Chapter Text
“Make yourself decent quick or I get a peek!” Keeley shouted with her eyes shielded for a half-second before sauntering into the change room, her grin as sweet and saucy as ever. “Just popping in to thank you for keeping me up to date with all your promo offers and media requests. So sweet of you all to do that.”
“Tha’s cuz R-” Zoreaux began until he saw Isaac’s glare and his finger warning him to shut up.
“It’s cuz it’s really important to us to make your life easier, Keeley. You take care of us, we take care of you,” Colin finished Zoreaux’s sentence, keeping her attention away from Isaac.
“Awww,” Keeley was touched as she placed one hand on Colin’s shoulder and another on her heart. “Ted’s never really gone, is he, when he’s inspired you all to be so thoughtful?”
“Thoughtful? Yeah. Tha’s Ted influence.” Roy walked out of the office and Keeley turned her smile on him.
“You have your moments.” She winked, and anyone watching closely, would see Roy inhale and hold his chest a little higher, all while trying to keep his cool.
“Rarely,” he quipped on the verge of a flirtatious smirk but instead looked down to avoid staring into Keeley’s eyes too long.
Keeley’s smile softened for a moment before turning back to everyone. “Wha’ever it is that keeps you efficient, keep it up! Much appreciated, boys! Good luck, Saturday!”
As shouts of “thanks Keeley” and “see you later” echoed through the room, Roy lifted his eyes to watch her walk away and then ducked back into his office to cut off the possibility of questions or comments from the team.
They all noticed but said nothing. Roy Kent’s glare morphed into puppy dog eyes whenever Keeley was on the scene. Their break-up a year prior – Roy’s decision to break up particularly – had confused everyone in the club and their interactions since Roy had become coach had only furthered their confusion. It was evident that Roy still adored Keeley, and Keeley either acted like she didn’t notice or seemed uncharacteristically shy about it. But nothing had become of it.
Jamie was the only one to question it today. The others weren’t as brave… or as stupid.
“Lemme get this straight, Coach,” he said, walking into the office when only he and Roy remained. “We know you want her back. You fought me over ‘er.”
“I beat the shit out of you ‘cuz you deserved it,” Roy mumbled under his breath.
“Wha’ever. In your dreams.” Jamie rolled his eyes. “But then, when you have the chance to score brownie points, you don’t tell her you’re fucking forcing us all to send ‘er our updated shit every week.”
“None of your fucking business why I do wha’ I do.”
“Nah… come on. Iss some sort of reverse psychology shit, innit?” Jamie wanted the truth.
“Fucking hell, don’t you listen?”
“Keep your shirt on grandad, just trying to get to the bottom of your mixed-up moves with women.” Jamie wanted to know, but he wasn’t above getting Roy riled up, besides, getting him riled up sometimes got to the truth faster.
“Not fucking playing at anything.”
“Okay mooney-eyed old man, have it your way. You think she’d be mad at you for interfering in her business, do ya’?” Jamie waited, thinking Roy would blow.
But he only got a low growl from the man. Roy did not want to be badgered.
So, he was playing hardball. Jamie tried another tactic to push Roy. “Dunno why your bother. She’s not into either of us. She made that clear. Move on.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“You are playing the long game.” Jamie felt smug in his small gotcha moment.
“I know iss hard… but try not to be such a prick. Already told you, mind your own fucking business. Sometimes people do things ‘cause it’s the right thing to do. Keeley works her arse off for the team. The least I can do is make sure her job’s easier. She deserves that.” Roy burst out before he had the sense to calm down.
Jamie started to laugh and stuck out his tongue pleased his badgering paid off. “Knew I’d get you to talk. But it don’t make sense, you not tellin’er.”
“Sometimes life doesn’t make sense to a child. Now get the fuck outta here and leave me alone.” Roy’s voice indicated he’d reached his limit of questions, teasing and talk about Keeley with his apparent rival for her affection.
Jamie did as he was told but didn’t understand Roy’s behaviour. If he was so in love with Keeley, why wouldn’t he fight for her using any way he could?
