Chapter Five

~Aina~

“Ok, slow down and tell me what happened again.”

‘The tabloid thought that I was some hooker for Rosy. I wasn’t dressed like one or anything!’ Olivia cried into the phone. Aina sighed, wishing she could hug her neighbor.

“I was accused of that too. They have accused me of being with Dani, Leo, Bojan, Ibrahim, and several others. It hurts, believe me. But they aren’t worth it. The people who read those trash magazines aren’t worth it, and their opinion doesn’t matter. But what you need to decide is if you can handle it, and if being around Geri is worth that. I couldn’t make that choice. I was there for Geri, and that was what was important to me – my brother. It’s not something you have to decide right away. But be around any footballer, and it’s inevitable, sibling or WAG.”

‘How do you deal with it?’ the Madrid native asked. Aina smirked slightly, “The only way to do that is to prove them wrong. Show that you’re not a one night stand. You have to stand up for yourself, and control what they see.”

‘Thank you, Aina. How are things with Cesc?’

“I’ve been talking with him. He got sick, so I helped him get better. Besides that though we haven’t said much – he’s determined that I should hate him and never want to see him again,” she answered. ‘Good luck with that,’ Liv said, wiping away some stray tears. “Gracías, chica – well, I have some reading to do. Talk to you later.”

Sighing, she looked around the empty apartment. Bailey had gone out with some guy, a new one, back to his place. So, as usual, she was alone.

She stood, and grabbed her coat. She was going to go bother Cesc.

~Gerard~

He was quite sure that Olivia would never forgive him.

Hell, he was pissed, so he imagined she would be. He had been standing outside her door for the better part of an hour, trying to figure out how to ask her about everything, or to try and talk to her period. Finally he lifted his hand, and knocked on the door.
Several seconds later she appeared, and he was relieved to see that she was wearing his jersey. Relieved, but confused. “Um…you saw the tabloid?” he asked nervously.

She nodded, surprisingly calm.

“And you’re ok with it?” he asked. “Am I ok with it – no – because I resent being called a prostitute…would you like that? But I know that it was bound to happen. You’re a celebrity, and that is they type of conjecture that is drawn. So I should have expected it, and was naïve not to. So while I’m not ok with it, I accept it, and do not want it to spoil anything. You and Aina are too awesome to let go because of some shitty rumors.”

“So you don’t want me to never show my face around you again?” he asked, still stunned by how well she was taking everything.

“Not for that reason, no,” she jested. He grinned; he glad to see it hadn’t made her loose her sense of humor at all. “Good. I’ll keep showing it around then.”

~Cesc~

Aina: Where are you?

The text message surprised him. There it sat, having been read with unbelieving eyes many times over, waiting for his reply. He was unsure how to answer.

Cesc: My condo, about to head out for dinner.

Aina: Come pick me up. I want to see a movie.

Still stunned, he immediately agreed, and nearly flew out of his house. He had recovered from his illness quite nicely, thanks to her, and just need a few more weeks off before he could play once more. The drive seemed to take forever, but she was waiting outside when he arrived. She slipped into the passenger seat. “I checked movie times, and there’s a showing for the newest Harry Potter film. Let’s go see that!” He nodded, and drove toward the theater they’d been to previously.

It was obvious she was excited to see the movie, and they got popcorn and drinks. As they sat through the previews, he glanced over, observing her. God, she was perfect. But why was she still associating with him? What had he done to deserve it…what did she see in him?

The movie was about to begin when a girl behind them gasped, “Oh my god…you’re Cesc Fàbregas!”

Aina turned in her seat, giving the female a scathing gaze, “Would you be quiet? We would like to enjoy the movie in peace.” Her accent was think, beautiful. It stunned the girl. To shut her up completely, she leaned into him, and he immediately draped his arms around hers shoulders. “Bitch nearly ruined the movie…” he heard her mutter. He chuckled, and popped a piece of the popcorn into her mouth. “You effectively shut her up.” She smirked up at him, and then fell quiet as the movie began.

She ended up crying into his shoulder when the house elf died, clutching his jacket tightly. She was still sniffling at the end of the movie softly.

“Thanks for taking me to the movie. I’ve wanted to see that,” she said as they walked back to his car.

He nodded absently, fumbling to find his keys. At last he located them, and unlocked the car. She slipped in, smiled at him. He really had no idea what she saw in him. But he was starting to wonder if he should complain. He loved her, and she was still by his side. That was enough…right?

~Olivia~

GERARD PIQUÉ SEEN WITH MYSTERY WOMAN AGAIN – FRIENDS OR DATING…?

The new headline was much better. She was no longer a prostitute. Just like Aina had said, once she was seen with him again, they took that speculation out. Gerard had taken her to play at a casino. He’d done exceptionally well at poker, whilst she dominated at black jack.

There was a knock on the door, which Gerard answered. He let out a happy exclamation, and led in a boy identical to Aina. His brownish-blonde hair and blue eyes were strikingly similar, and they had a similar facial shape as well.

