God Of football

Chapter 888: Another Love.

The phone was pressed loosely against his ear, his voice low but steady as he leaned against the edge of the hotel desk.

”Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired,” Izan said, running a hand through his hair as he listened.

On the other end, the media liaison’s tone was polite but edged with hesitation, like someone unsure of how to bring up bad news.

After a moment, the man continued.

”There’s... something else I wanted to talk to you about, Izan. It’s about Miko.”

That name pulled Izan’s eyes toward the wall.

It took him a second to remember.

”The Samoyed from the Purina event?” he asked quietly.

”Exactly. The reps from the shelter called. They said that ever since they got back from the event, Miko hasn’t been eating. They took him to a vet, and the diagnosis was, well... depression. Nothing they’ve tried has worked.”

Izan didn’t say anything as the sound of faint traffic from outside filled the silence between them.

”They told me it started after that day,” the liaison went on.

”Apparently, Miko was... unusually attached to you. Wouldn’t let anyone else near him for hours after the event, and they think that is the reason for his depression.”

A small sigh escaped Izan’s nose, his hand resting on his knee.

”You’re telling me a dog’s depressed because of me?”

”I’m afraid so,” the man said gently.

”They reached out to see if maybe, well, if you could visit him. If it’s not too much trouble, of course. He’s in New York now, under the shelter’s care. They said even a short visit might help, or we might hear the worst.”

Izan’s eyes flicked toward the door when he heard it open.

Olivia stepped in, still in her hotel slippers, her hair damp from the shower.

She caught his gaze and frowned slightly, mouthing, What’s going on?

He gave a small smile and lifted a finger, silently telling her to wait.

On the phone, the liaison added, ”And if you can’t make it, that’s perfectly fine. I just told them I’d ask. I know your schedule’s packed, and since we are coming off a very tiring season, it won’t be weird for you to refuse.”

Izan stared down at the carpet for a long moment, thinking.

His voice was quiet when he finally answered.

”I was never much of a dog person,” he admitted.

”But that doesn’t make this okay.” He paused again, almost as if saying it out loud made it clearer in his head.

”I’ll visit him before I leave the country.”

The man on the other end sounded relieved, even a little emotional.

”That’s... honestly, that’s wonderful news, Izan. You just made my day. I’ll make all the arrangements, alright? When you land in New York, there’ll be a car ready to take you to the shelter. I’ll send the details tonight.”

”Alright,” Izan said simply.

”Thank you again,” the liaison replied, his tone brightening. ”You have no idea what this means to them and to the dog, too.”

When the line finally went dead, Izan let the phone drop onto the bed beside him and exhaled.

The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner.

Olivia came out of the bathroom again, towel in hand, and looked at him.

”So... what was that about?”

He rubbed his neck before answering. ”Something about a dog. Miko, the Samoyed from that Purina event.”

Her face lit up immediately.

”Wait, that dog? The one in the video? The white fluffy one?”

”Yeah, that one,” Izan said, half-smiling at her reaction.

She stepped closer, leaning on the bedpost.

”What about him?”

”He hasn’t been eating. They said he’s... depressed. Started after that event,” Izan said, his tone quieter now. ”They asked if I could visit before we leave.”

Olivia’s eyes softened.

”That’s... really sad,” she said, then looked up at him again. ”But you said yes, right?”

”I did.”

Her smile returned almost instantly.

”Good. He looked so cute in those videos. All that fur.” She paused. ”When do we go?”

Izan tilted his head a little.

”We? You want to come?”

”Of course,” she said, nodding quickly. ”I want to meet him too.”

He laughed quietly under his breath.

”You sure about that?”

She nodded again, even more eagerly this time.

”Positive.”

He stood, took a small step toward her, and without another word, wrapped his arms around her.

She let out a small, surprised laugh as he pulled her closer, and the two of them fell backwards onto the bed, still in each other’s arms.

For a while, they didn’t speak as Olivia’s head rested against his chest, and Izan just stared at the ceiling, his hand idly brushing strands of her hair aside.

”I love you,” they both said simultaneously, before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

Dinner that night carried a kind of tired warmth as the faint hum of conversation from nearby tables mixed with the low music that floated through the restaurant.

Plates of half-finished food sat between them, glasses glinting in the mellow light.

Izan sat beside Olivia, who was animatedly telling the others about the phone call from earlier, her hands moving with that restless energy that came out whenever she was excited.

”So you’re really going to visit him?” Miranda asked, setting down her fork.

”It’s a she and yeah,” Izan said, voice steady but a little softer than usual. ”Before we leave.”

Across the table, Hori was sipping her drink but stopped mid-sip.

”Oh, that one,” she said, her tone casual but her expression not quite matching it. ”The fluffy one that was all over you?”

Olivia chuckled. ”That’s the one.”

There was a small silence before Hori cleared her throat and set her glass down with a small clink.

”Well, I mean... It’s not like I want to go or anything,” she said, glancing sideways without quite meeting anyone’s eyes, ”but... it’d be kinda sad for the poor thing if we all just sat here doing nothing, right?”

Olivia raised an eyebrow, hiding a grin.

”So you’re saying you want to come.”

”I didn’t say that,” Hori shot back quickly, crossing her arms.

”I just said it’d be sad if nobody went. That’s different.”

Miranda let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head.

”Right. Totally different.”

Hori muttered something under her breath and poked at her food, pretending not to hear them.

Komi, who had been mostly quiet until now, rested her elbows lightly on the table, her expression thoughtful.

”That poor dog,” she said softly. ”He must have really liked you, Izan.”

Izan gave a small shrug. ”Maybe.”

”But are you okay. You aren’t scared anymore, right?” she asked, causing a wave of laughter from the table, as Izan shook his head, mouthing that he will be okay.

”I’m thinking the day after tomorrow,” Izan said. ”I’ll need to check flights first.”

Komi shook her head.

”You should go sooner. I know you’re tired, but the earlier the better. The dog’s already waiting, isn’t he?”

Izan leaned back in his chair, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

”I’ll keep that in mind.”

Komi gave him a knowing look, then turned her attention back to her plate.

The rest of the meal was easygoing as talks about the dog and travel plans drifted between small jokes, with Miranda teasing Hori for pretending she wasn’t interested and Olivia trying to convince Komi to visit a few spots in LA before heading out to London.

Izan stayed mostly quiet, listening more than he spoke, though every now and then, he’d catch a smile or a wave from people across other tables who had recognised him.

By the time they left, the restaurant had started to empty, with Hori advocating that they go for Ice Cream to wash down their dinner, and so they went.

The next day came sooner than anyone seemed ready for.

Izan settled into his seat in first class, the quiet hum of the aircraft filling the cabin.

Olivia sat beside him, scrolling idly through her phone, while Hori sat by the window, already fastening her seatbelt.

The attendants moved about softly, the kind of rehearsed calm that came before takeoff.

Hori’s phone buzzed, and she picked up.

”Yeah, we’re just about to take off,” she said, glancing at the others. ”Uh-huh. No, I didn’t forget anything.”

Komi’s voice came faintly through the receiver, warm and familiar even from a distance.

”See you in London,” she said.

Hori smiled a little.

”Yeah. See you.”

She hung up and set the phone aside, turning back toward the window as the engines began to hum louder.

Olivia leaned back into her seat with a small sigh, glancing at Izan, who had already put on his headphones, eyes half closed.

Outside, the runway lights blurred as the plane began to move, lifting slowly from the ground toward the clouds, toward a city where, somewhere, a white Samoyed still waited.

A/N: Will release the next Chapter soon.