Harbinger Of Glory

The air outside the FIGC complex was still warm when Leo and the rest of the boys stepped out through the front gates.

The sky above Rome glowed in deep shades of orange, sitting low on the horizon with some part of it shaded indigo, pointing towards the day going to it’s ended.

A light breeze drifted through the trees that lined the street, brushing at their clothes as they waited for the Uber Carlo had ordered.

Ruggeri nudged Ricci and Udogie, his grin wide.

”We’ve got competition,” he said under his breath, tilting his chin toward Leo.

”Competition for what?” Udogie frowned, looking confused.

Ruggeri gestured at Leo again.

”Look at him, man. Tell me that’s not clean.”

Leo stood a few feet away, head lowered slightly as he scrolled on his phone.

He wore loose, baggy jeans that hung over a pair of crisp black-and-white New Balances, a white tee layered under a black and white flannel, and a simple bucket hat.

The ”decent fit” that looked more like he just happened to throw it on than plan it.

Ricci chuckled, ”Bro looks like one of those Milan guys who pretend they don’t care how they look but are secretly models or something.”

Leo looked up then, catching the laughter but not understanding the words.

”What did they say?” he asked Carlo, who was checking his phone for the Uber’s arrival.

Carlo smirked and shrugged.

”They just said your outfit’s nice. Don’t worry about it.”

Leo blinked, unsure if that was true or a joke, but nodded anyway just as a black Uber XL pulled up beside the curb.

The driver rolled down the window slightly and called, ”Carlo?”

”Yeah, that’s us,” Carlo replied, opening the door.

The group piled into the van, Fornella in the passenger seat, the rest squeezing into the back.

Ricci immediately connected his phone to the Bluetooth after asking the driver who agreed, cycling through songs while Udogie argued that he had better taste.

The banter filled the car, their laughter bouncing off the tinted windows, but Leo didn’t join in much.

He sat by the window, cheek propped against his hand, watching as the car rolled through Rome’s evening buzz.

The streets were lively, couples or tourists walking arm in arm, the smell of coffee and pizza wafting through the air and the buzz of scooters zipping between cars.

After about twenty minutes, the car slowed into the Monti district.

It was beautiful, cobblestone streets lined with warm, old buildings that glowed softly under yellow lamps, cafes spilling out onto the pavement, and music playing faintly from somewhere nearby as the Uber stopped at a corner.

Carlo paid the driver, and everyone got out, stretching their legs for a bit.

Leo immediately took out his phone, lifting it slightly to snap a picture of a gelato stand beneath a street lamp and then a cozy cafe.

The sound of the camera shutter made Carlo glance over with a raised brow.

”Is this your first time here?” Carlo asked, half-teasing.

Leo turned to him, deadpan.

”Do I look like a tourist?”

Carlo grinned.

”You don’t but you are acting like one.”

Leo shook his head, pocketing his phone.

”Let’s just do what we came here to do.”

Carlo chuckled.

”Fair enough,” he said as he waved the others over. ”Come on.”

They walked through the Monti streets, their sneakers tapping against the uneven stones.

Conversations spilled out of the cafes, the smell of pastries and espresso thick in the air and after a few minutes, Carlo slowed down near a small café across a street.

The others stopped too, watching as he stared at the shopfront.

A girl had just stepped out, early-20s, maybe, wearing a café apron and holding a small trash bag.

She moved toward a bin by the corner, kicked it open with her heel, and tossed the bag inside before brushing her hands on her apron.

Leo followed Carlo’s gaze, then looked at the others.

”That her? I thought you said she worked at a boutique,” he asked quietly.

Carlo nodded, face tightening slightly.

Just as Carlo was about to take a step forward, the girl looked up, her eyes flicking across the street, landing on him.

She froze for half a second, squinting as if she wasn’t sure, before realisation hit her.

Her expression broke into a huge, genuine smile, and before anyone could react, she screamed, a happy, high-pitched sound that made a few people in front of the café turn their heads, and then she ran straight toward him.

”Carlo!” she shouted, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him.

Leo blinked, taken aback.

He leaned toward the others and muttered in broken Italian, ”I don’t think she cheated.”

Ruggeri and Fornella snorted while Ricci, trying to hold in his laughter, leaned closer to Udogie to translate.

”He said... he thinks she didn’t cheat.”

”Bruh,” Udogie said while Ricci burst out laughing more.

”What is wrong with you?” Udogie said laughing and shaking his head at Ricci’s joke.

”But you might be right, Leo.”

Across the street, Carlo awkwardly pulled away from her hug while the girl stepped back, brushing her hair behind her ear, a confused smile tugging at her lips.

