———-

Friday was a good day. I think Niall truly appreciated his little birthday celebration with us.

I love seeing him so happy. I don't feel like I know him that well yet, but I believe he's been through some shit, so everything that makes him smile is something positive.

He looks even more beautiful when he smiles.

I actually told him a little white lie yesterday, but it's not a big deal.

He asked when my birthday was, and probably realized I was here by that time already. I didn't want him to worry about me on his special day, so I told him I wasn't here yet, even though it was the day I arrived.

I only met Mr Kenwright that day and was in the club's building for about an hour, I didn't even know him yet.

I didn't get to celebrate it with my family like I usually do, but I saw them the day before anyway, so I'm not disappointed.

I got to give Niall a lucky ribbon as well, that's how I like to call it.

It doesn't always bring luck, as football can't always go the way we want it to go. However, I feel like it would be worse if I didn't have it around my wrist all the time.

This is pure superstition, but I am like that sometimes.

The ribbon also has the meaning I told Niall it had. My dad gave it to me, so I always remembered where I came from, and had them in mind, which I do even if I don't look at the ribbon.

My mum's family has always been Spanish, even though my mum was raised in England.

My parents met in England, as my dad is fully English and they went to the same university.

Eventually my mum's parents decided to move back to Madrid when my mum was economically able to live on her own, as they missed home. My parents did the same after my dad's parents passed.

They both passed earlier than expected, my dad was a kid when he lost his father. I never got to meet either of them. However my dad always talks about how thankful he is to mum and her parents for making him feel like he was always part of the family.

They decided to move to Spain and get married there as they didn't have parents in England anymore and they could be closer to my mum's parents that way.

So I was born and raised in Madrid.

There has always been a devotion to Real Madrid in my family. I got it from my mum, my mum got it from her dad, and it keeps going I guess.

Even my dad started to love that club because of them.

They are all still living in Madrid and I talk to them everyday. I miss them a lot.

The ribbon was given to me by my dad the day before I left, the day before my birthday.

He knows about all the shit I went through at Blackpool, so he wanted to make sure I remembered that I had them if I felt bad about something, since it took me a long time to admit that I wasn't enjoying my job at Blackpool like I should've. He didn't want that to happen again.

It is just a symbol of something I know already, that I have them. But I like to wear it, it has helped, especially during my first days here when I was a lot more lost.

This is why I thought of giving Niall something similar. I know nothing about his family, I only know his grandma, Grace, who is a really kind woman by the way.

When Mr Kenwright told me it was his birthday the next day, the first thing I thought about was the ribbon. As his closest coworker I wanted to give him something else apart from the club's gift.

As I said I don't know that much about his life, and if he doesn't want to tell me, I don't want to know. My intention with the gift is to let him know that whatever happens, his club is here for him, or at least I am.

We didn't have the best start, but I think our relationship has got better these last weeks.

Today is Sunday. We have a match in our stadium against Bournemouth.

We should win, Bournemouth is close to us in the league ranking, and our boys have trained together for enough time now, they all know each other well already.

I arrived at the stadium an hour before the match, as always, and went to the vip room.

Niall arrived a couple of minutes later. The first thing I noticed was the blue ribbon around his wrist.

He 's wearing it.

//

The whole conversation before the match went normally and the first half of the match was pretty boring. No goals yet.

The second half started, Niall and I were sitting on the same seats as always, next to each other.

"We are not playing that bad." I told him in a low tone, my hand covering my mouth.

"That's something delusional to say, Victoria." Niall chuckled. "I would love to know what the fuck Silva told them to do in the field." He added, his hand covering his mouth.

Ten minutes later, Tomlinson grabbed the ball and started running. He passed the ball to Styles who was waiting at the edge of the box.

The moment he received the ball, he shot, the ball entering the upper corner of the net with great strength.

"What a goal!" I said, happily.

"Those two are a good duo." Niall added.

We stood up and clapped. We are winning 1-0. The fans were all singing and cheering.

"That boy is a great signing." Grace smiled.

"He is, he is." Niall agreed with his grandma. And nudged me softly, reminding me of the great choice I made defending Harry's signing.

Two minutes after our goal, Bournemouth scored. Suddenly we all felt disappointed. Everything was going so well.

"Of course we couldn't have this happiness for more than five minutes." Niall sighed.

"Hey! We will score again!" Grace told him.

"I agree with her." I smiled.

"Because you are smart, sweetie." Grace looked at me, smiling. "Nialler you should be a bit more like her." She chuckled, making Niall and I laugh as well.

