Harbinger Of Glory

Gianna guided them through the warm crowd until they reached a long, cushioned bench tucked along the glass wall.

A group of girls was already seated there, drinks in hand, their laughter rising and falling with the music.

One of them, a friend of Gianna’s, waved when she saw her.

Gianna stopped in front of the group and turned slightly so everyone behind her could hear.

She introduced the boys one by one, and the girls shifted to make space.

The moment the names were exchanged, she clapped her hands lightly.

”Go on. Have fun,” she said, before catching Carlo’s sleeve and pulling him away before any of them could reply.

The boys exchanged a few looks, then shrugged and took the newly created spaces.

Udogie dropped into a seat at the end, Fornella slid into the middle, and Ricci leaned forward to join whatever conversation was starting, while Ruggeri did the same.

Within seconds, they all slipped into Italian, while Leo stood there for a moment, the last one without a seat.

No one was ignoring him, but the sudden burst of Italian chatter felt like a window closing.

He didn’t blame them; he just didn’t see the point in trying to squeeze himself into a conversation he could barely follow or understand.

He took a step back from the bench, scanning the space around until he spotted a small couch-like chair by the railing.

It was half tucked behind a plant and empty.

Perfect.

He crossed the space, sat down, and let out a slow breath as the boat’s gentle rocking movements rocked it, a sensation that was easily overlooked amid the rowdy atmosphere.

His phone came out mostly as a shield.

He wasn’t expecting anything interesting on it; he just needed something to hold and something to look at that wasn’t a room full of strangers.

He sank back into the seat, watching light from the river ripple across the glass.

The music was loud enough to cover the chatter, but somehow the whole place still felt too social for him.

A couple of girls walked past and glanced his way.

One of them lingered for a moment, clearly curious, but Leo kept his gaze on his phone.

He wasn’t trying to act detached; he genuinely felt tired.

The climb down those stairs to the boat had already convinced him he had no business at events like this, and certainly not after a game day.

He adjusted his posture and let his mind drift to how nice it would be if he were already in his room, brushing his teeth and ending the night early until footsteps approached.

Leo didn’t look up until Carlo’s voice cut in, back from wherever he had gone with Gianna.

”You’re really sitting here alone?”

Leo raised his eyes.

Carlo stood in front of him, Gianna beside him, still holding the drink she hadn’t finished earlier.

”Why aren’t you with the others?” Carlo asked.

Leo leaned his head back against the cushion.

”Are we going back soon?”

Carlo blinked. ”We got here seven minutes ago.”

”I know,” Leo said quietly.

”I just... I am tired, I can’t understand what is really going on, so this is a bit uncomfortable.”

Carlo paused, then nodded slowly as if he had only just remembered that.

”Oh. Right.”

Before the continue, a short shriek broke through the music as Gianna spun around immediately, her face lighting up.

Carlo looked over his shoulder.

”Guess the reason for this whole thing has arrived,” he muttered.

Leo followed his gaze towards the entrance of the lounge, where Gianna had thrown her arms around someone who had just arrived.

The girl hugged her back, while most people stared at her, with a few of them raising their glasses towards her.

Leo watched Gianna squeeze her tighter, the two talking excitedly, until the girl lifted her head, Leo frowning in recognition as he remembered the girl as the same one who had been seated next to Gianna in the stands during the Japan U21S match.

He didn’t realise he was staring until Carlo nudged him lightly with his elbow.

”They’re coming this way,” Carlo said under his breath.

Gianna and Vittoria started moving toward them, weaving through the crowd, drawing looks without even trying, while Leo leaned toward Carlo.

”Why did you say she’s the reason for the party?”

Carlo kept his eyes on the pair approaching.

”She finished a big shoot with Gucci. Proper campaign. This is basically a celebration for her.”

”Oh,” Leo muttered, before he turned back in their direction as the girls got closer and closer, but with that, their eyes turned towards where they were going and naturally towards Carlo and Leo as people whispered, asking who they were, and they found out one way or the other.

