"It was nothing crazy," Lukas said, letting Joanna pull away just enough to look at him. "Just a small celebration. Everyone needed it after the last two games. The mood has been heavy since Spurs and Brighton, so winning the derby like that... it felt like the whole club could breathe again."
Joanna looked down at the bag.
"Is the ball inside?"
Lukas nodded.
"Signed by everyone."
Javi's smile widened.
"That one you keep properly."
"I will."
They sat together for a while, the television still showing highlights in silence while Lukas told them little pieces of the evening: Haaland trying to sign the match ball as a joke, Bernardo complaining about Fantasy Premier League points, Cherki filming half the dressing room, Pep pretending to be calm even though everyone knew he was delighted. Joanna laughed through most of it, though every time the screen showed one of the goals again, her eyes drifted there as if she still couldn't believe she had seen it live.
