England's Greatest-Chapter 176: Different Universe

August 20, 2015 – Belvoir Drive, Leicester

Balls zipped across the field. Cones scattered. Bibs changed. Sweat clung to shirts like second skin.

Tristan jogged past the halfway line, dragging a trailing pass toward Chilwell, who controlled it with a heavy first touch.

"Better," Tristan called out, nodding toward the touchline. "Now again — left foot."

Nearby, Kanté intercepted a switch pass and immediately popped it off to Mahrez. Smooth. Seamless. Mahrez didn't even stop moving.

On the sideline, Claudio Ranieri stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, flanked by Paolo Benetti and Craig Shakespeare. They watched in silence for a few beats, then Shakespeare muttered, "They're sharp."

"Too sharp," Benetti said. "Might peak before kickoff."

Ranieri smirked. "No such thing."

Behind them, a tactics board leaned against a crate. Spurs' expected XI. 4-2-3-1. Dembélé and Bentaleb holding. Eriksen floating. Kane leading the line.

"Eriksen drifts right," Ranieri murmured. "Fuchs will need cover."

"And Kane?" Benetti asked.

"He finishes everything. But he's not fast. Our line can hold."

Shakespeare nodded toward the pitch. "And Tristan, do we have him deeper for more control?"

Ranieri watched as Tristan flicked a pass behind his leg, received the return ball, and launched a diagonal switch without looking.

"No, not for the Spurs, we don't need total control," Ranieri said. "We should be fine against the Spurs. They are a young squad, Tristan and Vardy will punish them. They aren't exactly happy with Spur fans calling Kane that next Tristan and best striker in the league,

Out on the pitch, Kanté had just wrapped up a rondo with Drinkwater and Mahrez. He jogged toward Tristan, Chilwell trailing.

"You think they'll come high?" Kanté asked, catching his breath.

Tristan stretched his arms behind his head, glanced toward the coaches, then at the Spurs formation sheet pinned by the bench.

"They'll try," he said. "Poch wants intensity. Spurs always want to press."

Chilwell scratched the back of his neck. "So... what, do we sit deeper?"

Tristan shook his head. "No. We let them press. Then we run."

Kanté gave a small grin. "Simple?" Kante asked in French.

Tristan's voice was calm, almost amused. "Spurs will be Spurs."

Chilwell frowned. "What does that even mean?"

Tristan leaned closer, lowering his voice like it was a secret passed down through generations.

"They'll play pretty. They'll look good. They'll get the pundits talking. But the moment pressure hits... they wobble. Always."

Kanté laughed under his breath.

Behind them, Ranieri blew the whistle for the final shape drill. The squad shifted into formation — pressing lanes, first touch, quick counters.

It looked fast.

It looked ready.

Ranieri wasn't pushing them; they were playing against a team they can fully beat with or without preparations, but it's best to be safe.

Later that Afternoon

Boots off. Ice packs on. The training session had ended, but the squad hadn't scattered yet.

Inside the players' lounge — all gray couches, worn bean bags, open snack drawers, and two TV screens mounted high on opposite walls — the mood was loose. Not lazy. Just post-training warm.

Tristan was leaned against the mini bar, sipping a protein shake, damp curls pushed off his forehead. Mahrez was half-sprawled on the middle couch, phone tilted above his head, scrolling through his camera roll with his usual mix of vanity and deep artistic focus.

"You're not posting that, are you?" Drinkwater asked, lying on his back on a bean bag like a man permanently off duty.

"I look good," Mahrez said flatly. "You look like you died in training."

"Still fitter than you," Drinkwater replied without moving.

"Not in your dreams, brother."

Over at the snack station, Okazaki stood in flip-flops, furrowing his brow at the mini fridge. "What is... fruit shoot?" he asked.

Maguire was next to him, halfway into a packet of crisps. "Trust me, mate, you don't want that. Tastes like cough syrup for children."

Okazaki picked up the bottle anyway, turned it upside down, and squinted at the label. "Very berry but medicine."

"Exactly," said Tristan, not even looking up from his shake. "We English lie about fruit."

Across the room, Fuchs had taken control of the pool table and was currently destroying Huth, who seemed to be using his cue like a sledgehammer.

"That's not pool, mate," Chilwell called out from the floor, legs kicked up on a cushion. "You're just bullying the table."

"Table deserves it," Huth muttered. "It gave me a bad bounce."

"Just say you've got the finesse of a fridge," Fuchs said, lining up his next shot.

"Hey, leave the fridges out of this," Morgan chimed in from the far end of the room. He was reclined in one of the gaming chairs, controller in hand, playing FIFA with Albrighton — or trying to. "Stop spamming the sprint button, Marc!"

"I am sprinting!" Albrighton barked. "You've got Huth at fullback! What do you want him to do, fly?"

