Chapter 835: His Fears.
The meal was soon done with, and the plates long been cleared.
Olivia was curled up lazily in Izan’s arms on one couch, her legs tucked beneath her as his arm rested loosely around her shoulders.
Komi occupied the opposite seat, completely absorbed in one of those overly serene nature documentaries she adored, the kind where the narrator whispered about elephants migrating under a golden sun while soft piano played in the background.
"Do you think she ever gets tired of those?" Olivia murmured, her voice half-asleep.
"Let her have her fun," Izan replied under his breath, watching Komi lean forward with unexplainable fascination as a family of penguins appeared on screen.
Soon, footsteps slapped across the stairs as Miranda appeared a moment later, a neat folder tucked under her arm.
"Okay," she said, approaching another couch before lowering herself into the armchair between them, flipping open the folder, "we’ll start with Coca-Cola."
Olivia chuckled immediately, tilting her head toward Izan.
"Of course. They’re always in everything."
Miranda smiled faintly.
"They’re doing a campaign centred around the Club World Cup and its teams, with one player from each of the thirty-two clubs. Arsenal’s picked you, Izan."
Izan’s brow lifted.
"Lucky me," he said dryly.
Miranda continued, handing him a few papers.
"They sent over the script. It’s about the thirty-two players, all representing their clubs, split into 2 equal teams, fighting for glory. Or in this case..." she looked down at the page, "...Coca-Cola."
Izan skimmed the sheet, reading a line out loud in disbelief.
"’The world thirsts for champions’? Who writes this stuff?"
Olivia snorted against his chest. "That’s so bad it’s good."
"I could write something better in five minutes," Izan muttered, tossing the paper gently onto the coffee table.
Miranda lifted her gaze. "Should I tell them your input—?"
He cut her off with a small wave.
"Don’t. I wouldn’t want someone to lose their job over me trying to be funny."
Miranda’s lips curved.
"Fair enough."
She flipped to the next document.
"There are also a few short shoots lined up with some of the other main sponsors. Nothing too heavy. But there’s one more, a special collaboration with Purina."
At that, Olivia shifted slightly in his arms, intrigued. "Purina? Like the pet food company?"
"Yes," Miranda confirmed, scanning her notes.
"This one’s just for Arsenal."
Izan nodded, pulling out his phone.
"So... what’s the plan? We’re playing with dogs or something?"
Olivia’s hand froze where it rested on his chest.
"Why did your heart spike suddenly?" she said while moving her hand all over Izan’s left side of his chest.
Komi, who hadn’t been paying attention until the word dogs, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Oh no," she said between fits of giggles, "this is going to be good."
Hori descending the stairs, echoed from upstairs before she even reached the base.
"What’s going on?"
She came bounding down the steps, her notebook still in hand, and plopped herself into the empty space beside Komi.
Her mother pushed her gently.
"Busy," she said firmly, eyes still glued to the documentary.
But Miranda continued, trying to ignore the growing amusement in the room.
"Yes, Izan. Dogs. It’s a community-centred shoot, promoting adoption, care, that kind of thing."
Izan’s expression faltered, the corner of his mouth tightening as Komi’s laughter grew louder.
Hori glanced between them and completely lost it, falling sideways into her mother, clutching her stomach.
Miranda blinked. "What, what’s so funny?"
Hori tried to speak through her laughter, her voice coming out in bursts.
"He," she pointed dramatically at Izan, "he’s afraid of dogs!"
Olivia sat up instantly, turning to face him, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Wait, really? That was why," she said, suddenly remembering something.
Izan sighed, rubbing his neck as if bracing himself. "It’s not—"
"Why?" she asked, her tone both teasing and genuinely curious.
Before he could respond, Hori jumped in eagerly.
"Because," she said, trying not to laugh again, "one time when we were younger, a Labrador started chasing him, but it was just trying to get him to play. Izan thought it was attacking him and started running, so the dog started running too, thinking Izan wanted it to chase!"
Komi was wheezing by now, tears in her eyes from laughing.
Olivia covered her mouth but couldn’t hold back either, her shoulders shaking.
"Oh my God," she said between laughs, "you ran from a Labrador
?""It was big!" Izan protested weakly, but that only made the laughter worse.
Even Miranda, who had been trying to stay composed, hid her face behind the folder for a moment, her lips twitching in amusement.
