There are those days when people feel like everything will go wrong that day the moment they wake up. That was what happened to Rúben and on a matchday. The feeling couldn't be worse.

His morning routine was a disaster. The blender didn't want to work properly and it took him too long to make a smoothie. And when he went to open the avocado to eat with his omelette, it was completely brown and there was no way he could eat that.

The shoes he liked to wear to the stadium were dirty, but he hadn't noticed the last time he wore them or he would have washed them. But he couldn't wear them and even if he wasn't very superstitious, that felt like a bad omen.

The traffic wasn't great either and that meant it took ages for the bus to make it to the Etihad Stadium. The entire team was restless and the coaching staff worried they would have to delay the match.

When they finally got there, he was the first one by the door, ready to get out. But he didn't wait until the door opened completely and his jacket's pocket got stuck, which made his phone fall to the floor. Great. The screen was cracked and he couldn't see anything. The day couldn't get any worse...or so he thought.

Rúben was so busy being annoyed that he forgot you were coming back that day. You were going to go to the match and then meet him after so you could go home together.

Once you were on your seat seeing how the team warmed up, you sent Rúben a text to wish him luck and remind him you would see him later. He always checked for your message right before leaving the dressing room and you never forgot your little tradition.

But this time, his phone remained forgotten in his bag. He couldn't use it anyways, why bother having it near his things like he always did?

The match was supposed to be an easy one for City. No one expected anything worse than a 3-0 win but losing one of your best players early in the game wasn't the way to get that easy victory.

It wasn't even Rúben's fault, it was Jack's. He went to the floor several times, having been fouled by the same player every time. Each time telling each other not-so-nice things under their breaths until Jack went too far and the other player pushed him, causing the rest of the team to go defend their teammate.

Rúben wasn't a violent player but between the bad day he had had and the way a player stepped on his foot, even if the player didn't mean to, he had enough and overreacted. He pushed the player once and then twice. And when the referee told him to leave, he told him to fuck off, which the ref didn't really appreciate. So what was going to be a simple yellow card and a warning turned into a straight red.

You were watching from the stands, not really believing what was going on. What was wrong with your boyfriend today?

At half-time, the team went back to the dressing room, where moody and angry Rúben had been staring at the floor for the last 15 minutes. City had conceded right after his red card and the players weren't very happy with their teammate. That's why when the second half started, he left. Forgetting about the rules that forbade him from doing that and, most importantly, forgetting about you.

The second half was a bit better but not by much. City equalised and managed to save a point but the quality of the football wasn't the highlight of the match. It also started to rain a lot and both players and fans just wanted the match to be over so they could go home.

You checked your phone when the match ended, expecting a message from Rúben but found none. Though you didn't think much of it, knowing how gutted he would be after what happened. So you made your way to where you usually waited for Rúben and were a bit surprised he wasn't the first player out. He probably showered an hour before the match ended so it's not as if he was busy getting ready.

One by one, the players kept coming out of the dressing room and none of them was Rúben. Until the last one, Rodri, got out.

"What are you doing here?", he asked.

"Waiting for Rúben".

"He isn't here".

"What do you mean he isn't here?"

"He left during half-time. Didn't he tell you?"

You checked your phone again to see if you had missed any texts but there was nothing.

"No...".

"Do you want me to drive you home?", offered Rodri, noticing your sad expression.

"It's fine, thank you. I'll call a taxi. I don't want to bother you".

"You wouldn't be bothering me...".

"I'm good, Rodri. Thank you".

You didn't want to be with anyone right now so they wouldn't see how mad you were. After two weeks away for work, Rúben does this to you? Unbelievable.

The Uber took a long time to get to the stadium because of how busy it was after the match and when it parked, it was a bit far so you had to run to it and try to avoid getting too wet. It was pouring with rain.

"Sorry, they didn't let me get nearer the stadium".

"It's ok".

"It might take a while to get to your destination. The traffic has been terrible all day and with this weather...".

Could the day get any worse?

But it could. Of course it could. You were stuck in traffic and the driver kept sighing and making you more nervous. He got a call and he kept turning to look at you.

"We're going to be here for a while. I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do".

You thought about the options and decided to leave the car.

"Thank you, it's fine. I'm not far from home so I'll get there quickly and it stopped raining".

It should have taken you 10 minutes to walk home if you were quick...and quick you had to be because a minute after leaving the car, it started to rain again.

"Nooooo".

You tried to cover your head with the jacket you were wearing but it didn't have a hood and the material got soaked quickly which made your attempt completely useless. The shoes you were wearing made you slip a little when the floor was wet, so running wasn't an idea either. You had to walk fast in an unnatural way and knew your legs were going to hurt the next day.

When you finally made it to the building, you struggled to get the key inside the lock because of how wet and cold your hands were. Rúben was already home. He had been there for a while, just laying down on the sofa feeling sorry for himself. Going over everything that happened at the match over and over again.

But then the door opened and it scared him for a second. Who was there?

"You ok there? Comfortable having a nap?"

