dreams to reality

40.

"Leahhhh" I said walking towards the blonde with her back to me. She turned around shocked and started running up to me, she picked me up and had tears in her eyes. "I've missed you so fucking much" she said as my head rested on her shoulder, "I missed you too baby" I said kissing her neck. We were at the airport and in public, and there was likely cameras everywhere so we somehow managed to restrict ourselves from kissing one another.

It's been 4 months since I last saw her. I was spending Christmas with her and her family. So much had went on though these last 4 months. Leah was injured for 2 months and I wasn't there to help her which impacted me more than she'll ever know. I was living in Barcelona with Lucy and Keira, yes you saw that right Keira Walsh. Barcelona came in for her and after city rejecting so many bids they finally accepted one. It was 3 weeks after me and Lucy signed but I think Lucy knew all along.

Me and Leah FaceTimed everyday and constantly texted each other, living with Lucy and Keira made me feel so lonely. Although I was at the best club in the world I needed Leah more than ever to be with me, even just to hold my hand telling me everything will work out. But she wasn't. I had to deal with it, to distract myself I'd learnt the language and I think I was nearly fluent in it. I had all my music things and I had released a few songs being over here but not that many, I was working on a Spanish song. I had to tell Lucy and Keira because they walked in on me signing one of my songs, they started to play my songs quite often and had take a liking to them.

Scotland had also qualified for the World Cup which was massive. We beat Austria and then Ireland which people did not expect which made it even better. Leah was proud as always, I wasn't able to see her at all before or after camps because Barcelona were so strict but Lucy and Keira always told me how much she was nagging them about me which was funny. But now I have her, she's in my arms and I don't want to let her go.

***

"Merry Christmas my love" Leah said as I walked into the kitchen, "merry Christmas baby" I said before kissing her. "I made you pancakes" she said pointing to the plate beside her, I smiled at my girlfriend. "Thank you baby" I said pecking her again before sitting down to eat.

"My mum wants us there in about and hour n a bit so we've got plenty time to spare" Leah said winking at me, "oh we do?" I said grinning at her. She made her way over to me and we started kissing passionately. I realised I have presents for her family in my house and I didn't have much time to get ready and get everything. "As much as I would rather sit here with you I really need to get my presents organised" I said breaking away from out heated kissing. She frowned, "can we please just do it later" leah said making me giggle at how flustered she was. "I'm sorry baby, I promise we'll continue this later" I said winking at her before getting off from on top of her.

I got ready reasonable quick and grabs my house keys. Leah drove us to my house and when I went it for the first time it felt empty, I don't know why but it felt strange. This was the first time I wasn't spending Christmas in this house, and the first Christmas without my mum. It hurt, it hurt more than ever. I couldn't show it in front of Leah, I didn't want her to give me any pity looks. I tried to ignore it and went upstairs into my bedroom, I looked into the bottom of my wardrobe and saw all the presents and one of Leah's, I hid Leah's in the corner and picked the rest of them up.

I gave a few to Leah to take to the car and we both headed out, I placed them in her trunk. "I think I've forgot one, stay here I'll go get it" I said before leaving leah confused and headed into the house. I ran upstairs and picked it up and put it into my back pocket, when I headed back out leah was waiting in the car, "did you get it?" Leah asked me, "no I Erm must of already put it in the car" I said and Leah nodded.

We arrived at her mums and we were greeted by Amanda and Leah's brother. We all hugged and said merry Christmas, her mum was so excited which made me realise how alike her and my mum were. I think they would of got along great. I haven't really shown emotion when talking about my family, it was hard for people to understand. I didn't want them to constantly feel sorry for me so I pretended like I was fine when I truly wasn't. I was so good at hiding it that it became a normality.

"How have you been?" Amanda asked me as we sat on the sofa, "yeah good, life's quite great over there" I said referring to Barcelona. "It looks the dream" she said taking a sip of her cuppa, "oh I'm so sorry, would you like a cuppa?" She said and I smiled, "I'm fine thank you" I replied.

"Okay. It's present time" leah said rubbing her hands together as she walked into the living room. Me and Amanda both laughed at her, "your such a child"I said to her getting up, Amanda agreed and started to take presents from under the tree. I headed out into the car to get them and when I came back inside there was 3 separate piles, I raised and eyebrow noticing there was a pile with my name on it. Amanda nodded towards it and my eyes widened, "you really shouldn't have" I said walking over to give her a hug. "Your apart of my family now Bella" she said making me tear up a little, "thank you" I said before hugging her. "Being here with you guys is enough" I said so only she would here, she squeezed me tight.

Leah ripped open her gifts like a child and before I knew it so did Jacob. I hadn't opened any, I was watching their faces as they opened theirs. The expressions were priceless. I was given practical things and everyday uses, she had also given me a photo of all of us at the euros, it was neatly in a frame. But there was one small box left as everyone watched me open it my face went red. When I looked inside I saw a bracelet, it was beautiful and old fashioned. "Wow" was all I could get out, "this was my bracelet, I had gotten it as a marriage present a long time ago. My best friend gave me it, she said that it means family and now your in my family" she said making me tear up, she knows everything that's happened with my family, she'd always been there for me.

Leah sat silent with teary eyes, I got up and gave her mum a huge hug. "I don't even know what to say, thank you so much. Not just for this but for welcoming me into your family" I said and Leah joined the hug. "I feel left out" her brother said making us laugh. He joined in too and we were all in the centre of the living room hugging each other. This is my new family.

We sat and spoke for a while as people from Leah's family dropped by. Her dad was out and came home just as we were about to have dinner. He was so similar to Jacob it was crazy. We ended up playing board games after which Amanda won every game, I could see the frustration on everyone's faces which made me laugh. I didn't really mind so it was funny to see Leah so annoyed. Everyone at this point had a good few drinks in them and we had karaoke, leah went up and sang sweet Caroline and I rolled my eyes at her every time she looked at me, she knew what she was doing. I sang take me home, country roads and to say they enjoyed it was an understatement.

It was getting quite late so we decided to just stay in Leah's old bedroom. Leah said she had a few old thing sun the wardrobe we could chuck on for the night, when I went into her room my jaw dropped. "This was not your bedroom" I said shocked, "sure was" she said as there was arsenal posters everywhere with white walls, she had arsenal at every inch of her room. She gave me shorts and top and we decided to call it a night.

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