The future
A few days later, Alessia was curled up in bed, a book in her hands, completely immersed in the words on the page. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light over the room, the gentle hum of the evening settling around her. She barely registered the sound of Leah’s footsteps approaching until the bed dipped, and suddenly, there was a weight pressing against her.
Leah, having finished her FIFA match with Keira, didn’t hesitate as she crawled into bed -on top of Alessia, effectively forcing her to abandon her book. Alessia huffed out a small laugh, her arms instinctively settling around Leah’s smaller frame, her free hand setting the book aside before she pressed a kiss to the top of Leah’s head.
“You won, didn’t you?” Alessia murmured, feeling Leah smile against her collarbone.
“Obviously,” Leah mumbled, shifting until she was completely comfortable, her body moulding against Alessia’s.
Alessia chuckled, running a slow hand down Leah’s back. “Smug.”
Leah hummed. “Mm. You love me though.”
“I do,” Alessia said softly, tilting her head to press another kiss against Leah’s hair. “I really, really do.”
Leah squeezed her a little tighter, murmuring a quiet, “Love you too.”
Alessia felt her heart swell, and without thinking, she reached up, cupping the back of Leah’s head as she grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them both, cocooning them in warmth.
For a while, they simply lay there, breathing each other in, wrapped up in the safety of their little world. Then, without prompting, Alessia spoke.
“You know…when we first got together, I was so scared,” she admitted quietly. “Like, properly terrified.”
Leah shifted slightly, tilting her head to look at Alessia’s face. “I know.” She murmurs.
Alessia exhaled, her fingers tracing gentle patterns against Leah’s back. “I was scared of being me. Of being with you. Not because I didn’t want to -God, I wanted to- but because I’d spent so long being ashamed of it. Of myself.”
Leah’s hold on her tightened, her warmth sinking deeper into Alessia’s skin. She knew this already, of course, but hearing it out loud again, for the first time in what felt like forever, didn’t make it any less harder to hear.
“Less…”
“It’s not like that anymore,” Alessia continued, shaking her head. “Now, I-“ She swallowed, a smile tugging at her lips. “I couldn’t be prouder to love you. I am proud to love you.”
Leah blinked up at her, the softest smile on her face. “Good. You should be.”
Alessia brushed a thumb against Leah’s cheek, watching as she leaned into her touch. Then, Leah spoke again.
“Have you thought about…y’know, us?”
Alessia tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“Our future,” Leah clarified, her fingers playing idly with the fabric of Alessia’s shirt. “Marriage. Pets. Stuff like that.”
Alessia felt her heart skip. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I think about it all the time.”
Leah lifted herself up just enough to look Alessia in the eyes. “Me too.”
A soft silence stretched between them, full of the weight of everything unsaid.
“Kids?” Alessia asked eventually, just above a whisper.
Leah hesitated, then shrugged. “Not right now. Maybe not ever. I don’t know.”
Alessia nodded. “Same.”
“But,” Leah added, intertwining their fingers, “if either of us changes our mind…we can talk about it.”
Alessia squeezed her hand. “Yeah. We can talk about it.”
And they did. About everything.
About their careers, their dream home, what kind of dog they’d get first (Leah insisted on a Labrador, Alessia wanted a Golden Retriever -Leah said they were practically the same thing. Alessia disagrees). They talked about their wedding, whether they’d have a big one or a small one, who would cry first (Leah claimed Alessia definitely would). They talked for hours, the words flowing easily, filling the space between them like the waves lapping at the shore just a few nights before.
Eventually, Leah’s words began to slow, her eyelids drooping as sleep started to pull at her. Alessia smiled, tightening her hold, feeling Leah’s breath even out against her neck. And as she lay there, sleep tugging at her own consciousness, Alessia’s last thought was simple.
‘I want to spend the rest of my life with her’.
And she did.
Years passed, and their love only grew stronger. They built a life together -one filled with laughter, quiet moments, and the kind of unwavering partnership that made even the hardest days easier.
Their wedding was everything they wanted it to be. It wasn’t massive, but it wasn’t small either -just intimate enough to be filled with people who truly mattered. Their families, their closest friends, teammates who had become like family over the years.