Vardy strolled in last, towel still around his neck, chewing gum like it owed him rent. "Oi!" he shouted. "Anyone touch the telly yet?"

"Don't," said Schmeichel from one of the corner armchairs. He had a book open. No one dared ask what it was.

Vardy ignored the warning completely and snatched the remote off the armrest. "Enough silence. Time to raise IQs."

"You watching Top Gear again?" Mahrez groaned.

"No," Vardy said, flicking through channels with Olympic speed. "I'm going to YouTube."

"Oh, god," murmured Drinkwater.

"Turn the Wi-Fi off," Fuchs shouted.

"Too late." Vardy had already switched the input.

The TV blinked black for a second, then loaded the YouTube home screen.

On the other side of the lounge, Okazaki had finally cracked open the Fruit Shoot and taken a tentative sip. His face scrunched like he'd just licked a battery. "Why is it spicy?"

Maguire doubled over laughing. "It's not spicy, mate. That's just British chemistry."

Okazaki looked at Tristan. "Learn more... normal juice."

"I'll make you a list," Tristan promised.

Vardy scrolled once. Then again. Then he stopped.

A sudden wheezing laugh burst out of him like he'd just been punched in the ribs.

"Oi—OI! You lot need to see this," he shouted, backing away from the screen like it was cursed. "Number one trending! NUMBER. BLOODY. ONE!"

Everyone turned.

"What is it now, Jamie?" Schmeichel said, like he was talking to a dog without looking up from his book.

Mahrez sat up straighter. "Please don't be that squirrel video again—"

"It's not a squirrel," Vardy cackled. "It's this!"

He pointed dramatically at the TV.

YouTube's trending page was open.

Big red badge: #1 on Trending.

The thumbnail: Barbara Palvin & Tristan Hale – Love, Life, and Leicester | British Vogue Interview w/ Sarah Harris.

The picture?

Barbara in profile, glowing under studio light, one hand delicately resting on Tristan's knee. Tristan mid-laugh, head slightly turned toward her, eyes soft, relaxed in a navy jumper. Between them sat Sarah.

Mahrez dropped his phone. "No way."

"Mate," said Drinkwater, rising from his bean bag. "You're trending with Vogue. When did this interview? Shit you said nothing to the rest of us."

Tristan blinked twice.

Then three times.

"Nope," he said, stepping forward quickly. "Turn it off. Vardy, seriously."

"Nah, nah," Vardy grinned, backing away with the remote held hostage behind his back. "The people deserve this. I was waiting for this to drop since you told me Barbara was doing a Vogue in your house. That lord loves me if you took part in it looking like that."

"I'm not doing this with you," Tristan said, lunging.

He was too slow. Vardy jabbed the play button and danced out of reach like a child who'd just stolen the last cookie.

The speakers kicked in. Studio audio. Soft piano. Vogue's intro title.

"Hello and welcome to British Vogue—" came Sarah Harris' voice.

Tristan reached again. "Jamie—"

"Nope!" shouted Mahrez, blocking him. "We ride this wave together, brother!"

Huth sat down hard on the edge of the couch, popcorn in hand like he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life. "Turn it up."

"I swear to god," Tristan muttered.

Barbara appeared onscreen. Beautiful. Smiling. Camera-facing.

Tristan sat down slowly. Resigned. "Kill me."

Maguire leaned back, whistling. "This thumbnail's wild. You look like you're proposing."

"He does," said Fuchs. "Look at the hand placement. It's the body language of marriage."

"He's wearing his serious jumper too," Morgan added. "The 'I'm ready for a dog and a mortgage' jumper."

Okazaki tilted his head. "This is real TV? Like... big TV?"

"Bigger than Match of the Day," Vardy said, barely breathing through his laughter as the video started.

The video opened with a doorbell chime.

Barbara appeared at the front door, heels clicking softly on wood as she pulled it open. She smiled, warm and bright — even through the camera.

"Hi, Sarah. Welcome."

"Thank you," Sarah said, stepping in with an umbrella folded at her side. "You've got the coziest setup."

Barbara led her in with a nod.

Back in the players' lounge, Huth reached for a second bag of popcorn.

"Focus, stop making noise,"Vardy said, grinning, still holding the remote like a trophy. "This is art."

On screen, the camera followed Barbara through the house. She waved a hand toward the dining room, then past the kitchen, until a blur of cream fur scampered into frame.

"This," she said, bending slightly, "is Biscuit. She runs the house."

The dog barked once like it knew its cue.

Chilwell laughed. "She's got better timing than most defenders."

Okazaki squinted at the screen. "Dog famous now?"

"More famous than me," Tristan muttered.

Mahrez pointed at the screen. "Shut up. This is the good part."

The video continued.

