CHAPTER 103: LOVE

"That makes sense. But that shouldn’t be their focus. They should focus on the fact that you’re probably the most in-form player in the world right now. And definitely the most in-form German."

"Well, thank you. But I don’t know what they would do. It’s gonna depend mostly on the coach. But let’s not forget, I’m 16. Even the football media are already talking about how I’m too young to make my international debut. Coach Nagelsmann will most likely want to avoid controversy too. It also doesn’t help with the amount of attacking midfielders Germany has."

"What does your age matter? Anyone who saw how you ran the Bayern defense ragged yesterday can’t say you’re not ready."

"I think I’m ready. I just don’t want to raise my hopes only to be let down when I don’t get the call."

"Don’t worry about it, Luke, even if not this window, you will definitely be called up soon. They cannot ignore you forever," Joanna said as she looked at him with a loving gaze.

"Thanks, Jo," Lukas replied with a smile.

"Huh? What is going on here?" João asked as he alternated between Lukas and Joanna. "Eww! Get a room, both of you! On a more serious note, though, you’re so lucky, Luke. I wish I was the one being touted for a call-up to the national team. I don’t even think the FPF knows I exist."

"Even if they don’t know, they will find out soon enough," Lukas said as he tapped João’s shoulder.

He knew the kind of player his friend would grow up to be. "He’s already fast and strong, he just needs more game time to really let his talents shine," Lukas thought.

"Thanks, Luke. So when do you head back to Frankfurt?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. Gotta be in school. Then training ground after classes."

"Yeah? You should probably go get some rest then," Joanna said.

"Yeah. I just wanted to come see you guys. It’s been a while since I saw João."

"Yeah, right. I totally believe you came here for me," João said sarcastically.

"What is that supposed to mean? Of course I did."

"Yeah, sure. Come on, let’s go. I’ll walk you home."

"Sit down, you’re not going anywhere. I’ll walk him home," Joanna rebutted as she stood up. "Go get some rest or something. Training must have been difficult."

"Lukas?" João said, turning to Lukas who was standing quietly.

"You heard the lady, man. Get some rest. We don’t want you to be injured just for escorting me home. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay."

"Damn. That’s how it is now, huh? Okay then, y’all have fun," he replied as he laid back down on the sofa and crossed his hands.

"I’ll be back soon, okay? Cover for me if Mom and Dad come back before me," Joanna said as she grabbed Lukas’s hand and dragged him towards the door.

"Keep dreaming! I’ll tell them you left with a man I couldn’t recognize. And you slapped me when I tried to stop you!" João screamed at his sister as the entrance door slammed shut without her replying.

"Haaa... Those two..." João said as he shook his head and smiled before taking the remote to switch the TV station.

Outside, Lukas and Joanna had their fingers interlocked as they walked down the street of their neighbourhood.

The rain had just stopped falling, but the cool evening breeze occasionally blew past them as they walked in silence.

Lukas could feel his hand being squeezed tighter and tighter as they got closer to his apartment.

"How’s school going?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"It’s going alright so far, I guess. It’s really stressful though. I hate Physics. It’s such a stressful subject," Joanna replied as she wrapped her free hand around Lukas’s arm and hugged it tightly as they walked.

"It’s gonna be alright, babe. Just a few more months and you’ll be done. Have you decided on what you wanna study?"

"Yeah... I was gonna tell you later... I wanna study Biochemistry. Even though I don’t like Physics, I quite like Biology and Chemistry. I also wanna work in a lab and do research on cells, drugs, DNA... just life in general. These things really interest me."

"That’s great, Jo, always pursue your passion. I’m sure you’ll do well. You will always have my unconditional support."

"....."

Joanna stopped in her tracks without saying a word, causing Lukas to stop with her.

"What’s wrong?" Lukas asked as he turned around to face her, looking straight into her eyes.

"I... I love you, Lukas," she whispered shyly as she broke eye contact with Lukas.

"Wha... what did you say? I couldn’t quite catch that."

The evening air was crisp, their breaths mingling in small clouds as they stood close, shivering slightly in the cold.

"I said, I lov—"

She began to speak, her voice soft against the hush of the night, but before the words could fully form, he leaned in, closing the space between them with a sudden, tender kiss that stole her sentence away and left only the warmth of the moment to fill the chill around them.

Joanna stood frozen for a brief moment before gently closing her eyes, her arms slowly wrapping around his neck as she kissed him back.

"I love you too," Lukas whispered after he released her lips and placed his forehead on hers while looking into her eyes.

A huge smile appeared on Joanna’s face as she looked at him with a soft and tender gaze.

"I don’t want to let you go..." she said as she hugged him tightly.

"I will see you this weekend, alright? I’ll send you tickets for the game against Leverkusen."

"Alright. I’ll be there."

"Should I score a goal for you? Ahh, since you’re planning to study Biochemistry, maybe I should go easy on them so I can ask Bayer to hire you after you gradua— OUCH, why are you punching me?! You punch a lot," Lukas winced in pain as he grabbed Joanna’s hand, which was now pinching the back of his neck.

"Yeah, ’cause you talk a lot of nonsense. C’mon, let’s go. It’s getting late."

"Wait. He’ll be here soon."

"Who?"

Just as Joanna asked, Lukas pointed to a figure walking towards them.

"He’s here."

"Lukas, you haven’t gotten home yet? I waited 15 whole minutes before I left the house."

"João? What are you doing here?" Joanna asked, surprised as she saw her brother.

"Don’t look at me... Ask him," João responded as he pointed to Lukas.

"I was worried about you walking back alone, so I told him to wait a bit before following us."

"Did you see anything?" she asked her brother.

"C’mon! You’re not really trying to hide the fact that you guys are dating, right? If you are, you’re doing a horrible job so far."

"Don’t tell Mom and Dad... At least not yet."

"I’m not in the business of talking about other people’s relationships. Just make sure you don’t slip up and start drooling when you’re watching him play. Or they will find out."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t drool."

"Yeah, right."

She turned to Lukas, "Don’t listen to him, I don’t drool."

"It’s okay, babe. Drool or no drool, I still love you."

"I don’t!"

Lukas and João laughed as Joanna pleaded her case while they walked closer to Lukas’s house.

At times like these, transfer rumors, sponsorship deals, or big matches on the horizon seemed secondary, as spending quality time with both family and friends helped keep Lukas grounded and in reality — pulling him away from the sea of red and white that is the Allianz Arena and all the noise that had been caused by the press conference.

* * *

1st of March, 2025.

In the LTC.

Lukas was sat on the lone chair in the theater-like room where he got to review matches from any angle, like he was on the pitch. This time, instead of a particular game, though, it was something entirely different.

He sat quietly, eyes closed shut, but not asleep. He was in deep contemplation about what he had just finished watching.

Over eight hours of footage of footballers both dribbling and driving down the pitch with pace.

Kaká, during his first stint with AC Milan, gliding through defenders with pace like they weren’t even there.

Henry, at Arsenal, with long, elegant strides as he ran with the ball while making it look like he wasn’t even trying, even as defenders struggled to catch up.

Even though he had been there for a long time, he didn’t feel bored at all. They made running look so effortless, so beautiful to watch.

It was part of the Special Training for Speed and Endurance.

The final part.

"I have no idea why TT would make me watch this. It was fun to watch, sure, but it’s not like watching Henry and Kaká run for hours will somehow make me able to run like them," he thought to himself away from the prying ears of the system.