God Of football

Chapter 890: Mother Knows Best. [GT Chapter.]

An hour after making their way out of the New Haven Shelter, the SUV rolled to a stop under the soft yellow glow of the hotel’s parking lot lights.

Aaron stepped out first, rubbing his palms together as if to shake off the long drive, before heading to the trunk to help unload the luggage.

Hori quietly pulled her suitcase out without a word, her face still tight with leftover frustration, while Olivia glanced at her once, then decided not to push it.

Izan, leaning slightly on the car door, gave a nod of thanks to Aaron before closing the trunk.

Aaron hesitated, glancing around awkwardly, his hands fidgeting.

”Hey, uh... before you go,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose, ”mind if I get a quick photo? My sister’s not gonna believe this.”

Izan paused for a moment, then gave a small, tired nod.

”Sure.”

Aaron grinned, pulling out his phone, before moving to stand beside Izan.

The flash went off once, and he thanked Izan a bit too eagerly before waving them off.

Izan simply raised a hand, then followed Olivia and Hori toward the entrance, the rhythmic sound of their luggage wheels clicking over the tiled floor.

The lobby inside the hotel was quiet and clean, with soft jazz humming through the speakers.

Izan showed their booking details to the receptionist, who handed them their keycards with a polite smile.

Olivia and Hori took the larger room, while Izan’s was a few doors down.

Once inside, he set his bag by the wall and sat heavily on the bed.

For a long moment, he just stared up at the ceiling, the fatigue of just everything going on at the moment catching up to him.

His phone buzzed beside him, lighting up with a familiar name.

”Hey, Mom,” he said, pressing the phone to his ear before pulling a pillow under his back while Komi’s voice came through.

”How’d it go today?”

Izan chuckled softly, rubbing a hand over his face.

”You already know, don’t you? She called you.”

There was a pause as Komi tried to sound innocent.

”Called me? Hori? Nooo, she didn’t—”

”Mom.”

She sighed over the phone, snorting a bit before answering again.

”Alright, she did. But don’t be too hard on her, Izan. She really liked that dog.”

”I know.”

”It’s not that hard to take care of one, you know,” she went on.

”And when a dog gets attached, it’s not some passing thing. They remember. They wait. If you walk away, it’s like... sentencing it.”

Izan went quiet.

He could hear faint noise in the background, maybe Komi making their home back in Hampstead look lively again after not being around for a while.

Then her voice softened.

”I’m not telling you what to do,” she said.

”But if you decide against it, I’ll make Miranda do it for me.”

He groaned faintly.

”You’re serious?”

”Completely,” she said, and then laughed lightly.

”Besides, it’s funny, isn’t it? Miko and Komi. Same letters, just swapped around. It’s fate.”

That actually drew a chuckle from him.

”You’re spoiling her.”

”Izan, you spoil her too,” Komi said without missing a beat.

”And one day, when you’ve got a few of your own, you’ll understand.”

He could almost picture her smirking on the other end.

Before he could respond, another voice came through, Miranda’s.

”If you do want to adopt her,” she said, ”the process can be fast-tracked. The shelter vet already confirmed Miko’s bonded to you. It’s practically a dependency now. And as for whether you have the means to take care of her, your name practically speaks for that.”

Izan sighed and sat up, rubbing his temple.

”Do I get a say in this?”

”No,” both women said at once.

He let out a short laugh, then fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling again.

”Fine. Just... go ahead with it, but it’s on you, not me.”

Miranda hummed in approval, while Komi’s voice returned, light but full of warmth.

”Thank you for listening to your mother.”

”Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, though a faint smile tugged at his mouth as the call ended.

The room fell silent again, save for the quiet hum of the air conditioner.

Izan stared at his phone, still glowing dimly in his hand, before finally setting it aside and closing his eyes, letting out a long, tired breath.

”The women I have to deal with in my life,” he said before snorting..

....

The next morning, a buzz from his phone woke him up.

He stirred a little, blinking his eyes open to find Olivia curled up beside him, her arm draped across his chest, her face buried against his shoulder, with her hair slightly tousled.

