Chapter 22: Beneath the Surface
Chapter 22: Beneath the Surface
Sunday, 7 December
The morning after the win against Morecambe felt lighter. Not in the weather as it was still bitter, with a crust of frost on the windshields and breath that turned instantly to mist, but in the air around the club.
Something had shifted.
At the stadium, the staff showed up earlier than needed, even though it was only a recovery session. The locker room had its buzz back. It was about Max Simons, about the clean sheet, about what this team was becoming. Coffee steamed in styrofoam cups, and someone actually laughed in the physio room. Even the smell of deep Heat didn't seem so miserable.
Max arrived last, as usual. Same jacket he'd worn for years, slightly frayed at the collar. He moved like someone with nothing to prove. When he stepped through the door, Reece held it open for him and grinned.
"Hero's welcome?"
Max shrugged with a tired smirk. "One goal doesn't make a legend... but it's a decent start."
They all smiled, even Luka and Dev.
In the video room, they slouched in their chairs, legs stretched out, some icing knees, others shoulders. There wasn't much talking. No music either. Just that low drone of the projector kicking in.
Niels stood at the front with the clicker in his hand. Same place he always stood. Same stillness.