God Of football

Chapter 945: Going Or Staying.

Half an hour later, the front door opened with a soft thud, followed by the click of heels that always gave Komi away before she appeared.

She came into the foyer leading to the hallway, still holding her car keys, a worried crease between her brows.

Miranda met her halfway, speaking quickly and quietly, telling her to calm down, as it wasn’t too serious, but Komi still rushed up the stairs.

She reached Hori’s room in seconds and pushed the door open, her eyes immediately settling on Izan, who was still sunk into the bean bag beside the bed, arms loosely folded, half-watching Hori as she dozed.

Miko lay stretched near his feet, ears flicking up when Komi entered.

Komi crossed the room in quick steps and went straight to Hori’s side.

"My baby," she whispered, placing a hand on her daughter’s forehead while Hori let out a tired groan and cracked an eye open.

"Mom, I’m not dying."

Izan couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out while Hori glanced at him, unimpressed.

"Looks like she’s regaining her attitude," he said as Komi exhaled, brushing a strand of hair from Hori’s cheek.

"It’s been over two years since you last got sick. I’m allowed to worry."

Hori didn’t argue, probably too drained to keep up her sarcasm, while Izan pushed himself out of the bean bag.

"I need a drink," Izan said, causing the mother and daughter duo to snap their heads in his direction, questioningly.

"Come on, mum, water," Izan said with a little chuckle as he snapped his fingers softly at Miko. "Come on. Let her rest."

Miko whined but obeyed, sticking close to Izan’s leg as they stepped out into the hallway.

Downstairs, Miranda was at the door gathering her bag, back to her usual calm.

"Since Komi’s back, I need to return to the office before the rest of the afternoon escapes," she said. "If I don’t, we’ll both drown in paperwork by tomorrow."

"I get it," Izan said. "Just make sure you eat early."

Miranda gave a short, amused snort. "I’ll try."

She pushed the door open and headed to her SUV.

The engine turned over once, then hummed steadily as she backed out.

A moment later, the vehicle rolled through the gate, and the estate grew quiet again.

Izan let the silence settle before turning toward the kitchen, Miko padding along beside him.

....

Olivia wrapped up her last class of the day just as the late afternoon light settled across the college courtyard.

Students spilt out of the building in uneven waves, half-tired, half-relieved, the usual midweek mood.

She slipped her bag higher on her shoulder and called Izan while heading toward the main gate.

He picked up on the second ring.

"You done?" he asked.

"Finally. I was thinking of heading to Hori’s school to pick her up, so I asked Miranda if she wanted me to take both of them home."

Olivia shifted her phone to her other ear.

"She told me she’d brought Hori home already, so I guessed it might be serious. How’s she holding up?"

"She’s okay," Izan said. "She’s already making comments and rejecting food, so she’s fine."

Olivia let out a small laugh on the other side.

"Then she’s definitely alive."

"Exactly."

"I’ll just get an Uber home then," she said. "Miranda doesn’t need more things to think about today."

"Alright. See you later."

"Yeah. See you."

She hung up as a breeze cut across the pavement, brushing her hair back.

And then she made her way out of the college gates.

The next morning arrived quietly and slowly.

Izan scrolled through his phone while leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for the kettle Komi had wanted.

A headline blinked across the top of his screen, and it was one that was causing all the ruckus that morning.

Arsenal hijack Tottenham’s deal for Eze. Fee agreed: 67.5 million.

He blinked, then laughed under his breath.

Of course, it had happened overnight.

The flood of reactions started pouring in right after that.

Fans online were split between buzzing and stunned, and the team’s group chat was even noisier.

Rice: Called it.

Martinelli: I woke up and thought my eyes were messing with me.

Saliba: Welcome to the madness, but should we attend the unveiling or something?

Nwaneri: Nahh, we do not want some people(Izan) to steal the show. I head Eze’s gone through some tough crap, so today is his day. Don’t jeorpadise it.

Saka dropped a voice note a moment later, his tone tinged with amusement as usual.

"So he’s your challenger, yeah? You must have it hard."

The group erupted after that while Izan shook his head.

"I thought we already had this talk, Bukayo. Yes, he’s "supposed" to be my challenger."

A string of crowd-teasing, "ooooohhhss!", was typed incessantly in the group while Saka replied with a crying emoji.

The banter rolled on while pundits online dissected the deal.

Some were calling it overkill.

Others questioned the price but agreed the player fit Arsenal’s growing identity.

Talk shows ran quick segments with hosts trying to explain how Spurs had gone from confident to empty-handed in less than twenty-four hours.

Izan, back at home, scrolled a little more, half amused, half curious, letting the swirl of opinions play in the background as the kettle finally clicked.

.....

Eventually, the two days given to Izan were up, and as if his body knew, Izan’s eyes snapped open before his alarm the morning of his first training session with Arsenal since coming back from Udine.

He exhaled and rubbed his face, already sensing the weight of another day settling behind his eyes.

When he turned his head, he almost laughed.

Olivia had pulled the entire duvet to her side and was curled around it like she thought it was him.

Only the corner of the blanket remained on his half of the bed.

"I should let this go," he muttered as he swung his legs over the edge.

He washed up, brushed his teeth, and stepped out into the cool morning air for a run.

The street was still half-asleep, not that it never was in the area around Hampstead.

It might have been the unusually cold weather, but not many people were outside while finishing his jog.

While he jogged back toward the house, he shook his head to himself.

"These two days went by just like that. Nothing even happened."

He paused at the gate, catching his breath. "I really need to resume those system rewards."

Inside, the house was finally stirring.

The faint smell of coffee drifted through the hallway.

When he walked into the kitchen, he found Miranda already up, leaning against the counter with a mug in hand.

She looked more awake than anyone had the right to look at this hour.

"You’re up early," she said.

"So are you," he replied.

She lifted her cup slightly.

"Needed caffeine. Also... what do you think about walking a runway?"

Izan blinked. "Really?"

Miranda tilted her head, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"What?"

He grabbed a chilled bottle of water from the fridge and took a long drink.

"A runway now?"

"It’s just an offer," she said.

"A designer reached out. Thought you might want to try it since you like fashion. No pressure."

He nodded slowly while setting the bottle on the kitchen island.

"Alright. Let’s talk about it later."

She gave him a small, approving nod as he headed toward the stairs.

After showering, he returned to the bedroom where Olivia was still sprawled across the bed, wrapped in the remaining half of the duvet like she had grown roots there.

He nudged her shoulder gently. "Liv. Wake up."

She groaned without opening her eyes. "I don’t have classes today."

"Yes, you do," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting, but she stayed still until her eyes snapped open instantly.

An hour later, the engine of Izan’s Gemera hummed steadily as they drove through the quiet streets toward King’s College.

Olivia sat beside him, leaning slightly against the door, one hand idly tracing the seam of her jacket, before she turned towards Izan, staring at the latter until he spoke.

"So," he began, eyes on the road, "what do you plan to do now that your exchange program is ending?"

"What, you want to get rid of me that quickly?" she asked, a playful lilt in her tone, while she kept pulling closer.

Izan’s lips twitched in a small smile.

"I wouldn’t dare," he said, glancing at her briefly.

"But if you have plans to transfer early, you should. Miranda can help set things up for you."

Olivia leaned her head back against the window, staring out at the passing streets while the corner of her mouth lifted knowingly.

"Of course I’m going to transfer here," she said softly, almost as if talking to herself, though her words carried.

She refused to meet his gaze, letting the silence stretch between them in a comfortable rhythm as the car continued on its route.

Izan’s smile widened slightly at her answer, though he kept his eyes on the road.