lover - leah williamson

the day the music died

april 19th "23
leigh sports stadium, leigh
arsenal women v man u women

niamh's pov;

Nothing comes close to the feeling of getting to your seat in a packed out stadium, all ready to watch the love of your life do what she loves. It's something that can't even be described; the electricity within the atmosphere is something I hope I'll never forget. The way the crowd's screams all intertwine with one another in a chorus of chaotic melodies, or the way your body ripples with the roar of cheers throughout the stadium. Whatever it is, it's something I never want to stop feeling.

We'd all made our way to our seats and were sat, resting upon the bar in front of us as we awaited both teams' entrances. Like I did for every game, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and began typing to Leah.

19:06pm

imessage

niamhy💕
good luck my girl, go out there and smash it like you always do. love you always xxxx

leah🤍
I'll be looking for you Xxxx
seen

3rd person pov;

Both teams made their ways out onto the pitch, filled with adrenaline for the game they had ahead of them. As the usual pre-match shenanigans took place, Niamh turned to Amanda who sat next to her closely.

"I love watching her play." Niamh spoke, fiddling with her fingers out of nervousness.

Amanda smiled and exhaled deeply, "After 20 odd years, it never gets old. Surprisingly." She laughed, causing Niamh to laugh too.

Just as Niamh was about to open her mouth to reply, the players took their places on the pitch, "Shit, it's starting."

And so it began...

———————♥︎
Leah had started the match, as she usually did, and was playing exceptionally well. She'd defended exactly the way she always did; perfectly, making Niamh's heart swell with pride as she watched upon Leah's play. Niamh and the group and risen to their feet, all on edge watching the Arsenal women play, what was proving to be, a difficult game. However, they were playing, defending and communicating well, which was everything they could ask for.

Everything seemed to be falling into perfect place.

Until they weren't.

niamh's pov;
I still remember the exact moment, minute, that it happened: The 11th minute, 36th second. The day the music died. Or, seemed to have died, in that moment. I saw Leah go in for the tackle, which made my stomach lurch (as it always did), but then I saw her crumble down in pain. I'd never felt my heart drop as deep as it did in that moment.

My hands gripped the bar in front as my eyes widened with pure fear, as I felt my mother and father tense up next to me. It was as if my blood had ran cold. Fear took over my entire body as I watched Leah lie almost lifeless on the ground, cradling her knee in agony. My mouth became dry, hands sweaty, body weak, as my mother frantically whipped her head around to look at Amanda who mimicked my position.

In that horrifically petrifying moment, I knew.

I just knew.

I knew exactly what had happened.

And, what made it even more agonising as a spectator, is that Leah knew too.

The look on her face caused my heart to ache more than I had ever felt it do before. It was a mix of pain, fear, shock, disappointment and sadness that crossed Leah's face; a mix so deeply pressed in, I thought she'd never show any other emotion ever again.

I wanted nothing more than to swing myself over the barrier and run to her side.

But, I couldn't.

Before I knew it, salty tears had pricked my eyes and were already streaming down my neck, dampening my jacket that hugged my frame. I let out a small gulp when a group had formed around Leah, so big, I was now unable to see her. For those split seconds when my eyes could not lock onto her, I'd never felt my body go into such a frantic state. Mum described me as a 'maniac', and, as much as I don't remember the whole ordeal, she was most definitely right.

The entire group's breaths synchronised, all wheezing in manic states, as everything went quiet, everyone looking at one another, as my eyes remained glued to Leah. Everyone stood holding one another's hands out of anxiousness and fear of what was to happen next.

Time seemed to have stopped. All until Leah had gotten herself up onto her feet, ignoring the stretcher next to her, causing me to exhale a sigh of relief, along with an incredibly sad smile, noticing her stubbornness; refusing any help she was given.

She turned her head to find our group in the crowd, knowing where to look, as she smiled so weakly at us, causing my heart to break. Leah's lack of interaction and clear desire to get out of sight of everyone else, only made my pain worse, as I burst into more tears, wanting to comfort her, to make all of her pain disappear.

But I couldn't.

And there is no pain like the one you feel when you are completely and utterly useless to help the one you love.

gee speeks:
damn im sorry
i had to write about such tragedy
for the plot.
of course.

side note
leah williamson's injury😖
leah williamson's recovery🥰
leah williamson👰‍♀️

wedding bells looming tho.
like ACTUALLY looming🥹
*cue i can hear the bells from hairspray*

word count: 928