"Okay, okay, enough," Izan said finally, unable to stop his own reluctant smile.
But Olivia leaned closer, cupping his cheek with mock sympathy.
"It’s okay, baby," she whispered teasingly. "We’ll make sure they use the friendly dogs for the shoot."
Komi burst out again.
"Just don’t bring a poodle, those things will end him."
The room broke into one last round of laughter, as Izan, red-eared and exasperated, sighed in resignation.
...
"No, this doesn’t make sense. Labradors are literally the cutest and funniest dogs ever," Olivia said, her voice bubbling with amusement.
She was on her knees on the bed, hair still damp from her own shower, watching Izan step out of the bathroom with a towel over his head.
"I don’t get how you ran from one. Komi said it wasn’t even a stray."
Izan gave her a look from behind the towel, ruffling his hair dry.
"It was... different that time," he muttered.
Olivia tilted her head, lips curving mischievously. "Different?"
"Yeah." He tossed the towel into the laundry basket, scratching the back of his neck.
"It was running at me, ears flopping, teeth showing,"
She burst out laughing before he could finish.
"Teeth showing? Izan, it was probably smiling!"
He exhaled through his nose, a slight smile forming as Olivia’s laughter grew louder.
She was now full-on cackling, trying to catch her breath, imagining a smaller version of him sprinting down the street with a happy Labrador bouncing behind, tongue out and tail wagging like they were playing tag.
"Oh, stop, stop, I can’t," she wheezed, falling backwards onto the bed, clutching her stomach as laughter took over.
Izan walked over, leaning down over her, his shadow falling across her face.
"You done?" he asked with a small grin.
"Not even close," she said, still laughing, tears glinting in the corner of her eyes.
"Then don’t blame me for what happens next."
Her laughter faltered. "Izan... don’t you dare."
But the smirk on his face said he absolutely would.
His hands came down fast, fingers sliding to her sides, and she immediately broke into shrieking laughter, curling and kicking as he tickled her mercilessly.
"I—I can’t breathe, stop!" she squealed between laughs, her voice cracking as she tried to wriggle away.
"Please, I surrender!"
"Say, Labradors are scary," he teased, leaning closer.
"Never!" she laughed harder, tears spilling down her cheeks as she gasped for air.
"They’re angels! You’re just, just—"
"Just what?"
Before she could answer, Hori’s voice echoed faintly from the hallway, followed by a playful bark.
Both froze for half a second before Olivia absolutely lost it again.
"Oh my God," she managed between bursts of laughter, "your sister, "
But Izan was already on his feet, bolting out of the room as Hori took off running down the hall, her giggles ringing through the house.
"Get back here!" he shouted, laughter in his voice as her shrieks echoed.
Their footsteps thundered down the corridor, one determined, one mischievous, the sound of sibling chaos carrying through the night.
Even with the house’s heavy soundproofing, Komi downstairs could faintly hear them, shaking her head with a tired smile.
And back in the bedroom, Olivia lay sprawled on the bed, hair a mess, laughter still trembling on her lips.
She listened to the fading noise, Hori probably on the floor begging while Izan refused to let go.
The next morning, Olivia tiptoed closer, the soft light of morning spilling through the glass expanse.
Izan stood by the door, hair slightly messy, a toothbrush hanging from his mouth as he leaned forward.
Without a word, she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
The minty foam in his mouth didn’t stop him from mumbling, voice muffled, "You sure you don’t need a ride?"
She shook her head, smiling.
"If I pull up in that thing again," she said, nodding toward the garage, "people will catch on."
Izan raised an eyebrow, toothbrush still in hand.
"I’m serious," she continued, laughing softly.
"People already started asking who my boyfriend was the last time you dropped me off."
He pulled the brush out, rinsing his mouth as he replied, "I thought people already knew."
"Oh, they think they might or might not," Olivia said, stepping out.
"But since neither of us ever posts or makes it obvious, they keep guessing. Half of them think I’m dating some musician."
Izan smirked, grabbing a towel to wipe his hands. "Guess that’s a compliment. I’ll take it."
She turned at the door, her smile softening. "You better."
He leaned against the frame, still drying his hands, watching as she stepped down the walkway toward the gate.
"Text me when you get there," he called out.
"Will do."
"I’m pretty sure we’ve been obvious with it, though," Izan mumbled before stepping back inside.