Harbinger Of Glory-Chapter 162: A Christmas Invite. [Dragon Gift Chapter: CoolVamp]
A photo.
Leo stood on the pavement outside the café, pointing both thumbs at the billboard to his right.
His own face stared back at him from the massive print, coffee cup in hand and lit like he’d stepped straight out of an advert on matchday coverage.
...
"Not bad," Leo muttered before, checking it once again and then posting it with a short caption before heading inside.
He barely had time to pocket his phone before the screen lit up.
Carlo had liked the post immediately.
Leo huffed out a laugh.
The man practically sat on his phone these days.
A message appeared, and it was none other than the person in question.
Carlo: Congratulations.
Leo: Thank you, but...
Leo: How are you even keeping match sharp? Everyone’s away with their national teams.
Carlo answered fast, like he’d been waiting for someone to talk to.
Carlo: I’m training with the U21S and U23S and playing some decent minutes, so I know I’ll be fine.
Carlo: When I sit down sometimes, I can’t help but think about the World Cup and how it makes Italy’s senior team irk me. If they had actually qualified for Qatar, maybe I’d have made the list.
Leo shook his head as he typed.
Leo: Maybe doesn’t exist in football. You know that.
Three dots appeared after Leo’s message, disappeared and then came back with a final text.
Carlo: Alright, bro. No need to go Master Oogway on me. My girl’s calling. Talk later.
Leo snorted softly and closed the chat.
When he returned to the post, a new notification sat at the top.
Vittoria had liked it.
He stared at her name for a second longer than he meant to while his thumb hovered over her profile picture.
Should he message her? Ask how she was doing? Mention how he was also doing a shoot of his own?
[But like the bitch he was,] he exhaled and locked the phone instead.
Not today.
He was still tucking the phone into his pocket when Jake pushed the apartment door open with his elbow, carrying enough takeaway boxes to feed a team of five.
Jake set everything on the table with a satisfied sigh.
Leo eyed the pile.
"You need to stop with these deliveries. It’s getting ridiculous."
Jake only shrugged. "Comfort food. I had a long day."
Leo lifted one of the lids.
"You ordered enough comfort for an army."
Jake grinned. "Yeah, well. You can help me finish it."
The bathroom door opened, and Ezra stepped out, towel in hand, towelling his hair.
He took one look at the table and raised a brow.
"You two start without me?"
Jake tapped the seat next to him.
"Well, get in here then," Jake replied as Ezra joined them, pulling up a chair while Leo sat across from them.
.....
[Italy]
Vittoria sat in the corner of the studio, elbows on her knees, her phone resting in her palms.
She wasn’t scrolling or typing.
She just stared at the screen, waiting for it to light up on its own.
After a couple of quiet minutes, she let out a small breath.
"He could have texted by now," she blurted out without thinking.
Her manager, who’d been adjusting something on a clipboard, glanced over.
"Who?"
Vittoria blinked out of her thoughts.
"No one. It’s nothing."
She set the phone on the table beside her, pushing it farther away than necessary before standing up.
The studio around her had been transformed into a soft recreation of a Renaissance hall.
Painted pillars framed the backdrop, and warm, diffused lights washed over the set to give everything a gentle glow.
Assistants moved around adjusting props, tightening fabric, and checking monitors.
The outfit she wore contrasted sharply with the grand setting, which was the whole point of the campaign.
Classic background, modern confidence for a night gown and lingerie brand shoot.
She took her place in the middle of the scene, settling into the pose the photographer had described earlier.
Her face smoothed into composure, even if her mind was still sitting at that table with her phone, wondering why she’d hoped for a message in the first place.
The photographer raised her camera.
"Good. Hold that."
A flash clicked.
"Nice, Vittoria. Look this way."
Another flash.
"That’s it. Keep it up."
The instructions floated through the air, steady and rhythmic, as Vittoria shifted from one pose to the next.
Her body moved on instinct, familiar with the pace of a long shoot.
She held one final pose as the photographer encouraged her again, and for now, it kept her mind away from the message she was expecting.
[This is where Vittoria’s Character art was gotten from.]
