The Game by Anna Bloom

Author:Anna Bloom [Bloom, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2017-06-07T04:00:00+00:00

The next day I was waiting for the crunch of tyres on gravel. I was kitted out in my finest whites. His eyes widened as he slowly ran them up and over my body and I swear I tingled despite the barrier of cotton between his gaze and my skin. "What is this?" he asked.

"Incognito batting practice," I hesitated. "That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

I grinned, teasing. "Come on, say it."

He sighed, and his shoulders dropped. "I'm not conceited, Rivers, but there isn't a cricket field in the country where I'm not going to be recognised."

"Meh. And for the record you are conceited." I lifted my shoulders until they brushed my ears, before letting them drop, then I grinned at him as his gaze became a suspicious glare. "Come on, I've got some kit for you." I led him up the stairs to my room and pulled the closet open. He kept his eyes focused on the floor, not taking in any aspect of my room at all, as his hand rubbed along the back of his neck, agitating the skin. "Here." I thrust some whites at him, along with a faded green cap and a cricket cable knitted sweater.

He stared at them and then his eyes lifted to mine. "Are these your brother’s?"

The wind whooshed out of my lungs. "What?" I struggled to get my mouth to move. "What do you know about that?"

With gentle hands, he took the clothes, his fingers delicate against the material. "I know who you are, Rivers, and I know who your brother is, and I know what happened. I might be a twatface as you call me, but I'm not stupid."

I didn't want them to, but my fingers began to tremble, and my throat did that tightening thing I hated before tears formed. "Why haven't you said anything, or asked?"

He shrugged. "I figured you'd talk if you wanted to." There was a pause. "And I can see how much Sammy means to you and I figured that’s the best thing to come out of the whole accident."

I walked away and leant against the window frame. "You played against him once you know," I remembered the day my brother had come home pumped from his match because he'd played against the great Jase Willis. I already knew he was an idiot, a fact I'd told Anthony about in no uncertain terms, and if I remembered correctly, he'd refused to sit at the dinner table next to me that night because I was a 'heathen'.

When the Lion spoke, his voice was right behind me, and his breath fluttered against the skin of my neck. "I know. He was good. I never understood why he didn't aim higher."

I turned slightly and stared at the weather-worn skin on his face. His speckled blues found mine. "He met a girl and got married, then they had Sammy, and I guess that was more important."

The Lion thought about this for a moment. "I've never imagined anything more important than cricket.

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