everybody's watching her, but she's looking at you (Leah Williamson au)

I can see you up against the wall with me

I pace back and forth outside her apartment like a caged tiger. This is it.

The nerves and excitement engulf me and I feel as though I'm going on stage to the biggest audience of my life.

I can't help but bounce on my heels a few times.

I check the flowers are perfect and with one arm hide them behind my back as I press the ring.

The door opens quickly, as if she's been waiting by it all morning.

She looks breathtaking as she beams at me.

"Hello darlin'." I say charmingly as I lean against the door frame, bringing the bouquet of sunflowers from around my back to present them to her with a flair, "For you."

"Oh my god, thank you!" Our fingers brush as she takes the flowers and brings them up to smell them. She looks up at me and it's like time has stopped. Both of us are rooted in place, unsure how to act around each other.

"You're really here" She says after a beat.

"i'm really here." I reply softly, a half smile as I gaze at every detail of her beautiful face.

"Come in whilst I put these in water!" She blurts, and I've never seen her this jittery since our first phone call.

I follow her inside and take my shoes off politely by the front door which she coos at, remarking that she loves manners.

One point for Izzy!

I stay in the living room whilst she sorts the flowers out in the kitchen. Her home is cosy and stylish, the perfect blend of her. There's cool decor and the comfiest looking L-shape sofa which I've seen many times on Facetime. Plants take up the windowsill and frames litter the units. I take a step towards a shelf and look at them. There's some with her Mum and Dad, one with her brother, and lots with her teammates. I hear her come into the living room and I turn around to see her stand against the wall near the kitchen door.

She's creating distance.

"I like it here, it's very you." I say honestly, smiling shyly at her. I'm not sure where to go from here.

She twists the rings on her fingers and let's out a nervous laugh, "Probably not like the luxury you're used to"

"I wouldn't say i've really got somewhere that feels like home though, you know with little trinkets and decor that feels like me." I look to the wall behind me and tap the frame that resides there proudly: holding the European Championship Gold medal and her Captain's armband. I turn back to her and smile, "Very nice."

The room falls into silence.

"Does this feel weird?" She asks with her brows furrowed. I can't help but think it's like she's sussing out an opponent on the pitch.

"Slightly awkward I would say," I remark with a smile and her brows relax a little. "But not weird." I lean against the wall mirroring her. "It feels like i've known you forever yet we're now just meeting." I admit with a sigh.

She nods with a grin as we watch each other, leaning back against opposite walls of the living room; the smile on Leah's face fades slightly as the silence grows. Her eyes travel down the length of my body, shamelessly, darkening as they do, but her face is intense. I can't look away under her gaze— god, i'll never get enough of Leah, brilliant and gorgeous and powerful as she is.

It feels as though the apartment doesn't have enough air and the space between us is nowhere near enough to stop what happens next.

She whispers "fuck it." and pushes off the opposite wall with determination, I do the same to meet her in the middle and we're within inches of each other.