Two days had passed since Fermín had caught them and Lucia still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On one hand, at least they didn’t have to keep sneaking around when he was around. On the other, Fermín now knew. And Fermín knowing meant constant judgment.

She stood outside her apartment building, her arms crossed against the morning chill, waiting for him to pick her up. The street was quiet, save for the occasional car passing by.

A familiar vehicle pulled up to the curb, and Fermín rolled down the window. “Get in.”

Lucia huffed, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat. “Morning to you too.”

Fermín didn’t immediately pull away. He just glanced at her with an unreadable expression before sighing. “This is still so fucking weird.”

She gave him a flat look. “You think it’s weird? Try living it.”

That made him snort, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he put the car in drive and started toward Pablo’s place.

They rode in silence for a moment before Fermín finally spoke again. “So, you and Pablo…”

Lucia groaned. “Are we really doing this?”

Fermín shot her a pointed look. “I think I deserve to ask a few questions.”

“Fine,” she muttered, slumping in her seat.

“Why him?” he asked, genuinely confused. “You two can barely have a conversation without trying to kill each other.”

Lucia scoffed. “Yeah, well, we figured out other ways to communicate.”

Fermín made a disgusted noise. “Oh my god, never say that to me again.”

Lucia smirked. “You asked.”

Before he could respond, they reached Pablo’s place. Fermín honked twice.

A minute later, the door opened, and Pablo jogged toward the car, his training bag slung over his shoulder. He climbed into the back seat without a word.

Lucia didn’t even turn to look at him. He didn’t say anything either.

Fermín glanced between them in the rearview mirror, raising an eyebrow. “You two fighting already?”

“No,” Pablo muttered.

Lucia stayed silent.

Fermín huffed a laugh. “Jesus, you guys are weird.”

Neither of them responded.

The rest of the drive to training was quiet, save for the low hum of the radio. The tension between them wasn’t exactly hostile - just… there.

Fermín shook his head to himself.

--------------------------------------------------

Later that day, most of the players and staff had already left for the evening, leaving it practically deserted - just how Lucia liked it.

She had come straight from her physio room, the stress of the day still weighing on her shoulders. A good workout would help with that. After setting down her bag, she adjusted her ponytail and headed toward the treadmill.

As she stepped into position, the sound of the door opening caught her attention. She glanced up just in time to see Pablo walk in, a water bottle in his hand.

Lucia narrowed her eyes. “Are you stalking me now?”

Pablo scoffed, shaking his head. “Actually, I was here before you. I just went to refill my water bottle.”

She huffed, unimpressed. “Right.”

He didn’t reply, just smirked before moving to the other side of the gym. Lucia rolled her eyes and got back to her workout. If he was going to be here, fine. It didn’t mean they had to talk.

For the most part, they didn’t.

Each of them focused on their own routine, barely acknowledging the other’s presence. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable - just neutral, like they had silently agreed to ignore each other.

Lucia moved through her exercises efficiently, eventually making her way to the squat rack. She positioned herself, adjusted her stance, and began her set.

Pablo had been mid-set himself when his gaze drifted toward her. It wasn’t intentional at first - just a brief glance in her direction - but the moment he did, he couldn’t look away.

She was doing squats.

In tight leggings.

And fuck, he had no control over his own eyes.

The way the fabric clung to her body, the way her muscles moved with each controlled motion - it was almost hypnotizing. He knew he shouldn’t be staring, knew he should be focusing on his own workout, but his brain short-circuited for a few seconds.

She was on her third rep when she suddenly spoke, breaking through his thoughts.

“Stop looking at my ass,” she said without even turning around. “I can see it.”

Pablo’s head snapped up slightly, caught in the act. But instead of denying it or acting embarrassed, he smirked, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “You can’t blame me, though.”

Lucia let out a short laugh, shaking her head as she continued her squats. “You’re unbelievable.”

He didn’t respond, but when she racked the weight and turned, she caught the ghost of a smirk still playing on his lips.

They went back to their routines, but as Lucia moved to another section of the gym, she couldn’t resist the urge to return the favor.

When Pablo set up for a shoulder press, she noticed the weight he was using. It wasn’t much - not for him, anyway.

“Seriously?” she teased, crossing her arms. “That’s all you’re lifting?”

Pablo arched an eyebrow. “You think you can do better?”

Lucia shrugged. “I don’t know. Looks easy enough.”

His smirk deepened. “Alright, let’s see it, then.”

She hesitated for only a second before stepping up, grabbing the dumbbells, and attempting the lift.

It did not go as planned.

The second she tried to press the weight upward, she realized her mistake. It was heavier than she’d expected. She struggled for a moment, gritting her teeth, but after barely managing a single rep, she had to give up.

Pablo was already grinning.

“That’s what I thought,” he said smugly.

Lucia groaned, dropping the weights back onto the rack. “Whatever.”

He chuckled but didn’t push it further. Instead, he grabbed his own set of weights and went back to his workout like nothing had happened.

Lucia shook her head to herself as she walked away.