A Manchester Affair (Rúben Dias)

Chapter Four

Monday night was the day United finally got their first win, against none other than Liverpool. The team made a huge statement with their performance and Lucía felt like she could finally breathe a little easier.

"¡Vamos!", she heard Licha scream before he lifted her in a hug.

She laughed and patted him on the head. "Too bad you're too small for the Premier League, huh?"

He joined her in laughing at all the ridiculous pundits that had spent so many hours debating his height and then made her way to the dressing room. Today there will be cheers, no yelling from Erik.

She high-fived the players one by one and they all seemed to be warming up to her. Slowly, she was building a good relationship with them.

One that was definitely on the fast track to becoming a friend was Scott. After he opened up to her about the rough moment he was going through at the club, she saw a side of him not many people got to see. And ever since, they've been opening up to each other more and more. He also stopped flirting with her, which she was thankful for.

His good performance tonight made her very happy, especially since it took place moments after the club presented Casemiro to the crowd. She shouldn't, but she felt a slight bias against the new player even though he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Good match, McTominay", she said to him as they were both making their way to their cars.

"Thanks! I feel like you are a big reason why things went so well, and not just for me", he said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, I'm here to help. It wouldn't be so weird", she laughed.

"I know, I know. I didn't mean that. I mean that you are having a good impact on the boys, even if some don't show it. They respect you. And a few of the younger lads fear you".

"Good".

He shook his head. "And as for me, I know that our chats have helped me. So thank you".

"If you score a goal soon, dedicate it to me", she said, giving his side a little nudge with her elbow.

"We'll need to brainstorm a celebration, then".

Once she made it to her car, an idea came to her mind.

"Would you like to have dinner at my place one of these days?"

He seemed to be taken aback by the comment.

"As friends", she laughed. "And I won't tell Erik. Don't worry".

He laughed too. "I'd love to".

When she made it home, she finally checked her phone. Many of her friends from Amsterdam congratulated her on the win. She really missed some of them and made a mental note to think of a quick trip there when she had some days off. Maybe during the international break.

There was also a text from Rúben, congratulating her and telling her how much he wanted to be there with her right now. He was actually one of the first people that came to her mind when the match ended. It really would have been good to celebrate with him.

So she closed her eyes to bring back memories of Rúben. Imagining he was right there with her. And she could swear she was hearing his voice whispering in her ear.

Afterwards, when she was freshly showered and on her way to bed, she got another message from him, promising to make it up to her for not being there today when he was back.

She fell asleep with a silly smile on her face. Today was a great day, even if she feared it could be the beginning of the end when she woke up that morning.