“Olivia, this is my brother Marc. Marc, this is Olivia,” he said, switching to Spanish for his brother’s sake. “Nice to meet you,” she said, “but please, call me Liv…” He smiled at her, “Don’t worry, Aina has told me about you.” “She didn’t tell me!” Gerard whined.

“I wonder why…” Marc muttered.

“Wait, shut up…! The Arsenal game is starting!” Gerard said, hushing them all.

“Cesca isn’t even playing, remember? He’s injured,” Marc reminded his brother, taking a seat as well. “But it’s his team…and despite being mad at him, Aina said that she’s forgiven him. So I’m going to support him in this way,” Gerard said, switching to Catalan, and speaking softly.

Olivia didn’t quite catch it all, but instead focused on the game.
“We now bring you the Arsenal – Chelsea game, live from London. The home team is facing a severe loss as their captain Cesc Fàbregas has sustained an injury from which he has yet to recover. He is here, however in the stands. There he is right there.”

The camera focused on the midfielder, and beside him was Aina.
They were speaking to each other.

“Hey, look, it’s Aina and Cesca,” Olivia announced. Both brothers whirled around to see what was going on. “I bet he had to beg her to go see that game,” Marc grinned. “Yeah, she hates EPL…except Manchester…and I think that has more to do with Sir Alex than the fact that I played for them,” Gerard laughed. Marc nodded in agreement.

“As you can see Fàbregas is attending with the younger sister of Spanish teammate Gerard Piqué. Perhaps he’s finally off the market? He’s never been reported to have a girlfriend…”

Olivia smiled. She doubted that was the case, but knew it was a possibility. Gerard laughed at its ‘absurdity’. So did Marc.

~Aina~

“You seriously should’ve worn more Arsenal gear.”

She turned, and glared at the man beside her, “You should be happy I restrained myself from wearing my Barça scarf. I was tempted. But I didn’t. And I’m even wearing an Arsenal hat. So no complaining…” He laughed at her chiding words, “The hat looks very nice on you.”

She pouted, “I feel dirty wearing it…” He laughed loudly, attracting quite some attention. She swatted his arm, “Don’t laugh at my misfortune.”

“Misfortune?” he repeated. She nodded decisively, “Yes, misfortune.”

“Mummy, mummy – that’s Piqué’s sister!” The childish voice reached her ears, and looking around, she saw a disabled boy was pointing to her. The mother was desperately trying to divert his attention. She gave her an apologetic look before once again trying to pacify the boy.

“I’ll be back,” she muttered in Catalan, and stood. She exited the row, and went to where the boy was sitting.
“Hello there,” she greeted, startling the mother. The boy looked at her with wide eyes. He was wearing an Arsenal shirt, but she saw that he was wearing a wrist band with the Barcelona crest on it. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Piqué!” he said. “Please, call me Aina,” she replied, crouching beside him, “I see you’re a Barcelona fan.” He nodded, “They’re my favorite team.”

She grinned, “They’re my favorite team too. But you support Arsenal?” “Yeah, they’re my second favorite team,” he said enthusiastically. She smiled wider, “Would you like to meet Cesc Fàbregas?” His eyes widened, “Meet him?” She nodded in confirmation.

She then turned, and looked up to Cesc, who was looking at her strangely, and waved for him to come down.

He stood, and immediately joined her, also crouching down. “Hey there – what’s your name?” he asked, smiling at the boy. “I’m James,” he said incredulously. “Nice to meet you – I’m Cesc,” the footballer said, extending his hand. James shook it shyly.

Aina pulled off her hat, ignoring what that did to her hair, and gave it to Cesc. “Sign it for him…you have a Sharpie in your pocket!” He nodded, and found the marker, and signed the hat before handing it over to the boy, who looked like he’d won the lottery. His mother looked on the verge of tears, and gave them a shaky smile. Aina beamed at the pair, and then brightened further, “If you give me your address I can have my brother send you an autograph. In fact, who is your favorite player?” He blushed, “My favorite is Messi.” She laughed, “He’s the best in the world!”

Soon after they returned to their seats, Aina with the address programmed into her phone.

Cesc was quiet for the rest of the game, and subdued, despite Arsenal’s win. Once in the car, Cesc turned to her. “What you did was really sweet,” he murmured. She smiled, “It’s nothing.”

He shook his head, “You don’t understand, Aina. You are one of the kindest people. You forgave me despite my harsh words, and most people would’ve just smiled at him at most. But you went and talked with him, got him my autograph, and are going to get him your brother’s. That’s more than nothing!”

He paused, looking at her intensely.
“It’s why I fell in love with you.”

~Gerard~

Olivia, will you go to lunch with me? No…Liv, will you go out to dinner with me. Still not right…Liv, dinner? No…maybe a gift would be better. Liv, accept this giant teddy bear as a token of my affection for you!

No, that was horrible. He wished Aina was there to help him.
So Liv, I was thinking, maybe we could go out tonight…just me and you…no. Just…no…that sounded way too much like the beginning of a porn movie. Not that he had personal experience…that was Sergio Ramos.

Women liked flowers, right? Liv, a rose from your Rosy!
He was doomed.