Barbara sat comfortably in the velvet chair, her posture elegant but relaxed. Her skirt folded neatly over one leg, hands resting lightly in her lap. The light picked up the shimmer of her earrings, but it was her tone — soft, confident — that held attention.

Sarah Harris leaned slightly forward, pen balanced delicately over her notepad. "You started young — very young, actually. Seventeen?"

Barbara nodded. "Thirteen, fifteen when I started flying for shows." She gave a small laugh. "I looked older than I was. That helped."

"What do you remember about those first few years?"

Barbara thought about it, looking back on her memories before answering, "A lot of planes. A lot of heels. Not much sleep." Her voice was playful, but honest. "Back then it was about saying yes to everything — shows, castings, trips. It was all about the next opportunity. But you don't realize how much you're burning through yourself until you stop."

"And now?" Sarah writing down the answers.

Barbara smiled, shifting slightly in her seat. "Now... I think I know myself better. I'm not chasing runway after runway. I'm more interested in campaigns that give me creative control, or where I actually get to speak, shape the message. Modeling used to be about fitting someone else's vision. Now I'm more comfortable saying, 'Here's mine.'"

The screen cut to a close-up, catching her expression as Sarah gently pressed forward: "You walked for Victoria's Secret in 2012... and then nothing for a long time. Are we seeing you again this year?"

Barbara tilted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips — half-playful, half-knowing.

"Never say never," she said. "But for now... I'm focused on work that feels like me. Not just what the world expects from a runway girl in wings. But Tristan loved that walk I did in 2012, so like I said, never say never. However, I am busy with a bunch of stuff, one of my main focuses being charity; Tristan set one up, and I like being a part of it. So we see what happens."

On the couch, Mahrez leaned back, eyes still on the screen. "She dodged that like Kanté under pressure. But Tristan, is there something you want to tell us? We won't judge, buddy."

Tristan didn't even reply to that.

On screen, Sarah's tone softened. "So fewer campaigns... by choice?"

"By intention," Barbara said. She crossed one leg over the other, her heel tapping once against the floor. "I used to say yes to everything. I thought missing out would ruin my chances." She paused, fingers brushing her skirt flat. "Now I just want to be present for the things that matter. My work. My family. My relationship. I don't need to be everywhere anymore."

Sarah smiled. "And yet you are. Editorials, campaigns... now a cover interview trending worldwide. Is this the balance you were chasing?"

"Maybe not balance," Barbara said with a breath. "That word's tricky. But I'm the happiest I've ever been while working. And that feels like the right place to be."

The video shifted again — another cut.

The front door opened.

Camera angle changed to capture the moment perfectly. Tristan stepped inside, curls damp, bag slung over one shoulder, boots unlaced. He stopped just inside the frame.

Barbara turned, already smiling.

"You're early."

Tristan stepped in just far enough for the door to shut behind him. He gave a sheepish wave.

Sarah Harris turned slightly in her chair, her tone as polite as ever but not without a spark of curiosity. "Would you mind joining us for a few questions?"

Before Tristan could answer, Barbara's brow lifted. "He just got back from West Ham. He looks tired."

Tristan gave a small smile. "I'm good. You looked at me, and I wasn't tired anymore."

Barbara laughed — quiet and warm. She patted the velvet cushion beside her without even looking.

"Alright. Come be handsome for five minutes."

Back in the lounge, Chilwell dropped his head into both hands.

"Mate. You actually said that on camera?"

Tristan didn't even try to defend himself. He just leaned back against the mini bar like a man accepting death by public embarrassment.

"I blacked out."

Vardy wheezed. "My man turned into Hugh Grant mid-season."

On screen, Tristan dropped his bag beside the chair and sat down next to her. Relaxed. Hands loose. But off-camera, his hand found hers for a second. Just a small squeeze.

Sarah's voice came in, light but steady.

"You met in Milan. At a local café, wasn't it?"

Barbara smiled, glancing sideways at him.

"That's right. I wasn't even supposed to be there — it was a last-minute thing. I didn't even have cash on me, and... he was behind me in line. Paid without saying a word."

Tristan leaned back a little, arm draped casually along the chair.

"Best ten euros I ever spent. Walked in. Met a goddess."

Barbara flushed. Rolled her eyes. Sarah tried not to laugh.

"And what was the first thing you said to her?"

"Oh, I remember it," Tristan said, sitting forward. "She was wearing SpongeBob slippers — and nothing else in her outfit made sense. I made a comment. In Mandarin."

Barbara burst out laughing, covering her face.

"In Mandarin," she repeated. "I turned around like, who is this guy?"

"I blacked out there too," Tristan muttered.

Back in the lounge, Drinkwater shot upright. "MANDARIN?!"

"He flirts like a UN ambassador," Mahrez said, mouth full of popcorn.

"Multilingual menace," Fuchs added, tossing a crisp toward Tristan's head.

