Chapter 346: All Day!

Vittoria nodded slowly, looking at the screen where the post-match coverage was still running.

"I too would like to be with my hubby," she said, pouting a bit as Gianna turned to look at her.

"What?" Vittoria asked.

"You’ve been together three weeks, and you’re already calling him your hubby."

"Is that word bound by time?"

"Not really, but I wonder what you’ll call him on your first anniversary."

Vittoria said nothing, which Gianna took as permission to continue.

"Root of my happiness," Gianna offered.

Vittoria looked at her.

"Heaven on earth."

"Gianna—"

"Owner of my womb."

Vittoria launched herself across the couch, and Gianna dissolved into laughter, barely managing to hold her off before Vittoria sat back and pointed at her.

"Why are you so vulgar?" she said.

"It’s a progression. I was being romantic and then—"

"Besides," Vittoria said, straightening up with the dignity of someone reclaiming their composure, "Leo and I haven’t even done that yet."

"I know," Gianna said. "That’s what makes it funnier."

Vittoria ignored this and picked up her phone before navigating to Leo’s chat.

Congratulations on the win. Talk to you soon, okay?

She sent it and set the phone down and looked at the screen, but after that, she couldn’t help but begin to think about how short the trip to Manchester was.

----

[The Amex]

Leo got the message before he’d finished dressing.

He was still towelling his hair when his phone buzzed on the bench beside him.

He glanced down, read it, and smiled.

After that, he pulled on his joggers and reached for his top and looked across the room as he slid his phone into his pocket.

"Where’s Jake?" he asked after spotting his odd lack of presence.

Ezra, lacing his trainers, looked up with a barely contained expression.

"One of the media teams asked for a player," he said.

"So he volunteered."

Leo looked at the ceiling briefly.

"I thought they were expecting me," he said.

"They were expecting you," Ezra confirmed before taking his foot off the stool.

"Let’s just hope he doesn’t say anything unusual!"

Carlo closed his locker and turned around.

"It’s Jake. Anything he says is unusual."

"True that," Leo said, and closed his own locker.

Jake, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.

"So I just got the ball and shot it. It was nice, and I really think I should have scored, but I guess the league is not ready for my greatness yet!"

"Um, the question was about where you think Wigan will finish this season?" the interviewer reminded, causing Jake to halt before he brushed it off.

"Don’t worry. I will find my feet soon, and when I do, Wigan winning the league isn’t out of the question!"

"More like find where the ball is?" a voice said, causing Jake’s head to snap towards the source, but he didn’t find who it was.

....

He thanked the driver and walked up to his apartment before letting himself inside.

He dropped his bag by the door.

The weight of the entire ninety minutes had settled into his legs, and before he could make it any further, his phone started ringing.

He answered and put it on speaker, and soon Sofia’s voice filled the apartment.

"You did wonderfully," she said as Leo picked up the bag he’d left by the door.

"I pray God keeps you and continues to guide your path."

"Amen," Leo said with a little smile as he kept moving through the apartment, putting things like his boots in their places.

"Rest now," Sofia said.

"That’s all. You deserve it really!"

She ended the call before he could say much else.

Leo set the phone on the counter and stood in the kitchen for a moment.

Then he remembered.

Vittoria’s message.

He’d made the mental note to reply to her message, but he hadn’t, and it had been over an hour.

Picking up his phone once again, he called instead of texting because texting felt insufficient.

It felt like she wouldn’t pick up after a series of rings, but just as the call would click off, she picked up.

"So," she said, and the tone was somewhere that he couldn’t immediately read.

"Are you angry?" he said.

"I sent that message an hour and a half ago."

"I know, I—"

"An hour and a half, Leo."

"Vittoria, I’m sorry, I genuinely—"

Before Leo could fully apologise, she broke into a fit of laughter, causing Leo’s brow to raise, wondering what was even going on.

When her voice came back, the tone she’d just used was nowhere to be found.

"That wasn’t valid," Leo said, but couldn’t help but smile.

"It was completely valid."

"It wasn’t."

"I wasn’t angry," she said.

"But that doesn’t mean I can’t get you back at some point through other means. Plus I’ve always wanted to do it. Seems fun!"

Leo sat down on the couch and let out a long breath.

"How was the game from your end?"

"I aged," she said.

"That Brighton team kept coming and coming, and I was sitting there thinking, please, just let the whistle come."

"I was watching with Gianna, but I guess she was just watching Carlo."

"Well, weren’t you watching for me too?" Leo asked.

"Don’t flatter yourself," Vittoria came in with an energy that suggested that she was trying to deflect, so Leo didn’t push any further.

"How is she, by the way?"

"Good. She’s actually just left to get something." She went quiet for a moment.

"She told me she and Carlo are thinking about living together."

Leo leaned back into the couch cushions.

"That’s nice to hear!"

"Then what about us!" Vittoria suddenly said after that!

"Us! That’s a bit fast, don’t you think?" Leo said, caught a bit off-guard.

"Really?" Vittoria said.

"No, not at all!"

"Huh," was all Leo could manage as the two stayed silent over the phone for a while.

"It’s just hard," Vittoria suddenly said, and this time the lightness had gone from her voice for a moment.

"Thinking about you all day and not being able to be with you. It’s harder than I thought it would be."