Leonor

     A week has passed since Gavi had called me. It was early September, and I could already feel the chill in the air from the approaching autumn season.

     The next Barcelona game was tomorrow. My mother and father had granted me and Sofia permission to go. I had messaged Gavi about it, and he had been excited.

     I was a little nervous. We hadn't seen each other in person since he had told me about his feelings. That had been an awkward last meeting.

     I was laying in bed, scrolling through Instagram. My TV was on in the background, and a cup of ice water was sitting on my nightstand. I had an early morning; I would be heading to bed soon. Sofia was sitting in my armchair, her legs stretched over the armrest.

     "I'm exhausted," Sofia groaned into her hand. I suppressed a laugh.

     "Then go to sleep. We have to get up early for the game, you know," I replied.

     "Whatever," she mumbled, leaving my room. This time, she didn't slam the door behind her, and I was proud of that.

     I clicked my TV off and settled under the covers, sipping my ice water. It was pitch black in my room except for the glow coming off of my cell phone.

     All of my friends were busy with who knows what. Chloe and Gio were back in the United States visiting family. Hannah was still in Italy, and Elena was still in France. They had promised to visit me soon, though.

     I settled underneath the covers, shutting my phone off and placing it on the nightstand. The eerie glow of the streetlights outside of my window kept me awake for a bit, before I finally drifted off to sleep.

     I woke up to Sofia shaking me awake. She was sitting beside me, her hair dangling in her face. She looked exhausted, but I could tell she was excited for the game.

     "Wake up, Leonor," she groaned, shoving me harder. The sun was barely coming through my window yet; it was way too early for this.

     I sat up in bed, groaning. Sofia smirked as I did so.

     "Leave," I commanded, pointing out the door. She did so reluctantly.

    I stood to my feet and opened the curtains wide. The sun was barely above the horizon. I groaned groggily and made my way to my closet.

     I found my custom jersey and pulled it on, along with a pair of black jeans. I grabbed a pair of socks and my athletic shoes.

     I brushed out my snarled hair and pulled it up into my signature high ponytail. I applied some light makeup, brushed my teeth and added some golden jewelry. I sprayed some perfume on my pulse points and put some lip gloss on my lips.

     I looked good. I was satisfied.

    The game started at 4:30 PM, so we had to leave early in the morning. Mario was driving us again, but he wasn't coming in to watch the game this time.

     I grabbed my purse, my phone and an unopened bottle of water before shutting the light off and closing the door to my room. I walked past my parents' room; they were still fast asleep.

     Sofia was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, like usual. This was our ritual.

     "Ready to go?" I asked her.

     "Are you ready to make things right?" She teased me.

     "As ready as I can be," I smiled, and we left through the back door together. Mario was waiting with the limo, welcoming us with a warm smile.

    "Good morning, girls," he said kindly, opening the door for us. I gave him a quick hug before I climbed inside and took my seat. Sofia followed suit.

     When we were settled, Mario hopped into the front seat and started the limo.

     "We'll be there in a few short hours," he said, turning his attention back to the road.

     The drive passed slowly. The scenery on the way to Barcelona was beautiful; one of the most beautiful parts of the country in my opinion.

     Sofia fell asleep, leaning her head against the window. She looked so peaceful that it made me smile inside.

     I was nervous for what would happen today. Gavi seemed happy with my gift. Maybe he had been putting on a show. Maybe he wouldn't want to talk to me.

     I tried not to think about it as we drove on.

     We reached the stadium a little before 3 PM. There was already a line of cars backing up the road, so Mario guided our limo into a secluded parking lot a few blocks from the stadium. He locked the doors and helped us out before he spoke.

     "I'm going to enjoy the city for a bit. Enjoy the game, and let me know when you're done," he smiled warmly, and gave us a bow before walking away. We grabbed our tickets and began the walk down the block.

     "I hope we have good seats," Sofia giggled eagerly. I nodded to myself.

     We walked through the gates of the stadium soon after. There was a wait; we took lots of pictures with fans and supporters. When it was our turn to go through security, we made it in and began to search for our seats.

     "Here they are," Sofia said, guiding us down the stairs to a section above the tunnel. They were great seats. The warm sun shone down on us as we settled down. Sofia took a few pictures, and I took in the view.

     "Where's Gavi?" Sofia asked me. I glanced around the pitch, but I couldn't spot him. Interesting. The game was going to start soon, and he hadn't made an effort to see me.

     I tried to ignore it and focus on the game ahead of us.

     The whistle blew, and the game was off. The players began to run around, chasing the ball. The crowd cheered loudly. Sofia was on her feet. She was wearing her João Felix jersey again.

     Nothing much happened in the first 20 minutes, but the other team, Sevilla, had a shot on goal that made the crowd gasp.

     The first half concluded with no goals being scored.

     "I'm starving," Sofia groaned, leaning back in her seat. She rubbed her hungry stomach.

     "Me too," I said, standing to my feet and stretching. I was trying not to think about Gavi, but it was eating me alive.

     We made our way up the stairs and into the convenience store. Sofia picked up a bag of Skittles and a soda. I grabbed some Sour Patch Kids and a water. We paid and made our way back down. I took some pictures with fans before sitting down again. The second half was about to start.

     Barcelona scored a goal a few minutes later. Sofia was screaming loudly.

    "Lamine Yamal!" She cheered, jumping up and down. I shook my head at her happiness.

     Another goal was scored towards the end of the game; this one was scored by Robert Lewandowski.

    The final score of the game was 2-0. Sofia chanted and cheered as we made our way up the stairs. Still no Gavi.

     "Give me a second," I told her suddenly, making my way back down the stairs and towards the tunnel. She told me she would wait for me inside.

     I pushed past people until I reached the bottom, and I bent over the top of the tunnel, straining my neck to look for him.

     I finally spotted him. Gathering his things by the bench. He noticed me and came running over. Climbing the stairs, he exited the stairs and hustled up until he was standing in front of me. The stadium was nearly empty now, except for the players on the field.

     "I'm so sorry I didn't greet you beforehand. My teammates needed me and..." he trailed off, but I interrupted him.

     "Don't worry, please. I was just enjoying the game," I smiled, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

     "Okay," he said breathlessly, staring at me. Deeply. I felt a little uncomfortable.

     I just stared back at him. The tension in the air was thick. Heavy.

     He stepped closer to me. Just an inch, but still. I did the same. We were barely two feet from each other. I could lean forward and I would be in his arms.

     He tilted his head, looking at my lips.

     I knew what he was going to do.

     Surprisingly, it didn't scare me anymore. 

     He reached up to stroke my cheek, pushing some hair out of my eyes. It made me tense a little, and I knew he could feel it. I was glad no one was around to see this happening.

     I couldn't take it anymore. I closed the gap between us quickly.

     We were kissing. Me and Pablo Gavi were kissing.

     It felt so right. It felt so good.

     This was the apology we both deserved.

     We stood there for a while, his hand stroking my cheek, my hands pressed against his jersey. His lips were soft, just like how I had imagined them to be.

     He pulled away first, looking into my eyes.

     "Thank you for coming," he said gently. I felt my insides blushing.

     For the first time in forever, I felt truly happy. I trusted him completely.

AHHHHHH GUYS I DID IT!!

I wanted to build up to this moment. But don't worry there's gonna be drama it's not just gonna be a happy ending right away. Love stories are a challenge to write

Hope this chapter was worth it cuz it took forever to write