God Of football

Chapter 716: Shared Interests.

”Come on,” Olivia said, as the sliding glass doors hissed open, letting in a rush of cooler air from the pick-up lane outside the terminal.

Travellers spilt past them with hurried steps and luggage trailing behind, a blur of chatter and rolling wheels filling the space.

Hori strode ahead, her carry-on bouncing slightly behind her, impatience already painted on her face.

She twisted back over her shoulder, cupping a hand near her mouth.

”Izan! Move it, will you?”

But Izan barely heard her.

He was still glued to the glow of his phone screen, standing stubbornly at the edge of the exit as the world filtered past him while his thumb scrolled, paused, scrolled again and then stopped.

A hand tugged at his elbow.

Olivia.

”Come on,” she said firmly, dragging him forward a few steps before he reluctantly shoved the phone into his pocket.

His free hand pulled along his bag, its wheels humming low against the tiles as they moved together, the three of them briefly swallowed up in the crowd until they spilled into the open space of the curb outside.

The air was heavy with car exhaust, snippets of horns, and the impatient calls of drivers waiting for passengers.

There, Izan’s phone buzzed as a new message lit up the screen.

Miranda.

She’s here. My friend’s already outside. Black GLE. She’ll take care of everything.

Izan slowed, scanning the lines of vehicles pulling up to the curb where the others had stopped with him.

”Who are we looking for?” Olivia asked, adjusting her tote strap over her shoulder and then grabbing hold of the luggage she had let loose.

”Miranda’s friend,” Izan said vaguely, his head swivelling. ”Supposed to meet us right here.”

Hori let out a short laugh, tipping her chin toward him.

”And here I thought your fame was supposed to make things easier. Shouldn’t she be recognising you instantly?”

Izan shot her a flat look over the edge of his mask — sharp, unimpressed — before rolling his eyes and turning away again, and that’s when he saw her.

A black GLE eased to the curb, its paint catching a faint shine under the midday light as the driver’s door swung open.

And out stepped a woman who looked around Miranda’s age — maybe a touch younger.

She was shorter, with a brisk, purposeful stride that carried her straight toward them, her dark jacket swinging against her sides.

Izan pulled the mask down from his face as she reached them, slipping it into his pocket.

”Collie Adams,” she said, introducing herself quickly, her hand extending to him before she gave a polite nod toward Hori and Olivia.

Her voice was firm, clipped, but not unkind.

Izan’s tall frame — a head and a half above hers — leaned slightly down as he shook her hand.

”Izan.”

”Yeah, I know,” she chuckled before her gaze shifted, briefly softening as it moved to the girls.

”And you must be... Hori and Olivia.”

The two gave small nods in return, falling into step behind her as she gestured toward the car.

They crossed the narrow lane together, where Collie’s eyes flicked sideways at one point, lingering on something across the crowd.

Her brow pinched slightly, lips pressing thin before she muttered low enough for only herself to hear: ”We should be quick.”

They reached the rear of the GLE, and Izan instinctively moved ahead, pulling the hatch open and helping with their luggage.

He lifted the heavier bags, setting them neatly into the back.

Collie moved toward the driver’s seat, but not before another glance over her shoulder.

”Vultures,” she breathed under her breath, not quite realising she said it aloud.

Izan caught the word, following her line of sight and across the flow of passengers, a man stood, half-hidden by a lamp post, his camera lifted discreetly — or not so discreetly — aimed directly at them.

Understanding clicked instantly in Izan’s mind.

He hesitated, just a fraction, before closing the trunk with a solid thud, and then he slid into the front passenger seat beside Collie, fastening his belt.

”Thanks,” he said quietly, the word carrying more weight than simple courtesy.

Collie turned her head, puzzled. ”Hm?”

He gave her a sidelong look, but by then her expression had already smoothed back to neutral.

”Never mind,” he said, sinking into his seat.

She nodded once, as if dismissing whatever had passed, then started the engine.

