Chapter Twenty-Four

~Aina~

Her fingers ran along the soft skin of Leo’s arm, feeling his muscle ripple underneath her touch in response. The man shifted, tilting his head forward to look at her better. Their eyes met.

“What are you thinking about?” he murmured, reaching down to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

“About you,” Aina answered honestly. He looked at her, surprised. “Me?” he asked, turning on his side to get a better look at her. She grinned slightly, “I do that a lot, you know.” He smiled in return, his fingers running through her hair once again.

“Will you come to my practice tomorrow?” he asked. “Of course,” she said, never one to pass up the chance to see Barça’s famed tiki-taka style of play in action. She grinned widely as an idea entered her mind, and she glanced around for her phone. It was resting, unused, on the side table across the bed from the side she was on. She reached across the footballer, practically on top of him, and grabbed the device.

Quickly scrolling through her contacts, she found Liv, and sent a text.

Aina: Come to practice tomorrow morning with me? I’ll tell Geri to go shirtless at least once

Leo gently pressed his lips to her shoulder as she snapped her phone shut, and set it on the table on her side of the bed. She glanced at him, taking in his appearance in the dim light. Once again he captured her gaze in his own.

“What’s happening at practice tomorrow?” she questioned.

He shrugged, “I just knew you didn’t have anything planned.” She smiled, and rolled over to face him. His arm immediately went to her waist, pulling her closer.

Moments like this were magical to Aina. It was so comforting and peaceful just to be with Leo. There was no pressure, and no expectations, even though they were in her bed. He never pressured her at all. It was interesting how different her relationship with him was. For them, intimacy was less about physical contact than it was about the emotional connection between them. There were moments where they would just look into each other’s eyes, and it was like the world melted and disappeared around them.

“What are you thinking about now?” he questioned, his finger running down her jaw.

She leaned into his gentle touch, “About us.” He looked curious at her words, waiting for her to elaborate. “I’m thinking about how happy I am,” she said softly, almost shyly. “You’re happy?” he asked hopefully. She almost cringed that he asked such a question.
“I’m not just happy, I’m in bliss. Leo, don’t you feel it?” she questioned, putting a hand over his heart. It was beating rhythmically, though it sped up under her touch. He nodded, his hand dropping to squeeze hers.

He nodded, “I feel it. I just worry that you don’t.”

She sighed, wishing he wouldn’t worry about it. She reached out, her fingers running along his cheek, over the small amount of stubble that’d appeared since morning. Then leaning forward, she gently kissed him, praying with all of her might that he felt how much he meant to her in the exchange.

He responded after a moment, his hand going to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair. The other went to her waist as she rolled closer to him.

“Te amo,” he whispered as they parted.

She looked into his shining brown eyes, completely awed by the adoration that bled through into his gaze. It was all directed at her, all of that compassion, affection, and love. Never before had so many emotions been directed at her in such a sincere manner.
“Te amo también,” she replied, meaning every word of it.


~Olivia~

She glared at her closet in earnest distaste. What was one supposed to wear to their boyfriend’s soccer practice? Did they wear a jersey, or was that only for games? Did they dress up and look cute, or was the pretentious?

She tried to think back to pictures of Aina when she’d gone to practices before. She’d always looked nice. She had never worn a jersey, at least, not to her memory. She decided to cute was the better option, and decided to change it up and wear a dress. Since Barcelona was situated on the Mediterranean, she could get away with something that showed off her legs since there would be a warm breeze from the water.

She shrugged the red dress on, glad that it least it was one of the Barça colors, and added the proper accessories – a belt, earrings, and several bracelets. She at last hooked on her favorite necklace, and deemed herself ready.

She found Gerard sitting at her small bistro table, eating some cereal.

“What are you all dressed up for?” he asked, smiling. “I want to come watch your practice,” she said, glad he seemed to like what she was wearing. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body several times. “You want to come to my practice?” he asked. She nodded, “Well Aina invited me, but yes, I do.”

He smiled widely, “I’ll show off for you.” She grinned, “You show off anyway.” He shrugged, “Can you blame me?” Rolling her eyes at his comment, she poured some cereal into a bowl for herself, and then added some milk before joining him at the table.
She glanced out the window as she faintly heard some of the Barça chants from the street.

