Chapter Thirteen

~Aina~

“Sorry I cried all over you,” she muttered, embarrassed. She’d gone for so long without crying, but that night had done it. She wasn’t even sure what triggered it – probably seeing Olivia and Geri getting along so well, or perhaps Carles and Malena. She hated that she resented them. It wasn’t their fault that Cesc cheated. But it had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Don’t worry about it,” Leo replied, smiling kindly at her. God, he was so gentle, as always. He just knew what to do, whether on or off the field.

She was ready to change the subject though, “Are you excited for the World Cup this summer?”

He nodded immediately, “I enjoy any opportunity to play for Argentina. Your brother will be playing for Spain, yes? So that is who you will cheer for?”

She grinned, “Of course! But Argentina will be my second choice, of course. And then Brazil, for Dani.” “What about Uruguay or Paraguay?” he teased, knowing her distaste for those teams. She made a face at him, not even bothering to answer. He chuckled, “And Portugal?” That time she gagged.

She smiled when she realized he was attempting to keep her mind off Cesc. And it was working.

~Olivia~

Damn that stupid Rosy.

Now she was embarrassed, and bothered. Her face felt as though it was on fire, and her finger was tingling. Her hands shook as she brought more food out. Footballers ate a lot, and fast.

She set down the plate of paella, and almost instantly half the team had descended upon it. She backed up quickly so as not to be caught in the feeding frenzy. She swore it was like watching Shark week on Discovery Channel, and paella was like the chum they threw in the water to attract the large fish.

She spotted Geri trying to put a tiara on Puyol that read ‘Birthday Princess’ and would’ve snickered had she not been so flustered by his previous actions.

She settled for retreated to the kitchen once again, to find more food to serve to the ravenous guests.

~Leo~

After returning inside, Aina seemed much more herself. Talking about what happened seemed to have done her good. No one seemed to have noticed their absence since paella had been replenished for them, and most were stuffing their faces.

It seemed Geri had successfully gotten the tiara on his captain’s head, and was hiding from the much scarier male.

Malena was politely hiding her giggles; though it was obvious she thought it was amusing as well. Aina took a discreet picture on her phone, and showed Olivia, who was strangely subdued.

Aina then dove into the feeding frenzy, and returned with a small slice of cake and a bottle of water.

“Leo, your teammates are insane,” she huffed, sitting next to him. “I think your brother is the worst,” he said, gesturing to the defender, who was trying to hide under a table from Carles. She groaned, “Don’t remind me…”

He grinned, and took a bite of her cake.

“Jerk!” she accused, moving away from him. He just grinned, and went for another piece. She hopped off the table, and retreated away. “Get your own cake!” she called over her shoulder. She was back to her normal self, at least to an extent. That was what he’d been aiming for.

~Gerard~

After the party ended, he stayed to help Olivia clean up.
The shorter woman was bustling around, shoving things into garbage bags at a frighteningly efficient rate, as he picked up things and put them in one by one. Needless to say, she was the reason they got to leave as early as they did.

“Have you never cleaned before?” the female asked. Gerard shrugged, “Normally Aina does that for us, or our mom.” Olivia shook her head and sighed. “What?” he asked, pouting. “What is it about men and not cleaning?” she asked. He shrugged, not really knowing himself. “It’s not all men…Xavi is very neat,” he argued. The female rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the argument.

Sensing his defeat, he resorted to picking the female up and throwing her over his shoulder effortlessly, ignoring her protests and struggles.

“Dammit, Rosy, put me down!” she yelled, but it was useless. He continued toward his house, her pleas in vain.

~Aina~

Graduation was approaching ever closer, as was the end of the season. She was not going to get to go to some of the games because of finals.

But she also had no idea what she wanted to do with her life.
She had considered multiple careers, but none had called out for her. So instead she’d majored in English, and then doubled up in psychology. She groaned as she shut her book, and stood. She stalked out of the library, and headed down the street to her car. Once inside, she let her head drop against the steering wheel, and stayed like that for over half an hour.

She only moved when her phone vibrated loudly from her bag. She blindly reached for it, and read the text that had just arrived.

Leo: Did you finish your paper?

She arched a brow, surprised he remembered her mentioning it.

Aina: Yes, thanks for asking. How was your day?

Leo: Practice was alright. Andrés is finally recovered. I also organized another trip to the Children’s Hospital this weekend through the foundation.

Aina: Can I come with you?

Leo: You want to? Of course you can!

Aina: I want to more than anything – thanks. Just text me the details.

She was excited. She had always wanted to help Leo with his foundation, and she loved kids, so it was the perfect combination for her. She tossed her phone back into her purse, and pulled out into the street, heading toward her apartment for the night.

~Olivia~

“Hey, I have something to tell you,” Gerard said as she took his plate. She had made him lunch after practice. “What’s that?” she asked, turning to face him.

He stood, and walked over to her.

“We haven’t been dating for so long” he began. “Since November,” she interjected with a smile. He nodded, still rather serious. “And I know that’s not a really long time, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure of my feelings. I just want to tell you that…that I love you.”

I love you.

The words echoed in her mind again and again. Did he mean it? What did he expect from her? All of a sudden she panicked. She felt the dam of her insecurities break, and it all came pouring out at once. Commitment was her biggest fear, it had prevented relationships in the past. She was afraid to give all of herself to one person, for she was afraid they wouldn’t like what they found. She wanted to avoid being hurt.

“Liv? Olivia?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“I…I’m sorry,” she said softly, and ran from his house. She ran until she reached one of the many parks in Barcelona, and found a secluded part under a large tree. She collapsed against the trunk in tears.

She ran to avoid her feelings, and the vulnerability. But her heart was aching, and she feared it hurt more in that moment than any possible rejection she might’ve faced by staying. But her pride kept her there, sobbing softly into her knees, mentally berating herself for getting into that position. She wanted Geri with all of her heart, but her mind drove a constant wedge in between them. And that was one thing she didn’t know how to fix.