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The Greyhounds played and won an easy game at home. Jamie had the luxury of getting the crowd pumped, joining in on their cheers and hamming it up. He was having a blast with Sam and Dani joining in. They even performed a three amigos dance to the delight of the crowd and the Greyhounds bench. Every now and then, he’d glance over to the owner’s box and see Keeley and Rebecca as swept up in their antics as everyone else, but just as often, he’d catch Keeley staring down at the pitch, specifically at their coach, with a look on her face that Jamie wasn’t ready to acknowledge. It gave him a small, twisted knot at the pit of his stomach.
“Jamie!” Keeley called to him in the hallway before the post-game press conference. He stopped as Roy walked on, his shoulders just a bit more tense and squared than they’d been a moment before.
“Hey Keeley. Yeah. Hi. What’s up?”
“Great game. Loved you getting the crowd into it. Really fun! You smashed it out there, yeah? Bu-ut,” she leaned in, her hand on his shoulder, and whispered, “try to plug your Instagram page in there today, ‘k? I just uploaded the latest online ad of you with a Darsteiner.”
Jamie was a touch disappointed Keeley’s intimate gesture was only work-related, but he’d take it. After all, she hadn’t stopped Roy for anything. He was waiting impatiently for Jamie by the door to the press room, watching the whole scene unfold, so Jamie smiled brightly. “Sure thing.”
He gave her a wink for good measure.
“Awesome,” she hugged him, smiling, and turned to Roy.
“Oi! Tartt! Now!”
“Coach, chill.” Keeley reacted to Roy’s tone. “Just let his PR advisor give him pointers, yeah? Wouldn’t dream of making him late! Great game, by the way. Wasn’t that other coach the player you once trampled on to score a championship goal back in the day?”
Roy stopped, an unguarded look of shock on his face. “You remembered that story?”
“Course. Looked up the video when your sister told me about it at dinner that time. You really were a right demon shit back then.” Keeley laughed. “I might’ve even been scared of you!”
Roy chuckled. “You’da been a teenager.”
“Right. A teenager with attitude too, so probably not, yeah?” Keeley's eye waggled and joined in Roy's laugh.
Jamie yanked the door. “Come on, Roy. You were the one nagging me to get going.”
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The press conference was smooth as usual. Keeley complimenting Roy on a meaningless game from centuries ago was put aside once the press started asking Jamie about his stellar game. He lapped up the attention. His skill and cocky-but-charming persona had made him a highly quotable star, especially when he went off script. Today, however, he stuck to tried-and-trueisms and gamely managed to insert his Instagram feed into one of his answers. He looked to Keeley and nodded proudly. She gave him a smile and a wink and the moment in the hallway with Roy was erased from his memory. Jamie was riding high from a win and proper attention.
The press then switched their focus to Roy; they loved him for his honesty as much as they loved Jamie for his showmanship. Though Jamie was the current star, Roy had a way with words when he spoke freely that mesmerized his audience, and Keeley was one of them.
“Proud of all ‘em today. Was a decisive win. Don’t blame ‘em having a bit of a laugh with the crowd. Jamie here, really knows how to get ‘em going. That only riles the other team up more. Sets’em off-kilter, so they made more mistakes. Good clean win. Wasn’t really known for that in my career, kinda somethin’ to be known for it as a coach, innit?”
The crowded press corps laughed, and even though half his comments were about Jamie, Keeley’s eyes were glued to the gaffer. Roy said something funny – she laughed. Roy made a smart come-back, and her body language was like a teenager with a crush. Jamie’s emotional state was ping-ponging from one extreme to the other.
Roy was now his friend, coach, and mentor but Jamie always figured he and Keeley would get a second chance. They just made sense together. The problem was, while he knew Keeley was kind to him, she gave no indication of interest beyond her usual cheerful self.
Why the fuck is she so wrapped up with Roy when she wouldn’t even get back with him? He dumped her. Thought she had more self-respect than to let herself be charmed by a fickle grump.
When Keeley kicked him and Roy out that night after their stupid plan to offer her a “choice”, she never seemed to look back. At least not initially. But now, she did. A lot. Just not at him. This wasn’t how things were supposed to unfold.