Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Logan

So, when Emily said that I had no choice, she literally meant it. And I don't think that I realized that until two minutes ago. More precisely, when I found myself standing on the soccer field with a bunch of fifteen-year-old teenagers staring back at me. And Josh, who's sitting on the bench, babysitting me.

Fuck.

I'm so royally fucked. I literally have no clue what to even say. Hey guys, I'm Logan, your new coach? I internally groan. This is mortifying. Emily, I hate you so much for this. So much.

Anyway, after two minutes of awkward silence, I realize that I'm sort of the adult here (shocking, I know), so I break the silence. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

They stare at me with a blank expression. I want to cry.

"Hey guys!"

Holy shit. God exists and she just answered my prayers (and yes, let's face it, God is most likely going to end up being a woman but that's beside the point). I turn to face Emily, who has never looked more badass than in this moment, with her slim jeans, fit white top, and blue blazer.

Her chocolate brown eyes skim through the members of the team who all greet her with excitement. I'm stunned when she stands next to me and places her hand around my shoulder. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard that right.

"This is Logan. He's my friend from New York who flew all the way to work with you guys. He's an exceptional soccer player who got a full-ride to NYU to play soccer-" wait, that's not exactly true. I'm not even on the soccer team.

I think Em senses my hesitation because her grip tightens around my shoulder. As in, she's probably trying to telecommunicate that she'll cut my balls if I try to correct her. I, of course, wouldn't dream of it. So I just smile and nod at everyone.

"Anyway, he fell in love with your team spirit and came all the way to work with you." I fight the urge to snort.

"I'm one-hundred-percent sure that you will get along very quickly. So, please, give him a warm welcome and make sure to learn as much as you can from him."

I am in awe of her ability to handle situations. After her speech, I'm somehow convinced that what she said is true and that I won't fuck up. I can't help but grin at her. "Thank you for letting me do this. Alright team, let's bring this cup back home."

From the corner of my eye, I notice that Emily is biting back a smile too.

Surprisingly this doesn't turn out to be so bad. I quickly forget about the fact that I'm "coaching" and just get busy with helping the kids get the right moves during the first half. So, I pretty much give them tips to strengthen their cores. I try to make the warm-up fast-paced so that they build more muscle.

Some of them are awkward and have obviously never worked this hard. Others seem pretty ambitious and are trying. I still have no clue what anyone's name is. Whenever someone's doing a move in the wrong way, I ask for their name just so that I can help them get it right.

Before I know it, we're already done with the speed workout and starting the game. The team is okay-ish when it comes to actual playing. They obviously lack practice but they do have team spirit which is so underrated.

The game was actually fun. Afterward, some of them hung around just to ask me a bunch of questions. We talk a bit about Euro soccer and our favorite teams. By the end, I pretty much forgot that I'm their coach. They added my number to their WhatsApp group and I may have invited them over on Saturday to watch the semi-finals of Euro soccer at my place. By my place, I mean Adam and Em's. But that's a fight for another day.

"Nice to meet you, man. Today was great," Mike taps my shoulder before walking towards his Mom's car. He was the last kid to leave since his Mom was a bit late.

When I turn to go back to the office to get my stuff, I'm surprised to see Emily standing. Her hair is in a messy bun, and she's wearing her geeky glasses which make her look ten times cuter. I can't help but feel my inside tighter as she smiles at me. She literally has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. Especially when the sun is shining brightly through her chocolate brown eyes, making her cheeks slightly blush.

"I didn't know that you were here." Was she watching me with the kids? The thought alone warms my stomach.

She shrugs before handing it to me. I grin when I realize that she actually waited for me to finish but I don't say anything because I know that her ego would never let her admit that.

I notice that she has my bag with her. "You got my stuff?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to wait for you to go back and get them."

Right. Of course.

"Thank you. For bringing my stuff and you know, earlier."

She raises an eyebrow. Ah, goddamn it, she's gonna make me say it. "When you helped me out with the team. That was really cool."

She smiles a real smile this time, not bothering to suppress it. "You were off to a very shitty start."

"Gee, thanks for sugarcoating it."

"I'm still not done."

Oh. I bite my lower lip, intrigued by where this is going.

She glances at me before starting her car. "But I was sort of impressed by the end. It kept getting better - You kept getting better. So, what I'm trying to say is, thanks for not fucking up. I know you're not used to it."

I grin, biting back a laugh. She's ruthless. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Or, you can take that as your official employment offer."

I raise my eyebrows. "What, seriously?"

"Yup."

"Word! Thanks, dude. I was starting to dread the whole filing Excel sheet thing."

"Don't call me dude."

"Right, sorry boss."

This makes her lips twitch slightly upwards and it makes me think that she might be kind of into this whole bickering thing we have going on. I think I like calling her boss. And having a real job. That's definitely a plus.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, interrupting my thoughts. I look at the caller ID to see Mar. I haven't called her back in like, three days. I know that I should probably pick up but I like car-time with Em. I'll just call Mar later.

I lean into the CD player but my hand is quickly yanked away.

"I'll let you choose the music when pigs learn to fly."