Harbinger Of Glory-Chapter 170: It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like.....!

Training slipped back into Leo’s routine without much ceremony.

His day off was done with, and it was back to preparing for the last game of the year.

Dawson’s voice cut through the cold air with its usual sharpness, though this time, a bit more eagerly, while Nolan, behind him, grinned wryly, knowing a tough time that the players were in for.

Leo moved through it all on instinct.

Press, pass, recover.

It was not bad, not great either.

Just a so-so day.

By the time he got back to his apartment, his legs felt heavy and his head even more so.

He had just dropped his bag by the door when his phone started buzzing across the counter.

Mia.

He stared at the screen for a second before answering. "What do you want?"

"Oh wow," Mia said immediately. "Not even hello. Sofia was right, you’ve changed."

From somewhere in the background, Sofia laughed.

Loudly and on purpose, while Leo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Put her on speaker if you’re going to whisper like that."

"We’re not whispering," Mia said. "We’re discussing your girl."

"For the last time, she’s just a friend at most."

Sofia leaned into the call then.

"So, who’s she. No name and not even a picture. We need this!"

Leo let out a slow breath. "There it is."

Mia gasped. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"So there is a girl."

"There’s a person," Leo said. "A human being."

"A girl human being," Mia corrected. "From Italy, apparently."

Sofia laughed again.

"She’s very pretty."

Leo raised a brow, screaming into the phone.

"You haven’t even seen her face, so how do you know?"

"We don’t", Mia said cheerfully. "But we know you won’t settle for less."

"Remember, Angelina," she continued while Sofia chuckled.

"Yeah, that girl was lovely. Why doesn’t she come here anymore?"

"Maybe, because she is out of the country," Leo said sarcastically as he dropped onto the couch.

They hung up a minute later, Sofia still teasing him as he ended the call.

Leo sat there for a while after, staring at nothing in particular, letting the quiet settle back in.

Later that evening, his phone buzzed again.

Vittoria.

London had kept her longer than planned.

A short message.

Apologetic, casual, slightly annoyed at the situation but not surprised by it.

Leo smiled before he even realised he was doing it.

He replied with a photo instead.

One of a matchday ticket, clean and crisp, held between his fingers.

He had tilted it toward the light, dramatic enough to make the joke land.

I’m holding this over fire, he typed. You should hurry back. My hands are getting tired.

The reply came almost immediately.

Don’t you dare.

He laughed as the next message came from Vittoria.

One more day, she added. Then I’m stealing that ticket from you.

Leo leaned back against the counter, typing slower this time.

I’ll be waiting, he sent.

Just like that, it was the twenty-fifth of December.

Nearly a week had passed since Argentina lifted the World Cup, and Lionel Messi finished football in the way only he could.

For Leo, though, it felt quieter.

Just another familiar Christmas.

Still, there was a low hum of anticipation sitting in his chest, paired with the knowledge that the day was going to drain him long before it ended.

His phone started buzzing not long after he woke up.

Jake was first.

So what’s the plan, superstar?

Ezra followed a second later.

You alive or already buried under family food?

Leo rolled onto his side and typed back with one eye half open.

Heading to Manchester for today.

Jake replied almost instantly.

Of course you are.

Ezra added a laughing emoji and nothing else while Leo set the phone down, staring at the ceiling for a moment, before another notification slid across the screen.

This time, from Vittoria.

Merry Christmas.

He smiled before replying.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

Another message followed almost right away.

I’m excited. And nervous. Mostly excited. Maybe both equally.

Leo sat up, rubbing a hand over his face as if to wake himself properly.

Don’t be, he typed. You’ll be fine. I’ll see you later.

A few minutes later, he was in the shower, letting the water run hotter than usual.

He dressed for the cold after, pulling on something heavier, something that felt right for a long day.

The train ride to Manchester passed in a blur of grey skies and quiet carriages, his reflection flickering in the window as stations slipped by.

