Chapter Fourteen

~Aina~

She yawned as she slipped on her pajama pants, and then the shirt she wore to bed. It was nearly midnight, and she had just finished her paper for class.

She was about to turn off the light when she heard a knock on her door.

Groaning, she padded out of her room and to the front door. Looking through the peephole, she saw her brother. Upon opening the door, she realized he was drunk. “Geri?” she asked, noticing how horrible and distraught he looked. “Can I sleep here?” he asked, stumbling a little as he walked in. She nodded, motioning to the couch. Closing the door, she headed to her room, and grabbed an extra blanket and pillow for him.

“Geri, what happened?” she asked as she handed him the items. “I told Liv that I loved her, and she ran away,” he rasped, burying his head into his hands. She sat beside him, and pulled him into a hug.

He broke into tears at that moment, and clung to his sister as if his life depended on it.

“Estás bien, Geri. Duerme ahora, y luego piensa.”

He continued to sob, though, and she continued to comfort him. He finally fell into an uneasy sleep several hours later, and she draped the blanket over him, kissing him gently on the forehead.
She then headed to her own bed, and fell asleep, not sure what to think anymore.

~Leo~

Since there was no practice that morning, he had nothing to do. So he decided to head over to Aina’s and see how she was doing.
He knocked lightly on the door, and several minutes later it was opened by the female.

She looked tired, and motioned for him to come in. “Geri is upset, so don’t mention Olivia,” she whispered to him softly as he took off his shoes and coat. He nodded, frowning. They’d seemed perfect at the party, and that was not that long ago. But then again, Aina and Cesc were testament to how quickly things could change.

Her brother was sitting at the table eating. He looked up upon hearing them, and forced a smile. “Good morning, Leo,” he said, waving. “Good morning,” the Argentine replied. He looked to the female for help.

She patted his arm, and poured more juice for the tall defender.
“Do you want anything else?” she asked as he cleared his plate. He shook his head, “I should get back to my house, and shower. Thanks, Aina.” She nodded, and watched him go sadly. The door shut, leaving them in a stiff silence. “What happened?” Leo asked at last. “He told Olivia that he loved her, and apparently she just ran away. He’s heartbroken. I thought I was bad…but his whole world seems to be caving in.”

“What do you mean?” the striker asked.

“Well, I definitely had romantic feelings for Cesc, but not love. Geri definitely loves Liv though, and she all but rejected him. He made himself vulnerable, and it didn’t pay off,” she replied, placing the dirty dishes in the sink for later.

“Do you still want to come this weekend?” he asked. She nodded, “Of course.”

~Olivia~

She spent the day curled up in her bed. She heard the door slam from Aina’s apartment, and wondered if it was the owner, or her brother.

She didn’t know if her actions had been synonymous with breaking up, but she felt as though they had. And it had been her fault. She couldn’t believe after everything she was still scared to open herself up. But she had learned the hard way that being vulnerable often was disadvantageous, especially when it came to love.

She finally dragged herself out of bed and showered, and then shoveled down her weight in ice cream as she channel surfed.

‘Today FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué was seen out with a different woman. It was alleged that he was dating a woman named Olivia, but is it really true? It is already known that the he had been dating a woman named Sarah before. So who is this pretty knew thing that seems to have captured his attention?’

She sobbed as Gerard was shown with a pretty young blonde.

She jumped off the couch, grabbed her keys, and ran out the door, slamming it behind her. She then flew down the stairs, and to her car. Tears blinded her vision as she fumbled putting the keys into the ignition. The car roared to life, and she was off.

~Gerard~

He sighed as he arrived at his house. He left the car parked in the driveway, and shut the door, locking it, and shoving the keys into his pocket. His hands followed suit as he strolled up the path to the house.

He stopped short when he saw a figure sitting on the front steps.
The person looked up upon hearing his feet on the gravel, and jumped up. It was Olivia, and it was obvious she’d been crying.

“What do you want?” he asked, his voice raw with emotion.

“I need to explain,” he said, her own voice shaking as she watched him approach. “I think I got your message quite clear. I should’ve realized you were in it because I was a footballer,” he muttered. “No! It was nothing like that! I got scared!” she exclaimed, “And I thought you said you’d wait for me, as long as it took!”

He looked down at her, eyes darkening, “That was when I thought we were on the same page.”

“We are!” she pleaded, “I love you! I really do! But I was scared!” “Of what?” he demanded, “Because I would never hurt you! I love you! Madre mia! What did I do to scare you?”

“It wasn’t what you did! I was scared to admit my feelings not only to you, but myself. Because I would be vulnerable. I didn’t want to become one of those women who allowed herself to be swept off her feet, only to be hurt. I know you wouldn’t do that to me, but I was afraid nonetheless. I didn’t want to be like Aina, moping around for weeks…”

She jumped as he slammed his fist into the door, “Don’t bring my sister into this. She is doing fine. She was there for me when I made myself vulnerable, and you hurt me. She held me as a cried, and gave me the comfort I needed. You did to me what you claim to fear!”

Olivia buried her face in her hands as her shoulders shook with sobs.

“The only way this is going to work is if you trust me. And it’s obvious you don’t,” Gerard forced out at last. Her head lifted, eyes wide with shock. “I do though! I see the flaws in my reasoning. Rosy – Geri – please,” Olivia begged. He stared at her intently, searching her face.

“What if I told you this wasn’t resolvable. That you needed to leave right now? That we were completely over?” he questioned.
“I would tell you I’d fight tooth and nail to prove you wrong, because there is always hope for reconciliation. I would tell you it doesn’t matter if it takes days, months, years, or even decades – you are the one thing I need in my life,” she answered.

His shoulders slumped, and he stepped forward. They fell into an embrace.

Her fingers curled around his jacket. “Are we ok?” she asked hesitantly. She felt his fingers slide through her hair. “Let’s find out one day at a time.” She nodded in acceptance, praying that they were.