On screen, Barbara shook her head fondly.

"I thought he was a model. He was too pretty to be anything else. But then we sat down, and I remembered exactly who he was."

"We talked about anime," Tristan added. "Naruto. One Piece."

In the lounge, Albrighton stretched across the couch like a cat. "This whole relationship started with anime and cartoons."

Maguire shook his head. "That's the dream."

On-screen, Sarah gave a soft smile.

"And dinner that night?"

"He gave me his hat," Barbara said. "And called me a goddess."

Tristan chimed in. "She gave me hers the next morning. Told me she wanted it back next time she was in England."

The lounge erupted.

Huth flung popcorn in the air like confetti.

"Rom-com legend," Vardy declared.

"Someone get this lad a book deal," Maguire muttered. "I'll ghostwrite it."

Sarah glanced at Barbara again.

"And then the airport photos. The weekend in Leicester. You moved in after a week?"

Barbara's smile faded — softened into something quieter.

"We did," she said. "I know it sounds fast. But for us... it felt like the right speed."

Sarah tilted her head slightly.

"Still — twenty-one and twenty. A shared house. A full-on relationship. Doesn't it ever feel too fast?"

Barbara looked down, adjusting the hem of her skirt with one hand before answering.

"To be honest... I wasn't thinking with my brain." She looked at Tristan for a beat, then back to Sarah.

"I was living out of a hotel that whole first week in Leicester. He mentioned buying a house... and asked me to move in."

Sarah's pen froze mid-note. "And you said yes."

"I did," Barbara said. "Not because it was logical. Because it felt right."

She glanced around the room on-screen — soft lighting, pale curtains, the tray of untouched pastries.

"I travel so much. Paris, Tokyo, L.A. Hungary doesn't even feel like home anymore. I wanted somewhere to land. Somewhere that felt like mine."

She gave Tristan the smallest smile.

The players watched on like they were watching the greatest rom-com.

"I didn't buy this place for her. I was gonna move out anyway. My parents needed peace. I was getting recognized in my own driveway."

He glanced at the camera.

"And people love to talk, don't they? Gold digger. Puppet. All that noise."

Barbara's hand rested lightly on her knee, quiet.

"She doesn't even let me spoil her," Tristan added. "Tried to buy her a car when she passed her test — she said no. So we got Biscuit instead."

"I still argue with him about the heels I'm wearing right now," Barbara said dryly.

"The only thing I'm allowed to pay for without a full debate is food," Tristan said. "And even then, it's only because we share everything."

Barbara turned slightly toward him.

"We do fight," she said. "But we've learned to talk it out."

"Still fight about bodyguards," Tristan muttered. "I want her to have two. She says one is too much."

"At the start, it was scary," Barbara said. "We didn't want to mess this up. Everything was public. Every hug. Every glance. All of it could spiral."

"But she's amazing," Tristan said, looking right at her. "She'll cancel a shoot if she knows it'd bother me. Doesn't even ask. Just does it."

He paused.

"And I told her from day one — this is her life. Her dreams. I'm not here to change that. She was already perfect."

Barbara's eyes glinted just slightly.

"And he never tries to change me. That's why it works. We both give up things... but we gain more than we lose."

She turned back to Sarah.

"He even learned Hungarian. Just to say 'I love you.'"

Sarah blinked.

Then wrote something down with a quiet smile.

Barbara's voice came last. Soft.

"I've lived a thousand lives in hotel rooms. This is the first one that feels like mine."

The video ended.

White screen. British Vogue logo. #1 on Trending.

And in the lounge?

Silence.

Then Mahrez whispered, "Bro..."

"9.5," he said, lifting a phantom scorecard. "Would've been ten if Biscuit had more airtime."

Vardy stood up, slow clap building.

"Give it up for Romeo and Juliet!"

The room erupted.

Whistles. Cheers. Pillows flying again.

Tristan sat back, face pink, unable to do anything but laugh.

Barbara had no idea she'd just turned the King Power squad into full-time fanboys.

..

The lounge was still echoing with cheers, fake applause, and someone throwing crisps — but Tristan had ducked out.

He needed a minute.

The locker room was empty, dimmer, quieter. His cleats were drying by the door. A few towels hung loose on the bench. It smelled like eucalyptus and sweat and laundry detergent.

He sat down on the bench.

Leaned forward.

Ran both hands through his curls and exhaled.

His phone buzzed.

Babe: You survived? Saw a few tweets of some of the players watching the interview together

Tristan huffed a laugh, typing back with his thumbs.

"Barely. I've been emotionally dismantled by Vardy and company. Live on the Premier League stage."

Another buzz. Immediate.

Babe: Yeah, I saw Vardy taking a pic of you and posting it.

Tristan closed his eyes.

"I'm never showing my face again."

