Harbinger Of Glory

On air, analysts replayed the numbers and former players joined in debating their chances.

Every programme seemed to have someone explaining why the run couldn’t continue, especially when they looked towards the fixture everyone was already looking forward to.

Wigan had won ten in a row, but now, it was time for them to face up against their biggest challenge yet, one of the most decorated clubs in English football history with the German tactician at the helm.

That morning, the first thing Leo heard was his phone vibrating against his pillow.

He opened one eye, searching for the phone that kept on pinging muffledly.

Leo reached for the phone without lifting his head from the pillow and squinted at the screen.

A lot of the notifications were ones he didn’t really have the mind to read at that time of the day for him, but a lot of the notifications were also from the Wigan players’ group chat.

Dawson:

You guys are taking the day off today. We have 7 whole days till the game. If you’re anything more than tired, come in for recovery and get checked over. Tomorrow is still a recovery day, so there’s no need to rush in.

Leo read it twice, then he sighed.

He breathed heavily into the pillow, turned the phone face down and pushed it back under the pillow.

"Not today," he muttered and pulled the pillow closer before letting himself go again as sleep took him almost immediately.

The next thing he heard was the front door opening, and that made Leo’s eyes open again.

For a few seconds, he didn’t move.

He reached for his phone and checked the time and found that two hours had already passed, despite it feeling like he’d only laid down a few minutes ago.

"Seriously?" Leo muttered and dropped the phone onto the bed.

He remained there for another ten minutes, trying to decide whether he actually wanted to get up, but then he remembered the reason he’d even woken up in the first place.

Someone had come into the apartment.

He sat up and walked out of the room a few moments later, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

When he made his way down the hallway and into the living room, he found Mia stretched out across the couch with a bowl of cereal in one hand, watching a film.

Hearing his presence in the room, she turned to glance at him before looking away.

"You loo’ like shih," she said with a mouthful of cereal.

"Can you swear now?"

Mia swallowed her cereal and nodded toward the kitchenette.

"Sofia said I could."

Leo followed her gesture and found a large lunchbox sitting on the counter.

"She also said I should bring that to you."

"Where is she?"

"Church stuff. She had something to do, so she made me come here first after we finished the first service."

Leo nodded and walked towards the kitchenette where his hands quickly found the lunchbox.

Inside were several containers, some stew, soup, rice and enough food to make it clear Sofia was either happy about something or mad about something.

"I should probably visit some more," Leo muttered with a wry smile as an agreeing hum came from the couch.

He took the containers out and put what he wanted to eat immediately on the table before returning the rest to the fridge.

After that, he picked up his phone, opened his WhatsApp and went to Vittoria’s chat.

What immediately greeted him was a picture showing Vittoria, despite the early hours, standing at some event in Milan, dressed up and looking directly at the camera and beneath it, a message sat.

Do I look good?

Seeing that, Leo smiled and sent a heart.

The two ticks then turned to blue, and a reply followed almost immediately.

I’m bored.

Leo laughed quietly and then leaned over the counter.

You wouldn’t be if you were with me.

When he sent that, there was a longer pause before it showed that Vittoria was typing again.

Then should I book the next flight?

Seeing that, Leo stared at the message and then chuckled nervously at the thought that for Vittoria, something like that wasn’t even far-fetched.

"That escalated quickly," he muttered as he typed.

Maybe not so fast.

A few seconds later, Vittoria sent a thumbs-up emoji before seemingly going offline.

Leo put the phone down before she could find another way to make him regret the conversation.

He ate a little, then went back to his room to freshen up.

By the time he returned half an hour later, he had showered, brushed his teeth and changed into a loose T-shirt and comfortable trousers.

His phone was still on the table, and the last message from Vittoria, thankfully, was still what was there.

Leo reached out and grabbed his phone, but just as he did, his phone began ringing.

Noah, the caller ID read as Leo answered.

"Morning, super agent," Leo said excitedly! "What do you have for me today?"

"It’s afternoon, technically," Noah replied as Leo looked at the clock.

"Fair. Anyway, what you got?"

"Well, I’ve got something coming over for you."

"What?"

"It’s a batch of new boots. Skechers are sending another batch, so I’ll have them dropped at your place."

Leo leaned against the counter and then nodded, his excitement dropping slightly.

"Oh!"

"Well, it’s more than how it sounds. It shows that they are probably keen!"

Leo nodded at that, having an idea of what Noah meant.

His current deal with Skechers was only a one-year trial arrangement.

If the company wanted to discuss extending it this early, they were probably interested in locking him down before his value went any higher.

"I have the main US office contacting you, but I haven’t really been giving them the time of day!"

Leo smiled faintly while twirling his hand like a girl in love.

"So they want me signed properly."

"That’s what it looks like, but let’s hold out a bit longer. We’ve got leverage right now because they do not know what we are doing behind the scenes, so we won’t throw it away because somebody sends you free boots."

"How are you, anyway? You looked like you’d entered the wrong pitch last time out!"

"Better," Leo looked toward the food on the table.

"I’ve got malaria."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"Better than yesterday. Still got some of the symptoms, though."

"Then take your medication properly."

"I will," Leo answered as a sigh escaped the phone.

"Good. Rest today, and we’ll deal with the boots later."

"Alright."

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