Crossing Paths: A Love Beyond the Pitch - Jamal Musiala

03 A New Reality

The next morning, Dina woke up to the soft sunlight filtering through her curtains, casting a golden glow across her room. For a brief moment, everything felt normal—like any other weekend morning. But as soon as she reached for her phone on the nightstand, the memories of the previous day came rushing back. Jamal Musiala. The match. Their unexpected conversation. And the fact that she had agreed to meet him.

It still felt surreal, almost like a dream she hadn't quite woken from. Dina unlocked her phone, half expecting to see no new notifications, as if her conversation with Jamal had been some kind of glitch. But there it was—his last message still glowing on her screen, confirming that it had all been very real:

"Yeah, that sounds cool. I'll text you later with the details. Looking forward to it!"

Her heart fluttered as she reread the message, her mind spinning. What was she doing? How had her life turned upside down in the span of a single afternoon at a football match? She'd gone from being just another fan in the stands to someone Jamal Musiala had actually noticed, talked to, and now wanted to meet.

The excitement was tempered by nervousness. What if it was all a mistake? What if, in person, things weren't as easy as they had been over text? What if this was just a one-off, a random moment of interest that would fade as quickly as it had come?

But she couldn't dwell on it for too long. The reality was that Jamal had reached out, and they were going to meet. And for better or worse, she wasn't the type to back down from something that excited her, even if it scared her a little too.

She stared at the message for a few more seconds before finally getting out of bed. She needed to tell someone. Laura, of course. Dina grabbed her phone and quickly called her best friend.

"Morning!" Laura answered cheerfully, her voice already filled with enthusiasm. "Are you still on a high from yesterday? I feel like I'm still in the clouds."

"Laura, you have no idea," Dina said, her heart racing as she prepared to tell her. "I actually have something crazy to tell you."

Laura's tone immediately shifted to curiosity. "What happened? Did you get another ticket or something?"

Dina took a deep breath. "No, nothing like that. But, um... after the match, I got a message. From Jamal Musiala."

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line before Laura practically exploded. "WHAT? Are you serious?! How—when—what did he say?!"

Dina couldn't help but laugh at Laura's reaction. "I'm serious. He messaged me last night, said he noticed me after the game, and we ended up chatting for a bit. And now... he wants to meet up."

"Oh my God! This is insane! You have to tell me everything. What did you say? What's happening?!"

Dina quickly recounted the events of the previous night, telling Laura about the messages, how he had noticed her near the players' exit, and how they had ended up talking for longer than she'd expected. She could hear the disbelief and excitement in Laura's voice as she listened.

"Dina, this is literally a dream come true," Laura said once Dina had finished. "You have to meet him. Are you kidding me? This is Jamal Musiala we're talking about."

"I know," Dina replied, pacing her room as her nerves began to settle in again. "It's just... what if it's weird? What if he's completely different in person? Or what if I make a fool of myself?"

Laura scoffed. "Please, you're amazing. And if he doesn't see that, he's the one missing out. But honestly, from what you've said, he seems pretty genuine. I bet he's just as cool in real life as he is online."