Babe: Stop being so dramatic . If I see one more meme of you called 'Premier League's Softboi,' I'm suing Vardy for emotional damage."Tristan let out a quiet laugh.He leaned back against the locker, thumb tapping.

Tristan: Too late. He just called us Romeo and Juliet. 

Another buzz. Immediate.

Babe: Tell him he's banned from wedding speeches.

He grinned — and this time, it didn't fade so quickly.

Ten minutes later, Tristan was in his car.

Engine off. Bag on the floor. Phone glowing in his hand.

The Vogue video was still trending.

5.4 million views.

#1 on Trending.

Uploaded: 6 hours ago.

He didn't press play again. He couldn't. His face was still pink from the locker room roasting.

But the comments section?

Yeah. He opened that.

The top comment had almost 250K likes already:

"I didn't know who Tristan Hale was yesterday. Now I'd jump in front of a bus for him and his Hungarian girlfriend and their dog."

The next:

"This is the new gold standard for boyfriends. If he hasn't learned your native language by Christmas, drop him." (197K likes)

And then:

"He said 'Walked in. Met a goddess' with his whole chest. Sir. SIR." (188K likes)

Tristan scrolled.

"Barbara: 'I wasn't thinking with my brain.' / Me: SAME, BABE. SAME. I wouldn't either if TRISTAN HALE TELLS ME TO MOVE IN!"

"This was supposed to be a Vogue interview and now I'm invested in their life like it's a Netflix series."

"That SpongeBob slippers story is gonna be carved into my bones."

"He gave her his hat. She gave him hers the next day. Peak literature."

He kept going.

"Can we talk about how softly he says 'she gave me hers' like it was sacred?!!"

"The eye contact. The soft jumper. The hand hold off-camera. I am deceased."

"The body language. The glances. The shared jokes. I feel like I intruded on something holy."

There was an entire subsection of comments just debating whether or not Biscuit was the real MVP.

"Biscuit cleared the entire modeling industry with one bark."

"Give Biscuit a cover shoot. NOW."

"The way Biscuit entered on cue? Stage presence. Oscar-worthy."

In the recommended sidebar?

Pure chaos.

– "Tristan x Barbara | Home Is You" – Lana Del Rey, soft cuts, candlelight overlays, already at 540K views.

– "Tristan + Barbara – Their Love Story in 5 Minutes" – timestamped highlights, fan voiceover, 300K likes.

– "Why Tristan Hale is the Premier League's Softboi King" – 12-minute breakdown with dramatic voiceover and string music.

– "Top 5 Cutest Vogue Couple Moments (That Ruined Us Emotionally)" – 9 minutes, 4 million views.

– "Tristan Hale Just Ended Toxic Masculinity (And We Thank Him)" – this one had sponsored ads. He wasn't even joking.

Tristan blinked at the screen.

Even the YouTube captions under the video had been edited to highlight emotional beats. Someone had gone through, timestamped every "soft look," "hand touch," "cute smile," and "mutual gaze."

He scrolled back up to the comments.

"Can we get a behind-the-scenes cut? I need to know what happened after the camera stopped."

"My boyfriend and I paused the video halfway to argue because he said I was setting 'unrealistic expectations.' Good."

"This is what we meant when we said show us love, not just chemistry."

Then:

"They've done more for global romance in 20 minutes than Hallmark has in 20 years."

"Petition to replace the royal family with these two."

Tristan dropped his head back on the seat and closed his eyes.

He was being archived. Clipped. Edited.

Romanticized.

And somehow?

It didn't feel bad.

He opened his eyes again.

Clicked on the fan cam.

The Lana Del Rey one.

The opening line played softly in his car speakers.

"Will you still love me... when I'm no longer young and beautiful..."

And there they were.

Every moment since they met in Milan from that dinner date to that interview.

The hat moment. The slippers. The hug. Biscuit barking. A soft fade to black.

The final frame:

"Home is not a place. It's her."

— T.H.

He wiped his eyes, still laughing, and opened Twitter, big mistake. He just couldn't seem to delete the app.

#TristanAndBarbara

#SoftboiOfTheYear

#PremierLeagueRomance

All trending.

The top tweet on his feed was a meme — a still from the Vogue interview. Barbara mid-laugh, eyes crinkling with joy. Tristan beside her, caught in one of those quiet, stupid-soft looks that made it seem like he'd never seen anything better in his life.

The caption read:

"This man looked at her like he's already lost and found her a thousand times."

77K retweets. 302K likes.

The replies were full-on war zone:

"You ever look at someone and just KNOW they'd carry your emotional baggage and organize it alphabetically?"

"This is love in 4K. Netflix could never."

"If I date another man who doesn't speak Mandarin to my slippers, I've failed."

He kept scrolling.

@JesseLingard: "Bro turned a Vogue interview into a rom-com and made us all look bad. Respect 😭🙌"

(Tristan tapped 'like' without hesitation.)