....
[A day later]
Sofia’s apartment felt unusually cozy for a cold Manchester evening.
The curtains were drawn, the lights softened, and the living room glowed with the kind of warmth you only get when a classic Christmas film is on.
Home Alone played across the TV, and Mia was laughing at a scene she’d seen a hundred times.
"This movie never gets old," she said, half-talking to Leo, who was also invested in the movie as Mia was.
"Yeah. It’s one of those films you don’t really outgrow," Leo replied.
He was sunk into the couch with a blanket over his legs, the ideal image of a lazy Christmas.
Besides the two, Sofia, who had also been enjoying the movie, pushed off the armchair and headed toward the kitchen.
"Let me check on the food," she said, more to herself than to her nephews, but the duo nodded anyway.
The moment the kitchen door swung shut behind her, Mia angled closer to Leo and opened her phone.
"Look. Christmas ideas."
Leo leaned over out of politeness at first, then properly focused when he realised she wasn’t joking.
The first photo was a jacket that looked expensive enough to come with its own insurance policy.
The second was a pair of shoes that looked like they were made with Unicorn leather.
And the third was a designer bag.
Leo blinked, a little smirk forming on his face as he turned towards Mia.
"You do know Christmas isn’t wish-list season for world leaders. You get what you’re given."
Mia scoffed like he was the one being ridiculous.
"That’s not how it works. You project what you want. You put it out there, and the person giving the gift picks up on it."
"That’s... not how gifts work."
"It is if you do it well," she said, turning another photo.
He shook his head and let a small laugh out.
"Right. Sure."
He wasn’t paying much attention until something on her screen caught his eye.
Not the bag itself, but the face above it.
The model.
Vittoria.
He didn’t expect to see her name today, or her face, or anything that came with the memories that arrived the moment he recognized her.
Mia noticed the shift and snatched the phone closer. "What?"
"Nothing," he said a little too quickly.
Mia narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t push.
She tucked the phone against her chest and settled back into the couch, already turning her attention to the film again.
Leo got to his feet. "I’m going to my room for a bit."
"Okay," she said, barely looking up.
He paused for a moment, pretending to stretch, before hurriedly scrambling to his room.
Just after he left, Sofia came back from the kitchen with a dish towel over her shoulder, the smell of baked cheese following her into the living room.
She stopped when she noticed the space on the couch.
"Where did Leo go?"
Mia didn’t look away from the screen. "His room."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
She glanced at the TV, just as Kevin set up one of his traps.
"That’s his favourite part though," she said before settling in one of the couches.
Down the hall, Leo lay back on his bed, hands folded on his chest, staring at the ceiling like it might offer answers.
His phone rested beside him, screen dark.
He’d picked it up twice already, still contemplating what move to make.
Calling would be too much.
Texting felt safer.
Still, he didn’t do either.
The buzz came before he could talk himself into another excuse.
A DM, and it was from none other than Vittoria.
He frowned slightly, then unlocked his phone.
Merry Christmas in advance. Hope you’re doing well.
He let out a quiet breath, eyes glossing over the message, once, then again and again.
"Huh," he muttered to himself, then typed back.
Merry Christmas to you, too. What are you up to for the holidays?
The reply came quicker than he expected.
She sent a laughing emoji first, like she already knew how that sounded.
Work. Mostly.
He smiled faintly at that and typed again, the former reservations melting away bit by bit.
Not even a bit of family time?
There was a pause this time.
Long enough for him to wonder if he’d crossed into something personal.
Then her message appeared.
I’m an only child. Plus, my parents are busy over the break anyway.
His chest tightened, just a little, and he didn’t even know why.
Sorry.
Her response came almost immediately.
For what?
He hesitated, then typed.
No reason.
A beat passed as he stared at the screen, then shook his head at himself and added another message, lighter this time.
If I’d known earlier, I would’ve extended an invitation in advance.
The typing bubble appeared, disappeared, then came back again.
It’s not too late.
Leo sat up slightly, reading it twice.
The words were simple, almost casual, but something about them made him feel that it wasn’t even a joke.
