"This is your right-back, Stacey," she said, her expression deadly serious. "He pushes way too high up the pitch, leaving this huge, gaping channel behind him."
She then slid a balled-up napkin into the space.
"This is my winger. He's going to live there. All game. You're welcome."
Ethan just laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're ruthless, you know that? I thought we were having a nice evening."
"This is a nice evening," she retorted, taking a sip of her drink. "I'm getting free pizza and a complete tactical breakdown of my next big rival. It's the perfect date."
"It's not a date," he reminded her, a grin tugging at his lips. "It's a 'tactical debriefing'."
"Right," she said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "So, tell me more about your team. And I don't mean the virtual ones. You mentioned your friend, the one whose team you beat in the cup. The one who had to wear your tracksuit."
"Leo," Ethan said, a warm, fond smile spreading across his face.
