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Rebecca wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened. Keeley had once told her all about sexy December 28th, and perhaps the idea of it had rooted into her brain like some sort of sleeper parasite, awakening in the moment the day arrived.
The Lady Greyhounds’ had pulled off their first festive fixture win, and Sridevi celebrated her hat trick by pouring shots of mezcal in the locker room. Somehow Rebecca’d ended up with three down the hatch by the time the girls took their party back to one of their flats, and she felt so high on the win and the celebration and the alcohol and Ted. Sweet, goofy Ted who had finally come back to her, had been making her biscuits again and sharing with her his thoughts and his feelings, about the latest episode of Loot and about being away from Henry again and about everything in between.
Somewhere in the last year or two, in his leaving and coming and steadiness since his return, her feelings for him had become impossible to ignore. She liked him, and she wanted him, and after the team and filed out of the locker room, while he collected the biodegradable cups and plates that they’d left behind into the compostables bin (a recent development spawned from Nora’s internship at the club), as the calendar turned from the 27th to the 28th, that little parasite awoke, and she kissed him.
She had thought about it a few hundred times by then. What would his mustache feel like? Could she run her fingers through his hair or was it as fixed with product as it appeared? Would he kiss her back?
Boy did he. She had been too preoccupied to notice if he’d loosened his own inhibitions with a drink or two, but maybe he simply had just as much pent up desire as she did, and when her lips met his, they were off to the races.
His hair was indeed too solid—if this thing stuck, she was sure she could talk him into a looser shellacking—but it was no match for her manicure. He groaned at the run of her nails over his scalp and sent his own hands traversing her hips and waist. It was intoxicating, just how she’d imagined but more. Before she knew it, she was following him back to his flat for the weekend.
By the time she rolled into the club after the New Year, Rebecca was fairly certain she was dating Ted Lasso. She was wearing his shirt for God’s sake (and the same trousers and pumps she’d been in on Friday, because between Ted snoozing his alarm and her convincing him a shag in the shower was a good idea, there was no time to get back to her house and change).
They hadn’t yet talked about what came next, but she could only imagine, judging be the way he’d smiled at her when she left him to stagger their entrances that morning, that it would be something good.
“Oi, look who finally showed up!” Keeley teased happily from where she’d perched herself on Rebecca’s desk for their 9 o’clock meeting.
Rebecca huffed, imagining how frazzled she must look as she pushed her loosely-styled hair behind her ears. If she and Ted were going to do this again, she’d need to outfit his place with all her essentials. “Sorry, darling. Mondays,” she offered, half hoping that would satisfy. But truthfully, she knew Keeley better than that.
Keeley narrowed her eyes and looked her over from head to toe. Rebecca wondered what she’d go for—the hair probably, or perhaps the undeniable glow of her complexion would give her away, like a character in a sitcom.
It wasn’t that Rebecca wanted to hide it exactly, especially from Keeley, but she wasn’t yet sure what it was. If the news involved anyone else, she’d probably be gushing about it already. But it wasn’t just anyone. It was Ted, and Keeley was so important to both of them. She wanted to be on the same page with him before she brought in anyone from their collective circle.
“Loving the menswear, babes,” Keeley said finally, a sly twinkle in her eye. “Did that new stylist pull that for you?”
Rebecca felt herself blushing and hoped her makeup hid it well enough. “Oh, erm, yes. She says the ’90s are back, you know. Power dressing. Animal print. You ought to know.” She rounded her desk and avoided Keeley’s eyes.
“Oh yeah, of course,” Keeley agreed delightedly. “And it gives you that freshly-fucked vibe.”
Rebecca choked on the sparkling water she’d just sipped and nodded to the best of her ability, eyes burning with the effort.
“That reminds me,” Keeley continued, “I met this great guy at my client’s restaurant opening just before Christmas. He’s fit and funny and he’s got money but not in like an aggressive way. Sort of Clooney-esque, I’d say. You want his number? He was very keen for an introduction.” She smiled innocently, curling a lock of shiny bronze hair around her finger.
“Oh, gosh,” Rebecca said, buying time. It wasn’t so unusual for Keeley to propose some matchmaking, but she couldn’t help but guess that she was onto her. Still, there was no way Rebecca would take her up on it, and that wasn’t unusual either. “I think I’ll pass. It’s such a hectic time.”
Keeley hummed. “I’ll bet.”
“Shall we get to work then? I’m sure there was something we were meant to talk about this morning.”
“Oh yeah,” Keeley said with an impish grin. “Plenty.”
The next near miss came that Friday, when Ted brought in a cake for Isaac’s birthday. He insisted on making a to do because he felt early January birthdays often went overlooked, and he’d spent the evening before in Rebecca’s kitchen, working through a family recipe and telling her stories from the while he’d spent back in Kansas. It felt like they’d done it a thousand times, and she hoped they could do it a few thousand more.
