"Dinner's ready, lads," I called from the kitchen, opening up the last tub of Indian food and bringing it to the table in the dining room.
Jordan, Jay, Aaron, Stewart, Jonjo Shelvey, Martin Kelly, Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom began to make their way to the table from playing on FIFA as Lexa came in, baby in her arms, from Dylan's old room which was now the twins' new bedroom. The crib had been placed next to Lexa's chair at the dinner table.
"Can someone-"
"I'm on it," Aaron's lips burst into a willing smile as he made his way to the twins' room and not twenty seconds later he was back in with another baby in his arms.
"Can you even tell them apart?" Raheem asked as he took the seat to my right.
"It's kind of hard right now but there is some difference," Stewart replied.
"I'd love twins," Jordan stated as he began to spoon rice onto his plate.
"Hold up, brother," I gave Jordan an exasperated face. "Marriage first, please."
"Oh, did I say that out loud?" he replied, a cheeky grin forming on his face.
"Jordan evidently doesn't have an inner monologue," Jay winked at Jordan. "I got your back, dude."
And that's how it continued for the rest of the night; the lads having a laugh at mine and Lexa's expense most of the time. But as long as they were happy, I was too. Things had been okay over the past few weeks after Dylan's death. The other lads had helped out as much as possible, a handful of them would be round everyday keeping us occupied, but more importantly, keeping us smiling and moving forward.
The twins had taken up most of our time now anyway. We'd decided to clear out Dylan's old room, just so there wasn't that temptation to one day wander into his room, look at his things and just get depressed again. Nearly the whole squad had been at Lexa, Jay and Aaron's apartment to move stuff in and out. I was very grateful for their help and support. They would even offer to take the twins off Lexa's hands for a few hours if needs be. Next thing you knew after myself and Lexa would come back to the apartment after a little retail therapy, we'd find the entire Liverpool squad crashed out on the couch, both Mason and Dylan gurgling innocently in their crib.
It's not as if we were trying to replace Dylan in any way with the room clearance or twin naming. Some memories are hard to handle, and knowing everything that was in Dylan's room hadn't been moved since the night he'd died, I would be someone who'd be tempted to enter his room and trace my eyes over the memories of his childhood and what once was. However baby Dylan was more like a tribute to his name sake, a memory which told us all that my brother had had such an effect on people's lives that he should have a lasting effect in a positive way such as the naming of one of Lexa's newborns.
That, however, wasn't the only tribute Dylan's life had been given. The footballing world had come together to reunite in grief. Nearly every football ground around the country had held a one minute's silence or applause before their respective games. The weekend after the incident, Serie A, La Liga and the Eredivisie were just a handful of the leagues from around the world who played their part in the tributes to my brother. Players such as Messi, Ronaldo, Pirlo and Ronaldinho wore shirts before matches advertising for justice. There was even an interview conducted with Messi who said Dylan had been his favourite up and coming young player.
A memorial had been set up next to the Hillsborough one at Anfield for Dylan. Liverpool fans from far and wide came to pay their respects, setting down scarves and shirts, maybe saying a prayer or two. This was the thing with Liverpool Football Club, the thing I loved the most. We revelled and triumphed in the success that came our way, but we united in the tough tribulations and fought them together. And this is why LFC isn't just a football club, it is a way of life - Brendan Rodgers is right. We're a family who keeps one another going until the very end and no one is forgotten. Tragedies such as this and Hillsborough remind everyone of the real world, of the darkest and deepest and lowest moments of life, but also reminds us of a golden sky at the end of a storm in which together as one we will fight for with hope in our hearts.
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For the 96. Justice will prevail <3
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Red Dreams
Fanfiction[A Jordan Henderson/LFC Fan Fiction] (Story 3). Life seems swell for LFC fanatic Bea; she supports the best football club in the world, has thee greatest and most supportive family you could imagine and, oh, a prestigious young England midfielder as...
