CHAPTER 643: CHAPTER 643 DIE MANCHAFT

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[09/11/2020 | 19:30 PM | Hahnwald Estate, Cologne]

The steam rose in lazy spirals from the hot tub, disappearing into the high ceiling of the indoor pool house. Soft underwater lights cast a blue-green glow across the water, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. The only sounds were the gentle bubbling of the jets and the muffled patter of rain against the glass roof panels.

Rakim sat with his head tilted back against the tub’s edge, eyes closed, letting the heat work its way through his muscles that still ached from yesterday’s match. His shoulders, particularly the left one where he’d taken a heavy challenge from Matthias Ginter in the second half, throbbed with a dull pain that the hot water was slowly easing.

May sat across from him, her hair tied up in a messy bun, a few loose strands framing her face. Zeus lay on the heated tiles nearby, occasionally lifting his head to check on the wild animals that migrated through their garden through the large glass windows. She’d been quiet for the past few minutes, content to enjoy the peaceful silence between them.

They had been through the wringer in the past few months, which really tested their relationship. Her father’s situation — yes, that’s what they decided to call it — had gotten uglier. The fact that COVID laws kept changing did not make things better, as one moment travel was allowed, only to be stopped in the next.

May had managed to make a trip to Texas to see her stepmother and brother, checking on them. The trip had started off tense, with both women sharing words with the Parker household. From what Rakim managed to find out from Reece, he had to help his grandparents on the ranch to get some peace.

However, by the time she had gotten home, they seemed to have reached some sort of understanding. Things remained tense, though, and for the second time since their relationship started, they had argued, genuinely fought cold war style. The stress of the tabloids that didn’t seem willing to let it go, and some of their fans becoming extreme, added to the tension.

They had entered a state where neither wanted to say anything wrong that could very well lead to another break like the one they had during Christmas. So they co-existed, neither remembering why they were really fighting in the first place, but they had already dug their trenches. May went on her Australia trip with the girls when the restrictions were lifted again, giving both sides a breather.

While she recovered mentally, Rakim took his anger out on the teams they played at the start of the season. Things would have probably continued in a similar manner when she returned if not for Emma. His sister had come to visit him and Zeus after not having seen him for the entire lockdown, where he had been hospitalised.

Seeing him briefly when they picked up May wasn’t enough for her, and she needed more. The usually reserved girl gave them a talking to that would put their AP English teacher, Mrs Palmer, to shame. The girl had somehow managed to make them feel guilty, stupid and sorry all at the same time.

At some point, they had to escape, making up the excuse that they had to go shopping for groceries, despite having a fully stocked walking fridge. Poor Zeus had to suffer the rest of the lecture as Emma seemed to be unable to stop once she got going. Nevertheless, her intervention had given the two some perspective, making them realise just how important their relationship was to each other.

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"You’re tensing up again," May observed, breaking the silence. "Your shoulders."

Rakim opened one eye, looking at her. "Am I?"

"Yeah. You need to let yesterday’s match go; you guys are still unbeaten in the League." She moved closer, her hands finding his shoulders beneath the water. "Stop replaying it in your head or Simba will have you running 10k to clear your mind."

"Hahah, that man seriously thinks he can solve everything with the perfect workout," Rakim muttered. "Just doesn’t feel good not getting the results we wanted."

"You drew 1-1 with a good team," May countered, her thumbs working into the knots along his shoulder blades. "That’s not a disaster. You’re still third in the league, and you just hammered Shakhtar 4-0. Perspective, babe."

"I know, I know," he sighed, feeling some of the tension drain away under her touch. "It’s just... greed, I guess, I want to score more goals, assist more and win every game even though I know the last bit is impossible."

"You will, I genuinely believe that, no doubt about that. You matched Real Madrid for ninety minutes, and the only reason you lost was because their goalkeeper became superhuman." May’s hands moved to his neck now, fingers pressing firmly. "Courtois literally saved them five times. That’s not on you."

Rakim was quiet for a moment, processing her words as he took in her face that was now inches away. Without even thinking, his hand reached up to cup her cheeks, pulling her in for a kiss. His action took her breath away, quite literally, as he pulled her into his embrace.

"Don’t worry about me, the ball is round regardless of my bruised ego," He said with a light smile as they separated, sending her a warm smile. "Rather than worry about me, how’s your streaming going? Haven’t seen you online much lately," he asked, changing the subject.

May’s hands around his neck paused briefly before nestling her head on his shoulder, which wasn’t hurt. "Took a break," she whispered quietly. "After everything with my dad, the comments were getting... rough. People asking questions, making assumptions. Figured it was better to step back for a bit."

Rakim went silent, remembering that this had been one of the reasons for their arguments. He breathed a deep sigh before turning his face to her fully now, concern evident in his expression. "You didn’t tell me it was still that bad."

"Because you’ve got enough on your plate," May replied, meeting his eyes. "I can handle some trolls on the internet. I just needed a break as I focused on making content for my other social media."

"May—"

"I’m fine, babe. Really." She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Besides, my university coursework has picked up. Plus, my YouTube videos have been consistently getting good views, and my new skits on TikTok are also being well-received. Honestly, my analytics guy is very proud."

"As long as you’re happy, May," Rakim said. "Wait, you have an Analytics guy?"

"Duh, wait, you don’t?" She responded, tilting her head as if looking at an idiot. "Babe, you should really get yourself an Analytics guy."

Feeling veins bulging in annoyance as he continued to tease him at his lack of professional staff, beyond Simba Rakim was on the verge of losing it. Before he could respond, though, his phone—sitting on a folded towel near the edge of the pool—began buzzing. The screen lit up, vibrating against the tile with an insistent rhythm that echoed slightly in the enclosed space.

"You gonna get that?" May asked, eyebrows raised.

"Probably my camera guy," Rakim, with a cheeky smile, earning an eyeroll from the girl. "What you think I don’t have a guy? How do you think I always look so good in press photos and magazines? The camera loves your boy, so in a way every sports reporter is my guy."

May snorted. "You mean they love your teammates, but you keep photo bombing."

Before Rakim could fire back, the vibration cut through their laughter again—longer this time, more urgent. He reached over lazily, towel dripping as he grabbed the phone. The name flashing on the screen made him blink twice.

"Joachim Löw."

May’s teasing expression softened instantly. "Wait—that Löw?"

Rakim’s heartbeat quickened. He swiped to answer, sitting up a little straighter in the water. "Hello... Coach?"

"Rakim, guten Abend," came the familiar measured tone on the other end. "I hope I’m not disturbing your evening."

Rakim glanced at May, mouthing It’s him. "Not at all, sir. Just recovering a bit after the weekend."

"Ah, good. Listen, I’ll keep this brief. We’ve been closely monitoring your performance over the past year, and we are impressed, son. This season, especially eight goals, six assists, tremendous start." He sounded calm despite how magnetic his voice sounded to Rakim’s ears.

There was a brief pause. Rakim could hear paper shuffling, indicating the man was busy at work. "I’m calling to let you know that you’ve been selected for the Die Manchaft for our upcoming international window. We’ll start with a friendly in Leipzig against the Czech Republic. I’d like you to report to camp tomorrow morning. You will receive an email with the tickets shortly."

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To Be Continued...