By the poolside, the chaos had dulled into laughter and slow conversation. The kind of buzz that lingers after the party has passed its peak but refuses to die out completely. The air was thick with the smell of chlorine, mixed with the cool night breeze, and the bright lights that once spotlighted the post-match celebration now hummed gently, like distant stars softening into the horizon.
Alex still sat by the edge of the pool, his legs dangling into the lukewarm water. He hadn't moved much since Isabella had come to sit beside him, and honestly, he didn't want to. His body ached in all the places it always did after a high-pressure game, even though he hadn't set foot on the pitch. It was the mental grind that weighed on him now, the decisions, the substitutions, the pressure of ninety minutes plus stoppage time. And yet, in this moment of stillness, he felt... okay. Maybe even happy.