Chapter 299: [299] "Normal life for a few"

Luc nodded slowly, listening to her voice.

"Last night," Juliette continued, her tone softening further, "we sat out by that fire pit, and you looked at me and accepted that the season was finally over. You promised me a break. A real, actual break. Just us, in this house, living a normal life for a few weeks before things started up again."

She turned her head, looking at him with a mixture of sadness and affection.

"And then, few hours later, your phone rings. And without even looking at me, you're planning on booking a flight to America to go play again. The break lasted one night then."

Luc felt an ache open up in his chest.

She was right. She was undeniably right.

Juliette had sacrificed just as much as he had this season. She had managed his physical state, navigating the brutality of his grade-two tibial contusion, forcing him to rest when his ego demanded he play. They had packed their boxes, organized the movers, and she had set up this twin house while he was away on away fixtures.

She had anchored him through the darkest, most volatile stretches of the title race, absorbing his stress and keeping him grounded when the pressure threatened to fracture his focus.

She had earned this break just as much as he had, if not more.

And he had erased that it in a single sentence to Max Caster.

Luc reached out, sliding his arm around her waist. He pulled her gently against his side. She didn't resist, letting her weight settle against his chest, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Luc said, his voice vibrating against her cheek. "I really am, Jules. I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't trying to make a decision like that all by myself."

Juliette sighed, leaning heavier against him. "I know you weren't. You're just wired that way. You see a challenge, and you immediately start figuring out how to conquer it. It's what makes you the best striker in this country. But sometimes, I just need you to turn the football brain off for five minutes and remember that we are a team, too."

"I know," Luc murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her messy hair. "You're right. I was stupid. I should have looked at you, put the phone on mute, and asked what you thought."

"What would you have done if I said no?" she asked, a faint trace of amusement returning to her voice. "If I told you that I refused to let you go, and that you had to stay here and clean the pool for the next month?"

"I would have told the federation that I suffered a tragic, career-ending pool-cleaning injury and couldn't make the flight," Luc answered almost as quickly as she asked, tightening his grip on her waist.

...though he was lying through his teeth. No one on earth could stop him from reaching the peak of the mountain.

Juliette laughed, the tension in her shoulders finally melting away. She turned her face into his neck, her breathing slowing to match his.

"You have to go," Juliette said, her voice muffled against his skin. "They need you. You've outgrown this league, Luc. Everyone knows it. You need to go to that camp, you need to put on that jersey, and you need to show the rest of the world what you've been doing over here. You can't hide when a Copa America is happening."

"I know," Luc agreed, resting his chin on the top of her head.

They sat there in silence for several minutes, the morning light slowly creeping past the edges of the curtains, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. The peace of the twin house wrapped around them. It was a beautiful property. It was the perfect sanctuary.

And he was about to leave it.

Luc pulled back just enough to look down into her eyes.

"You know," Luc began, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. "When I told Max that we were going back home, I wasn't just talking about myself."

Juliette blinked, looking up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Luc said, reaching up to brush a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, "that the United States Soccer Federation has a very generous travel budget for their star players. And I happen to know a highly qualified medical administrator who desperately needs a vacation."

Juliette's eyes widened. "Luc, I have a job here. I have responsibilities at Valois."

"The Valois season is over," Luc countered, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. "The medical wing is shut down for the break. Detone can handle the paperwork. You have nothing holding you here in the meantime. And I am not spending the next month or so sitting in a hotel room by myself."

"It's a business trip for you," she argued weakly, though the protest lacked any real conviction. "You're going to be training. You're going to be in meetings. I'll just be sitting around."

"You'll be sitting around in VIP sections of massive stadiums, watching me score goals," Luc corrected, his voice reaching a tone that was unfair to use on her this early in the morning. "You can go shopping. You can see the cities. And when the training sessions are over, I get to come back to the hotel and see you."

Juliette stared at him, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"I am not going without you," Luc stated, his tone shifting from playful. "You were there for me through this entire campaign. I wouldn't have won the Golden Boot without you keeping my head straight. I wouldn't have survived the knee injury without you. I am not walking onto an international stage without you in the stands."

He leaned in closer, his lips hovering mere inches from hers.

"You are coming with me, Juliette," he murmured. "That is not a request."

Juliette's resistance crumbling under his gaze. She dropped the toothbrush onto the nightstand, freeing her hands. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.

"You are manipulative when you want something," she whispered, a smile curving her lips.

"Maybe," Luc replied.

She got up and walked to the sink to rinse her mouth, expecting a kiss. Wanting a kiss.

She ran back as soon as she was done.