They had finally talked about them. At the end of the work day after their whirlwind weekend, he’d walked into her office with a shy, sweet look in his eyes and asked if he could make her dinner. He had her over that night for pasta and wine, and then he’d walked her home across the green and told her at her door that he was serious about this thing between them. She’d told him that she was, too.
And now they stood in the empty men’s locker room as Ted arranged silver candles in the layer of chocolate frosting that coated his masterpiece. The team was still at training and they had a good 20 minutes before anyone would wander in.
“Now the trick to a good candle display is to read the room. Just like when you’re buyin’ a gift, it’s gotta suit the individual.” He spoke low, his accent heavy and relaxed as his fingers danced over the slim candles, all too erotic for the subject matter. “Me, I like a whole mess of candles, lotsa color, maybe even different shapes. But Isaac is a classy fella, ya know? I think he’ll appreciate somethin’ more minimalist.”
She bit her lip over a smirk. “And what would you do for me, Coach Lasso?”
“Mm, I’ve thought about this a lot actually.”
“Oh?”
“Oh yeah. Now I can’t tell you everything ’cause that’d be cheating, but I can letcha know that it’d be like you. Classy, beautiful. Striking, but if you look closer, a little bit…” he was leaning in closer now, his lips centimeters from her own. “Silly.”
She couldn’t help but snort, as if proving his point, and he pulled away with an easy chuckle, placing one last candle on the cake.
“Shoot,” he said then, and she looked down to see he’d swiped a finger across the frosting.
Without thinking, she wrapped her hand around his wrist and raised it to her mouth, licking the dark chocolate streak off of his index finger.
“What the fuck?” came a gruff voice from the training field entrance.
They both jerked toward the door to see Roy standing there with an amused scowl. “Oh god,” she muttered under breath. “I was just—I should get back to work. I’ll come back for a piece later. Thank you for the taste, Ted.” She winced at her own words and nodded to Roy.
“You know how she gets about her baked goods,” she heard Ted say casually as she fled up the stairs.
By the next week, Rebecca was already feeling desperate to come clean to everyone. In just a few days, they’d had enough close calls for her liking. Besides, she was really, truly happy, and she just didn’t feel like hiding that from anyone.
“Do you think we need to make a big announcement or just… be more open?” she asked him as they walked into the building, ever so nonchalantly, like any two coworkers who might cross paths at their workplace.
“I don’t know, boss. Maybe folks would appreciate a more formal heads up. Pretty big news, I guess, it being you and me.”
She sighed. “I might at least tell Keeley first, if you don’t mind. I feel like I’ve been lying to her.”
Ted nodded. “Works for me. I probably oughtta tell the Diamond Dogs before we really get the word out. They, uh, might have an idea already about my feelings for you, so, ya know, gotta close the loop on that.”
“Is that so?” she said with a blush and a fond smile.
He grinned softly back as they stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind them with a kathunk.
“I think folks’ll be happy for us,” Ted said once they started moving.
“I think so too.”
She saw their reflection in the glossy metallic doors and couldn’t help but think about how well they fit together. If you’d have asked her five years ago, she never would’ve seen it, but she saw the whole world so differently now.
Something caught her eye in the image, and she snickered. Hanging above them was one last straggling sprig of mistletoe, a holdover from the few Roy had begrudgingly hung around Nelson Road after buying out Phoebe. Supposedly, she’d seen some in some trees at school, and she was ever the entrepreneur.
Ted glanced at her questioningly, and she nodded up at the bit of greenery, tied with a red ribbon.
Ted smiled. “Don’t mind if I do,” he said happily, straightening up to kiss her soundly just as doors began to open.
“I fucking knew it!” shrieked Keeley.
“Yeah, didn’t we all fucking know it?” growled Roy.
Ted and Rebecca burst apart to find that half the club was standing just outside the door. Rebecca’s jaw fell open as she took in their expressions. Leslie looking positively chuffed, players smirking, Laughing Liam raising a curious brow and then making a note on his phone.
“Well?!” Keeley said, beckoning them giddily. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Rebecca floundered, glancing from Keeley to Ted, skipping across all the faces in between.
Beside her, Ted cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling. “Rebecca and I are dating,” he announced with all the gravitas of a locker room speech. “Happy to answer any of y’all’s questions. Well, within reason.”
He smirked as some of his players whistled, and more hoots and cheers rose up from the rest of the group.
The doors began to close again between them, and Ted started to reach out an arm to stop it.
“You better take another trip while all these idiots calm down,” Roy said, waving him off. “And tear that thing down when you’re done, would you?” He nodded at the offending mistletoe.
“Sounds like a deal to me,” Ted agreed as the doors shut, and a merciful silence fell.
After a beat of stillness, Ted chuckled. “I think that went pretty well. Rippin’ off the Band-Aid. Plaster. You get it.”
He shrugged and grinned up at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh properly.
“Not too bad, I suppose.”
She sighed at the relief of it being out in the open, at least somewhat. Ted was watching her, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the kind of affection that shined in his gaze when he looked at her like that.
She leaned in and kissed him once more, just because she could.