Chapter Twenty

~Gerard~

He knew he owed Aina big time. Huge. Astronomical.

But Olivia was having the time of her life. He knew she was a fan of the guy, but not to that extent. And he also didn’t even know he was coming to Spain, and doing an exclusive, very exclusive, dinner. There were only twenty tickets put out, and coming across them had to have been hard. Damn, Aina was a saint or something.

But they’d hit it off quite nicely, Olivia and Anthony Bourdain. The pair were talking quite animatedly about Catalan cuisine, and its differences from traditional Spanish dishes. He was pretty much lost, but he enjoyed seeing her happy.

After the dinner ended, the pair drove back toward her apartment, the chef rambling on about how grateful she was, how wonderful the night had been, and how perfect he was. He finally pulled into the parking lot of her apartment, and after a moment of deliberation, turned off the car. Olivia looked at him questioningly, as normally he would just drop her off.

“I want to talk with you for a moment, Liv,” he said, cringing at how serious his voice sounded. He saw the panicked look in her eye, and was able to surmise which conclusion she was jumping to.

“And no – I’m not breaking up with you!” he said quickly to quell her fears, and saw her visibly relax.

“No, nothing like that…but I do want to talk about our relationship. We’ve been dating for almost a year now…it will be a year in three days. But what I want to talk about is, well…I’m not sure how to put this…” he trailed off. “Just say it,” Olivia said, some of the discomfort having returned to her, as he was having such trouble speaking his mind. He rubbed his hand along the steering wheel nervously for several seconds.

“I don’t want to push you into anything, but it has occurred to me that we never really set, you know, boundaries or what not. The physical aspects, you know? Aye Dios…this is coming out wrong…” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

He let out a huff, turning to her, blue eyes practically glowing, even in the dark.

“I want to be able to show you how much I love you. Yeah, I love you Olivia. Not just like, or really like. I love you. I want to do prove it, but I don’t know what you’re comfortable with, and if you want to wait. I respect you if you do. But please, if you don’t…” he stopped, trying to get a grip on himself.

“You want to have sex with me?” Olivia asked hesitantly. His eyes flashed up to meet hers. “No,” he said firmly, “I want to make love to you.”

She hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her. His head hit the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding hitting the horn. He blew it. She wasn’t ready, and she was panicking. He just wanted so much to go that next step. He loved her, and wanted to prove it on a more intimate level, not just through words and gifts.

He was startled when she knocked on his window. “Are you coming?” she asked through the glass. He didn’t need to be asked twice.



~Aina~

Paris had been wonderful, and in her purse, tucked away securely, as a very large check that had been made out for the foundation. The city itself was beautiful, though many of the Parisians hadn’t been the most welcoming group. It didn’t help that she was very poor in French. She knew enough to get around the city, but nothing more.

English had always been her priority language, and she found it vastly more useful than French. However, they hadn’t seen that logic. The donor, however, was fluent in English, which made the deal possible.

She navigated her way through the airport, sending polite smiles to those who recognized her. She was excited to get back to her apartment, and change into sweats. She envied footballers in that sense. They could dress like complete shit, but still be admired.
WAGs, not so much.

She grabbed her luggage from the belt, and headed out into the main terminal. Among the crowd holding signs, she saw one labeled for her, and walked over.

“Miss Piqué,” the middle aged man greeted her, taking her suitcase for her. “Thank you,” she smiled, following him as he led the way out to the waiting car. The back windows were darkened out, and she made sure her luggage was securely in the trunk before slipping in. On the opposite side sat none other than Leo.

He immediately pulled her into his arms, causing her to chuckle as she was pulled across the leather seats. She buckled up using the lap belt in the middle, and leaned into him, using his chest as a pillow.

They stopped at the bank to cash the check, fans of the team in a flurry around them. They also grabbed lunch, which created more excitement as they shared an ice cream cone. Leo’s arm was almost always around her shoulders or her waist, securing her to his side. It was a new level of PDA he hadn’t shown before, and frankly, she enjoyed, despite her curiosity to know what brought it on.

