hey lover - c.g. (on pause)

39.

20/2/2024 - tuesday
cobham training center, uk

"CAN YOU MOVE OVER, NONI?" Chandler rolled her eyes, lightly nudging the footballer in the shoulder. He sucked his teeth sharply, giving the girl a playful smile.

"Where'd you expect me to go, man?" He looked at her, expecting an answer: "Levi's so fat, he's taking up the couch."

Levi gasped and looked down at the sofa, eyeing Noni. "Don't you dare start."

"You guys need to invest in a bigger couch," Chandler commented, shuffling her body into a comfortable position.

The production crew behind the camera chuckled at the girl's joke, seeing her squished in between Noni and Levi, with Axel at the end of the couch.

The group had been invited to film media content, specifically a Chelsea trending video based on FC24.

The set was decorated with various Chelsea paraphernalia, from scarves to player picture portraits and player FC ratings.

"Ready to start rolling?" The producer approached the group, holding his thumbs up in the air. The Chelsea players on the couch nodded, giving him a thumbs up in return. Chandler looked to her right, seeing a dissatisfied expression on his face.

"Tu as l'air tellement ennuyé, Axel. You look so bored, Axel," Chandler chuckled, nudging her teammate to the side. "Éclaircir! Lighten up!"

The French player responded, covering his face to cover his embarrassment. Noni was the first to notice their interaction, picking up on their conversation. His face contorted quickly into shock as he looked at Chandler.

"You speak French?" Noni gasped, Levi, mirroring the same shocked look on his face.

Chandler laughed and nodded, "Oui."

"This entire time?" Noni clarified, pointing a finger between her and Axel.

"You have to tell me what Axel says about me," Levi reprimanded. Axel was quick to shake his head, liking the personal conversations with Chandler.

____________________________

"HI GUYS, Chelsea trending is back. Today we have a new sponsor, FC." Noni introduced the video, and Chandler clapped along to spark enthusiasm.

"So guys, do you play the game?" Noni asked, first looking towards the girl.

"Not really my thing," she replied with a casual shrug, to which Noni nodded understandingly. Then he shifted his gaze to Levi, awaiting his response.

Levi shook his head, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice. "Nah, they disrespected me with that card, so I haven't played it, to be honest."

Noni was quick to look around the room, spotting his FC card in the left corner of the back wall. He instantly sucked his teeth, pointing at the card.

"That one, I wasn't too happy about it, but... roll the clip," Noni said, throwing his hand in the air. The camera crew behind the camera laughed, remembering Noni's previous reaction to his low-scoring card. Levi leaned forward to look at the French defender sitting at the end of the couch.

"What about you, Axel?" He spoke, asking him his thoughts on the new video game.

"I love FC24; thank you. They are the best." Alex spoke robotically, speaking as if he were reading a script. Chandler couldn't help but smile, finding it amusing.

__________________________

CHANDLER LOOKED AT  the TV screen as Axel held his controller.

"I like this TV; it looks good," Levi commented, staring at the retro TV. Chandler squinted, the large pixels making it difficult to see the screen.