@sterling7: "I've seen less chemistry in Breaking Bad. Congrats, Hale. And tell Barbara we're all free for dinner anytime 👏"

Quote-tweeted over 15,000 times.

@JHenderson: "Just showed this to my wife. She said, 'Take notes.' I'm taking notes. 📓✍️😭"

@HarryMaguire93: "Forget clean sheets, this is what we train for. 🫡"

@Madders10: "Tristan Hale out here winning Vogue, hearts, and maybe the league next. Manifesting."

Fan reply underneath:

"Can we get him and Barbara to host the BAFTAs too while we're at it?"

Even outside football, the timeline was melting.

@BritishVogue: "An interview. A cover. A conversation. A couple. @BarbaraPalvin & @Tristan_22— full feature now live."

They added a Hungarian flag and a football emoji to their bio.

@BuzzFeedUK: "Tristan Hale and Barbara Palvin just resurrected modern romance. We're emotional."

Thumbnail: "17 Vogue Interview Moments That Made Us Believe in Love Again."

@NikeFootball: "Soft jumper. Crowned boots. Strong heart.

The King plays on and off the pitch. 👑 @Tristan_22 #NineRegnants"

@FA: "England's got its Golden Boy and he's got his queen. We stan healthy communication and romantic midfielders 🇬🇧❤️"

@LCFC: "No caption needed 🦊✨

[📸: Tristan and Barbara, Vogue Interview still]

#LCFC #FoxesWorldwide #HaleStorm"

He scrolled and scrolled, until he saw it.

Just one tweet. Short. Simple.

@BarbaraPalvin

"My heart is trending. ❤️"

He froze.

Then clicked retweet.

Typed out his reply.

"She's the reason I say 'home' like it's a feeling, not a place."

Underneath, the replies went full combustion five minutes later.

"OH WE'RE NEVER GETTING OUT OF THE TRENCHES."

"DOES YOUR MAN EVEN BREATHE THIS SOFTLY???"

"Netflix. Call them. We need a docuseries. Now."

"This is why I believe in astrology and cardigan weather."

"I feel like I just got kissed on the forehead through a screen."

"He writes captions like love letters."

He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Stared out the windshield.

Somehow — after all the goals, the media, the pressure — this moment, this chaos, this weird mix of love and laughter and Lana Del Rey edits... This was the thing he'd remember most about August 20th.

..

The front door clicked open.

Tristan stepped in, quietly, shoulders still warm from the summer air and the leftover buzz of being roasted by half the Premier League. He kicked off his sneakers, dropped his duffel by the wall, and glanced into the living room.

There she was.

Barbara lay curled sideways on the couch, one arm tucked under her head, the other trailing lazily along Biscuit's belly. The dog was fully splayed out on her back, legs up like a furry starfish, clearly in heaven. A soft jazz playlist hummed low from the speakers.

Barbara looked up and smiled as soon as she saw him.

"You survived the trenches?"

Tristan let out a sound between a groan and a laugh and made his way over.

"Barely. I think Mahrez actually printed out a meme of me."

Barbara sat up, grinning. "You should've seen what I've been getting."

She patted the cushion next to her.

"Come here. You need to see this."

Tristan flopped down beside her, letting his head fall back dramatically. Biscuit immediately rolled over and pressed her paw onto his knee, tail thumping once in approval.

Barbara angled her phone toward him.

Group chat: "Palvin's Girls 💄✨🐾"

Isabelle: Your man said "walked in, met a goddess" like it was his wedding vow.

If I don't get that, I'm staying single forever.

Sara: Also? Learning hungarian just for him to say he loves you in your language.

I can't even get a guy to learn how to spell my name properly.

Lea: Seriously. You broke the internet and my expectations.

Tristan blinked. "Wait... is that the same Lea who called me a 'football robot' last year?" He met a few of her friends over the break, some he liked, others not so much.

"She's healed," Barbara said. "You did that."

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Laughed again.

Barbara tapped into another thread and turned the screen slightly.

(Just imagine this is in Hungarian.)

Anita: Mom loved the videos. People here are calling him

him herceg. Don't let him get a big head if he sees it in Hungarian Twitter.

"Too late," Barbara said, nudging him with her shoulder. "You've been knighted."

Tristan chuckled. "Did Anita at least like it?"

"Yeah, my entire family does."

Another text buzzed.

Kata: Mami made me show the video to auntie. She cried.

I quote: 'That English boy better marry her before someone else does.'

Barbara burst out laughing and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're big in Hungary now. No pressure."

He tilted his head toward hers. "You're big in England. Let's call it even."

She hummed. "Also, Biscuit trended."

Tristan looked down. Biscuit was snoring gently, head against his leg like a furry endorsement of peace.

"Of course she did."

