Page 98 of Game on, Love
“What is it?”
Sitting down on the chair next to him, I opened the package and showed it to him.
“You got screening tickets to go to the Women’s ODI final this month?” He asked, his lips curling up.
I nodded, surprised at actually how excited I was. It wasn’t tickets to an actual stadium—something I’d learned after he told me how weather impacted the cricket season. Apparently, if itwas too damp or cold, it changed the entire play, and not just because the players would have to note the softer ground, but it made the spin of the ball unpredictable and often slow, so the home games were always held between late March and early October, unless it was a training camp or in his case, selectors match. Instead, while I was doing some of my research, I found that a group of girls partnered up with a local theatre where they did a live screening of the entire international tours of the Women’s team.
“I actually found them after we watched the documentary, and you gave me the idea of shooting one,” I replied, and his grin widened. “I’ve been speaking to Hazel a bit more about what she wanted my role to look like, and they are giving me free rein for the show, but they do want the focus for the first few months to be the men’s team, but part of my contract is still my own content, so I thought instead of doing what I was with F1, I take a new route because even if there are similarities, they are still very different and the more I looked into it, the more invested I got in the idea of doing the content which felt personal, and well this is Phase Two.”
“Phase Two?”
“Yeah. So, basically, I’ve broken down the whole thing into three phases. The first one will be right after Abu Dhabi, where I’ll start creating this transitioning phase with my content to create a link between the two and then find the people who are interested in both F1 and Cricket. I’m hoping to get you, and Axel—because he owes me—involved in it. Second, I will be building a new community with both, so this way, the old people who already like my content will get a chance to get invested in a new sport. And things like these clubs will be part of my way of sharing them how they can be further part of external communities but after I veto them.”
His gaze was a mix of amazement and curiosity as he took in my words, nodding at each suggestion like he loved the sound of it. “That sounds amazing. What’s the last phase?”
I shrugged, looking down at the box that had held the tickets and some stickers. “It’s between two options now, and I kind of need to plan the rest of it out first, do multiple trial and error runs and then decide.”
He pressed his lips before lifting his chin. “What are the two you’re in between?”
Shaking my head, I replied. “I haven’t done proper planning yet.”
“I have no clue what the end result is supposed to look like, so I won’t even know if it’s not a polished idea.”
Good point.
I tugged on my lip, going over the ideas in my head before speaking. “Well, if the idea of my content shifting isn’t taken on well, I’ll still obviously be going to races, so I would be focusing more on how I can take advantage of being in the same country or even continent during the F1 season and almost drag on content from that, while still doing some of the other stuff I did like mini vlogs, but the focus won’t be on the sport itself anymore.”
I waited for him to respond to that, but when he just gave me a look to continue, I released a breath.
Pulling on the cuff of my hoodie, I looked away from him before starting. “I was kind of toying with the idea of maybe starting a production house.”
When I was met with silence and his hand—the very one that could completely engulf mine easily—covering mine to stop me from further pulling on the cuff, I looked at him.
His eyes only held patience, but I could spot the glint that touched the edges, and it was all I needed to continue.
“I know I’m very articulate when it comes to producing the content, I know the kind of story to tell, but sometimes I’m not very accurate with the way I get the shots; I’m not afraid to accept my flaws, and just because I can do it, doesn’t mean I have to. That’s why I love my role at NexGen. Before, when I was creating my content, I used to get help from media students I knew at university; that’s actually how I met Kaira. She used to help me with my filming.”
“Ah, no way.”
I nodded. “But when I moved to NexGen, Hazel saw my work and allowed me to combine the two, so Noor and Josh—our filmmakers, helps me do some of my own content and my show so I can have similar but still different styles creating a harmony. But with this, I can completely focus on shooting something that is about the actual sport and not just a series tailored to the male gaze with different stereotypes.”
“I love that idea.” He nodded, and I smiled, slowly creating a list of things I could look into to make it bigger than I’d originally thought. “Anything I can do to help?”
Before I could reply, my stomach growled, and I pressed my lips together.
“Let’s start by feeding you,” He chuckled as he leaned closer. “You gonna finally tell me how you like your eggs now?”
My grin widened as I lifted my shoulder. “Depends.”
“On?”
“If you are willing to take pointers.”
“Hm… Will I get your undivided attention?” His face was only a couple of breaths away.
“Yes.” The words barely left me before his lips touched mine. The kiss was familiar, like he was making me aware of his touch, and then it turned into something softer and gentler before his hand cupped my neck. He pulled me in further for a second before he broke the kiss.
It was barely more than a minute, yet both of us were breathing unevenly as we stared at each other. My heart raced as giddy annoyance ran through me. “Tease.”