Page 91 of Game on, Love
He nodded, though I could see he was holding back from saying something. Turning to the stove, once I was happy with my stock, I poured it over the rice and set the heat to medium. When I glanced back at him, he had this faraway look, and the air filled with something unspoken. Noticing my stare, he blinked away his thoughts. “You ready for the match? Sean said you were having issues during training.”
I swear, one of these days, I was going to kill Sean.
“What did he say, now?”
“Only that you seemed distracted.”
“Well, I’m not and he shouldn’t be bothering you with this. He’s had plenty of opportunities to tell me this, and he hasn’t.”
Dad frowned.
“Look,” I rolled my shoulder. “I’ll admit, things have been a little difficult the past year, but things are back on track. If it wasn’t for the injury, this match wouldn’t even be an issue, and we would’ve been on track, but we already won the championship, and Coach has reassured me everything looks good so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about you.”
I stilled. “What about?”
“I’ve never known you to be distracted on the pitch, so when he mentioned it, I just want to know you’re doing okay.”
“I am. I still love it..” I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. “Lately, I’ve just spent a lot of time thinking if I want it to be what all my life is about or not.”
Dad stared at me for a beat, before a smile appeared on his face. “What’s her name?”
My head reared back in surprise. “What?”
“When a person starts rethinking what their life is all about, generally it’s after they’ve met someone who makes them question it.”
Shaking my head, I replied. “Raina.”
He tilted his head, like he’d heard her name before. “Is this the same girl you and your mother went out to dinner with the other night?”
My shoulders dropped as a chuckle left my lips and I nodded.
He smiled a little, before a tinge of something heavier settled in. “There’s a lot more to life than cricket, Ollie. You’re young, and barely starting your career but you’re already questioning about creating a balance in your life, which is smart. Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way. Maybe, this thing happening to me wasn’t all too bad if it gives you a better way to deal with your life before you get caught up in the politics of the game.”
I gulped, not quite sure what to say. We never talked about how hard it was to step away from cricket, it had been his everything for more than most of his life. He was a legend in his own right, and now, watching me play, I knew it stirred something deep within him. It wasn’t easy for either of us, but it was then that I’d committed to something deeper in me that I wasn’t going to play with a half heart either.
Dad leaned back in his chair, before asking. “Have you fixed your leg-side shots yet?”
I blinked. “What’s wrong with them?”
“You rely too much on your off-side. Sure, it gives you the upper hand in many chances but it still makes you predictable,” He rubbed a hand on his chin like he was trying to come up with a fix. “You need to work on improving the leg side shots so you can create a balance and make it easier to throw them off.”
I nodded, before asking. “Anything else?”
Because I was sure, he was just pilling them up and waiting me to ask. “Actually, in your match with Durham, I noticed…”
Groaning internally, I turned back to the stove to check on the risotto as he continued giving me pointers. Though, I couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved seeing him a bit more up beat.
TURNING THE TV ON,I settled back on the couch. Once I stopped moving, Milo looked at me for another beat before climbing up my lap.
I’d gotten home just in time for Raina’s Pre-race show. We’d texted a couple of times today but she had been running a little late, and I didn’t want to bother her too much knowing her schedule was already jam-packed, and she’d been running around already.
And just as the starting screen faded away to her, she was in a purple suit—the ones she’d preferred for race days, her hair pulled back in a pony tail— and as she held up the microphone to her face, I could spot the scurried expression she tried to hide right away. Though, as she began her segment, it was like everything just clicked in place, and the other journalists around her found their rhythm together.
The show was halfway done when Rihaan walked in. “Hey, How’s your—” He paused as he noticed the screen before dropping on the couch opposite me and farthest away from me, considering Milo was still curled up on my lap.
“Since when do you watch Formula One?” He asked, his stare fixed on Raina as she interviewed one of the team principal’s on the upgrades they’d brought to the track.