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I attempt to pull myself together. I don’t know what it is with these men but whenever they say shit like all self-preservation just completely disintegrates and I turn to absolute mush. I attempt to put more than two brain cells together and form a coherent sentence.
“Me too.” That’s it? Fucking hell Scarlett, pull it together.
He just smiles at me and lets me go. Thank god, because if I even attempted to form anything else intelligent, it wouldn’t have made a single ounce of sense.
I turn to the last of my guys… my guys. Shit, I don’t think I will ever get used to that.
Dacre near launches at me, his hug almost bone crunching. I laugh, wrapping my arms around his middle and squeezing him in return. “Oh sweet boy, I missed you too.”
I can feel his nod from where it is buried in my shoulder, but he stays silent. We break away and I slowly step back nodding my head back towards my friends.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to my mates. They're all excited to meet you.”
By the looks on their faces too, I know my statement was true. Grace looks like she is vibrating. She looks at me and fans herself. I chuckle, shaking my head. I can always count on that girl to be the best hype woman.
“Okay, guys these are my friends Hannah, Allie, Emma, Mike and Josh. You guys already met Grace.” I say pointing at each of them. I then turn towards the guys, “and this is Dacre, Sonny, Pike, Dawson and Nicky.”
The guys shake each of my friend’s hands, repeating their names and exchanging pleasantries.
All too soon, the crowd starts cheering as the first team runs out of the sheds. While the Biloela Panthers are good, they are no match for the Yeppoon Seagulls. We all step closer to the sidelines as the announcement comes over the PA system welcoming the Seagulls onto the field. Our entire group yells and cheers as we watch Noah leading the team out onto the field.
The guys have all crowded around me where we stand against the sideline fence. I lean back into them as I spot Benny making his way out of the tunnel. Pointing to him I say, “That’s Benny. He is five eighth. Him, Noah and the half back Brent are an incredible trio. They make things hard for the other team's defence. The way they play the ball is fucking impressive.” I spot Daniel and point towards him, “That’s Daniel. He is a prop. Absolute fucking unit of a guy.”
“Jesus, he is massive.” Nicky says looking impressed at the size of Daniel.
“That’s not the only thing that’s massive about him.” Allie says, making us all burst out in laughter. The volume of our laughter catches the attention of Noah who spots me straight away. His eyes immediately dart to the guys standing around me and they narrow. I give him a big wave. In return he blows me a kiss. Even from this distance, I know he is only trying to rile up the guys. The way I feel them bristle at my back, lets me know he was successful. Especially when I feel arms circle my waist. I don’t even need to see him to know it's Dawson who is staking his claim on me. I shake my head, chuckling to myself before continuing. “That is Noah, fullback and one of my best friends. He is the one that is off to the Brumbies Academy next year.”
“Does that mean he is going pro?” Dawson asks, his warm breath tickling the sensitive area behind my ear.
“It means that he has a very good chance of going pro. The Brumbies coaches are most likely to pick straight from the Academy when forming their teams. It also means he will get many more opportunities to sign with any of the clubs in general. But Noah has his heart set on being signed by the Brumbies.”
“Nice. He must be really talented to be off to an Academy then.” Sonny says.
“Yeah he is. Although, he will be a late starter. Normally, they join when they turn fifteen.”
“Why didn’t he join when he was fifteen?” Dacre questions. I had a feeling that question was coming. I pause. I know the reason. Yet it's not my business to share. I feel my mates looking at me. They know too. While I may be coming to trust these guys, that doesn’t mean Noah has and breaking his trust isn’t something I would ever do.
“Ah, it's not really my place to tell.” I say. Each of the guys nod, turning their attention back to the field as the players all get into position. I deflate, relieved at not being pressured to talk about Noah and his home life.
The Seagulls won the coin toss, so the Panthers kicked off. A Seagull centre catches the ball and the play begins. The ball is passed to Daniel who runs straight at the defence line. The smack of bodies is loud, almost as if it echoed across the field. I feel each of the guys flinch, sucking in breaths. Dawson straightens from where he was curled around my body.
“Holy fuck! How… what…” He stumbles over the words he tries to get out. I turn my head, catching his eyes wide in shock. He looks down at me, “No pads?”
I shake my head. “Nah, pads are for pussies.” I turn my head, catching his eye and wink, a sly smile curving my lips.
He frowns, looking at me in confusion. I know Sonny gets it because he instantly starts laughing. It's like a domino effect as each of the guys eventually get my little joke, all apart from Dawson who stands there giving the guys all funny looks. I catch the exact moment he gets it, the confusion dropping off his features. He shakes his head, “You guys are fucked.”
I can’t help but burst out laughing. Sonny holds up a hand for a high five and I can’t help but smack mine against it. He makes his way towards me spinning me around so my back is to his front. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head. “That’s my girl.” He says low enough for just all of us to hear. A shiver runs down my spine.
After that we watch as the Seagulls complete their set. After the fifth tackle, the ball is passed to Brent the Seagulls half back straight from dummy half. He kicks the ball down the field to the Panthers winger who catches it. A few more sets are played as we watch intently. Once the Seagulls get the ball back, one of the second row forwards is able to make a break in the defence. He gets right down to the 20 metre line before he is finally tackled. I straighten up knowing shit is about to get good. I watch Noah who is standing a bit back, jumping slightly on his feet. The ball is passed from dummy half straight to Brent. Brent sees an opening and kicks the ball. I watch as Noah comes up from out the back, grabs the ball after it makes its way through the hole in the defence line, runs the last five metres and dives for the try line. The minute he touches the ground, the entire crowd erupts in cheers. We watch as the Seagulls pile on celebrating the first try for the night.
“Holy shit! He was like lightning!” Pike says, clapping and cheering for the boys.
I nod. Cheering loud as the boys make their way back down the field. “Fuck yes Noah!” I yell. He snaps his head towards mine, a smile lightening his face. He grabs a water bottle from one of the trainers before running over to our group. He wraps me in a sweaty hug. “Hey babe! Did you see that?” He says releasing me.
I laugh, wiping the sweat he covered me in. “Yes, I did you boofhead. Now rack off. Score me some more tries. We’ve got five Americans to convert to the greatest sport in the world.” I say with a tease. I know that Noah will rise to the challenge. He can’t help himself. He nods, turning his grin on the guys who I’m sure are increasing their presence behind me. “Look forward to properly meeting you guys after the game.” He says with a nod of his head before giving me a quick kiss on the top of my head. I push him away with a laugh. Fucking shit stirrer.
I take a few steps to the guys. Each a frown on their faces as they watch Noah jog off back to his position. “Don’t worry guys,” Grace begins, stepping towards us. The guys turn their attention to her, but they still don’t look impressed. “I see that look in your eyes. Noah is the biggest shit stirrer known to mankind. He is also fiercely protective of our girl here. He just wants to make sure you aren’t going to hurt her.”