"What are you doing here?"

He couldn't understand what was going on but then he remembered. You were coming back that morning and going to the match. And he was supposed to bring you home after but...he left. And his phone didn't work so he didn't see any of your messages.

"Well, I live here so that's what I am doing. Did you forget about that too?"

"I'm sorry. My phone broke and then I was sent off and...".

"And nothing, Rúben. I get you had a crap day but you can't just forget about me".

"Let me get you some towels...".

"I don't want you to bring me towels! I want you to stay out of my way!"

"I'm sorry...".

But you didn't want to listen. You just wanted to remove the wet clothes and take a shower with water so hot that it almost burned your skin.

Rúben went to the room when you were in the shower, listening to know when you were coming out of the bathroom. And the first bad sign came when he noticed you weren't singing. You always sang in the shower but now were quiet as a mousse. The last time that happened was when you had a terrible day at work and ended up crying in the shower so he wouldn't see you do it. Were you crying again?

Finally, you got out of the bathroom wearing a robe and carrying your wet clothes with you to take to the washing machine.

"I can wash that for you...".

"Zip it", was the only thing you said and if looks could kill...

He sat down on the bed again and then you came back and started to pick up clothes before heading to the bathroom again. The way you slammed the door made him close his eyes. You weren't going to listen to him today.

He then realized you were using the blowdryer and knew it would take a while so he went to the kitchen to make some dinner. You didn't have to talk to him but could at least eat, right?

Rúben knew you liked pasta so he made some for the both of you and then took a piece of the chocolate cake you had in the freezer so it could defrost and be your dessert. You kept it there for those bad days when you needed all the chocolate you could eat.

"I made you some food", he said when you got to the kitchen. But you didn't acknowledge him and just went to the kettle to make yourself some tea. You still felt so cold. "You have to eat".

"I'm not hungry. I'll just go to bed. Feel free to stay in another room tonight".

He grabbed your arm when you walked past him. "Stop this. Stop acting like a child".

"I'm the child? Says the man who gets into fights at work and gets sent off...give me a break".

"Ok then, starve yourself tonight. I don't care".

He had enough for one day. And so did you, so after hearing him, you took your mug and went to your bed. It was also far away from him so you felt great there.

After drinking your tea, you heard Rúben approaching the room and faked being asleep. Even if he could probably tell you were not really sleeping but you were exhausted and didn't want to argue more.

He opened some drawers, getting the clothes he would sleep in that night and then you heard some movement on the bedside table. You assumed he had taken your empty mug to the kitchen but when he left and you opened your eyes, there was a plate with food there. And cake.

You waited until the door from the other room was closed to go out and take the plates to the dishwasher. A part of you wanted to go see Rúben and let him apologize. So you could also apologize once he was done but your ego didn't let you do it and you just went to bed and fell asleep.

Rúben wasn't so lucky. He kept trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in but couldn't. Not while being upset with you and not knowing you were in the same house but not sleeping next to him. It felt wrong.

Also, his toe hurt a lot. When he went to the dressing room, he took his boots off and saw some blood on the socks. When the other player stepped on his foot, he stabbed his big toe with the studs. One of the doctors cleaned the wound and bandaged it but now it was hurting again. And when Rúben went to take a look, he saw some blood on the bandage. He needed a clean one but those were in your room. And it was 3 am.

Moving as quietly as he could, he got to the bathroom and started to open drawers, trying to find the bandages and the disinfectant. But he woke you up, startling you for a second with the noise. You got up to see what was going on and saw him sitting on the floor with half of your first aid kit on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"I didn't mean to wake you up".

"Are you hurt?"

"It's my toe. A player stepped on it and it's bleeding again. I just need the bandages...", he kept checking the drawer but wasn't going to find anything there.

"They are in the cabinet".

He moved to get up and get them but you stopped him.

"Don't, I'll get them for you".

"Thank you".

Without saying anything, you took the bandages and sat down on the floor. You took his foot and put it on your lap so you could clean the wound and then bandage it. You sneezed a few times and felt very congested. The joys of being out in the cold rain with no umbrella to protect you.

"Done".

"Thank you".

"It's fi...", another sneeze stopped you from finishing the word.

"Are you sick?"

"Either that or I developed an allergy to you".

Rúben laughed. It was good you were making jokes again.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. Again, I'm sorry".

"I'm sorry too".

He got up and offered his hand so you could do the same.

"How about you go to bed and I find some medicine for your cold?"

You nodded, eyes closing from how tired you were and how terrible you felt. Practically collapsing into the bed, you tried to sit up to take the medicine Rúben brought.

"Are you staying here?", you asked when you saw him getting into bed next to you.

"Of course. I read the leaflet for the medicine and it says to drink a lot of liquids and get a lot of cuddles from your boyfriend. So...doctor's orders".

He opened his arms so you could hug him and you smiled before doing just that.

"Also, it's my fault you're sick and I feel guilty".

"As you should. You better buy more cake tomorrow".

"I won't forget. And I won't forget about you either. I promise".