Haphazardly | leon goretzka

Thirty-Eight: "Mia San Mia, I Guess"

"Welcome to Bayern, Leon," Hasan Salihamidzic squeezed Leon's hand excessively as to say to him 'you better not fuck this up, Goretzka.'

And well, Leon didn't want to mess this up. He tried to plaster a smile on his face so the pain wouldn't show on the photograph, so focused on his two friends standing behind the camera -- Joshua Kimmich and Niklas Sule. The two Bayern boys were absolutely ecstatic about Leon's decision; they wanted nothing more than to play with one of their closest die mannschaft teammates, who they had come up through the German international ranks with.

After signing his official contract, Leon was free to explore Munich with his friends. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smaller man sprinting towards him, tackling the current Schalke boy to the ground.

Leon peered up, laughing when he saw the Bayern right back laying on top of him. "Josh, what are you doing? I mean I know you're happy to see me, because well who wouldn't be, but don't you think this is a bit much?"

A grin spread across Joshua's face as a feeling of satisfaction spread throughout his body. He took all the credit for persuading his fellow February-born friend to join his team; it had only taken him about two years to do so. "I just really love you, man," Joshua kissed Leon's cheek, still keeping their position on the ground. "And like, I miss you when you're not around. Because we're besties, you know?"

"I know, Kimmie," Leon helped his best friend off the carpeted ground. "I feel the same way about you," He spotted Niklas pouting in the corner by himself before continuing, "And of course Sule here too. I'm really excited for this next stage of my career and to share it with you guys of course!"

Leon called for a group hug which of course the Bayern photographer snapped a picture of, but the German international asked if he wouldn't post it. He didn't want to be in any additional trouble with the Schalke fans especially after Bayern was going to be announcing his transfer in the next hour or so.

"Won't you miss Maxie though?" A pang of sadness rushed through Leon as he remembered his ultimate best friend who was contemplating his own future back in Gelsenkirchen.

He sighed heavily before shrugging his shoulders slightly, "Of courses I'll miss Max. We've become so close these past couple years and it'll be odd not seeing him everyday. Although, I do know that we've grown out of our roles at Schalke. And that's not an insult to the club at all, I just think that we're destined for bigger things than a club who's fighting for a Champions League spot every year. I wanted to play for a contender -- I wanted stability, certainty; and as much as I wanted that with Schalke, it was the one thing they couldn't guarantee me. That factored into my decision greatly."

"Well we're happy to have you here at Bayern. This is your new home, Retz," Joshua patted his back as they entered the pitch at Allianz Arena. "Next season there will be people screaming your name--"

"Especially the girls," Sule said with a smirk but it was quickly wiped away when Joshua gave him a dirty look.

The German prodigy wasn't fond of his teammates comment; he was still holding out hope that Leon and Emilia would get back together, as far-fetched as it seemed at the moment.

Unfortunately for Joshua, Leon was still dating that trashy-ass Alicia (or was it Alice?) who just seemed to be taking him on a ride for his name. Joshua couldn't fathom how Leon could choose her over kind, genuine, good-hearted Emilia -- the Bayern boy thought that Leon must have gotten one too many concussions over the years to make a ridiculous decision like that.

"Oi, well as great as that sounds, I have a girlfriend, Nik."

"Well not a good one," Joshua coughed under his breath, but loud enough that both boys could hear it.

"Trust me Kimmie, I know where your loyalties lie and that's fine, but don't you think you can try and get along with Alyssa? I think you might like her?" Leon commented unsuringly, not even believing his statement.

"Are you even sure that you like her, Leon?"

The curly headed boy ran a hand through his hair, taking a few moments to ponder Joshua's question. I mean, he certainly liked her, right? He was attracted to her, he knew that for a fact; but have feelings for Alyssa? That was entirely different. Leon enjoyed her companionship, but not as much as he savored Emilia's. Honestly, looking back, if he could travel back in time and never break up with Emilia, he never would have.

Every morning he would wake up, reaching for his phone hoping that she would try and contact him, but she never did. Leon saw her stories on Snapchat and on Instagram -- she seemed happy, and that brought him immense joy. What bothered him however, was that she seemed to be unaffected by the breakup, while he felt as if he was on the constant verge of a mental breakdown.

His anxiety mellowed when he was dating Emilia, as she brought a calming effect to his life. Since he ended things between them however, he was constantly on edge. Leon had trouble sleeping, keeping food down, and was a never ending bottle of nerves. She was the medication he needed, he yearned for it, but it was as if he had overdosed and now was slowly, yet painfully, being weaned off of it.

And today -- today, was the day Leon wished he would have experienced with Emilia. She would be so proud of him. The Schalke player tried to imagine her reaction when he would have told her the news -- the slow grin spreading across her beautiful face when she came to the realization that Leon would be playing alongside her best friend Joshua, her voice as she tried to repeat the Bayern chant -- he could picture it all. Emi would declare her love for the club before declaring her love for Leon. And in that moment, everything would be as it should be. But unfortunately for the heartbroken boy, it wasn't.

He was dating a girl who he really didn't give two shits about, while absolutely craving a girl who would probably never speak to him again. But while laying on the Bayern pitch in-between his two future teammates, Leon decided one thing -- that the first Goretzka kit printed with the Bayern crest on it wouldn't go to him, but to Minnesota. Leon would ensure that Emilia knew that he still cared for her, and that he was sorry for his actions.

Deep down, Leon knew that one kit wouldn't change everything, but he figured it was a good place to start.