“What?” I asked, almost dumbstruck.

“Manchester United offered to hire me as a coach. Yes!” He picked me up and twirled me around, laughing almost maniacally. “I can’t believe it!” He put me down and fist-bumped the air again, too ecstatic to stay calm even for a second. “We need to celebrate this. Wait, I’m going to take the glasses.”

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I watched him move with an unusual lightness in his step as if he wasn’t injured at all. As if this gave him the strength to keep going.

This was totally unexpected. I had never heard him mention anything about coaching.

He returned with glasses and a bottle of Chardonnay, his smile never wavering.

“This is great news, but I didn’t know you wanted to be a coach.” Even to me, the enthusiasm in my voice didn’t sound that convincing.

“Actually, yes. That was my long-term goal, which was why I wanted to make the most out of my career before I became one.” He whistled. “This was a hell of a surprise. I thought it wasn’t the right time, but Manchester United needs me now and they think I’m the best choice. Oh, man.”

He handed me my glass, sitting next to me. “To becoming a coach.”

“To becoming coach.” We clanked our glasses, and I took a huge swig.

“Damn.” He shook his head. “I really can’t believe it. And Manchester United of all the clubs… Then I need to work much harder to get ready for the next season.”

“That is… That’s terrific.” I forced my lips to curl up, part of me feeling happy for him, so happy, but the other part… This meant he was definitely going away.

I wanted to laugh at my stupidity. Of course, he was going away. Did I actually think even for a second he would stay here for good? That he would abandon his dreams, change his plans, and stay—all of that for me? Bravo, Alison. You rock.

“But what about your recovery? Does your rehabilitation hinder anything?”

“No. They need me for the next season, and my manager told me I’ll recover in time to train before it starts.”

“Good. That’s good.” I couldn’t even look at him. I should be celebrating with him, getting blitzed and all, but I couldn’t be completely happy about something that would separate us.

“So, I guess you will continue your recovery in England.” Damn, I sounded so selfish, but this was so difficult. I was never good at these things.

He caught my hands and kissed the back of one hand then the back of the other. He looked so happy—happiest I had seen him these days—and it was only adding to my discomfort. Here I was, gloomier by second, unable to share his sentiments.

“I’ll stay here until I’ve recovered. You’re the best therapist for me.” I would respond to his smile if only I wasn’t so shaken.

“Oh, so you only want me as a therapist?”

His smile widened. “Not at all, silly. I want you. Alison Rossi. The most charming, funny, beautiful, and smart woman I’ve ever met. The woman who intrigued me from the moment I laid my eyes on her lying on that ground. I think I fell for you right then.”

He covered my lips once more, and pain suffused me. It was so sweet. His confession was so sweet, and if we were in different circumstances, I would be melted all over his floor.

But in this case…

I wanted all the best for him, I always did, but this meant we had no future. His career was more important to him than me, and he would leave me. It wasn’t fair.

I was doing my best to respond to his kiss and avoid breaking in front of him, but he noticed I was far away from here in my thoughts, and he drew away to look at me. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

I had said I would support him and wouldn’t stop him from doing what he wanted, so maybe it was for the best to let him go. Maybe we weren’t meant to be.

“Look, don’t get me wrong. I’m so happy for you, Liam. I want you to achieve all your dreams and be successful in your endeavors. I said I wanted to support you, and that is true. I want the best for you.”

His grin started fading away. “Why does that sound like ‘but’ is coming next?”

I entwined my hands together, finding it so difficult to say this while looking at him. “Because ‘but’ is really coming. I want the best for you, but I feel it’s best for me to end this—whatever this is—with you now and leave before my heart gets completely crushed.”

His frown spoke volumes. “What are you talking about? End this? Why?”

“Why?” I stood up, not able to stay in one place. “Because it doesn’t lead us anywhere. Okay, we feel something for each other, but you’re going away, Liam. You’ll be leaving soon, and all of this, all these moments, no matter how amazing they are… They’re pointless.”

I started pacing around, growing more and more anxious. “It’s all my fault, I know. I told myself not to fall for you. I was supposed to know better. I knew you were going away, so I can’t really blame this one on you. But still… What are we doing now? I don’t want to sound selfish, but I can’t help but be disappointed that you’re leaving.”

He jumped to his feet. “What do you want to say? That I’m just using you before I’m gone for good?”

“No, that is not what I mean. But the truth is that your career is the most important for you, and you would dump me sooner or later. I was wrong to come looking for you today. You will be perfectly fine without me.”

I was breathing heavily now, my hands shaking.

“Bullshit,” he said, taking a step closer to me. “I need you, Alison, don’t you understand that, or do I need to spell it out for you? This means that I don’t want to be without you.”