Barbara turned to him with a teasing gleam in her eye.

"And I haven't even shown you the tweet from one of the girls asking if you write love captions for a living."

"I don't," he said, deadpan. "Just freelance. For you."

She smiled.

Then she nudged his side again and whispered, "Want to see the fan edit with Lana? I seen so many videos of us."

..

A candle flickered on the coffee table. The curtains were half-drawn. Somewhere in the kitchen, the dishwasher hummed like a low purr. They just finished dinner cooked up by Felix.

And in the middle of it all — on the velvet sectional, sunk deep into a nest of pillows — Tristan and Barbara were completely wrapped around each other.

His shirt had ridden up slightly at the hem. Her bare legs were draped across his lap. One of her hands was under his shirt, not even doing anything, just resting there for the warmth of it. Their bodies were tangled in the casual way of people who knew every inch and didn't need to ask permission anymore.

Tristan kissed the side of her mouth.

Then her cheek.

Then lower, catching the edge of her jaw before she turned into it and kissed him back — slow, sure, familiar..

From across the room, chaos.

SQUEAK.

Tristan blinked.

Barbara pulled away, dazed. "Wait—"

SQUEAK. SKITTER. THUMP.

Biscuit launched herself into view like a cannonball, slid across the wood floor, and slammed shoulder-first into her own stuffed fox. The fox gave a weak brrrrp sound in protest as she tackled it.

Then she let out a series of tiny growls that sounded like someone trying to argue in their sleep.

"Rrrrh! Hrrmph. Pfhh. Hrrm!"

Barbara burst out laughing.

"She's fighting for her Oscar."

"She's possessed," Tristan said flatly, watching Biscuit spin in a perfect circle before flopping over dramatically onto her toy like she'd just died of emotional trauma.

The fox squeaked again.

Biscuit didn't move.

She just let out a tiny huff through her nose — insulted, tired, victorious.

Tristan leaned back and laughed, pulling Barbara against his chest again. "She's been like this all day?"

"She thinks she won the internet," Barbara murmured, nestling under his chin. "And she's not wrong."

He rubbed her back.

She kissed his throat.

She looked up at him.

He met her eyes.

And then?

She kissed him again.

It was deeper this time. One of those slightly-messy, breath-sharing, tilted-head kinds. Her hand cupped his neck. His thumb brushed her jaw. The kind of kiss that didn't need music or setup. Just gravity.

They were so into it, they barely noticed when Biscuit trotted over, tail up like a parade flag, and dropped the fox with a proud thwomp onto Tristan's foot.

"Rrrmph," she said again. Quiet. Demanding.

Barbara broke the kiss, breathless. "She's asking for a film deal."

"She wants top billing," Tristan muttered, picking up the remote. "Too bad. We're watching something else."

He clicked.

The screen flickered.

And immediately — the volume kicked in.

"Listen, I don't care how many assists he has," a familiar voice barked, full Mancunian and full volume. "He's still not winning a trophy with that back line."

Barbara blinked.

Tristan's mouth dropped open.

The screen lit up with a different pundit panel — not the usual Sky Sports crew, but a cheekier late-night roundtable. BBC MatchTalk Live.

Onscreen were four men crowded around a glass desk:

Dion DublinJermaine JenasChris SuttonAnd Gary Lineker

"Oh yes," Barbara whispered, curling into his side. "This is gonna be good."

Tristan groaned. "We were making out. Why are we here?"

Barbara kissed his jaw again. "Because I like football."

And from across the room, Biscuit sneezed.

Like she agreed.

"—and look, I'm not saying Mourinho's lost the dressing room," Chris Sutton said, already worked up, "but when your physio's trending more than your striker, something's not right."

Dion Dublin nodded. "Eva Carneiro, yeah? That situation's blown up. Chelsea's entire bench looks like it's walking on eggshells. They've gone from champions to chaos in two weeks."

Jenas jumped in, arms spread. "But that's what happens when you start the season by subbing out medical staff mid-match. He humiliated her, the players hated it, and now the media's in flames. Classic Mourinho implosion brewing."

Gary Lineker just smiled like a man who'd seen this movie before. "You could say he's... doctored the drama."

Barbara groaned softly and dropped her forehead to Tristan's chest. "That pun deserves jail."

Tristan kissed the top of her head, muttering, "I send him an message about it."

Back on the screen, the debate was shifting.

"Let's talk Spurs-Leicester," Dion said. "Game of the weekend, no question. Battle of the strikers. Kane vs. Vardy. Spurs fans already calling Kane the next Tristan Hale."

That made Tristan look up from kissing Barbara.

Barbara sat up slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Oh boy."

"Hang on," Sutton cut in. "We need to stop with this whole 'Kane vs. Tristan' thing. It's lazy. I get it — both young, both English, both breaking through last season. But come on."

