Chapter 68: A Magical Night
Back in the locker room, the atmosphere was pure chaos. Not the bad kind, but the loud and beautiful kind, the kind that only comes after surviving hell and walking out with all your limbs and three points to show for it. Music blasted from someone’s speaker in the corner, completely drowning out whatever playlist Alex had tried to approve earlier. Shirts were off, boots were scattered like shrapnel across the floor, and someone had cracked open a bottle of champagne from God knows where. Banda, barefoot and shirtless, was dancing on top of one of the benches like he had just won the lottery.
Laughter echoed off the tile walls, overlapping with shouts and chants in Italian, English, and whatever else the boys could think of. The smell of sweat, wet grass, liniment, and something like triumph hung in the air like a storm cloud full of glory. A few players were pretending to be commentators, reenacting Krstović’s penalty in slow motion, complete with sound effects and dramatic flops. One of them even did a theatrical fall like Dorgu had in the box, arms flailing and all.
Alex Walker stood near the door, leaning against the frame, equal parts laughing and completely drained. His hair was damp with sweat, his collar was open, and his eyes had that tired shine only a man who had lived through ninety minutes of football madness could carry.
He barely had a second to catch his breath before a familiar face appeared around the door. Isabella. Her head poked in slowly, like she was afraid of being hit with a flying boot or a stray champagne cork.
"You have press," she said, slicing through the madness like a scalpel.
Alex groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "Do I have to?"
She raised a brow in that way she always did when she wasn’t taking no for an answer. "You won. You have to talk about it. And bring Krstović. He’s man of the hour."
Alex exhaled like she’d just handed him a hundred-pound dumbbell. He scanned the room and spotted Krstović being hoisted into the air by two of the defenders, grinning like a man who had just won the lottery.
"Oi," Alex called, jerking his head toward the door.