Le's Soldier

Part 25

Leah pov:

The house felt too quiet when I woke up.

I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, listening for a sound that wasn't there—Lilly moving around, the low hum of her voice, the soft clink of gear. My chest tightened when reality caught up with me.

She was already gone.

I rolled onto my side and reached for my phone before I could talk myself out of it. No new messages. That didn't mean anything. I knew that. Missions meant silence. Still, I pressed the necklace at my throat between my fingers, grounding myself.

Come back to me.

I swung my legs out of bed and forced myself into routine. Shower. Hair scraped back. Training kit laid out with military precision—Arsenal crest folded just right, boots cleaned the night before. Football was the one thing that made the waiting bearable. It gave my fear somewhere to sit.

At the mirror, I paused.

Captain.

England. Arsenal.

Strong. Composed. Unshakeable.

That's what everyone saw. What they didn't see was how my hands shook sometimes when I thought about Lilly walking into danger while I stayed behind. What they didn't see was how much love could feel like terror if you let it.

I exhaled slowly and squared my shoulders.

She needed me steady.

Training was already buzzing when I arrived. Laughter, boots on concrete, the sharp smell of grass. Familiar. Safe.

"Oi, Williamson!" someone called. "You alive today or what?"

I smirked automatically. "Barely. Same as you."

Warm-up drills pulled me into my body—running lanes, dynamic stretches, the rhythm of movement easing the tightness in my chest. I barked instructions without thinking, muscle memory taking over.

"Shape! Stay compact!"

The ball snapped across the pitch. I tracked it, intercepted cleanly, drove it forward. For a moment, everything narrowed to the game: angles, timing, control.

Then my mind betrayed me.

Lilly, strapped into a helicopter. Lilly, moving through darkness. Lilly, always putting herself between danger and everyone else.

I misjudged a pass.

"Leah," the coach called sharply.

"Got it," I said immediately, shaking it off.

I pushed harder after that. Tackles clean. Communication constant. Leadership sharp enough to cut through my own fear. If I was going to wait, I'd wait as myself—not as someone falling apart.
"Hey you alright?" Beth came up and asked me parting my shoulder
"Yeah im Lils gone away again and she's not doing so good"
"How about we come over tonight and take your mind of it? "
"Yeah that will be good, Thabk you"
We went our separate ways and continued training

Training ended with sprints. My lungs burned, legs heavy, sweat dripping down my spine—but the burn was welcome. Pain I could control.

In the changing rooms, I sat longer than usual, scrolling my phone even though I knew better. Still nothing.

She's fine, I told myself. She's trained for this. She always comes back.

Home felt emptier than it should have when I got back. I kicked my boots off by the door and stood there for a second, listening. Silence.