Jenas nodded. "Agreed. Kane's a finisher. Tristan's a creator and a finisher. Two totally different profiles. One's a striker, one's a system."

"He's not just a system," Dion added. "He is the system at Leicester and England. I've never seen someone so young dictate tempo like that. Kane scores goals, and he's brilliant at it. But Tristan's doing ten jobs at once — drop deep, pull wide, link play, press, assist, finish.

"AND PEOPLE ARE WE FORGETTING TRISTAN AS A MIDFIELDER HAS MORE GOALS THAN KANE THE STRIKER?" Dion shouted.

Sutton shook his head. "And let's not forget, Tristan defends. You look at his heat maps — the kid's covering every blade of grass. And he's not even in his peak position. He could easily be playing false nine and racking up more goals which seems to be the case this season."

Barbara smiled softly at that. Tristan didn't say anything — just stared at the screen, one arm wrapped around her, thumb brushing her hip.

Onscreen, Lineker leaned forward, his tone sharper now.

"Look, Harry Kane is phenomenal. A proper number nine. He's got the instincts, the hunger, the England pedigree. But people forget — Tristan Hale's younger. He's got more assists,more goals, more key passes, and more chances created. And this is only his second full season in the league. How can Kane compete against 75 goals contribution. The comparison to Vardy makes more sense."

Dion added, "And he's doing it in Europe, for England, in every competition. It's not just volume — it's influence."

Jenas nodded. "Exactly. He's not just a player. He's a problem for every team he faces. And the crazy thing is, I still don't think we've seen the ceiling yet."

Sutton tilted his head. "You put Tristan in any of the top six sides right now — United, City, Arsenal — and he's one of their best players in the team's history."

Lineker leaned back, folding his notes. "Bottom line — Kane's a fantastic striker. Tristan Hale? Different category. Different universe."

A pause.

Then Dion grinned. "Let's be honest. He's the one they all wish they had."

Barbara turned toward him, smirking. "You hear that?"

Tristan nodded slowly, watching Biscuit begin her third war of the night with the same fox toy.

"I did."

..

Next Day — Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground, Enfield

Film Room

The room was cold. Air conditioning humming. Lights dimmed. No music. Just the muted rustle of chairs and the occasional cough.

Mauricio Pochettino stood at the front — arms folded, legs planted. Behind him, the projector glowed bright on the pull-down screen.

The show had just ended.

"'Different category. Different universe.'"

Eric Dier repeated the line like he was tasting it.

Harry Kane sat two rows back, elbows on his knees, jaw set. His eyes were locked on the frozen image on screen — a paused shot of Tristan Hale mid-laugh, with Barbara beside him, smiling. The Vogue thumbnail.

"Leicester's playing with a chip the size of London," Ryan Mason muttered.

"Bigger," said Danny Rose.

A heavy silence.

Pochettino finally spoke.

"We are not watching this because of romance," he said, his voice low, clipped. "We are watching this because every journalist, every fan, every neutral — they think we've already lost. They think this is Tristan Hale's league now. They think Leicester are untouchable."

He paused.

"They're not."

He clicked the remote.

The screen changed — from pundits to pitch diagrams. Leicester's 4-2-3-1. The movement of Hale. The shape.

"Leicester's strength isn't surprise anymore," Poch said. "It's tempo. Interchange. And him."

He pointed as red arrows drew movement patterns on screen.

"Tristan plays here—" He circled the space between midfield and defense. "But he's everywhere. He drops next to Drinkwater. He runs beyond Vardy. He pulls your midfield apart and makes your centre-backs choose. Press him too hard? Vardy's in behind. Sit off? He'll find space and kill you."

Ben Davies raised a hand from the back. "So what do we do? Man-mark him?"

"No," Poch said firmly. "He'll drag whoever you send out of position and then walk into the space you leave behind. We saw it last week against West Ham. They doubled him. He still dominated."

Kane exhaled slowly, rubbing his thigh. "Then what?"

The room turned toward Pochettino.

"We box him in," he said. "We don't chase. We contain. Narrow shape. No gaps between the lines. If he turns with space, we're finished. If we force him wide, force him backward — then we've got a game."

He turned back to the screen.

"And Kane."

Harry looked up.

"You don't need to be him. Don't try to out-create. Outshine. Out-fan-cam."

A few players chuckled lightly.

"You score goals," Poch said, voice steady. "You find space. You finish. That's your job. That's your world. Let the media fall in love with him. We just need to beat him."

The screen switched to clips from Leicester's recent matches.

"Don't admire him," Poch said. "Solve him. You wanna prove you belong in England, then beat Leicester. Beat Vardy." He didn't even say be better than Tristan; that's like asking Kane to be better than Messi. It's an impossible goal.

Kane nodded.

Quiet.

Determined.

"Understood."

..

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