Seventeen-year-old Mikayla Rose has mastered the art of disappearing in plain sight. On the surface, she's just another rising talent in Arsenal's senior squad-sharp, fast, and quietly fierce on the pitch. But beneath the surface lies a truth she's never dared to speak: a home filled with pain, fear, and years of silence. No one knows. Not her coaches. Not her teammates. Not the world that praises her game. But the bruises don't fade like they used to. And the weight she carries is growing harder to hide. Until one day-she can't. When the truth finally cracks through the mask, someone will have to step in. But who that someone is, Mikayla doesn't know. She's never let anyone close enough to care. This is not a love story. Not yet. This is a survival story. A fight for safety, for belonging, for the chance to finally ask: What if I'm allowed to stay?

* Book 2 in The Us Series* Three years after Suddenly, Us, Leah Williamson and Esmee Blom are balancing the chaos of football careers, school runs, and the everyday joy of raising their daughter. Between Arsenal training sessions, West Ham fixtures, and bedtime routines full of giggles and questions too big for small voices, they're quietly holding onto a hope they don't speak aloud too often: growing their family. As the demands of the pitch pull them in different directions, the pull of home keeps bringing them back together. Through teasing teammates, missed moments, and the tenderness of ordinary days, Leah and Esmee are learning that love doesn't just live in the grand gestures; it's built in the steady rhythm of family life, and in the quiet courage it takes to keep hoping.

*Book 1 in The Us Series* A name held close like a secret. A life tethered to a past neither fully understood nor fully escaped. When Leah Williamson is unexpectedly entrusted with a child she never knew existed, the world she thought she knew shifts beneath her feet. Between the echoes of love lost and the relentless pace of the present, she must navigate a delicate balance; between grief and hope, between duty and desire, between what is given and what must be earned. In the quiet spaces where the stadium fades and the spotlight dims, a new kind of family begins to take shape. Fragile, uncertain, but real. Some stories don't end with goodbye. They begin there.

Leah Williamson and Maddie Vellati have been best friends since childhood - and so have their families. But as Leah's football career takes off and Maddie rises in the fashion world, their bond begins to shift into something neither of them expected. Some love stories don't start with a spark. Some are always there - quiet, constant... interlinked.

Jaimee Collins and Leah Williamson The Centre-Backs. Legends for England and Arsenal. Childhood best friends. Jaimee and Leah grew up side by side in Milton Keynes after Jaimee's family relocated there. Their mothers, Ellis and Amanda, became fast friends-just like their daughters. From the moment Jaimee was born, Leah felt an instinctive need to protect her. They shared everything-birthdays, traditions, and dreams. At just six years old, they joined Arsenal's academy together, united by a single goal: to become legends in red and white. At 15, Jaimee signed her first professional contract with Arsenal. A year later, she earned her debut for the Lionesses, forging a path that was both bold and bright. Leah remained devoted to Arsenal too, breaking into the first team at 17 and later donning the England shirt with pride. Over the years, their bond only deepened. Together, they became the heart of Arsenal's defense-commanding, fearless, adored by fans. Two queens. Two icons. One unbreakable friendship. But what if it's more than just friendship? What happens when the lines blur-between loyalty, love, and legacy? Will they remain unbreakable? Or will it break them?

Ellie McCabe, the 24-year-old Irish left-back. She's fast, fearless, and fiery-much like her sister, Katie. She's a talented left-back, currently playing for West Ham. She is best friends with the Arsenal's centre-back Leah Williamson. Ellie plays with aggression, picking up 12 yellow cards last season-only two more than her sister. She has a reputation for being tough, but deep down, she's a big softie. Not that she'd ever admit it. Being at West Ham meant facing Leah every day outside the pitch. Leah acts like she doesn't care, like her feelings for Ellie doesn't affect her. But deep down? Leah fell in love with her longtime best friend. She just won't admit it. Ellie tries to focus on football. And then she meets Alexia Putellas. The Barcelona legend's arrival at Arsenal shocks everyone. Ellie and Alexia connect instantly-stolen glances, teasing, a chemistry neither expected. Alexia sees her for who she really is. And for the first time in a long time, Ellie lets herself fall. Leah sees it too. And it drives her crazy. She tells herself it doesn't matter, but every time she sees Ellie with Alexia, it stings. She clenches her jaw, forces a smile, pretends it doesn't hurt. But it does. Leah will not stop fighting for the Girl she loves the most or will Ellie turn her eyes away from the Spanish woman and see who's the right one for her?

Rowan Carpenter, a talented forward and the younger sister of Ellie Carpenter, makes a bold move to Barcelona from Chelsea, seeking new challenges and opportunities. As she adjusts to life in Spain, she finds herself clashing with Alexia Putellas, the captain of both Barcelona and the Spain national team. While their rivalry on and off the pitch grows, an unexpected spark begins to form between them. In the world of fierce competition and high stakes, Rowan and Alexia must navigate their differences, both personal and professional, to see if something deeper can emerge from their tension-filled relationship. Will love break through their defenses, or will the pressures of their careers keep them apart?

Anya Madani barely makes it to Barcelona, and she is just too interesting not to pursue. --- Alexia Putellas x Original Character