Always You

by Tiara Inserto

  Neela looked over at Blake, whose face was now resigned. He sat back in his chair, arms folded as if he were preparing for the inevitable.

  But he isn’t angry. She blinked. He’s not mad that he’s about to be embarrassed again. If he were Kyle, he would have grabbed the phone and thrown it out the window.

  She tried to remember Blake’s face as a boy. It was only when he was smiling or laughing that she could see the similarities to the young, eager-to-please, highly energetic but smaller boy of her childhood.

  There was little of the boy she remembered in the man who was sitting in front of her now. From her own experiences as an athlete, she knew he couldn’t have achieved all his success without putting in an extraordinary amount of time and effort.

  People tended to forget that before the fancy shirts and the flash car, Blake would have spent hours and hours at the gym and on the field. He might not have been a child prodigy, but once he had a shot at turning pro, he took the opportunities offered and ran with them — literally. One season at the club level had resulted in an invitation to join the National Team. That didn’t happen to just anyone.

  Scott must have found the right video, as the sounds from his phone were familiar. Neela hadn’t seen the video in years, but she could visualize what Scott and Tim were watching on the small screen.

  Their class had had a disproportionate number of athletes. At the annual end-of-school picnic, there was always a game of Last Man Standing, with an element of rugby, of course. It was usually just a touch to get a kid out. But as they got older, and once the least athletic among them had been tagged out, touch became optional.

  When the video started, they were deep into the “friendly competition,” with only a handful of kids left on each team.

  Neela heard the shout to start. The giggles and the scream. Then the silence. Then an anonymous voice asked the questions that had made the video go viral: “Did you see the way she took him down? Who is that girl?”

  She had kept her attention on Blake as the video played. She watched him remember as she did. He mouthed the words — Did you see her take him down? — then a smile rested on his lips.

  He looked up suddenly and caught her studying him. She didn’t pretend otherwise.

  “That was a long time ago,” he said softly.

  Neela nodded as an unexpected wave of nostalgia hit her. Her dad had been so proud of her that day. “It was.”

  “That was the first time we played against each other.”

  “They picked you before I could.”

  “They never did before.”

  “Because they knew you were good.”

  Something deep within Neela responded to the gentle brown eyes that were looking at her, and the memories came flooding back. She knew those eyes. They’d once belonged to a boy who had trusted her so completely. Now they watched her from the face of a man she now knew mainly by reputation.

  “Was that really you, Blake?” Scott asked. “Shit, you were a tiny little thing.”

  Blake scowled, and his façade changed. “As an agent, aren’t you supposed to be building my self-confidence?”

  “No, that’s your fan club. I’m just here to help get you as much money as possible during your short professional life. Wow! This would be brilliant in the marketing world. Why hasn’t anyone shown me this video before? Do we know who owns the rights to it?”

  Blake seemed to know where Scott was going with his question. “No. And it wouldn’t matter if we did.”

  “Are you two together? As adults?” Scott said excitedly. “The possibility of using this would be mind-boggling!”

  “We’re not ‘together,’ and whatever you’re thinking, Scott, my answer is no,” Blake said.

  “People would love the idea of the two of you in love,” Tim added. No one missed the humor in his voice or that he was enjoying seeing Blake uncomfortable.

  “No,” Blake repeated.

  “Actually, Tim does have a point,” Scott said. “If Neela is open to the idea, it can’t hurt if you two are seen in public together. One of the heroines from Rio with Blake Stanton? It’ll be a feel-good story for the summer.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” Neela asked. “What’s wrong with being seen with me?”

  Blake stared at her. “Are you serious? He’s suggesting we be seen together as if we’re going out.”

  “She’s one of the most respected women in our country,” Tim repeated. “I don’t think you even made the top ten of that list, Blake. Some of that respectability may rub off on your public image, give you back some credibility. When you first became famous, being known as a bit of a dag was all right. But you’re a Club captain and one of the National Team’s senior members,” Tim said, reaching for another pita.

  “My credibility is fine,” Blake snapped. “If the world wants to condemn me because of a video that I didn’t make or upload, so be it. It was supposed to be a private moment between two consenting adults in a relationship.”

  “It had a million hits as of yesterday,” Tim remarked.

  Blake didn’t bother restraining himself this time. He smacked Tim on the back of his head. Neela bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing.

  “If you want to be in the running for the captaincy, you need to clean up your image, Blake,” Scott said.

  Neela raised her eyebrows and returned her gaze to Blake. The captaincy? Did the joker of the team have some ambition? Maybe there was a little more to the adult Blake Stanton than met the eye.

  “My strength as a player should be enough,” Blake forced out.

  Scott continued, “There’s a rumor of a new advertising campaign going around that could be perfect for this. If it’s what I think it is, maybe that video of you and Neela as kids could be a selling point. Childhood friends become adult lovers.”

  “No!” Blake said.

  “It could pay really well,” Scott continued.

  “How well?” Neela asked without thinking. She felt Mano’s eyes on her immediately.

  “Pretty well. It’s a well-known name,” Scott said.