”See that one by Carlo’s side, he was the man of the match for their game today. He’s got people talking and stuff after the game with how good a performance he showed.”

Gianna stopped in front of them, her arm resting lightly around Vittoria’s waist as if presenting her.

Vittoria smiled politely at the people still watching before letting her gaze settle on the two boys.

Carlo stood and greeted them both, but Leo stayed seated for a moment longer, caught between getting up and pretending he hadn’t just been staring at her.

Vittoria looked at him fully now, not a passing glance like before.

Her expression didn’t give much away, but there was a hint of curiosity in it on why Leo had been staring so much without hiding it, before and again that evening.

Carlo finally broke the silence, leaning slightly toward Vittoria with a grin.

”Congratulations,” he said casually.

Vittoria turned to him, offering a small nod.

Then her gaze shifted to Leo, who had just felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket.

He looked up at her, slightly caught off guard by the attention, and said, ”Complimenti.”

A beat of quiet hung between them as Vittoria’s lips curved into a faint smile.

”English is fine,” she said, her accent soft but tinged with a subtle, sultry Italian lilt.

”But thank you,” she continued, to which Leo just gave a small nod while Gianna jumped in, her voice bright and teasing.

”It’s your party, so you should go a bit crazy, right?”

Vittoria shook her head lightly, exhaling.

”I didn’t even want the party,” she admitted. ”I only came because of... publicity.”

”Publicity got me to have fun, so I’m not complaining,” Gianna replied with a shrug, grinning at her friend as Vittoria rolled her eyes, a hint of exasperation in the gesture.

”I’ll leave soon anyway,” Vittoria added, leaning back slightly. ”I’m only here for appearances.”

Gianna’s grin softened as she handed a drink to Carlo.

”Then you should at least have some drinks before you leave.”

She gently guided Vittoria toward the couch where Leo was sitting, settling her down beside him.

Leo glanced at her, noticing her brief pause before she relaxed into the seat, and she stayed put as Gianna moved off to mingle and hopefully get her the drinks she said she was going to.

Carlo lingered for a second, looking at the two on the couch, and then smiled before following Gianna.

Vittoria managed a weak smile in Leo’s direction afterwards as he merely nodded in return and returned to his phone, fingers scrolling almost absently.

Her eyebrow quirked, slightly amused by his apparent lack of interest, and she shrugged subtly, pulling her own phone out to occupy herself.

A quiet, almost comfortable silence settled between them, each absorbed in their screen yet acutely aware of the other.

From some distance away, Gianna let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head as she watched Leo and Vittoria, both absorbed in their phones.

”What are they even doing?” she muttered, mostly to herself, though Carlo heard and chuckled behind her.

”What do you want to happen?” he asked, amusement clear in his tone.

Gianna rolled her eyes, gesturing subtly toward Vittoria.

”Look at her. She was staring at Leo more than anyone else. The same thing happened at your game when we came there, and so I thought... maybe something’s up.”

Carlo nodded, setting his glass down on the nearby table.

He slid an arm around Gianna from behind, resting it lightly on her love handle, and pulled her closer.

”We shouldn’t force things,” he murmured, his voice low, almost teasing.

Gianna felt her cheeks heat slightly as he drew her back, guiding her attention elsewhere for the moment.

From his spot, Leo heard a soft sigh beside him.

He glanced up and saw Vittoria turning slightly, her eyes meeting his for a brief moment as she lowered her phone.

”You want to go to the upper deck?” she suggested while pointing towards the exit.

”It’s cooler there, and the music... It’s not so loud.”

Leo hesitated only a fraction before nodding.

He wasn’t opposed to it, and the idea of some calm in the chaos sounded appealing.

”Cool,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips as she stood up.

He followed, moving behind her as they made their way across the crowd, with the occasional glance of curiosity following them and whispers floating through the party, but neither of them paid much attention.