Join our WOSO Discord chat! Link in bio :)((**2.3k**))Immediately following Part 65 with Leah and Jordan.
((**Sorry for the lack of posting. Life and... procrastination getting in the way. I'll try to post more, starting with smaller chapters. Much love! Jae.**))
Leah POV
Leah woke to excited kisses on her face, expressed with an overeager tongue. She chuckled herself awake as Blu attacked her in a way she hadn't experienced in a while. She turned her head away but he persisted.
"Alright, alright, I'm up Blu." She said, sitting from where she'd been lying in YFN's bed. They'd almost fallen asleep on the couch, but her cramps and Jordan's empathetic looking after her had kept them awake until the end of the movie. They'd both reluctantly parted ways, but at least she was allowed to stay over. She took the win with that.
"You're such a pain, you are," she teased as she pet Blu. He rolled onto his back, his short legs bent as he offered his belly for her to rub. He always did love belly rubs. "Argh, I missed you." She groaned into his belly as she kissed him.
She heard footsteps in the kitchen and yelled out. "Did you send him in here?!"
Jordan poked her head into the room with a smirk. She was always so happy in the mornings, no matter how tired she may have felt. "Well he couldn't reach the door handle by himself, Lea."
"You little sneak," she replied with a grin.
"Breakfast?"
"Yes please, I'll be out in a minute."
She shrugged. "Take your time, the shower is right there. It'll be good for your body..."
For her endo.
Leah nodded in a grateful agreement from where she was half-sitting up, still rubbing Blu's belly. "Thanks Jord."
She showered making sure to soak in the warm water and when she returned to YFN's bedroom, a few of Leah's old clothes were on the bed. Clothes she hadn't seen in over a year. Her heart sunk knowing that Jordan had kept them this entire time. She put her old clothes on and smelled them. It smelled like the laundry liquid they use to use when they lived together in London. She made her way out to the kitchen where Jordan was plating up breakfast.
"Good timing! I was just finishing," she smiled and then paused with the spatula in her hand at the question on Leah's face. She sighed. "I couldn't bring myself to throw them out. I have a few more of your clothes if you'd like me to pack them up for you."
The offer made her heart sink even further. "No... no you keep them." She replied quickly and then followed up with an excuse. "I mean, who knows, I might need them for another sleepover if I'm lucky."
"If you're lucky," she murmured as her attention went back to plating up the food. Leah couldn't help but see the satisfied look on her face from her answer though – like she wanted to keep her clothes.
They sat at the dining room table.
"Oh, I forgot the cutlery," Jordan said as she put their plates down.
"I've got it." Leah collected the silverware from the kitchen and was about to return as Blu hopped excitedly towards her. Seeing him so eager to play with her and actually remember her was everything to Leah. She faked a jump towards him and then ran around the kitchen counter, Blu in pursuit with his tiny legs. Jordan laughed amusedly from the table.
"He's actually catching me!" Leah exclaimed.
"He's gotten quicker!"
She let him chase her around the island a few times until Blu began to wear out and that's when she let him catch her. She faked falling down and he leapt on her with more kisses. It was perfect.
She sat up and kissed and pet him as if making up for lost time. "I really, really missed him." She admitted. Leah was always stoic, always had her emotions in check. Only with Jordan had she ever properly opened up, and for the past year, she'd closed that emotional side out to deal with not having her around. And so it was hard for her to open up, to admit her feelings, to admit she missed him and Jordan and their life, but she did it because she trusted that her vulnerable self would be safe with her. It always had been, even before they were together.
"Do you want to see him more?" Jordan asked. Leah looked up from her place on the ground. What exactly was she offering?
"I'd like to see you both more."
"I'd like that too, but Lea, I... I need time."
Jordan was sticking up for herself. She was proud of her.
"I know, Jord. Take as much time as you need – I'm here to stay. Whatever you want, whatever you need."
Jordan played with the eggs on her plate. "It's a bit harder now that we're in different cities..."
Leah knew she was looking for reassurance. "YFN and Lucy do just fine in different countries."
"They've been through a lot in a small amount of time," she sighed, suddenly empathetic for them. Jordan was always the one who felt more and wasn't afraid to show it. "Lucy messaged me this morning. She's organising a surprise party for YFN's birthday."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, she sort of threw out the idea of us both going to London today to meet up with them."
"YFN won't be suspicious? It is a 'surprise' party, right?"
"Yeah, but Lucy has worked it so she'll be busy all day with players and things, which will give her a chance to chat to them all while she's distracted. Something about us going into the Lumos office?"
"Oh, she was saying she had that pencilled in for this week sometime... wait, was it Lucy who invited the girls over to their house last night?"
Jordan smirked. "Yeah, she's so sneaky. She had a few of the girls ask YFN about interviews and photos, and then suggest today because it's everyone's day off after the matches yesterday."
"The confidence of that woman. How sneaky," she agreed.
"I think she has to be to avoid YFN finding out. She's really good at picking up on things," she smiled at her plate.
Leah wondered at her expression. "Do you miss her being around?"
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, but I know London is best for her right now. I do wonder if she'll come back to Birmingham and live when she's healed. I hope she does. She's really good to be around. She makes me a better person, and she's always there for me." She cleared her throat as if she'd opened up too much. Her eyes met Leah's and just as quickly flickered away.
"What about your birthday?" Leah murmured. It was also coming up soon, just a week after YFN's.
"It's a joint birthday that Lucy is planning. She knows YFN and I would both love that. And I'm not too fussed on surprises..."