  Blake raised his hands in exasperation. “Am I the only sane one here? Why are we talking about this?”

  “Do you want to be captain of the National Team, Blake?” Neela asked.

  Mano glanced at Blake, as did Scott. Even Tim stopped chewing. They don’t know either. Maybe he wasn’t as much like an open book as she’d thought he was.

  Blake returned her stare. The earlier gentleness she had seen in his eyes was no longer there. Instead, there was indecision. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and he chewed on the side of his lower lip, now far from the happy-go-lucky persona he usually projected to people. That ten-year-old she had met all those years ago was back. He was still there, underneath the image of the glamour boy from the famous National Team.

  * * *

  Why does she want to know?

  It was something only Scott was privy to until now. Blake looked at his agent, trying to decide if he should be angry at Scott for sharing what had been a personal goal, a secret dream, something he had wanted since he was a teenager.

  Blake scanned the table. He had everyone’s attention, and usually, he’d revel in it. But this was serious. Admitting it publicly would mean he would be accountable to others for reaching that goal, and he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone to share his dream. It would be one thing to deal with one’s own disappointments; it was another to see it in other people’s eyes.

  “Well?” Neela asked again.

  Hair held back with a hairband, she was dressed as if she were going to church, wearing a white blouse and a pair of navy trousers. Make-up free, her face was remarkably clear and smooth considering the amount of time she spent sweating and exposing herself out in the sun.

  He remembered that voice and those eyes daring him to play when they were in primary school. But when he fell, it was Neela — and only Neela — who would hold out her hand to pull him up. When he want
ed to stop because it had gotten too hard, she would watch silently, her expectations of him higher than those he had of himself. She hadn’t allowed him to quit. She didn’t let any of the kids quit. None of them dared disappoint her back then. Neela Smyth was the one everyone followed. She was their leader.

  Now, almost two decades later, he, a grown man who’d played top-level sport with two World Championship teams, was once again being pushed. He didn’t have to answer her, except there was no malice in her question. Instead, in her own quiet manner, she was throwing down a gauntlet. Should he pick it up and step into the ring?

  Everyone seated at the table continued to wait for his answer: his mentor, his best friend, his agent — and Neela, the girl from his childhood who was actually the first person in his life who’d thought he could be a rugby player.

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s something I’d like to be.”

  “Okay,” Neela said. “Then let me help you change the public’s perception of who you are.”

  Neela’s dark eyes were solemn. She was taking him seriously, and to his surprise, Blake realized that her opinion mattered.

  “I always give a hundred percent when I play,” Blake said. “No one doubts that. If I’m meant to be captain, it will be based on what I do with, for, and when I’m on the team, Neela. Mano earned the captaincy that way. He didn’t need to be seen with anyone to change his image.”

  Neela leaned forward, clasping her hands on the table. “Mano is as squeaky clean as they come. He doesn’t even drink soft drinks!”

  Everyone turned to look at Mano again.

  “Diabetes runs in my family,” he said with a casual shrug.

  Neela rolled her eyes. “Leading the National Team means representing the best of the best, in both form and character. Think about who the next captain will be succeeding: Molloy, Dane, and Palua. All these men were fantastic players, but they were also role models off the pitch. I agree Mano didn’t need to do anything special outside of rugby, but you’re just one of those fellas who attract a lot of attention. Heck, I don’t read any of the gossip news, and even I know who your last two girlfriends were. The media loves you, and you love them, which gets you in trouble.”

  “I don’t want to discuss this anymore,” Blake said impatiently.

  “Look, I don’t forget it when people help me out,” Neela said. “I owe you for getting me out of trouble at the pub.”

  “I did what any decent human being would do.”

  “Why can’t whatever brain is behind that thick skull of yours process that I want to return the favor?”

  “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “It was a big deal to me,” Neela said quietly. “It still is.”

  Blake lowered his eyes and moved loose shreds of lettuce with his fork. He didn’t want to see the sadness he could hear in her voice. That wasn’t the Neela Smyth he knew.

  She continued, “Let me help out this way. I don’t mind being seen with you this summer. We’ll just do things together for social media, and people will interpret it as they wish. The girls on the team will be tickled. I think a couple of them will even be jealous.”

  Blake looked at the four other faces at the table. Only Mano’s remained impassive and unreadable. Everyone else was looking at him in expectation as if what was being suggested was logical.

  She didn’t owe him anything. It also didn’t feel particularly good to his ego that a woman would only be interested in spending time with him out of a sense of guilt. “Tim helped you as well,” he reminded her. “How are you paying him back?”

  “I’ve already agreed to carry his baby one day,” Neela said matter-of-factly.

  Mano’s granite face turned to Tim, who had begun to cough. “We were in high school! New Zealand had lost the Test that night, and we drank too much. Oh, geez, Neela, come on! You want to pay me back? Don’t bring it up again.”

  Neela grinned at seeing the usually laid-back scientist look flustered. “A promise is a promise.”

  “Well, I absolve you from that promise,” Tim mumbled, then looked nervously at Mano before he took another bite of his pita.

