Sunrise
Leah couldn't sleep.
She'd been awake since five.
Not because of pain this time.
Not really.
Her ankle still ached when she moved too quickly, and her knee reminded her every morning that she'd played an entire European Championship on borrowed time.
But that wasn't what had woken her.
Tomorrow she was flying home.
Back to London.
Back to Arsenal.
Back to reality.
She quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Elle, and wandered into the apartment.
The city outside was still dark.
She made herself a cup of tea and stood looking out across Manhattan.
God, she'd needed this.
These few weeks had felt like someone pressing pause on her life.
No captain.
No interviews.
No expectations.
Just mornings together.
Cooking dinner.
Watching terrible reality television.
Laughing until they cried over absolutely nothing.
The apartment door clicked softly behind her.
"You know normal people sleep."
Leah smiled without turning around.
"I've never claimed to be normal."
Elle wrapped her arms around Leah's waist from behind, resting her chin gently on her shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?"
Leah watched the first hints of sunrise appear between the skyscrapers.
"I don't want to leave."
The words came out much quieter than she'd intended.
Elle held her a little tighter.
"I know."
Another silence settled between them.
Comfortable.
The kind they'd become experts at.
Then Elle spoke.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
Forty-five minutes later they were standing halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The city was just beginning to wake.
Joggers passed every few minutes.
Cyclists rang their bells as they rode by.
The Manhattan skyline glowed orange beneath the rising sun.
It was beautiful.
Leah stopped walking.
"I've always wanted to come here this early."
Elle smiled.
"I know."
"You knew?"
"You mentioned it once."
Leah looked at her.
"You remember things I say?"
Elle laughed.
"You genuinely have no idea how much I pay attention to you, do you?"
Apparently not.
They leaned against the railing together, watching boats move slowly along the East River.
The city felt strangely peaceful.
Nothing like the version tourists usually saw.
"You've been happier here."
Leah looked down at the water.
"I have."
"You've smiled more."
"I've slept more."
"You've laughed more."
Leah nodded.
"I forgot what it felt like."
Elle frowned slightly.
"What?"
"To just..."
She searched for the right words.
"...exist."
No football.
No pressure.
No schedule.
No feeling guilty for taking a day off.
Just life.
Leah rested both forearms on the railing.
"I'm worried."
Elle turned towards her.
"About going back?"
Leah nodded.
"I don't want to become that person again."
"What person?"
"The one who forgets to live."
The honesty caught even Leah off guard.
She hadn't realised she'd been carrying that thought around.
Football had always consumed everything.
Even after meeting Elle.
Training.
Recovery.
Matches.
Analysis.
Repeat.
New York had reminded her there was more.
She didn't want to lose that.
Elle reached for her hand.
"You won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
Leah looked at her.
"How?"
"Because now you know what you're missing."
Simple.
True.
"You'll fight for this now."
Leah smiled softly.
"This?"
Elle lifted their joined hands.
"This."
The life they'd quietly built.
The ordinary moments.
The coffee.
The piano.
The grocery shopping.
The evenings on the sofa.
The mornings where neither of them had anywhere to be.
Leah laughed under her breath.
"I've become unbelievably soft."
Elle looked horrified.
"Excuse me?"
"I used to think romance was buying flowers."
"And now?"
Leah shrugged.
"I think it's someone making sure I've done my physio."
Elle burst out laughing.
"I cannot believe that's your love language."
"Ice packs."
"Stop."
"Compression sleeves."
Elle was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.
"You are such a footballer."
Leah couldn't help laughing with her.
The sound echoed across the bridge.
For a few seconds they were the only people in the world.
Eventually the laughter faded.
The sun climbed higher above Manhattan.
Leah became quieter again.
"I don't know what happens next."
Elle followed her gaze towards the skyline.
"You don't have to."
"No?"
Elle shook her head.
"We've spent eighteen months trying to plan everything."
The long distance.
The flights.
The tournaments.
The injuries.
The calendars.
The time zones.
"What if..."
Elle smiled.
"...we just keep choosing each other?"
Leah looked at her.
It sounded so simple.
Almost too simple.
And yet...
Maybe that was the answer.
Not planning ten years ahead.
Not trying to solve every problem before it existed.
Just choosing each other.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Leah stepped closer until their foreheads rested together.
"I can do that."
"I know."
"I'm so in love with you."
She kissed her slowly as the sun rose fully over New York City.
When they finally pulled apart, Leah looked back across the skyline one last time.
Tomorrow she would go home.
Back to football.
Back to responsibility.
Back to being Arsenal captain.
Back to being England captain.
But she wouldn't be going back to the life she'd left behind.
Because somewhere between Lisbon, Switzerland and a little apartment in Manhattan, Leah Williamson had discovered something she never expected to find.
She'd found a reason to look forward to the end of every season.
And it wasn't another trophy.
It was the person waiting for her when she got there.