Harbinger Of Glory-Chapter 169: Wigan’s Cassanova!

Vittoria laughed again as they walked, plastic cups warm in their hands.

Leo tipped his cup back and finished the last of his cappuccino, then glanced sideways at her.

"You’re still on the first half."

She looked down at her drink, unbothered.

"I’m not slow. I just like to savour things."

He leaned his head back slightly, a small smirk tugging at his mouth.

"It’s just coffee. What more do you need to savour?"

"Of course, the aroma", she said.

"Some people rush. Some people enjoy."

He shook his head, amused, and bumped his shoulder lightly against hers as they walked.

"So," he said, "how’s the tour been so far?"

She nodded, thinking about it for a moment.

"Nice," she said simply. "Better than I expected."

He glanced at her.

"Even after breaking into my stadium?"

She smiled. "Especially after that."

They had already been to the DW by then, walked the quiet stands, and stepped onto the pitch after Leo had exchanged a few words with the security guard.

Vittoria had taken it all in, even letting Leo take a few images of herself that she planned to post afterwards.

"When’s your next game?" she asked.

"Last one of the year," Leo replied. "Just after Christmas. Then we roll into 2023."

She nodded slowly. "I might still be around."

He looked at her.

"Yeah, you might."

"Well," she said, glancing ahead before looking back at him, "I’d come. If someone could get me a ticket."

He snorted.

"Done."

They crossed into another stretch of pavement when her phone buzzed.

Without breaking stride, Vittoria handed her cup to Leo.

"Hold this."

"Careful," he said after Vittoria tumbled a bit.

She was already lifting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

Her tone shifted as she listened, polite but tight.

Leo caught fragments as they walked.

Something about schedules.

Something being pushed forward.

A calm voice on her end, growing firmer by the second.

She pulled the phone away with a quiet sigh and looked at him.

Leo just stared back, neutral, waiting.

"What’s up?" he asked.

"That brand meet I told you about," she said. "The one at the end of the trip. They’ve moved it to the next day. I’ll need to be in London."

He nodded once while Vittoria sighed before he nudged her arm.

"If you’re not exhausted, that might actually be better."

She raised a brow.

"If you get all that done," he continued, "you’re free for the rest of the week."

She considered it, then nodded. "That’s true."

Leo, after giving his little input, lifted the cup in his hand and took a sip without thinking.

Vittoria opened her mouth to say something, then stopped.

She just looked at him instead, watching as he swallowed, still completely unaware he was drinking her coffee cup, the one she had just used her mouth on.

....

[Wigan Accommodation Complex]

Leo barely shut the door before he stumbled into the room, moving like the main character from Drunken Fist.

Ezra and Jake paused their game at the same time, controllers still in hand, eyes tracking him as he crossed the room and dropped face-first onto the bed.

"Are you drunk?" Jake asked while Leo groaned into the pillow and shook his head once, as if that might help.

All he could think about was the moment earlier, the cup in his hand, the way he had taken a sip without realising it wasn’t his.

He turned his face slightly and pressed his cheek into the mattress, annoyed at himself.

Ezra glanced at Jake, who just shrugged.

They unpaused the game and went back to it without another word.

A second later, Leo’s phone buzzed.

He rolled onto his side and picked it up, squinting at the screen before he saw that it was a message from Vittoria.

I had a really good time today. You owe me a coffee when I’m back from the meet.

Another message followed almost immediately.

A string of laughing emojis while Leo let out a short breath and typed back the awkward, half-smiling emoji.

He dropped the phone onto his chest and stared at the ceiling.

Then it rang.

He sighed, sat up, and answered.

"Hey, Aunt Sofia."

"Leo," she said warmly.

"Come to Manchester. I heard you got a day off. I cooked, so come for it and bring the containers from last time."

From the other side of the room, Jake’s head snapped up while Ezra’s followed a second later.

"You hear that?" Jake muttered. "Food."

Sofia’s voice carried faintly through the phone as Jake leaned closer to Leo and stage-whispered, "Tell her to add more."

Sofia laughed on the other end after hearing the voice from the back.