  Neela turned to Blake again. “When Tim’s in a situation where he needs help, I’ll offer it. Right now, I can help you. What’s the matter, Stanton? Has your head gotten too big for you to accept help from a woman? I bet I can still take you down on the field.”

  This time Mano laughed. He crossed his arms; his face thoughtful. “I don’t like pretense, but Tim and Neela have a point. If you’re seen together a few times, even if all you do is have a cup of coffee, the paparazzi and everyone else with a phone will do the rest. It can’t hurt for people to see you are more than the fella who models underwear.”

  Neela grinned. “See, even my protective older cousin approves.”

  “And you can take her to her parents’ anniversary party since I’ll still be on tour,” Mano said.

  Neela’s eyes widened at the suggestion. “Mano—”

  “You have to go. Besides, after me, your father says Blake’s his favorite player. He’ll be chuffed at having the likes of Blake Stanton there.”

  “Mano—”

  “You’d be giving him a present no one else can. And don’t worry about him. Blake’s good at making friends. You should see him at the meet-and-greets with the team. People love him. And he really likes to eat.”

  “Mano—”

  “He’ll take the attention off you, Neela,” Mano said. “You have to go. It’s important for Rieann.”

  Blake knew that tone. There was to be no further discussion.

  Scott forced a cough, reminding everyone he was still there. “Okay, I don’t know what sort of debt Blake owes you, Neela, but if you’re also interested, let’s see what I can do about getting you two into an ad campaign. I think this video could make a difference. I really do.” He stood up and carried his empty plate into the kitchen. “I can see why Liana Murphy recommends a love story as a good marketing angle. I’m feeling happy just thinking about the two of you in an ad campaign.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Blake could hear the low rumbling of voices through the closed bedroom door.

  After dinner, Mano had asked if he could have some privacy with Neela, so Blake had followed Tim back to his room for a game of chess. Blake had caught Neela’s expression as they left the dining area. She was chewing on her bottom lip, studying her cousin furtively. Under the table, she was wringing her hands repeatedly.

  She must have sensed him watching her because she turned to him suddenly. A sense of protectiveness came over him. He knew Mano had the best intentions when it came to Neela, but he found himself wishing he could sit with her while she faced her cousin. He was just about to close the door when he heard Mano say a name he had hoped not to hear again.

  Blake looked at Tim, who was setting up the chess board on the bed. “Mano just said ‘Kyle.’”

  “What?”

  “Kyle,” Blake repeated. He leaned against the door, resisting the urge to listen in. “That was who Neela had the argument with in the pub last year. Remember?”

  Tim made a face. “How could I forget? I had never seen Neela so shaken before.” He sat up, took his glasses off to clean them with the bottom of his shirt. “Do you think this Kyle fella is on the South Island?”

  Blake shrugged. “I don’t know, but Mano’s being loud. When was the last time he raised his voice like that?”

  “He yells at you all the time at practice.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “It’s between them. We shouldn’t interfere.”

  “You’re right, but there are only a handful of things that ever get a response like that from Mano. I hope she’s okay.”

  Tim looked up. “Oh? You’re worried about her, are you?”

  Blake looked at Tim irritably. He caught the amusement in his flatmate’s face. “Knock it off. I’m just concerned, that’s all. Like any decent person would be. Remember, I met Kyle. He’s someone no one
should meet.” He studied the chess board then moved a pawn.

  Tim frowned. “Mano wouldn’t hurt her.”

  “You’re right, but I can’t help but feel something is going on.”

  “Look, I’m not sure if it means anything, but there was a message from Corrine for Mano on the answering machine today.”

  “Corrine? Neela’s ex-flatmate? I thought she was overseas on a mission or something.”

  Tim shrugged. “I don’t know where she was phoning from. She just said she needed Mano to contact her.”

  “Did you ask him about it?”

  “Why would I? I took the message and left it on the writing pad like I do for all our messages.”

  “But you think it could have something to do with Neela?”

  “Maybe. To be honest, there could be a bunch of reasons for her call.”

  “Like what?”

  Tim looked exasperated. “I don’t know. But is it any of our business? Let’s play.”

  Later that night, when Blake heard Mano return after taking Neela back to the art shop, he opened his bedroom door to see the light from the living room still on.

  Tim had already gone to bed. Blake looked at the clock on his side table; it was late by Mano’s standards. He was disciplined with his bedtime while training, but Blake could hear him continue to move around downstairs.

  He found Mano seated on the sofa, head bowed and hands clasped. When Mano looked up, Blake recognized the lines of fatigue and worry etched on his face. It was unusual to see such raw emotions on his friend’s face; he rarely showed his feelings.

  “Am I interrupting?” Blake asked as he approached the sofa and sat opposite Mano.

  “No,” Mano said, rubbing his forehead before he wiped his face. “Just needed a moment to ask for strength and guidance.”

  “Neela?”

  Mano paused, his reluctance to confide in Blake obvious.

  “Will you indulge me a little? I wouldn’t ask what was said between you and Neela, except—could you at least let me know if this has anything to do with what happened last year in Auckland?” Blake asked.