Chapter Three

~Aina~

Andreu was elated to go into the stadium at such a low level instead of the hike up to the top sections. He was proudly wearing his Puyol kit, from the jersey to the socks. The only missing elements were the boots and a curly mane of hair.

She smiled at her bounced ahead of her, his dirty blonde locks following his movement.

She was too dressed in a Puyol kit, which she had received as a present from a coworker for her birthday. It was still warm enough in Barcelona to go without a jacket. She finally located their seats, and shivered in anticipation upon seeing the crowd in front of her, and how few people were between her and the field. They were in amazing seats, which were far more comfortable than the normal one's she'd managed to fit into her budget.

Clutched tightly in his small hands, Andreu held the new scarf she'd gotten him at one of the many kiosks. Visca el Barça was printed on the item in the blaugrana colors.

A scarf hung around her neck, FC Barcelona on it, also in the same colors.

As Andreu hummed El Cant de Barça, on her left side another woman sat down, nearly tripping in the process. She did, however drop her bag of purchases, cursing in English.

She turned, and helped gather the items.

The woman was dark skinned, with stunning eyes. She smiled nervously, "Thank you." It was obvious she was nervous about the use of Spanish. Aina easily switched gears from Catalan, "It's no problem." She examined the woman curiously. She didn't have any Blaugrana on, save the new purchases.

"First game?" she questioned.

"Is it that obvious?" the woman winced, "I just got here from Canada, and football isn't a big deal over in North America. I wanted to come, and Camp Nou was recommended in my guide book, and then I went to the training grounds, and got knocked out with a ball, and scored a free ticket." The woman paused, "I'm so sorry! You probably don't want to hear all of this..."

Aina smiled, "It's no problem. I'm Aina Cruz, originally from the States, and this is Andreu. His Spanish isn't great yet though, so he mainly speaks Catalan."

"I'm Luciana Martel, but please call me Luci," the woman said, smiling brightly. She looked around then at all of the gathering crowds. "These are good seats, right?" she asked. Aina grinned, "They cost about $1000 dollars US to be here. I wasn't knocked out with a soccer ball, but kicked by some jerk to land our tickets."

Luciana grimaced, "Ouch - rude jerk. But holy shit!"

Soon the stadium was filled with roaring fans, and chants began to ripple through the stadium. Aina grinned as she and Andreu joined in.

"Le le le le, le le le le, le le le le, fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuútbol club Barceloooooooona!"

Several others began until at last the teams exited the tunnel, and the music of the Cant began to blast. Luciana was looking around in confusion as all of the Barça fans stood, holding up the pieces of paper to form the mural in the stands. One side read Visca el Barça and the other showed the symbol of the club.

Tot el camp, és un clam
som la gent blaugrana
Tant se val d'on venim
si del sud o del nord
ara estem d'acord, ara estem d'acord,
una bandera ens agermana.
Blaugrana al vent
un crit valent
tenim un nom el sap tothom:
Barça, Barça, Baaarça!

The stands were buzzing with energy as the instrumental paused the shouts of the song.

Jugadors, seguidors,
tots units fem força.
Son molt anys plens d'afanys,
son molts gols que hem cridat
i s'ha demostrat, i s'ha demostrat,
que mai ningu no ens podrà torcer.
Blaugrana al vent
un crit valent
tenim un nom el sap tothom:
Barça, Barça, Baaarça!

The players ran into position as the fans cheered wildly, sitting down, waiting with rapt attention and anticipation for the starting whistle. Both teams took the pregame pictures, and then the captains with the referees, and then jogged into place.

There was a silence as the head referee set the clock, followed by the shrill pitch of the whistle. The stadium broke into a roar once more as the ball was hit by Messi back to Iniesta, who hit it over to Xavi. The team settled into the passing rhythm, almost a different team entirely.

Pep Guardiola was working wonders for the team, Aina could clearly see.

They didn't need Ronaldinho, as many speculated. They just needed that small spark to rekindle their desire to play, and their desire to win.

~Dani~

Playing for Barça, instead of against them, was surreal still. But the team had changed during the summer. FC Barcelona had been good, but there had been a growing feeling of complacency. But suddenly, that was gone, and was replaced by a machine.

Tac

The ball went from his foot, to Iniesta, who was waiting in the middle of the field as he played up the right flank.

Tac

Iniesta hit the ball to Xavi, who spun to avoid a change in possession, before dribbling several yards forward.

Tac

A back heel pass back to Eto'o, who dribbled toward the left flank.

Tac

A cross ball to the middle, where Messi was lurking. The ball flew past the keeper, landing in the back corner of the net without fail. The stadium roared in approval as the young striker ran to his teammates in celebration. The crowd cheered the young player's name in awe. He was so young, yet so good.

