Football singularity

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[Rose Isle, Orlando| 19/01/2020 | Time: 17:21]

"What are we gonna do about the Marquess?" Lisa asked as she plopped down on her bed, slipping under the covers as she rested against the headboard. "I know he doesn't have any parental rights, but still, it's not like we can cut off the emotional bonds."

Ben looked up from his laptop, pressing send on the email he had been composing. "(sigh) There is not much we can really do except let things run their course. Whatever happens, we just need to support our son like we always have."

"I just don't get it; how can someone have a kid and not know it till decades later?" She complained with a slight pout, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thinking about the state he was in when he found us makes me angry just thinking about it. And now what? He wants a relationship with him."

Ben closed the laptop and placed it gently on the nightstand, his eyes narrowing with the weight of his thoughts. He wrapped an arm around Lisa, pulling her close as he spoke. "I know," he said quietly. "But this is his father we are talking about, no matter how angry he may be, the man is a connection to his late mother."

Lisa exhaled slowly, her fingers subconsciously tracing a line across Ben's chest. "I know… I know that. And I'm not trying to be petty or possessive, but it just blindsided us out of nowhere."

"(Sigh) Have you spoken to him? I know he is all alone in Germany right now, ever since May went to stay with her grandparents." Ben asked with a slight crinkle of his brow as he breathed in her scent.

"We talked briefly when he got home, but he doesn't want to talk about what happened in London. Plus, I'm not quite sure what happened between him and May; they have been off since Christmas Day." Lisa lamented snuggling deeper into Ben's embrace, "I'm sure they will work out whatever it is, though I doubt Rakim is taking the time to figure things out right now."

Ben kissed the top of her head and gave her a soft squeeze. "They will be alright," he repeated, more to reassure himself than her. "We just have to trust that things will work out and just be ready to help when they need us." Lisa nodded against his chest; the room dim save for the soft golden glow of the bedside lamp. Outside, the Florida night was calm—the occasional chirp of crickets the only soundtrack as the household settled into stillness.

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[Glebe Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | 20/01/2020 | Time: 08:20]

(Ding Dong)

The chime echoed through the quiet, sun-dappled hallway of the modest but charming red-brick townhouse nestled on Glebe Road. A soft clatter followed as footsteps rushed across the hardwood floor.

"Coming!" a voice called from inside, and a second later Jenna McKinnon, dressed in an oversized grey hoodie and leggings, appeared, a sleepy yawn calling her back to sleep. "Oh, May hi... huh MAY it's YOU!"

Before May could even react, she found herself pulled into a tight hug as the smaller girl squeezed all the air out of her body. May laughed, muffled in the crook of Jenna's shoulder. "Hi to you, too, Jen, can you let me breathe, please?"

Jenna finally pulled back, pushing her glasses up her nose with both hands before stepping aside to let May in. "You didn't say you were coming. I honestly thought I was dreaming for a second," Jen said as she grasped the latter's hand, pulling her inside along with her bags. "Wait, what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but you have been MIA since Christmas, and none of us have been able to reach you."

May stepped into the narrow entryway, the familiar scent of jasmine-scented candles and leftover takeaway hitting her all at once. This place was way more high-end than the apartment her friends had been renting the previous semester, but some things never changed. Just looking around, she could see their touch in the decor, judging by how messy things were, they were coming off a wild night, given that both of them are clean freaks.

"I know I just needed some time to figure things out for myself." May quickly explained her voice, taking a slightly sombre tone. "Didn't Rakim tell you I went to my grandparents in Tennessee?"

"He did, but from the sound of it, he hasn't been able to reach you either," Jenna responded as she led her friend to the kitchen, offering her a cup of coffee. "Plus, you should have called us, no matter what was bothering you; radio silence for 26 days is not right"

Looking at her friend, who now had her hands on her hip, looking ready to lecture her like a disapproving mother, May quickly apologised. "Sorry," she simply said, not wanting to get into that this early in the morning after an 8-hour flight.

Jenna's expression softened as she watched May sink into one of the sleek bar stools by the kitchen island, her exhaustion plain despite her fresh makeup and effortlessly stylish athleisure fit. With a sigh, Jenna slid a mug across the counter. "You better drink that and go wash up before the girls wake up, it gets really competitive over bathrooms in this house."

"Wait, this place is big, don't tell me you only have 1 bathroom?" May asked with her hand, gesturing around the house's high ceiling and fancy amenities that likely came with the house. It looked more like a family home from the outside, well, a 3-story family home, but nonetheless, it didn't look like a typical villa.

"Well, yeah, it has like 4, well actually 3 since no one uses the one in Emma's room, but each bathroom has different appliances." She told her friend, but upon seeing her gaze, which practically told her she wasn't buying it, she explained. "The bathroom by the pool and sauna has a steam shower and cold plunge. The main one here has a regular shower and is quite small, well, compared to the others, but we mostly use that to get ready for night outs. The one upstairs has a Roman-style bathtub, enough for 3 people."

"Who was this house made for again?" May questioned, trying to wrap her head around just how fancy the bathroom in this place seemed to be.

"For her uncle, I think he is a lawyer or something." Jen shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her cappuccino with relish.

"Is he like James Bond's lawyer or something?" She questioned after spotting the outdoor gym and swimming pool from the floor-to-ceiling window.

Jenna nearly choked on her drink, coughing into her hoodie sleeve as a surprised laugh escaped. "Honestly, wouldn't even be surprised. All I know is that he got his degree here before doing a doctorate at Harvard. From what Emma told me; he could have graduated after the 1st year but remained for all three getting his MBA."

"Wow, that's like major nerd alert, but why stick around for an extra two years if he was just going to transfer to Harvard anyway?" She questioned, now genuinely interested to hear the thought process of someone dubbed a genius.

"Because you don't go to a school like Cambridge and Harvard for an education which you could get anywhere else in the world. You're here for the connections you can make." Startled by the voice behind her May quickly turned to see the smiling face of Emma behind her. "Good to know you're alive, had us worried for a while there."

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To be Continued...