Bend It Like Becker
Chapter 2 - RESEARCH REQUIRED
...
Becker thought he heard a noise coming from his front door, though it didn't sound like a knock, more like someone softly kicking it. He cautiously approached the door and peered out, not quite sure what to expect.
He certainly wasn't expecting to be greeted by a giant stack of DVDs and books, blocking what he could only assume was a certain over-achieving field coordinator.
"I stopped by the library on my way here," Jess's voice sounded from behind the stack as he opened the door, confirming her presence.
"So I see," Becker said, amused, as he lifted off the top half of the stack to reveal Jess's cheery smile. "C'mon in."
He led her into the living room and set down his own stack before realising that Jess hadn't followed. He hurried back to where she was awkwardly attempting to close the door with her foot and quickly shut it for her. He then followed her into the flat and, as she leant over to set down her stack on the low coffee table, involuntarily gasped, but my some miracle her incredibly short skirt revealed nothing it shouldn't, somewhat to Becker's disappointment.
Unfortunately she'd heard him gasp, and she turned around, an inquisitive look on her face. He dodged her query by stating, "The food's not here yet. Can I get you something to drink?"
Jess shook her head as she plopped down onto the couch. "I can wait." She gestured to the stacks in front of her, explaining, "I thought these could get us started."
"Started?" Becker teased. After all, with the amount of research materials she'd brought, he imagined they could plan their team all the way through World Cup.
Jess, however, didn't seem to catch his sarcasm for she continued seriously, "Most of these just cover the basics - rules and simple skills and such. But I figure if we can get these under out belts, we can always check out some more advanced media." She started arranging the stacks into more organised piles as she continued, "I actually got some kids books because they had photos, which I thought would be more helpful than just vague descriptions. Same with the DVDs."
Becker grabbed up one of the DVDs she was sorting, smirking. "Bend It Like Beckham?" he teased.
"There's lots of football practice montages and stuff," Jess insisted, blushing. "I thought they might be useful."
"Uh-huh." Becker was well aware from Abby that Jess was a sucker for romantic comedies and imagined this fact had influenced her film choice more than any coaching usefulness it might have.
"Oh, and I rung a bunch of places this afternoon," she continued. "Tomorrow at lunch I'm picking up the balls. I rented fifteen - I figured that would give us one for everyone plus some extras, just in case a few get away from us when we're kicking them about. And the fields are all taken care of. Since the match isn't for a fortnight, I figured we could spend the first week concentrating on skills and then put those together for more game-like practices next week. So with that in mind, starting tomorrow we have..."
As Jess eagerly explained her coordinating efforts thus far, Becker listened with rapt attention. Or, to be more accurate, he viewed with rapt attention. Whilst it's true he did hear her words, and they were in English so he understood their meaning, he wasn't really absorbing anything she was saying because he was too distracted by her frock. It was bright yellow, which was an attention-grabbing colour to begin with, but more importantly, it fit her like a glove. The waist was perfectly snug, which only emphasised her curves above and below.
But what was really holding his attention was the fact that he was now firmly convinced her short skirt had magical properties. No matter what her position or how she moved, it always seemed to cover just enough to keep from being scandalous. As such, Becker couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from it, though he wasn't sure whether it was due to his intrigue over the illusion...or his hope that it might somehow fail.
"...hope you don't mind," Jess was saying. The concern evident in both her tone and her look snapped Becker out of his trance as she added, "I didn't mean to step on your toes - I just thought it'd be easier for me to go ahead and take care of-"
"Of course, Jess," Becker quickly jumped in. He felt guilty, for clearly she'd misinterpreted his silence to mean he was upset with her when, in fact, that was the furthest thing from the truth. She never failed to amaze him - her magical skirt not withstanding - because she was so prepared for things that never even occurred to him. But instead of appreciating her for her amazing field coordinator skills, here he was being a first-class lout, lusting after her short skirt.
And not only was she his coworker, she was now his assistant coach as well, which meant that such thoughts were even more inappropriate. So he just needed to concentrate on the football and the monumental task they had ahead of them...and not let his eyes be drawn to where her yellow skirt met her lusciously long legs.
He shook his head and sighed. He opened his mouth to tell Jess how much he appreciated all her planning but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"The food!" Jess said, popping up from the couch and hurrying to the door.
Stupid magical skirt! Becker thought as he followed her.
...