The players pulled him into the group hug, surprising him. He was knew, but he already felt included. As he ran back to Barça's half, he looked to the stands, wondering if Luciana was enjoying the game, and if she was there more for the game, the team, or him. He turned, facing the other goal, ready for the kick to come.

Tac

The ball was hurtling across the field, and the players were in motion once more, already putting into action the next forward attack. Messi, Eto'o, and Henry drove forward, backed by Xavi and Iniesta, and soon, another goal was netted.

~Xavi~

Xavi nervously sat in the locker room lacing his boots. He wasn’t anxious about the game against Villarreal, though, but the gift he’d left at Aina’s door when he’d snuck over.

He’d left some flowers, as well as a get well card that included two tickets to the game. He hoped she would come with Andreu.

He’d also arranged to have a note delivered telling her to wait for him after the game if she came. He walked out onto the pitch, grasped the hand of the child beside him, and lined up with his teammates. He glanced up at the section where they would be at, and although he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not, swore he saw someone in the area where they’d be sitting.

The entire game he played his hardest, and was one of the first people to finish showering and changing.

Without telling the others where he was off to, though they asked, he rushed to the seats, and saw with relief that Aina was there, talking with Andreu, who was wearing a Puyol kit. She was also wearing a jersey with the defender’s number on it as well.

“I’m glad you came,” he greeted. She turned to him, smiling that same shy grin. “The tickets were incredible – I can’t imagine anyone could pass up such great seats, though you shouldn’t have,” she said.

He sat down in the row behind them. “Did you like the game, Andreu?” he asked the young boy, who nodded enthusiastically. “You played really well. Mamá said that you were the best passer in the game!” he said. He glanced over at Aina, and saw her blushing, focusing solely on the ground. He smiled, “And what do you think?” “I think you were good! But Puyol is still my favorite…”

He laughed, “That’s fine with me.”

“I was wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner,” he proposed after a minute of silence. She nodded, scooping up Andreu in her arms. He shook his head, “Let me – don’t want to aggravate your injury even more.” She passed the boy over, who didn’t seem to mind at all.

Xavi balanced Andreu on top of his shoulders as they walked out of the stadium together. He noticed the way Aina’s eyes fell on the part of the stands that spelled out més que un club, and wished more than anything to know her thoughts at that moment.

Something deep within her sparked in her blue orbs as she gazed serenely at it, a vague smile appearing on her features.

Then it was gone as her gaze turned forward again, seemingly aging her several years.

He immediately disliked the change, wanted to see that peaceful expression, one of unyielding calm, back on her face. But her lips had straightened into a line, jaw clenching as they continued. Her hand would occasionally rise to her stomach, and she would hide a grimace.

Once at the restaurant, they ordered food, and had a good time. He noticed, though, that Aina was constantly fretting over Andreu, and he couldn’t help but be in awe of the woman who became a mother so soon, and too young.

He wondered when the last time she had a day for herself, or when she last went on a date (despite the idea giving him an unpleasant feeling). She was so dedicated to Andreu, he had to admire her, but at the same time wish she could have more time.

Thoughts whirled as he watched them.

After dinner they headed to the beach for a bit, the two adults sitting on the sand as Andreu ran around, darting in and out of the waves.

Glancing over, he was stunned to see Aina gazing off in the distance, looking more relaxed than he’d ever seen. The stress from her face was gone, and years seemed to have disappeared off her visage. Her shoulders weren’t hunched, and a serene smile had appeared as her eyes roamed over the crashing waves.

He set his hand on top of hers, gazing at her, and waiting for a reaction.

Languidly her eyes fell upon his hand, and then traveled up until their eyes met. They were an intense blue-grey that he hadn’t noticed before, thinking they were only a normal shade of blue.

Then as she looked back out over the water, her fingers curled upward as her hand flipped over, gently grasping his hand back – his heart swelled at the reciprocation of the action, and he too looked out over the water. As the breeze swept over them, they sat in a comfortable silence, both content at last.

~Luciana~

Aina had given her number to her, telling her to text or call if she needed anything. She had been new to Barcelona several years in the past, and knew the feeling.

With the new friend's number safely stored in her phone, she headed out of the stadium, bidding farewell to Aina.

The other female had received a note to stay in the stands. Dani, as she learned his name from, hadn't done that, and she had to force herself not to take it personally. She exited Camp Nou, and looked around at the city before her. Barcelona transformed at night.

During the day people were busy working, but after the lights dimmed and the stars blanketed the sky, the party began.

There were bustling restaurants, booming clubs, and hundreds of cultural events throughout the city. She paused, pondering if she should return to her apartment, or if she should explore the city. She decided to go to the beach, and followed the path down, hoping she'd find it with relative ease.

And most of all, she wanted to not think about Dani not trying to meet up with her, not that it bothered her at all.

No, she barely new the guy, let alone liked him.