Thursday, August 10, 2023 — Temporary Apartment, Manchester — 9:30 PM BST
Demien sat in the living room after showering with the lights low while his body felt the accumulated training load from two intense sessions, and the tactical correction from earlier stayed with him more than it should have because the mistake itself was small though the principle behind it was large.
His phone rang so Isabella's name appeared on the screen.
"Mi amor," she said when he answered, while her voice carried warmth through the line that made the apartment feel less empty. "How are you?"
"Good," he replied as he leaned back against the sofa. "Training's intense but good."
"You're eating properly?" she asked, since the question was the same one she'd asked since he was sixteen while living in Atalanta's youth dorms.
"Yeah."
"The apartment is comfortable?"
"It's fine," he said. "Modern. Quiet."
