The team bus departed Centro Bortolotti at two PM with the squad dressed in travel suits and carrying overnight bags, and the journey south toward Florence would take approximately three hours through Emilia-Romagna and into Tuscany.
Before boarding, several teammates had approached him in the parking lot while he loaded his bag into the cargo hold.
De Roon clapped him on the shoulder once. "Happy birthday, Walter. Nineteen, yeah?"
"Yeah," Demien confirmed.
"Good age," De Roon said. "Enjoy it. Everything gets more complicated after twenty."
Lookman appeared next with a grin. "Birthday boy. Saw the social media post—comments section is going mental. Two thousand already."
"Too many," Demien replied.
"Better than nobody caring," Lookman countered. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks."
Koopmeiners gave him a nod while passing. "Happy birthday. Buy us dinner when we get back to Bergamo."
"Maybe," Demien said.
"Definitely," Koopmeiners shot back.
