hard feelings - an erling haaland story

one

The flight had been bumpier than expected. His fingers typed away at a quick message to let his family know that he had landed safely in the city that he would call home for the next five years, depending on the circumstances that he may face. Now, it wasn't strange for the man to move around so often, it was expected in his career afterall. It still felt intimidating nonetheless. The air was humid, no sign of a breeze or a drop of water in the air, the heat hitting him instantly, which was rare of the city he had arrived at. Manchester. Although he had lived in the city previously, he had only been three when they left, meaning that the city was still new and foreign to him.

He knew very little people in his new city and despite the pleas from his father to text the daughter of an old teammate of his that also lived in the same city, he was happy to keep his company to the bare minimum. Not that he would have time for friends with matches and training. He brushed it off without a second thought despite having spent the major holidays together every year since they were born, they hadn't seen each other since they were both fourteen, when her family had visited his in Norway. Due to being busy with training, they had very little interactions with each other, but the little they did have were pleasant enough to leave him pondering as to why she was living in Manchester, so far away from her family back in Australia. He made a mental note that to ask her about the move, if he were to ever message her.

The hustle and bustle of the airport made the slight headache forming worse. Erling thought about how there would be no time to rest with him being rushed off by the club to do his medicals. Then, maybe, if the odds were in his favour, he would be able to have time to himself. Although he doubted it, he knew he'd be greeted with a call from his mother and father nagging him about messaging the woman, who just lived in the same city that they had lived in when they were mere children.

In the lead up to his move, his parents had given him a quick visit to wish him the best. During this time, he heard stories of how the entire squad joked that the pair of them should've been named Jack and Rose and that they would one day get married. Though as fate would have it, his father would get injured and they would move back home after his retirement. Lucky escape, eh?

Almost as though they were trying to condition him, he was met with a notification, from his mother, warning him of a message that contained twenty photographs followed by a single sentence.

"You should message her, you were so close as children."

A smile formed on his face at his family's desperate attempt for him to reach out to an old family friend, for simply living in the same city. He thought about her words, a small chuckle leaving him. Yeah, as children but not as adults.

The day had dragged for him, he did so little work but nevertheless he felt exhausted. This was out of the blue, he never truly got tired, in fact he usually found himself burning off steam at the end of the night to ensure he wouldn't be restless in bed. His judgments about the nagging from his parents were wrong, he hadn't heard a peep from them. Utter silence since the text from his mother, that remained unopened. He sighed and found himself curious about the girl, who his parents were desperate for him to reconnect with.

His thumbs did a dance above his phone screen, as he questioned whether it would be a good idea to do a quick search for the girl on social media. Amelia Tiatto. A smile played at his lips as he saw her appear on the small screen in front of him. For the first time in eight years, he had seen her face, it felt so familiar yet so foreign; the girl he knew had become a woman although her height hadn't changed since their last meeting, she definitely matured out a little bit. The skin that was once bare, now covered in tattoos. Her eyes remained the same, so full of hope and joy, although the colouring on the skin underneath seemed dark and hollow.

The photo that grabbed his attention the most was her graduation photo. It mustn't have been too long ago, she beamed as she showed her new degree to her father on a video call. Maybe that was the reason as to why his father and mother pushed him so desperately to get in contact with the woman. Maybe it wasn't just for his benefit but for hers too. A sense of familiarity and a reminder of home. Curiosity got the best of him and he found himself scrolling through the slide she had posted. She had gotten a degree in nursing. The little girl whom he once knew, that promised she would be his personal physiotherapist when they were older became a nurse. Not that he was surprised, she had always had a caring nature to her.

All of a sudden, in his mind, they were seven again, her breathing heavy as she slept curled up on his family's sofa. He had slipped and fallen back into her, hitting her head with the back of his own. Although the impact affected her more, her nose running with blood, she instantly sprung into action, asking if he was okay and if he had hurt himself. Her eyes still half shut from her disturbed sleep. She rushed up and got him something cold from their freezer, placing it on the back of his head. By the time she returned, her once light pink Aurora pyjama had been blood stained from her bleeding nose. With more sign of injury, she still rushed to help him before she helped herself. I know she's an amazing nurse.

He sat in thought, staring at his screen, thinking about whether his parents were correct and that he should just reach out to the woman he once considered his bestest friend. He remembered being scolded as a child for teaching the clueless girl words in Norwegian that were deemed 'naughty' by both parents.

Pushing all his thoughts aside, he found himself back into the mindset of not needing friends whilst in the city, he simply wouldn't have time for her with his busy schedule. Also, he'd make friends with his new teammates and form bonds just like his father had with Amelia's father. Except, he didn't want to suffer the same fate as his father in terms of injury and career wise. Not that any of it was his father's fault.