Harbinger Of Glory

By the time she sat down, her body had already started that slow collapse that comes after a long day.

The city moved past the window, but she looked at all of it without really seeing any of it.

Every now and then she closed her eyes and opened them again, trying her earnest not to sleep.

By the time she reached the apartment, she felt oddly heavy.

Like somebody had quietly turned the brightness down on everything.

She got inside, kicked her shoes off near the door and dropped her bag onto a chair.

The apartment was silent, something she usually liked, but the current her could have done with some noise.

She crossed the living room and practically fell onto the couch.

Just for five minutes.

That was the plan as she closed her eyes, but a moment later, a knock snapped her awake from what she couldn’t even term as a breath.

She frowned, and despite lying there for not more than a couple of seconds, she wasn’t even sure where she was.

The knock came again, more insistent this time as Vittoria groaned quietly and pushed herself upright.

”I’m coming,” she said as she shuffled toward the door and pulled it open, and the second he did, Gianna immediately stepped forward.

Both hands landed on Vittoria’s cheeks.

The movement was so sudden that Vittoria nearly stumbled backwards.

”Oh, my God.”

”What?”

”You look awful.”

”Thank you,” Vittoria managed as she wondered why her friend was being so touchy.

”I’m serious.”

”Again, thank you.”

Gianna ignored the sarcasm as her eyes moved over Vittoria’s face, checking, inspecting and searching for whatever she wanted.

”Are you sick?”

”No.”

”Are you sure?”

”Yes.”

”You look sick.”

”Well, I am tired,” Vittoria managed as Gianna began tugging at the flesh under her eyebrows, but a second later, she rolled her eyes and stepped aside.

”You were supposed to be at Carlo’s.”

”I was,” Gianna shut the door.

Then she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone.

At that, the expression on her face changed.

”Your boyfriend is insane.”

Vittoria blinked at the statement, wondering what her friend meant.

”What did he do?”

Gianna turned the screen around, showing Vittoria her call log, which was currently filled with one name only.

Leo.

Leo.

Leo.

Leo.

Leo.

The newest one had come through less than ten minutes ago.

Seeing that made Vittoria show a small, tired smile, though Gianna looked offended.

”Why are you laughing?”

Vittoria kept looking at the screen.

”He was worried.”

”Worried? That doesn’t mean he should blow up my phone.”

That earned another laugh as Gianna stared.

”You find this cute.”

”A little. I mean, this all feels like I have been kidnapped and he was preparing for a hostage negotiation.”

”You’re impossible,” Gianna managed as Vittoria took her own phone from the side table.

Once it powered on, the screen lit up with notifications, a series of them missed calls, almost twenty-one of them and then underneath them were a mountain of messages.

The earliest ones were normal.

Call me when you’re done.

Hope the shoot went well.

And then it started getting a bit worrying, a little further down:

You home yet?

Everything okay?

Then: Vittoria?

Answer your phone.

And finally: I’m serious.

Please answer.

At least tell me you’re okay.

She could practically hear his voice becoming more worried with every message.

”I think I need a break,” Vittoria muttered, suddenly earning an understanding expression from her friend.

The shoots.

The travelling.

The interviews and the constant attention would make even the most attention-seeking person tired.

”Well, I know you are tired, but please talk to him. I do not want him calling me again,” Gianna said as she nodded towards Vittoria’s phone, which was lighting up again with a call from none other than Leo.

”He’s going to be unbearable,” she muttered with a smile as Gianna settled back to watch.

”Put him on speaker.”

”No.Absolutely not.”

”You owe me that much after delaying my trip,” Gianna muttered as she leaned further into the couch.

Vittoria was still smiling as she pressed the answer button.

....

A couple of days later, the sun was unusually full and direct, shining like it was the end of the world.

Leo had sweat covering most of his face and was staring a few metres away from the wall of men blocking his path to goal.

”Focus,” Dawson said from the side as Leo picked up the ball.

Jake was in the wall with the rest of them and had been using the time between free kick attempts to provide a running commentary of Leo’s inadequacies.

”Too far left,” Jake took one look at it and immediately shook his head as Leo placed the ball down.

”It’s not.”

”It is.”

”It isn’t.”

A few of the players around him snorted as the scene was too funny to ignore.

A moment later, Leo finally glanced over.

”Can you shut up?”

”No. Someone has to be honest with you.”

Leo stepped back from the ball as once again, Jake squinted at the angle.

A second later, Leo stepped up and smashed the ball right over Jake, who hadn’t even attempted to jump for fear of his life.

The ball went hard and true, and a moment later, caught the inside of the post and then came back out.

Before anyone could follow up, the whistle went, ending the session.

Without waiting for Leo to gloat, Leo turned and walked toward the touchline where Dawson was waiting.

”Your free kicks have come a long way,” Dawson said as Leo laughed once.

”It is still not enough though.”

At that, Dawson looked at his players spreading out across the pitch behind Leo.

”For a team like ours,” he said as the players began loosening with some stretches to warm down, ”in the league we’re in.

Nothing is ever going to be enough.”

”We just have to keep doing more every time,” Dawson muttered while looking at Leo before stepping away towards the rest of the players!