"I'll try, grandma." He laughed.

//

The last minute of the match arrived before I realized. The ball was in our possession.

After a great play from our midfielders, the ball reached Styles' feet. He dribbled the two defenders around him.

It was just him and the goalkeeper. The referee is going to end the match after this.

He kicked the ball strongly, it entering the net.

Goal.

"Yes!" Niall and I exclaimed, but whispering at the same time, and hugged each other tightly.

Mr Kenwright and Grace were also celebrating happily. The four of us hugged, smiling.

After the match, Niall and I went to the dressing rooms to congratulate our boys.

We didn't play that well. I would say the tie was more fair. But we won so I'm not complaining.

Once in the dressing room we celebrated with the players, we were all so happy about the win in our stadium.

"Harry, well done!" I told him.

"Thank you Greeny!" He replied, smiling.

Yeah, all of them call me that now. Seems like they weren't drunk enough to forget about it. I don't hate it though.

Niall and I left the dressing room a few minutes later so the players could shower and get changed.

We waited in the room we always wait in before a press conference, since one of us probably had to give one. We sat on chairs next to each other, just him and I.

"That was fun." Niall said.

"Hm." I nodded in agreement, smiling.

"I guess the ribbon is as lucky as you said." He smiled at me, and touched the ribbon around his wrist so I saw he was wearing it.

"I noticed the moment you arrived. I thought you weren't going to wear it." I admitted.

"Why? I like it, and I said I would. And after today there's no way I'm taking it off." He smiled.

"Good, good. I'm glad it gave us luck." I smiled.

He nodded and smiled. Then he looked down for a second. After that he stared directly at my eyes, silence filling the room.

His ocean blue eyes looking in mine that way were making me nervous in a way I couldn't explain.

I don't know what to say. I have nothing to say. I just did my best to maintain eye contact without getting too nervous to handle it.

He's so gorgeous.

I hadn't noticed until now that our faces were getting so close to each other. A lot of things should be worrying me right now, but nothing did. I'm surprisingly okay with this.

He didn't have anything to say either. He just made his pinky finger touch mine.

I looked at our hands nervously, he noticed I was and looked at them too.

"Sor-" he started, but stopped talking the moment I held his hand, our fingers intertwined.

I don't know what the fuck is happening to me.

He looked at me in the eyes again, I looked at his eyes too.

He then looked at my lips and back at my eyes a few times. A smirk on his face.

Our faces were closer and closer to each other each second that passed. I had this nervous feeling in my stomach again. The feeling he has given me for the first time in years.

Then, we heard a knock on the door, which scared the shit out of us.

We immediately separated ourselves from each other. That was the moment we realized what we were about to do.

"Come in." I told the person behind the door, nervously.

"The press room is ready." She said.

Niall looked at me. He had a bit of a shocked look on his face.

"Thank you, I'll go." I said, smiled nervously at Niall, and left.

While I was walking to the press room, I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.

Was I about to kiss him?

Thank God that girl knocked. If she hadn't I would probably be regretting having kissed Niall right now.

Wouldn't I?

//

After the press conference, which went well, I went back to my apartment. I changed into my pyjamas and went to bed, but I couldn't sleep.

I couldn't stop thinking about Niall.

What would've happened if I had kissed him?

My career would be ruined if someone found out.

But it didn't happen, so I have nothing to worry about.

I just have to make sure I'm not in this situation again.

This is enough for me to realize that I like Niall. I really do. And I feel like it might be mutual. He wouldn't have put himself in that situation without feeling anything. I'm not sure about this though.

Men just want a good moment sometimes, and I'm not falling into that.

I feel like I don't have any strong feelings. At least not yet. It is just pure physical attraction right now, we can't let it go any further.

I don't want the internet to insult me.

I don't want to distract myself from my football career, I'm living my dream, I don't want to ruin it.

I don't want to fall in love, I don't trust men that way anymore.

But how do I stop myself from falling in love with someone I see and work with every day?

How does he feel about all of this?

Maybe if I don't talk to him that much, I stop feeling this way about him.

Maybe it all goes back to normal if I just avoid having deep conversations with him.

I'll try to distance myself a bit from him in the next few days, to see if that makes a difference and I stop thinking about him so much.

It is the best for him and I.

Right?

With all these thoughts in my mind, I ended up falling asleep.

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This chapter is a bit shorter but I had to end it here... hope you liked it!!

Thank you for 3K reads omg, that's crazy, I adore you all <33

Lots of love,

S :)