Jordan distracted herself by pushing the food around her plate, though Leah knew that look on her face. She was turning 31 and didn't want to admit how it made her feel.
Leah reached out hesitantly and laid her hand over Jordan's. She paused her actions and stared at their hands, smiling smally. They both knew what it meant.
"Lea... do you want to go to Lumos today with me?"
"Yeah... yeah alright," Leah chuckled nervously, not expecting the offer. More time with Jordan.
"I'll text YFN..." Jordan said as she withdrew her hand and typed the message.
"Do you have training tomorrow? You can stay the night if you'd like."
Their eyes met and they both spoke without words. Were they ready for that? Another night together? Should she stay at Lucy and YFN's or Katie and Caitlin's instead? Would it be too much to be in Leah's apartment again? Jordan's phone dinging broke their thoughts.
"Oh... it's a pet party. She going to do a whole lot of interviews with everyone's dogs and cats. She asked if we could bring Blu-" Jordan said, ending the sentence abruptly at the face that she said 'we could bring Blu' and not 'I could bring Blu.' Leah felt like her heart was simultaneously healing, and feeling like it might explode all at once. Jordan looked up at her. "Can Blu stay too?"
Leah was nodded before she ended the sentence. "Of course he can. I think we should bring one of his little outfits to wear for the interview too."
"Well we do want him to be comfy, right?" She teased.
Leah did the dishes while Jordan packed her overnight bag and clothes for the interview. During that time, YFN had called for an ETA, and during the conversation had offered for Lucy and YFN to drop Jordan at her house on their way through to Manchester the next day, to save Jordan the drive. She sounded a bit flustered with the last minute chaos that was unknowingly instigated by Lucy, but she tended to work quickly and efficiently, so they both knew the call was because she didn't have time to text.
"See you two soon! Love you!"
They packed the car, moving symbiotically like they used to. Leah packed YFN's things, Jordan packed her clothes, Leah went back for Blu and his things while Jordan did another once over through the apartment to make sure nothing was left behind or left on. Then, they were on their way. Leah's country music began to play through the speakers and she was caught unawares, fiddling with the buttons to change it. Jordan caught her fingers with her own.
"It's okay, I miss this." She smiled as she let her fingers stroke Leah's reassuringly before letting go. Her skin felt it was tingling and she immediately wanted her to touch her again. The sudden closeness wasn't at all unwelcome, though it did make Leah nervous in the best possible way. She had three more hours in a car with Jordan and another night together in her London apartment. The thought made her smile as they began to talk.
They drove straight to Leah's apartment, only stopping once for Blu along the way, though he was good as usual and slept for most of the drive. It had been just like it was when they were together, though this time, Leah appreciated Jordan more. The way she spoke about things she loved, the way she misunderstood jokes, the way she sung, and way that she laughed. She despised herself for ever taking Jordan's company for granted.
The worried tension that Leah held in her shoulders eased also, her not having realised that she'd been so on her game to make sure she didn't make a mistake with her. Now it was back to the good old days. Just the two of them.
Leah drove them straight to her apartment where they unpacked and got changed for the media. She noticed Jordan trying to hide the fact that she was looking around to see if anything changed but it hadn't. Leah made sure she'd kept her apartment the exact same as when they'd both furnished and rearranged it together. It never felt like home without her and so it made sense to her to keep it the same.
They arrived at Lumos to a car park ridiculously packed, with several cars they noticed. Someone guided them in and as soon as Leah had parked, they both looked at each other as if to say 'what have we gotten ourselves into?'
A Lumos worker greeted them and led them to the entrance. They followed the sound and found the large, main room full of office desks there, though nobody was working. Everybody was standing, drinks in hands and food being walked around. It was like an office party. A very large office party. Since when did they have so many employees?
Many heads turned towards them, some they knew and some they didn't, though none of the Lumos staff or players managed to beat Jen Beattie to the pair.
"O Captain, my Captain," she grinned as she approached. "Jordy! How are you?"
Jen took them both into a hug at the same time and Leah enjoyed being pushed up against Jordan, her arm coming around her and lightly pressing her back. She looked down and saw her little smirk.
The three split as Beth shouted her way over.
"Hello you two! Y'alright?" She grinned and let Jordan know how much she missed her with a hug. "Has anyone give you the rundown?"
"No..." Jordan admitted.
Beth gave Jen a look.
"Hey, I barely had time for a hug before you smashed your way over."
Beth took in a deep breath as if to prepare herself for a speech. "Alright well these are the offices and conference rooms, that one up the end is YFN's but I don't think she's seen it yet... the company did it as a surprise but she's been so bloody busy that I think Lucy rolled her right past it," they laughed at the idea of Lucy pushing her wheelchair past it knowing how embarrassed she would have been, "and everybody is downstairs in the studio, so we'll head down there.. everyone's been waiting for you two you know! Let's go!" She started walking. "Oh and the wall..." she pointed to the large purple wall covered in signatures made with yellow markers. Players upon players.
"...that's so cool..." Jordan interrupted. Leah agreed. It was definitely something.
"...yeah YFN wants everyone to sign it so you can do that when you get back but for now let's just go find the woman of the hour."
Leah and Jen rolled their eyes at each other and laughed at Beth overeager as per usual. They followed her towards the music blaring from the basement not knowing what to expect, though whatever they expected couldn't have exactly prepared them for the chaos of the Lumos content studio and the amount of players that were there.
"Oh... shit." Jordan said with wide eyes as she reached out and clutched onto Leah's hand.