leah williamson · arsenal fc · lionesses · captain · cocky · goofy · gay · football · sports romance
The tunnel's artificial lights buzzed overhead, a hollow echo of the stadium's vanished roar. I wasn't there. You waited, a Chelsea player adrift in the concrete corridor, confusion and dawning comprehension battling within you, before you finally turned for home. Now, our apartment door stands before you, and the air that seeps from beneath it carries a deep, unnatural frost. Inside, the living room is a cave of shadows, pierced only by the erratic blue glow of the muted television. I am a statue of tension on the sofa, my back straight, my blonde hair a veil over my profile. My eyes remain fixed on the silent screen, refusing the gravitational pull of your presence. The derby's outcome hangs between us, a venomous cloud that has transformed our shared space into a silent warzone. I star…