EJ in Love

Connor 

I glanced around the restaurant trying to keep my awe at bay. Even though I was worth a good few millions myself, even if I wanted to desperately pretend like I could afford to eat lunch at every Michelin star restaurant every day, I would be way over my head. 

The seafood slash sushi restaurant Edward convinced me to go with him to was one of the top in the whole of London, I was sure in the whole of the United Kingdom. I knew it belonged to his grandfather, Cameron Coleman, and it was next to impossible to get a table. Yet the Coleman family had their very own room in the restaurant dedicated solely to them. 

It had the perfect overview of London, all the skyscrapers just looked a fingertip away and I could stare out for hours. Yet there was no chance I was going to make Edward aware. 

"What do you want to eat?" he asked me as he skimmed through the menu I had long abandoned. There was not a thing on it that I knew therefore I saw no point in pretending. 

"I don't know what they are," I frowned, "They should add pictures."

His laugh bubbled through the room, almost making me smile, "Grandpa would shit his pants."

"You know some steakhouse could have been perfectly fine," I ran my calloused hands down my face. 

"Dad has one, would you prefer we go there?"

I shook my head, already feeling overwhelmed, "Just order for me. I don't care."

He simply nodded and when the waiter came back he ordered what sounded like a feast. Not that it intimidated me. Rugby players burned through calories like it was nothing and even though I had a large breakfast I was starving. I could have eaten the restaurant clean and still wanted more somewhere. 

The waiter came back with non-alcoholic wine since we were both driving. It tasted better than the real thing if I had to be honest and I wondered how it was like to live this kind of life every single day. No wonder Edward always had that content smile on his face as if he knew he was better than you without even having to say a word. 

When we were not arguing or on each other's necks there left very little to talk about. The air around us was filled with awkward tension as I looked out but I could feel his eyes on me. He stared at me so shamelessly. It was like he had no impulse to know that to stare was weird. In fact creepy!

It always made me forget how to properly breathe and put one leg in front of the other. I knew this was a bad idea agreeing to come over to lunch with him but I felt bad for attacking him in his office. I never really thought things through when it came to him. I always acted with emotion and anger, that was what always got me into trouble because he would meet my passion to make his life a living hell with just as much enthusiasm. 

"Excited for the game Sat'?" his lips were pursed as he seemed to dig for conversation in an invisible bag that contained nothingness. 

I nodded, "I've been watching videos of the other team and I feel like it will be an easy win."

He gave me a small thoughtful smile, "Nice to have a deputy captain who puts in the work."

"Nice to have a captain who doesn't give a shite," I frowned. 

"Even if I told you I give a shite, the biggest one of all, you wouldn't believe me," he let out a chuckle. Before we could continue the waiter came back to give Edward what looked like a tiny pill case then he scurried away. His cheeks tinted pink as he opened it, placed the pill in his mouth then took a large gulp of wine. "Sorry, my Dad must have found out I'm here."

"What is it for?" I did not know what possessed me to ask. 

"It's a diet thing, I found out I'm anemic a few weeks ago," he gave me a smile, "Nothing major."

"Anemia means you're prone to fatigue, how come I was not informed?"

"I'm the captain not the other way around," his face instantly turned to one of stone, "Make one comment about me being pale and I'll tackle you right now."

I could not help the laugh that left me. "You're fucking daft."

His smile helped ease the tension in the room the instant it came back, "Look at us. We could get along if you tried, you know. This is what normal captains do. They have lunch, talk over game strategy without threatening each other's lives. It brings good harmony to the team."

"We have great harmony in the team. The half of the team that agrees with my method and the half that likes yours."

He brushed his blonde hair back with his fingers then gave me an exasperated look, "Everyone on the team says if you can get married maybe you'd be less rugby crazy."

The scoff that left me was so loud it felt like it echoed throughout the room, "The day I get married is the day you can commit to one single person."

His laugh did nothing to reassure me that could ever happen since he found it to be the funniest thing of this century. "I can commit, you know."

I looked around as if searching, "I'm trying to find a universe where that can ever happen and unfortunately it doesn't exist. Didn't you just spend the whole night with Holly?"

"I was doing that to prove a point because you pissed me off last night."

"You sleep with people to prove a point," I exclaimed, "Well then you must be on body count a thousand by now!"

"You change girlfriends just as much as I do and no one is blaming you."