smiling and willing to scream to the whole world that he was the happiest man alive, while also seeing that she felt the same way.
´´Do you think we are going to run the club? You know... if we do this`` He left one of his hands to fall off her hip to point between the two of them.
´´Oh, no. Believe me, I know a woman that tried to do so once, and she told me that what they have here, what we have, it´s way too strong to be ruined by anyone and/or anything.`` She was laughing again, again and once again, because that´s how things worked between the two of them. There would have - and already have been - moments where they´d just need each other support and knowledge that everything would be ok, but she didn´t want to think about that now. Because no matter what, they would really be okay.
He started pressing small kisses on her lips and all over her face. ´´I still can´t believe this is real``. ´´Well, you better do. There are over thirty people in a pub right now waiting for us. Shall we?`` She offered her hand to him, trying to lead him the way to her car.
´´Oh, you go first. I gotta comb my hair, you know? I was with this woman a couple of minutes ago and Jesus, she couldn´t take her hands off the back and top of my head.`` he said it with something new in his eyes, something she had never seen before, but absolutely loved it.
´´She was a lucky one, believe me.`` They laughed and he went after his locker while she started to walk and look for her car´s key. When she finally arrived and heard the click of her seatbelt, he was there.
Like he were since the first moment he arrived in the UK, bringing her biscuits every day, giving her an army man toy and being there for her, with her, that night at the gala. After everything she had done (which he´d said a thousand times that he had already forgiven her and that everything was ok), he was there. And God´s truth is that he would be for the rest of her life if she let him.
The way to the pub was filled with Ted singing to almost every song that started playing on the radio while questioning her when she didn´t know some extremely famous song. When they arrived, every single person started to yell and cheer up, like the Queen and the King had just arrived and fuck, they probably were the bloody Queen and King of England.
They drank, sang to Richmond´s charts and danced with everybody else like they were just teenagers again. But they weren´t. So, when almost everybody (except for Beard, after Keeley´s reluctance on Roy) decided to go to another bar, there were just the three of them, and Beard didn´t have to be any Sherlock Holmes to see that they needed - and deserved - some alone time.
After saying goodnight to everyone, it was just the two of them in the cold air of the night, with a silent but extremely happy street.
-So, Coach Lasso. I believe we have some unfinished business about this season. Would you like to finish them at my place?
-Yes, ma´am.