She looked peaceful in a sleepy, unguarded way and that irked Izan a bit.

”Ruined my sleep,” he muttered, but he couldn’t help but smile.

There was something disarming about her like this, no teasing, no sassy words, but just warmth.

He leaned in, pressing a small kiss to her lips, then gently lifted her hand from his chest and set it on the blanket.

She murmured something faint, almost inaudible, before rolling onto her side, still lost in sleep.

Izan sat up, stretching his arms over his head until his back gave a light crack.

The sunlight painted soft lines across the floor, hinting that the day had already started without him.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen. 8:47 a.m.

”Almost nine,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. ”I’m getting lazy.”

[At least you are conscious of it], his system dinged in his head.

He snorted at the response, shaking his head.

”Well, do something about it then,” Izan replied, but the system just stayed silent.

”That’s what I thought,” Izan said as his phone began ringing again.

”Hello, Mr Hern-, I mean Izan,” a voice came through as he answered.

”Yes, Aaron. Sorry. I overslept. Will be down in a bit,” he said, receiving a hum of acknowledgement from the other side before ending the call.

After a quick shower and change, he found himself in Aaron’s SUV again, the morning already warming up.

Aaron was in a blue hoodie, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping the steering rhythmically as he talked.

”Man, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again,” Aaron said, laughing.

”My sister didn’t either. I showed her the picture we took yesterday, and she thought I was lying at first. Then she got jealous when I told her I had to drive you again today.”

Izan glanced his way with a half-smile.

”You’re quite the celebrity at home now.”

Aaron grinned.

”Guess so. She even told me to tell you she’s your biggest fan. I didn’t tell her you barely talk, though. I like having that edge.”

Izan chuckled faintly, turning his gaze out the window after that as the city rolled by in a blur of movement, cars, pedestrians, and street vendors setting up for the day.

The closer they got to the outskirts, the quieter it became, until the noise of the city faded into open stretches of road.

The drive took nearly an hour, but Aaron didn’t talk much after that, maybe sensing Izan wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

When they finally pulled into the familiar lot of the New Haven shelter, the sight of it stirred something oddly calm in him.

Clara was standing outside, arms crossed, her usual bright smile lighting up her face the moment she saw him.

”I knew you’d be back,” she said, walking up as Izan stepped out of the car.

He gave a quiet shrug, his lips curving slightly. ”Didn’t really have much of a choice.”

Clara laughed, shaking her head.

”Still, it’s good to see you again. Miko’s been waiting for you.”

Izan glanced toward the building, his expression softening a little.

”Is that so?”

”You’ll see,” she said, motioning him to follow.

He nodded once, slipping his hands into his pockets as they walked through the doors together.

.....

[JFK Airport]

Olivia stood near one of the glass walls, a hand hooked on the handle of Izan’s luggage, her phone in the other.

She looked calm enough on the outside, though her eyes kept flicking toward the sliding doors every now and then.

Beside her, Hori crossed her arms, her expression somewhere between impatient and unimpressed.

”Where is he?” she muttered, her voice cutting through the noise.

”He’s the one who told us to come straight here, and he’s the one making us wait.”

Olivia sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

”He said he’d meet us here. That’s all I know.”

”That’s all you know?” Hori gave her a look.

”He disappeared this morning without saying where he was going. You didn’t think to ask?”

”I did,” Olivia replied, her tone mild. ”He just said he had to take care of something first.”

Hori rolled her eyes and leaned against one of the pillars.

”He always says that. ’Something.’ Like we’re supposed to read his mind.”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile faintly at that.

She looked toward the exit again, her brows knitting.

”It’s almost noon. I told him to let us reschedule if-”

Before she could finish, the sharp sound of a car horn drew their attention.

A black SUV slowed to a stop in front of the terminal entrance.

It wasn’t just any car but the same one from the day before.

Olivia blinked, recognition lighting in her eyes while Hori straightened instantly, her earlier irritation fading into curiosity.