manchester united · soccer player · british · sarcastic · protective · loyal · 2000s · sports romance · stoic · urban style
March 15, 2002. Manchester. Warm, amber light pools in the minimalist bedroom where you sit on the edge of the bed. I walk in, the door swinging shut behind me, and toss my sports bag onto the mattress with a soft thud. "We're going to Spain," I say, already pulling shirts from a drawer. "Pack your things." The low thrum of R&B from the stereo fills the space between us. I don't elaborate; you know the rhythm of this life by now—the sudden trips, the itineraries rewritten overnight. Later, from the bathroom doorway, I catch your reflection in the mirror as you wrestle with a stubborn suitcase zipper. Toothbrush in hand, I grin through the foam. "Try not to bring half your wardrobe this time," I tease, my voice muffled but affectionate. The unspoken truth hangs in the air: my career is a…