"Put me on speaker."

Leo did, rolling his eyes while Sofia’s voice came through.

"I added extra," Sofia said. "Just for you, Jacob."

Jake froze, then laughed nervously. "Thank you, Sister Sofia."

Leo sighed, rising to his feet.

"I’ll be there soon," he said, already pulling his shoes back on.

By the time he got to Manchester, it was already getting to 4 pm.

He let himself into the apartment and looked around, wondering why it was so quiet.

"Where’s Mia?" he asked after coming to the realisation.

"Out with her friends," Sofia replied from the kitchen.

"She’ll be back early, or so she said!"

She pointed him toward the counter, where the food was already packed neatly.

Leo set down the empty containers he had brought and picked up the new ones.

"Auntie," he said, hesitating just a little, "can I invite a friend over for Christmas?"

Sofia turned, eyebrow lifting. "From Wigan?"

"No," he said. "She’s a girl."

Sofia smiled slowly and stepped closer, eyes bright with interest.

"Who is she?"

Leo sighed. "Just someone I met in Italy."

"All the way from Italy," Sofia repeated, poking his shoulder. "Fourteen days and you come back with a girl. You’re unbelievable."

"She’s just a friend," he said, firm. "Her parents are busy, and I thought she shouldn’t be alone, so she accepted when I offered."

Sofia waved a hand. "Of course she can come. Just tell me when."

"She’s already in Manchester," he added. "Staying at the Mercure Piccadilly."

Sofia pressed a hand to her chest.

"Leo, you bad boy."

He groaned, shook his head, and headed for the door while she kept talking behind him, her teasing following him all the way down the hall until he got to the door.

"She did have some commitments to fulfil in London, but I am sure she’ll be back before the day after tomorrow."

Leo spoke, but Sofia didn’t mind, already picturing the scenes when Mia heard.

"See you later, Aunt Sof," Leo said before going down the stairs to the apartment.

Away from Leo’s side of Manchester, Carlo stood in the kitchenette, sleeves rolled up, focused on putting together two sandwiches like it was a serious task.

Bread, cheese, and something green, he had only put in because Gianna forced him to, to compensate for his lack of a better diet.

From the sofa, Gianna suddenly leaned forward.

"No way."

Carlo did not look up. "What?"

"Babe, you have to see this."

He heard her footsteps before he heard the edge in her voice.

She crossed the room with her phone in hand, stopping just short of the counter.

"That bitch," she muttered with a familiar and fond voice.

Carlo turned then, wiping his hands on a towel.

"What has happened now?"

Gianna held the phone out to him.

On the screen was Vittoria, standing on a football pitch, smiling much better than she did in her shoots.

The grass was impossibly green, the stands blurred behind her.

Carlo frowned. "Why is she on a pitch?"

Gianna rolled her eyes and tilted the phone slightly so he could see the top of the post.

The location tag sat there, clear as day.

DW Stadium, Wigan.

Carlo’s eyebrows shot up. "Wait."

He looked from the phone to Gianna, who glanced back at the phone.

"Didn’t you tell me Leo plays for a club called Wigan in Wigan?"

Carlo nodded slowly, lips pressed together.

"Exactly," he said before he stared back at the picture.

"That bastard."

Gianna snorted.

"She told me she was going to London. Big plans, busy schedule, all that. And suddenly she’s in Wigan?"

Carlo set the towel down, interest fully captured now.

"That’s not exactly a casual detour."

"She doesn’t necessarily like small towns," Gianna added.

Carlo scratched his jaw, thinking. "Could they be...?"

He did not finish the sentence.

Gianna met his eyes and nodded once.

"It’s too early," she said carefully. "But they might."

Carlo leaned against the counter, looking back at the photo.

"Leo moves fast," he said.

"He does," Gianna agreed. Then, after a beat, "But so does Vittoria, apparently."

Carlo laughed under his breath, shaking his head.

"Of all the places," he said as Gianna dropped back onto the sofa, still staring at her phone.

Carlo exited the kitchenette, bringing the plate of sandwiches to the table before flopping beside Gianna.