The hum of the car drowned out the outside noise, the tinted windows instantly muting the frenzy of the pick-up curb.

The girls settled in the back, Hori already stretching out like it was her living room couch, while Olivia adjusted her seatbelt before taking it off entirely after not finding it comfortable.

Collie checked her mirrors, pulling away from the terminal lane while her eyes flicked briefly to the rearview mirror, catching the face of Hori reflected back at her.

There was a pause, then her lips curved into the faintest smirk.

”So,” she said casually, her tone lighter than before, ”who loves Lana Del Rey?”

Her gaze stayed fixed on Hori’s face in the mirror, watching the exact moment her eyes lit up.

Izan let out a long sigh after Collie’s question before he pulled his Apple headsets from a pouch he had brought with him into the car, the sleek white headbands going over his ear as he tapoed his phone screen which brought him back to where he had left off: the FA Cup, quarter final tie between Arsenal and Aston Villa.

The familiar swell of commentary filled the quiet in his head.

”... and here come Arsenal again, pressing with purpose — Zinchenko driving down the left, looking for options...”

The noise was almost comforting and grounding as his eyes stayed on the small screen, the camera cutting across the Villa crowd, where Arsenal shirts flashed red under the gloomy floodlit skies.

”... and there’s Odegaard dropping deep, linking play...” the commentator’s voice suddenly rang, making Izan arch an eyebrow at the sight of his captain, dancing past two claret shirts before releasing a pass.

”Trossard was calling for it,” he said before he shook his head faintly, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.

Even when he wasn’t playing, he couldn’t escape himself, trying to dictate a game.

Behind him, though, the mood was completely different.

Hori had already leaned forward, her chin hooked on the seat, her eyes bright with curiosity as she peered toward the rear-view mirror while Olivia, seated just beside her, was the first to notice a tiny detail that sparked everything: the corner of Collie Adams’ phone case, decorated with stickers from a tour.

”Hold on—” Olivia sat up straighter, pointing with sudden excitement.

”Is that from Lana’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’ tour?”

Collie, focused on the road, gave a quick glance into the mirror before grinning.

”Sharp eye. Yeah. Picked it up in Rio De Janeiro last 2 years.”

Hori gasped, her voice instantly sharper. ”You like Lana Del Rey?”

That was it. The ice broke in an instant.

Olivia laughed as she confessed, ”I once begged my parents to let me camp outside a ticket booth overnight, back when the tour reached Madrid, but they didn’t, obviously. Said I’d ’lose brain cells breathing in the air there.’”

Collie chuckled. ”Sounds like something most parents would say.”

Hori jumped in quickly, a little dramatic as always.

”One time, I convinced Izan to drive an hour just so I could buy merch from a pop-up shop — didn’t even get tickets to the show! Just a shirt. And the best part is, he had just turned 15 and didn’t have a license. We didn’t tell mum, though.”

Collie laughed out loud, shaking her head.

”You two are dangerous. Lana’s good, but I don’t think I’d risk that much.”

”Oh, come on,” Olivia teased, leaning forward. ”You didn’t cry the first time you saw her live?”

Collie smirked.

”Didn’t cry. But... I didn’t blink for the whole opening song either, so maybe that counts.”

The three of them broke into laughter that filled the back of the car, warm and unforced.

Up front, Izan only caught pieces of it between the rises and falls of the commentary in his ears, but then, ”... and there’s Rashford now— goal for Aston Villa! Brilliant strike! It’s now 1-0 for Villa ”

His brow twitched faintly, eyes fixed on the little screen as the replay rolled with the roar of away fans, all of it filling his head and insulating him from the lively voices behind him.

For a while, it felt like two worlds running in parallel.

In one, Arsenal were fighting tooth and nail against Villa to advance to the next stage of the cup, but,

In the other: Hori, Olivia, and Collie, already laughing like old friends over a shared love for Lana Del Rey.

A/N: Okay guys. This is what you are going to get until I am done with my paper at 10:30. Have fun reading and I am going to learn now so bye.