One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

103.

Spotify playlist: https://tinyurl.com/yc8yhnvp (listen in order)

-Katerina POV-

I stood in front of the bed in Javier's guest room while I contemplated the news of Iris and Neymar leaving the club together. Heading to Paris right now for my brand's runway shows seemed entirely tone-deaf but my mom was right, we had to be business as usual. I glanced out the window at the beautiful view of the waves of the Pacific loudly crashing against the shore and sighed at the idea of leaving Chile, my home, yet again and heading back to the European spotlight. Javier knocked on the door and I jumped at the unexpected noise. "Kat, come on, I got the jet. We're wheels up in an hour," Javier reminded me as he rushed to get a bag packed. He was panicking about all of the worst-case scenarios Iris could be in right now meanwhile my mind was wandering to something else.

"Yeah, Jav, I'll be ready," I mumbled, though I doubted he heard me as he hurried to his bedroom down the hall. I didn't need to pack since I had a whole wardrobe in my Paris closet. Instead, I had baggage of another kind to figure out.

I drifted to a nearby guest room and knocked on the door with a balled fist. "Come in," I heard Oscar say. When he realized it was me, his expression was the same glum look he'd given when Javier and I decided to leave for Paris and I knew exactly why.

"You know I have to go, right? I wouldn't leave this soon if I didn't have to," I said softly as I took a seat beside him on the bed.

"Rina, I've known you for years. I'm pretty used to you picking up and leaving," he chuckled humorlessly.

"Well, you know, I've only ever been a plane ride away. Have you heard of planes? The things that can take you to different places through the air? You should try getting on one and visiting me some time," I said lightheartedly. He forced a smile but he wasn't in the mood for my humor. I sighed and licked my lips before I mustered up the courage to ask what I wanted to ask. "Oscar, there's something I need to know, before I go," I mumbled. My shift in tone made him turn his head to me. "Over the last couple days, seeing Javier and you, it- it made me think about how things happened back then. There was something Javi said at the Opazo gala. He said, he wasn't into Clara when they were together but he dated her anyways. I've been wondering if you know why he'd do something like that," I said to him. For a man who was always 10 steps ahead of everyone, he didn't see that one coming. "You asked Javier to date Clara because I was with Damon, didn't you?" I frowned.

"Javier and his big mouth," he groaned softly. He facepalmed himself and let out a breath. "Katerina, I know how it looks and I know it was wrong but I-"

"Oh my god, Oscar, how could you do that?!" I exclaimed at him.

"It was the only way I could make sure you were safe, Rina!" he tried to explain. I furrowed my eyebrows as he continued to explain. "After graduation, after I'd lost you, I knew what would happen--that Damon would get angry and hurt you--if I tried to see you so I asked Javier to start seeing Clara. Admittedly, not my best idea but people do stupid things when they're in love, right?" he sighed.

"Oscar, I- I had no idea. I thought you would've hated me after graduation. Even when I visited you after the accident, I thought-" I stammered as I struggled to process his words.

"Do you know where I was heading that night?" he asked. I shook my head. "I was on my way to you, Katerina. I was on my way to tell you I was still in love with you and to convince you to leave Damon," he said, looking me directly in my eyes. His brown eyes were full of emotion but the most visible one was pain. I was speechless. "You thought none of us knew what he was doing to you but I did. I'd seen the rumors in the magazines and I saw pictures of you two at the Opazo gala, the bruise on your back. I thought losing you was the worst pain I'd experienced but finding out he was hurting you... I couldn't handle that and the second I found out, I got in the car and I was on my way to get you back. I was about halfway there when some drunk driver ran me off the road."