And by the time he got to the apartment, it already felt alive.

The smell of food hit him first.

Warm. Rich. Comforting.

"You’re late," Mia said immediately, appearing from the kitchen with a spoon in her hand, pointing it at Leo like it was a gun.

"I’m not," Leo replied, pulling the spoon out of his face.

Sofia leaned over the counter, smiling.

"Take your jacket off. You’re on chopping duty."

"I just got here."

"So you won’t eat then," she said, handing him a knife before he could protest.

The hours rolled on like that with music playing softly in the background, Mia stealing bites before things were ready, and Sofia correcting everything her nephew and niece did wrong with the food.

Eventually, Leo wiped his hands on a towel and checked the time.

"I’ve got to go pick her up," he said, while Mia, stirring something in a pot, turned towards him.

Sofia also turned slowly, a knowing smile already in place. "Be nice."

"I am nice," Mia said. "I was just going to ask when my lovely brother was going to get back."

"No, you were not", Leo replied, grabbing his jacket.

They teased him all the way to the door, with comments being thrown over shoulders, while Mia, unfocused, almost caught fire with her apron.

"Bring her back in one piece," Sofia called as he stepped out.

"I can say the same for you," he said, nudging in the direction of Mia and laughing under his breath as the door closed behind him.

...

[In the lobby of the Mercure Hotel]

Gianna nearly dropped her phone when Vittoria stepped back into frame.

"No. No way," Gianna said, eyes widening as she leaned closer to the screen.

"You look like you’re about to meet his mother and be judged for the rest of your life."

Vittoria rolled her eyes, smiling as she adjusted the sleeve of her coat.

"Relax. I’m not scouting anyone’s family. Unlike you!"

"Oh, please," Gianna said, already dramatic. "Christmas invite. Family dinner. That is level five. Minimum."

Before Gianna could build momentum, Vittoria cut in, her tone calm but amused.

"Leo found out I’d be alone for Christmas. He said nobody should be alone today. He invited me. I said yes. That’s it."

She paused, then added, "And you’re part of the reason people think a boy and a girl can’t just be normal friends."

Gianna scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that."

Vittoria tilted her head. "What’s wrong with it?"

Gianna opened her mouth, ready with another comment, but Vittoria’s attention shifted past the phone.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, then softened.

"Wait," she said. "I have to go."

Gianna blinked. "What? Why?"

Vittoria was already smiling as she ended the call.

"I’ll explain later."

She slipped the phone into her pocket and turned just as Leo approached, hands tucked into his coat, shoulders hunched slightly against the cold.

He stopped in front of her, smiling in that easy way that made him look more rested than he probably was.

"Hey," he said.

Vittoria leaned forward without warning and took a small breath near his shoulder.

Leo froze.

"What are you doing?"

She pulled back, grinning. "You smell like a bakery. I love it."

He laughed, shaking his head. "That would be Sofia."

"I can’t wait to eat," Vittoria said. "This has been a long morning."

"You say that now," Leo replied. "You might regret it. She feeds people like it’s her mission."

Vittoria laughed. "Well, she can’t feed me to the point that I lose my brand deals for going overweight, can she?"

"I wouldn’t put that past her," Leo said, holding his jaw like it was something serious, causing Vittoria to laugh shortly.

Leo pulled out his phone afterwards and glanced around.

"I’ll get us a cab."

She reached out and lightly stopped his hand. "Is it far?"

"Not really."

"Then let’s walk," she said. "Build an appetite."

He studied her for a second, then smiled and nodded.

"Alright. This way."

They fell into step side by side.

By the time they reached the apartment front, Leo slowed, already catching the muted sound of running inside.

He sighed, shaking his head, knowing exactly who it was, even though he hadn’t touched the doorbell yet.

Vittoria glanced at him, amused, before turning to face the front where the lock clicked, the door swung open, and Mia appeared, breathless and grinning.

She blinked at Leo before her eyes searched the space beside him and found Vittoria standing there.