The car rolled along the road. Thomas glanced at Sebastian, hands steady on the wheel.
"You know, 'I think I did well' doesn't tell me much about anything," he said with a laugh. "What happened in the trials? Give me something. How'd it go? What'd you do?"
Sebastian leaned back slightly. "Dad, I could tell you all about it right now, or I could tell you, Mum, and Sara at the same time when we get home."
He turned to his dad with a smirk. "So which do you prefer?"
Thomas nodded, a small laugh escaping his lips. "Okay, fair enough."
They drove in silence after that, the hum of the engine filling the space. A little over an hour later, they turned into their neighborhood, a quiet stretch of tidy houses and narrow streets. Their home came into view, a one-story place with white siding, a sloped red roof, and a small front yard bordered by a low hedge.
Thomas eased the car into the driveway and parked neatly beside the garage. He cut the engine. They stepped out, Sebastian grabbing his duffel from the backseat while Thomas slung his work bag over his shoulder.
As they headed to the door, Thomas pulled out his keys. The moment it swung open, a blur of movement rushed forward.
"Sebastian!" his younger sister Sara called out, her voice bright.
She was eight, small and wiry, with messy brown pigtails and bright blue eyes, wearing a faded blue sweater. She barreled into him, arms wrapping tight around his waist. Sebastian patted her head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Their mom, Emilia, stepped into the hall from the kitchen, her hair tied back in a ponytail as she wiped her hands on a dish towel.
"Welcome home, you two," she said, giving Thomas a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to Sebastian. "Good to see you, love." She rested a hand on his shoulder.
Sara grabbed Sebastian's hand and swung it back and forth. "How were the trials? Did you do good? Were you the best?" Her questions tumbled out, her pigtails bouncing as she tugged him toward the living room.
Emilia laughed softly, stepping closer. "Sara, easy now. Let him breathe a little. He'll tell us all about it later, alright? Give him a chance to rest."
Sara pouted but let go, muttering, "Fine, but it better be good."
Sebastian shot her a grin and dropped his duffel by the couch.
Sara still dragged him to the living room, flipping on the TV to some cartoon reruns, while Thomas went to the bedroom to freshen up. He showered, changed into a loose shirt and trousers, and joined the rest of the family later.
About twenty minutes later, Emilia's voice called from the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready. Come on, you three."
They shuffled to the table. The smell of köttbullar with lingonberry sauce wafted over, small browned meatballs beside creamy mashed potatoes and thin gravy.
They dug in, forks clinking gently. Thomas swallowed a bite and looked at Sebastian.
"So, the trials. What did you guys even do out there?"
Sebastian set his fork down, leaning forward a bit. "We did a lot of drills today. Most of them were physical. Coach Henrik said he wanted to gauge our physical capabilities and check our fundamentals."
"We started with sprints. They timed us on twenty, forty, and one hundred meters. Then we ran three kilometers in groups."
Thomas tilted his head, chewing. "How'd you do with that?"
Sebastian grinned. "Did very well. I was the fastest, actually."
Sara's eyes went wide. "For real?"
"Yeah," Sebastian said with a laugh, leaning back. "Sprints were easy, and I powered through the three-kilometer run."
Emilia smiled and set her fork down. "That's all they had you do?"
"No," Sebastian replied. "There were other drills too. Technical stuff. Took a while to run through everything."
He went on, laying out the day for them, the specifics trailing into the rhythm of dinner. The soft clatter of forks and plates filled the spaces between words.
Thomas leaned back and wiped his mouth. "So, you've got matches tomorrow, right?"
Sebastian nodded. "Yeah... how'd you know?" His brow furrowed in surprise.
Thomas smirked. "Been keeping in touch with the scout who invited you. He told me they're doing matches tomorrow. Said we could come watch. That's one reason they held the trials on a weekend, so families could come see their boys play."
Sebastian blinked. "So you guys are coming with me tomorrow?"
"Yes," Thomas said with a nod.
"Alright," Sebastian said, a smile creeping in.
Sara bounced in her seat. "You better score tomorrow. I wanna see a goal."
"I'll try my best," Sebastian said, grinning at her.
"If you score," Sara said, pointing, "you gotta do the splits."
Sebastian burst out laughing. "What? You know I can't split."
Emilia and Thomas laughed too, forks pausing mid-air. Sara giggled.
"Okay, fine. Cartwheel or somersault or something."
"You've got a deal," Sebastian said, sticking out his hand. Sara shook it hard, her pigtails swinging.
They kept talking long after the plates were empty, trading stories about their days, voices overlapping in the warmth of home.
Later, Sebastian took a short, cold shower, the chill shaking the rest of the day out of his muscles. He slipped into his pajamas and climbed into bed. Lying still, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts turned to tomorrow.
He had no idea how the matches would be arranged or who his teammates would be. But one thing was certain. He would give everything on that pitch.
Besides, I owe Sara a goal, he thought with a smile.
Sleep came quickly after that.