He stopped right in front of me, taking over my personal space, taking over my mind, taking over my damn heart.

“It’s true that I don’t do anything without taking my career into consideration, but can you blame me for that? For my whole life soccer was all I had, but then you came into the picture, and now I have to get used to the fact that I can’t think only about myself anymore. I have to take you into consideration.”

His knuckles brushed my cheek, his adoring gaze sliding over each part of my face. “Now you’re also important to me, and I don’t want to lose what I have with you. I want to be with you no matter what. As a lover. As a partner.”

The air was taken forcibly out of my lungs, my heart clenching.

“You want me to be your girlfriend?”

“I spoke in English, didn’t I?”

“Oh, that was English? Not gibberish?”

He cocked his brow, trying to suppress his smile. “So what’s it going to be?”

“I would love that, but how can we make it work if you’ll be living in England? It’s going to be a long-distance relationship, and I’m not sure it can work—”

“Why are you doubting it before it’s even started?” He tapped my nose and placed his hands in the small of my back, bringing me closer to him. I loved the feel of him against me. I could never get enough of it. “Besides, who says we would have a long-distance relationship?”

“You won’t be staying here, so that pretty much means we’d be Skype sexting and other things.”

A loud laughter barrelled from his mouth, his hold on me tightening. “I love that idea. Skype sexting. I’ve never done that before.” I pouted, which only made him laugh harder. “Look, maybe I won’t be staying here, but you can come with me.”

The world froze. “What?”

“Yep. You can come with me. We can live together in England.”

“Whoa. Are you serious? Are you actually offering me to live with you?”

“No. It’s just a prank.” He kissed my forehead.

“You’re so not funny at the moment.”

He became serious, his hands delicately moving up and down my waist, almost distracting me.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot. One day I woke up and I liked you, and I knew I had to find a way to be with you. This is the best way. You will come with me and everything is solved.”

Wait. I stepped out of his embrace, not sure if I had heard him right. “The best way? For me to come with you?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about you? Why can’t you stay here?”

He winced, surprised by the sharp tone of my voice. “Isn’t it obvious? My career is—”

“Yes. Your career. What about mine? Have you thought about it for a second as you concocted your plan? Have you thought about me?”

He ran his hand through his hair twice, exhaling loudly. “I know. You have a career here and—”

“Pathways is my clinic. I didn’t open it with my friends for nothing. And I have my friends here. I have everything here. I can’t just leave like that. I can’t just go to England, where, except you, I have nothing.”

“Baby, I know, and if I knew there was any better way for us to work, I would suggest it.” He took my shoulders, peering into me. “I love you, Alison.” My breath hitched at his confession, and the veil of confusion enveloping me grew even thicker. He loved me.

“And I don’t want you to sacrifice anything, but for now, I’m not able to make a compromise on this. This is a huge opportunity for me, and I can’t let it go.”

As much as I fought against them, I couldn’t beat my tears, and the first one slid down my cheek. He caught it with his thumb and wiped it away. “Please, don’t cry. We can work this out.”

“How? I’m afraid you’re asking for too much. I can’t come with you. And it hurts me that you think I can abandon my life here just like that.”

“No. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you to leave everything just for me. You’re a sports therapist, and you’d have plenty of opportunities in England, especially with your expertise and knowledge. I know people there. I’ll talk with someone and see if there’s something for you.”

Now, this was going a bit too fast for me.

“Please, wait. Just wait. This is too much for me. I… I need to think. Okay? I need time to think because you are telling me too much, and I have an overload of information in my head at the moment.”

I went over to his balcony and stopped to look at the lights of the city ahead of me. Liam’s apartment complex was on the top of a hill that overlooked the city, so the view was worthy of the front page of a city magazine. Too bad that I couldn’t even appreciate the beauty of the landscape at the moment, thrown off-balance by the latest turn in events and the ugliness of my emotions.

I could sense him right behind me, but he didn’t touch me. “I won’t pressure you into accepting this. I just want you to know that you have more options than you think. Yes, your life is here, but new beginnings don’t have to be so bad. And I know it’s not fair that only you have to sacrifice something, so this is all I am and will ever ask you. I will understand if you refuse to come with me.”

I faced him with the lump in my throat. I needed more time to think about this. “Liam, I… I need to think about this, okay? I can’t give you an answer now, because everything is so muddled, and I don’t know what to do.”

“I understand. Just know that I’ll fight for this. I’ll fight for us. No matter what you decide.”

He outstretched his hand to touch my cheek, and I wished I could lean into his touch and tell him everything would be fine. But I couldn’t know that.

So I just nodded and went inside to take my bag, hurrying to get out.