By the end of the day they were exhausted, and crashed at his place. She curled up in his arms, wearing a jersey and shorts that belonged to him, enjoying the feeling of him playing with her hair.

Smiling, she drifted off to sleep, hoping Leo was as happy as she was.


~Olivia~

She had always imagined the morning after would be awkward. Waking up next to someone after sharing such an intimate moment, and dealing with the aftermath. But instead, all she felt was bliss.

She didn’t regret her decision to have sex with Gerard. He had been her first, and he had treated her with the utmost care and gentleness. He hadn’t rushed her, and let her set the pace. Of course, with her suppressed sex drive, that had led to an interesting night.

She looked at herself in the mirror, noting all of the hickeys that were blossoming on her neck and collarbone. She tried to hide them with her hair, resolving to wear something more than a tank top out to hide the evidence.

She slipped back into her bedroom from the bathroom, and saw the male was sitting up, the sheet having dropped to reveal his well-defined chest. She bit her lip upon sighting it, forcing herself to keep her hormones in check. But as he smirked at her, she found herself incapable, and walked over to him, kissing him firmly. She felt him smirk further into the kiss. His hands tangling in her hair.

“How long have you been awake?” she asked, pulling back a bit. “I got up before you. I wanted to see your cute ass,” he replied, referring to her dressing before going into the bathroom.

“Rosy!” she scolded, swatting his chest. He just laughed, and rolled her over.

They gazed into each other’s eyes deeply, a newer, stronger connection having formed between them. Her fingers ran down the stubble on his jaw languidly, taking him in. “Don’t you have practice today?” she asked, arching a brow. “I have today off,” he replied, leaning down to trail kisses down her neck. “Good,” she managed to get out. His chuckle vibrated along her skin, electrifying her entire being.



~Leo~

It was hard to concentrate on the game that was playing with Aina practically lying on top of him. She had a book perched on the pillow behind him, reading.

He dropped the remote he’d still been holding, and draped his arm over her. Her shirt had ridden up some to reveal the fair skin around her waist, and his fingers gently roamed over the exposed area. He heard her hum softly in appreciation, and continued to repeat the action.

“What game are you watching?” she asked, turning her head to try and see over her shoulder.

“Manchester United versus Bolton,” he replied. “Ah! Go Sir Alex,” she said grinning. He smiled softly at her, and kissed her, which caught her off guard. Seconds later though she returned it. As it grew more heated, his hands slipped up under her shirt, going up further.

Aina pulled back some, “Leo, slow down.”

It was said gently, but what Cesc had implied came rushing back to him. She didn’t find him as attractive, how could she? She didn’t even want him.

“Did you tell that to Cesc?” he asked bitterly, before he could stop himself.

She sat up, frowning, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face, trying to calm down.

“That wasn’t nothing,” she snapped, rolling off him, and climbing off the bed. She straightened her shirt and hair in the mirror before stalking out of the room. He jumped up after her. “Aina, wait,” he called. She turned, arms folded. “I get what you’re implying though. You think I slept with Cesc, yes?” He nodded tentatively. “The thing is, Leo, it wouldn’t be your business if I had. We were dating and we’re both adults. I had every right to do so.”

“It’s not that,” he said loudly as she turned to walk away. “Then what is it?”

“We both know that anyone would choose him over me,” he spit out. She looked at him, stunned. “Where the hell did you get that idea from?” she questioned. “Cesc called…he wants you back. He all but said that you had an intimate relationship…”

Aina groaned, running her fingers through her hair roughly. “I don’t compare you to him. I’m not concerned who is the more attractive man or whatever is going on in your head. I am happy with you. I am just not comfortable to go any further than that. I wasn’t with Cesc, either, for the record, though he wanted to. So please, just don’t worry about that stuff, and don’t listen to him, for goodness sake.”

She then headed downstairs, him hot on her heals.

“Where are you going?” he questioned. “Out,” she replied, slipping on her shoes. “Are you coming back?” he asked, knowing how desperate he sounded. “I don’t know,” she answered, grabbing her purse.

The door slammed shut behind her, followed by a painful silence.