”I texted you yesterday,” she said in Italian, words flowing quickly.

”I wanted to ask if you were called up again for the camp, but you didn’t answer!”

Ricci, acting as Leo’s personal translator, said between sips of cappuccino he had gotten a while ago, ”She said she texted but he didn’t answer. She looks... happy.”

Leo just nodded also taking a sip of his cappuccino.

”Ah. Okay.”

Carlo sighed, taking a small step back.

”Who was the guy you were with yesterday?” he asked in Italian, voice low but sharp.

Her brow furrowed immediately. ”What guy?”

”I came to surprise you, you know”, Carlo said.

”Yesterday. Thought I’d pop in and give you a slight shock but you were outside, arms around some guy’s neck.”

The girl’s expression went blank, eyes flicking side to side as she tried to remember.

Then, just as a hint of realization dawned, a voice came from behind her.

”Gianna!”

Then, everyone’s head turned.

A tall boy, maybe a year or two younger than her, walked up holding a small bag and a drink.

He stopped beside her, eyeing Carlo curiously.

From across the street, Leo and the boys sat outside the café now, cappuccinos and coffees in front of them like an audience watching a live drama unfold.

Ricci leaned forward, translating live commentary for Leo, who was clearly enjoying it.

Carlo’s jaw tightened as he recognized the boy.

”You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered causing the other boy to look at him a bit defensively but just as it seemed like things would spiral out of control, Gianna turned to the boy with a smile, completely missing the tension.

”Paolo, this is Carlo, my boyfriend.”

She turned back to Carlo, still smiling.

”And Carlo, this is Paolo... my brother.”

The moment hung there for a beat before Leo suddenly broke into laughter, clapping once, unable to hold it in.

”Brother! I understand what that meant” he said, still laughing.

The other boys joined in, Ricci almost spilling his drink, while Carlo just stood frozen, staring at Gianna and Paolo, processing everything as his teammates howled from across the street.

And Leo, still grinning, leaned back in his chair and said under his breath, ”Told you she didn’t cheat.”

....

Gianna waved her co-workers goodbye as the bell above the café door chimed softly behind her.

She then made her way outside and over to the other cafe across the streets, where the night lights poured through the glass front, warming the wood-toned interior and mixing with the low hum of conversation.

She found Paolo and Carlo seated at a small table near the corner, right next to where Leo and a few of the boys from the team sat, laughing over empty coffee cups.

She smiled and made her way over, slipping past a waiter balancing a tray of pastries.

”You two look cozy,” she said, setting her bag down and leaning a little against the chair beside them.

”So... did you get to know each other yet?”

Carlo blinked, looking up like someone waking from a long thought.

”So—Paolo’s your brother?”

Gianna grinned, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

”Mhm. Unfortunately for me, yes.”

She wrapped an arm around Paolo’s neck and pulled his cheek against hers, forcing him to face her.

The resemblance showed faintly, the same deep brown eyes, though hers carried warmth where his usually held mischief.

”Gianna, stop,” Paolo muttered, shoving her away with a quick laugh.

”I already said I’ll repay you. Can you not do this in front of people?”

”Repay you?” Carlo asked, his brow furrowing as he ran a hand through his hair.

”Then what was that scene yesterday? You two looked like—”

”Exactly,” Gianna cut in, sighing.

”That’s what he’s paying me back for.”

She gestured at her brother with a look that was half amusement, half exasperation.

”You see, my dear brother here is... let’s just say, very popular with the ladies. One of his many admirers didn’t take it well when she found out he actually has a girlfriend.”

Paolo groaned quietly, slouching into his seat. ”You don’t have to tell everyone—”

”Oh, I do,” Gianna said, turning back to Carlo.

”Anyway, the girl followed him here while he was coming to see me. And so he had me act things out with him, you know without any of the kissing part and then you” she gave him a small apologetic smile ”—just happened to walk in at the worst possible moment.”

Carlo let out a short breath through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching.

”Right. So, I was the guy who got in the middle of a family drama.”

”Pretty much,” Gianna said, shrugging lightly.

”And I’m sorry for that. You just seemed... caught off guard, that’s all.”

Paolo stirred the ice in his empty glass, the cubes clinking against the sides as he muttered, ”Can we stop talking about this now?”

Gianna rolled her eyes but didn’t push it.

She leaned forward in her chair, crossing her legs and glancing briefly at Leo’s table nearby, where laughter had subsided into quieter talk.

Then she looked back at Carlo, her tone softening just a bit.

”I am really sorry?” she said, but Carlo just stood up and swept her up from her seat in a hug.

”I’m just glad it wasn’t what I was thinking,” he said as she leaned more into him.