Belle
St. Albans — July 2024
Leah thought she was just walking the dog.
That was the lie Amanda Williamson told her anyway.
"Belle's been impossible all morning," her mum had sighed dramatically over breakfast. "Take her out before you fly because she only listens to you."
Leah should've been suspicious immediately.
Mostly because Belle listened to absolutely nobody.
Still, twenty minutes later Leah walked slowly through the park near her childhood home with Belle trotting proudly beside her on the lead while grey English clouds hung low overhead.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
Exactly the kind of morning Leah needed.
Australia sat only days away now.
Not as a player.
Not the way she'd dreamed her entire life.
Just... there.
Supporting the girls. Media work. Captain without a squad number.
The ache of it still lived quietly beneath her skin no matter how much she tried pretending otherwise.
Belle suddenly pulled hard toward the path ahead.
"Oi," Leah muttered tiredly. "Pack it in."
But the dog only got more excited.
Tail wagging violently now.
Leah frowned slightly and looked up.
Then stopped walking completely.
Because sitting cross-legged on the grass beneath a huge tree ahead of her—
wearing one of Leah's hoodies—
was Elle.
Leah physically froze.
Belle lost her mind immediately.
The lead nearly ripped from Leah's hand as the dog sprinted forward across the grass straight toward Elle, who burst out laughing while trying to catch her.
"Oh my God," Leah whispered.
Because Elle was supposed to be in New York.
Had literally FaceTimed her from her apartment the night before.
And yet somehow here she was in Milton Keyes cuddling Leah's childhood dog like this was perfectly normal behaviour.
Belle climbed straight into Elle's lap traitorously.
"Right," Leah said in disbelief while finally walking toward them. "Excellent. The dog's chosen sides."
Elle looked up smiling so softly it nearly knocked the air from Leah's chest.
"Hi."
Leah shook her head slowly, still stunned.
"What are you doing here?"
Belle barked excitedly between them like she'd personally organised the reunion herself.
Elle laughed quietly and scratched behind the dog's ears.
"Well," she admitted softly, "your mum helped."
Leah blinked. "Mum?"
"Amanda's terrifyingly good at keeping secrets."
Leah groaned immediately.
Suddenly breakfast made sense.
The fake casualness.
The insistence on walking Belle specifically through this park.
"Oh my God," Leah laughed weakly. "You all plotted against me."
"Correct."
Belle abandoned Elle long enough to sprint back toward Leah before immediately returning to Elle again like she couldn't decide which human she loved more.
Rude.
Leah stopped in front of them finally, still looking completely overwhelmed.
Because this—
this was somehow more emotional than airport surprises or yachts or public football moments.
This was home.
Her childhood park.
Her childhood dog.
The girl she loved waiting for her in the middle of it all because she knew Leah was struggling again.
"You flew all the way here?" Leah asked quietly.
Elle stood slowly now.
Close enough that Leah could see the nervousness beneath her smile.
"You sounded sad on the phone."
And God.
That nearly undid her completely.
Because it was true.
The closer Australia got, the harder everything became.
Watching England leave without her again.
Watching the girls live the dream she lost to her ACL.
Having to smile publicly through heartbreak she still hadn't fully recovered from privately.
Elle stepped closer carefully.
"I didn't want you getting on that flight feeling alone."
Leah looked down briefly because emotion climbed too fast into her chest suddenly.
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Belle barked loudly between them demanding attention again.
Neither noticed.
Leah laughed softly under her breath before finally pulling Elle into her arms properly.
Warm hoodie.
Familiar perfume.
Home.
Always that feeling now.
"You are insane," Leah murmured softly into her hair.
"You love it."
Unfortunately true.
Leah pulled back just enough to look at her properly.
Then quieter—
"You really planned this with my mum?"
Elle grinned instantly.
"She sent me photos of Belle all week."
Leah burst out laughing.
"Traitorous family."
"Your mum adores me."
Fair.
Very fair.
They walked slowly through the park after that while Belle ran ahead through the grass like an overexcited child.
And for the first time in weeks, Leah felt herself breathe properly again.
No cameras.
No football.
No pretending she wasn't heartbroken about Australia.
Just Elle beside her beneath grey skies and Belle chasing sticks through the park she grew up in.
"You know what's funny?" Elle murmured eventually.
"What?"
"I was nervous meeting Belle."
Leah stared at her in disbelief.
"My dog?"
"She's important to you."
The simplicity of the answer hit Leah directly in the chest.
Because that was the thing about Elle.
She understood that loving Leah meant loving all the smaller pieces too.
Not just England captain Leah Williamson.
Belle.
Amanda.
St. Albans.
Home.
Leah smiled softly and reached for her hand automatically as they walked.
And somewhere between the rain-heavy skies and Belle running circles around them, Leah realised something terrifyingly certain:
even after football broke her heart—
Elle still made the future feel hopeful again.