Alessia swore she wasn’t going to cry first. She’d said it so many times in the lead-up to the day that Leah had just started smirking every time she mentioned it.
But then, she saw Leah at the end of the aisle -stood there, looking impossibly beautiful, with a nervous but beaming smile on her face- and it hit her all at once. Tears welled in her eyes before she could even take a step forward, and she tried to hold them back, but by the time she reached Leah, they were already spilling down her cheeks.
Leah, the smug git, whispered, “Called it,” but her voice was thick, and her own eyes were glossy. She held it together just long enough to get through the vows -until Alessia, with her voice shaking and her hand clutching Leah’s like it was the only thing keeping her upright, promised to love her for the rest of her life.
That was when Leah lost it.
Alessia had barely finished her sentence before Leah’s chin wobbled and tears spilled over, matching Alessia’s own.,They laughed, then cried some more, then laughed again as their officiant, slightly exasperated but deeply fond of them, handed them tissues. And when they kissed -when Leah pulled Alessia in and kissed her with every ounce of love she had in her body- it felt like the start of something real. Something forever.
After the honeymoon, they started looking for their first house together.
It took months -Leah was picky, Alessia was indecisive, and neither of them could agree on the perfect location. But then they found it. A beautiful house on the outskirts of the city, far enough from the chaos but close enough that they could still visit friends and family with ease.
It had a big garden, perfect for the two dogs they were already planning to get, and enough space to grow into. The moment they stepped inside, they just knew. Leah claimed it was because of the kitchen. “We’ll have so many date nights in here, Less.” Alessia claimed it was because of the cozy living room with the stunning bay window. “Imagine curling up in here with a book while it’s raining outside.”
In reality, it was because it felt like them. Like home.
So, they bought it.
They spent weeks decorating, arguing over paint swatches and furniture placement, making it theirs in every way. And when it was finally done, they curled up on the couch, exhausted but happy, and Leah whispered, “We did it.”
Alessia kissed her, smiling against her lips. “Yeah. We did.”
They got Bella first -a very excitable Golden Retriever puppy that Alessia fell in love with the moment she saw her. Leah tried to pretend she wasn’t immediately smitten, but the way she let Bella sleep in their bed on the first night said otherwise. Then, a year later, they got Oscar -an energetic Labrador that Leah picked out, determined to have her choice of dog this time.
Bella and Oscar became inseparable, just like their owners. They followed Alessia and Leah everywhere, filled their house with the sounds of paws against hardwood floors, and provided endless entertainment (and occasional chaos).
Leah swore up and down that Bella was the troublemaker, but Alessia knew better. Oscar had a knack for stealing food when no one was looking, and Leah conveniently ignored it every time. Their lives became a comfortable, happy routine -morning walks with the dogs, lazy Sundays in the garden, and evenings spent curled up on the couch, dogs sprawled at their feet.
Retirement wasn’t an easy decision, but when the time came, they knew it was right. Alessia was first. Her body had taken its fair share of hits, and though she could have pushed on for another year or two, she didn’t want to. She wanted to go out on her own terms.
Leah followed not long after. She probably could have played longer, but the idea of stepping onto the pitch without Alessia didn’t feel right. They had built their careers alongside each other, had supported one another through every injury, every victory, every heartbreak. It only felt right to end that chapter together.
Retirement didn’t mean stepping away from football completely, though. Alessia went into coaching, mentoring young players who reminded her of herself at the start of her career. Leah took on punditry, her sharp football mind making her a natural in front of the cameras. They still went to games, still cheered on their old teams, still lived and breathed the sport that had brought them together in the first place.
But more than anything, they just lived.
They travelled. They spent time with family. They took long walks on the beach, holding hands like they had all those years ago. They had lazy mornings where they didn’t rush to be anywhere, where Leah would steal the covers and Alessia would grumble before pulling her into a kiss. Their life wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs.
And as the years went on, as they grew older together, Alessia never stopped thinking about the night they lay in bed, talking about their future.
Because everything they had talked about -everything they had dreamed of- had come true.
And she wouldn’t have changed a single thing.