The first thing that Jess sensed as consciousness started to return was the loud chorus of "Hot Hot Hot", though the lyrics seemed somehow off. As her eyes fluttered open, they came to focus on the bright telly in the dark room, where the credits to the film were now playing. Ah yes - Bend It Like Beckham. No wonder the lyrics didn't sound English!
She still couldn't believe that she'd convinced Becker to watch it. After all, it had been nearly midnight, and they'd already mapped out a strategy for the first few days of practice, so clearly her insistence that they could pick up some tips from the film was rubbish. Yet he'd given in with very little pleading on her part.
Of course, his first comments after putting it on were how young Keira and Parminder were, so perhaps he was watching it for different reasons! And, to be honest, that was about the last thing she remembered before hearing the song. Obviously the stress of the day, not to mention the excitement of all the planning, must've finally caught up with her, and the instant she'd let her guard down, she'd dozed off.
It was only now that she began to notice the warmth against her skin, though it took several moments for her to recognise it for what it was, and then only a split second for her to realise what it meant. The room had long since grown cold, and in her sleep she must've nestled against Becker's chest, trying to get warm.
That, in itself, wasn't so embarrassing, though she imagined he'd still have found plenty to tease her about. But it was much worse. She'd tucked her legs up under her when she'd sat, but in her sleep her knees had grown a mind of their own. Clearly cold, they, too, had sought out the nearest warmth, which in this case happened to be Becker's lap!
All this occurred to Jess in an instant, and her immediate reaction was to sit up straight, pull her legs down, and straighten her skirt, which she imagined must look unseemly!
Yet before she could do as her instincts demanded, her sense of hearing caused her to pause. Although the loud Hindi song was still playing on the telly, Jess could hear something underneath it, something low and steady.
Becker was asleep! That explained why he wasn't giving her the eye and mocking her. And his arm, which was tucked snugly around her shoulders, had no doubt been on its own heat-seeking mission.
And if she'd instantly sat up straight, she would've awakened him with a jolt.
Instead, Jess now slowly and carefully removed her knees from his lap, being careful not to jostle him. She straightened out her legs and wiggled her toes, trying to get some feeling back in them, having been asleep themselves for some time. And then she remained still.
She couldn't believe her luck. For the moment, not wanting to wake him, all she could do was sit here, his arm holding her tightly against his side. But, even better, once he awoke, she'd be able to tease him about falling asleep.
Or could she? What if she'd fallen asleep first, under his watchful eye? Perhaps he'd only nodded off during the final scene at the airport. (Yes, Jess had the movie practically memorised - how could she not, with cutie Jonathan Rhys Meyers in it - though she'd never actually paid attention to the footy before!) If he had watched her fall asleep, any teasing she might do now could and WOULD be repaid in kind, and he always gave her enough grief as it was.
No, she would simply have to forego the teasing. In the meantime, she could simply bask in his warmth.
Sadly, the moment, as well as the movie, had to come to an end eventually. As the credits finished scrolling, a brief silence descended over the room, and a sudden jolt beneath her let her know he'd just awoken.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, turning and smiling up at Becker.
"What time is it?" he asked through a yawn. He pulled his arm up so as to read his watch, and a cold draught suddenly fell on Jess's shoulders. She involuntarily shivered, and he gave her a concerned look.
"Well...I should probably be going," Jess said, quickly standing up and starting to search for her shoes in the dark.
Becker switched off the telly, which had returned to the DVD's opening menu, sending the room into momentary darkness. She heard him grumble something unintelligible before he managed to switch on the lamp next to the couch.
Having found her shoes, she sat back down next to him to put them on and noticed he was staring at her.
"What?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he simply cocked an eyebrow, his mouth forming a smirk.
"What?" she repeated, starting to feel nervous.
She could never stand up to such intense interrogation.
"Okay, yes, I fell asleep, too," she admitted. "But I'm sure you already knew that."
Becker shook his head. "I only guessed...since you weren't taking the piss out of me for falling asleep."
Dammit, Jess thought. She should've realised that!
Oh well, she'd remember that for next time.
If there ever WAS a next time.
As she started to gather the stacks of DVDs and books, Becker stood up and grabbed up half the stack.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Walking you to your car."
"Becker, there's no need-"
"Jess, it's nearly two. I'm walking you to your car," he stated firmly to ensure no further arguments.
She nodded, knowing he'd won.
"You do realise," she began, turning and smiling at him as she reached the door, "I'm going to make you watch the rest of the film later."
Becker rolled his eyes, and she knew she'd at least won this round.
...
to be continued