“You know, it’s funny how all of those fans walk by here, without a clue that one of their favorite players is mere feet away from them. I can only imagine how many times you were several doors down from me, and I had no clue,” Olivia mused aloud. Gerard smiled, “Well, I’m glad you decided to come over to talk to Aina. Otherwise, we would have never met.” He grasped her hand as she continued to look out the window.

“I’ve always been told meeting your idols and such is a one in a million chance, and it just so happened I befriended your sister, against all odds…” she continued to think out loud.

“Some call it luck, others call it fate,” the footballer said.

“What do you call it?” she asked curiously, pulling her gaze away to look at him. “Luck – no, luck would be meeting a nice girl in general. Fate – that would be meeting someone you love. But destiny – that’s meeting the love of your life,” he answered softly. She felt her jaw slacken. “Love of…?” she trailed off in disbelief.

Suddenly he smiled, confusing her.

“What?” she asked, looking around for the source, “Do I have something on my face or in my teeth?” He shook his head, his laughter growing louder. “What is it?” she asked, completely lost.

“You dress!” he exclaimed before succumbing to another bout of laughter. She looked down, “What? Does it not suit me?” He shook his head, “You look beautiful in it, Liv.” “Then what has you laughing?” she demanded, growing desperate.

“It’s inside-out!”

She glanced down, and realized that it was indeed. She groaned, blushing in complete embarrassment. He smiled, leaning across the table. “You’re beautiful regardless, but Aina won’t appreciate this look. And she’ll notice immediately,” he said, smiling kindly at her.
She huffed, and headed back toward the bedroom to fix it. “No need to go away to fix it!” Gerard called after her. She shot him a look over her shoulder, making him roar with laughter once more.


~Leo~

He pulled his training shirt over his head as he scrambled to get ready. He had stayed over at Aina’s, but since all of his training stuff was at his house, he’d had to return before heading to practice.

Aina was waiting for him in his living room, probably perched on the sofa still.

He ran a hand through his hair quickly, willing it to dry faster. However, the locks remained wet, and flopped back into his eyes. Giving up, and grabbed his bag, and headed back out. He found his girlfriend standing by one of the cabinets, looking at family photos that he’d put up to remind him of home in Argentina.

He took a moment to study her as she was unaware of her presence. Her dirty blonde hair fell loose in casual waves. She was dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans, a pink floral top, and flats.

He walked forward, the floorboards creaking under his steps. “Ready?” she asked, smiling at him. “Not yet,” he said, dropping his bag to the floor. He gently cupped her face, and kissed her as meaningfully as he could. “Now I’m good,” he said, picking up his bag once more. She smiling, and grabbed his free hand, walking alongside him as they returned to his car.

Once at the stadium, he lingered with her as long as he could, claiming to be waiting until Gerard and Olivia arrived.

At last he saw the other couple appear, and hesitantly released his grip on her hand. Aina smiled at her brother and friend, both of whom had been laughing just before arriving, judging from their expressions. “Have a good practice Geri, Leo,” she said, hugging them both. Leo held on a bit longer, and kissed her cheek gently.

As he headed down the tunnel toward the locker room he smiled to himself. Gerard arched a brow at him, “You seem happy.” Leo glanced up at his tall friend, “I am happy.” The defender smiled, “Good, because she is too.”


~Gerard~

After practice, he headed up to the stands to meet with Liv, just as they’d planned.

Leo was walking several paces behind him. Both had changed into casual clothing. They were about halfway there when his phone buzzed, signaling a text.

Cesc: Can’t wait for the break. I’ll be coming to Barcelona.

Gerard grinned, and quickly replied.

Geri: Great! You definitely have to hang out with Aina and I, and some of the guys!

Cesc: I want you to meet my girlfriend too.

The defender tried to remember what the new girl, Daniella, looked like. He couldn’t, however, recall her features other than long, dark hair.

Geri: Sounds good. Let me know what days you’ll be here.

He snapped his phone shut as Olivia came into view. He felt it vibrate again in his pocket, but he disregarded it as he approached his girlfriend. All thoughts of Cesc disappeared as he picked the short female up, and spun her around. “Good practice?” she asked after a brief kiss. “Yeah, no injuries at all – good day,” he replied, setting her back down gently.

He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Beautiful,” he declared before tugging her along. “What about Aina?” Liv asked. “They already left,” he said, grinning as Olivia looked around, shocked.

“How did I miss that?” she questioned. “I am a pretty good distraction,” Gerard laughed, pulling her along.

Olivia sighed – that he was.