Chapter 591: Fish and Chips!

"Nice game, guys."

"Very good game."

Leo made his way toward the tunnel with the rest of the Wigan players as the Wigan staff and fans applauded them.

When he reached the edge of the pitch, he glanced back and found Dawson was still out there, standing near the touchline with a television interviewer.

The manager had changed out of his jacket, leaving his shirt sleeves rolled up, and looked much more relaxed than he had during the game.

He watched for a few seconds as Dawson answered a question, occasionally gesturing back toward the pitch while the interviewer listened.

Then Dawson’s eyes moved across the field.

They found Leo, and the interviewer followed his gaze almost immediately, turning as well.

Leo noticed both of them looking at him and then his expression changed at once.

"Nope."

He turned sharply and continued down the tunnel before either of them could call him over.

He had already done his part.

There was no reason for him to end up on television as well.

By the time the Wigan bus pulled away from Bramall Lane, most of the Sheffield United supporters had already begun making their way home.

They had not been happy with the result, but there was little bitterness in the way they left.

Their team had spent the first half being outplayed, then fought their way back into the match and made Wigan work for every minute of the second half.

On any other day, they might have been singing on the way home, but three goals weren’t enough.

Still, the effort had given them something to take home.

Inside the bus, the mood was considerably lighter.

They had finally won again.

It had taken four matches, but the three points were theirs.

The journey back to Wigan was mostly quiet, with players scattered across the seats.

The game had worn them out more than they’d admit, and as a result, many of the players began napping the moment the bus found a steady pace.

An hour and a half later, the bus rolled into the training complex before eventually coming to a stop.

The doors opened, and the players began stepping down one after another.

Nolan was waiting near the entrance with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, while Dawson stood beside him.

"Good work, guys," Dawson called as the players passed, to which a few responded with raised hands and tired smiles.

The complex was almost empty by then, but not completely.

A handful of staff were still around, and the cafeteria had kept part of the kitchen open for anyone who had not eaten before the match.

Leo had been one of those people.

He had barely managed anything before leaving for the stadium, and the hunger had caught up with him on the journey back.

He stopped by the cafeteria and found a few of the workers clearing things away.

"Still got anything left?"

"Fish and chips," one of them replied. "If you want it."’

And to that, Leo nodded.

"Perfect."

A few minutes later, Leo walked back outside with the meal packed into a container.

Ezra, Jake, and Carlo were standing near the parking area, talking beside their cars, when the first of the trio spotted him.

"You finally eating?"

"Yeah," Leo said, lifting the container slightly.

"Can I have some?" Jake said as Leo got near, but the latter just nodded towards the cafeteria.

"Go get yours!"

The striker snorted like it was beneath him, but that didn’t stop him from bolting back towards the complex.

"Fatty," Leo said with a snort as Ezra gave him a look, then sighed.

"We really needed that win today."

Carlo nodded.

"We did."

The three of them had felt the pressure building over the previous few weeks, and even a narrow win had taken some of it away.

Leo glanced between them before looking towards his car.

"Well," he said, then started walking. "Later."

He lifted one hand in a lazy wave without turning around.

"Later," Carlo called after him.

Jake, after failing to get as much food as he’d wanted, got back just in time to see Leo’s car take off.

"That liar," he muttered, stuffing some of the chips he’d managed to get his hands on into his mouth.

Carlo and Ezra watched, shook their heads, and split up too, with Jake following right behind Ezra.

....

The following morning, Leo woke to the sound of the doorbell tearing through his apartment space.

He opened his eyes slowly and stared at the ceiling for several seconds.

The living room was still dim, with the curtains barely letting in the morning light.

At some point during the night, he had fallen asleep on the sofa and apparently never bothered moving.

He reached for his phone and found the time had gone by more than he would have liked.

10:03.

"How..."

Leo pushed himself upright, rubbed his face, then looked back at his phone.

"Might have to run in the evening," he muttered, then began looking around the living space.

"What was I even waking up for?"

The moment he said that, the doorbell sounded again.

"Oh," Leo remembered.

He sighed, stretched until his back clicked, then dragged himself to his feet.

When he opened the door, Noah was standing there with a paper bag in one hand.

"Have you eaten?"

At that, Leo stepped aside.

"No."

Noah nodded and then walked in.

Leo closed the door behind him and headed towards the bathroom.

By the time he came back out, Noah had already arranged breakfast across the kitchen counter.

There were sandwiches, rice pudding, coffee and, sitting slightly apart from everything else, Leo’s usual latte.

Leo stopped and then grabbed the cup with a smile.

"You got the right one this time."

"I was planning on making you drink the healthier option till you learned to like it, but I also like my job."

"Thanks," Leo said and brought the cup to his mouth while Noah sat down and Leo leaned against the counter.

"So," Noah said, "how are you reacting to all this?"

Leo glanced over.

"To what?"

"The whole Wigan bad-run-of-performances thing."

At that, Leo just shrugged.

"How can I react other than on the pitch?"

Noah smiled and then gave Leo a thumbs up.

"That’s a good idea."