Monday, December 19, 2022
The Torch Doha Hotel
6:47 AM
Demien woke before the alarm and the room was still dark except for the faint light coming through the gap in the curtains, and his right leg felt stiff when he shifted under the sheets but the pain was manageable rather than sharp.
Sophia was already awake beside him with her phone in her hands, and the screen's glow lit her face while she scrolled through something without speaking.
"You're up early," Demien said quietly, and his voice was rough from sleep.
"Couldn't sleep," she replied without looking away from the phone, "kept thinking about the match."
He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at what she was viewing, and the screen showed photos from the past week—stadium lights at night, crowds wearing blue and white, a candid shot of him standing near a fan zone screen that he hadn't noticed her taking.
"When did you take that one?" he asked.
