𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 | João Felix

Chapitre 1

"¡Vamos, vuelve a cuidarte!" I perceive a not so sweet voice yells in my ears. It was none other than my roommate's, Gabriela. She is a typical Spanish girl : oval face, dark straight hair, keen eyes, beautiful silhouette...

As a matter of fact, I know Gabriela since we were 10. We met at a summer camp and quickly became really good friends, after it ended we tried to stay in touch but since we were so young that didn't really work. But three years ago, I randomly bump into her in Rome. She was visiting the city with her parents and I was shopping with my friends. At first, I didn't recognize her and I think she didn't too, since we took so long to both realize who we were facing. When we realized it, the meeting turned into a blast of exclamation and joy. From then on, it was me making a private visit of the city, showing them the best spots and activities in Rome.

It was now almost 9am, and our first classes only started at 2pm so we had time to get ready and have a good meal before heading to the campus. I brushed my hair and teeth. Dressed in some casual clothes. Did my makeup and took my Dior bag before heading downstairs where Gabriela was waiting for me for a good ten minutes now.

We finally got out of our building and started walking. Yesterday, at dinner, we decided to go out to buy some last minutes supplies, even though a MacBook and a pen are the only things required in uni, but you never know I guess.

"So, how are you feeling in Madrid" Gabriela asked me in a relaxed tone, walking with her coffee in one hand and a shopping bag in the other.

"I'm alright, the weather is great so it kind of brightens my mood. Just only one thing missing at my arm, a man." she just laughed at me, almost spilling her coffee everywhere.

"Don't worry, their's plenty of men in Madrid! But be aware, some of them are up to no good!" She tried to say that in a serious voice, but failed miserably when she noticed little someone entering a pub at the end of the street.

She stopped short her walk and tried to turn back to avoid meeting him and having to pass a very awkward encounter. I took her arm and put her in front of me so she wouldn't get out of the conflict. She had to face it, for this stupid situation to be over.

"You gotta stop avoiding this confrontation Gabriela! It was one bad move, just one ! And you don't give him any news for a whole week! I'm sorry, but you're the one who needs to apologize this time. No way you're getting out of this. If you don't talk to him and sort things out, it's just going to get worse" Gabriela nod her head, looking in his direction. I push her forward and she tried to smooth her hair and clothes just to look presentable in front of him.

Gabriela is actually in a relationship with no other than the footballer Rodrigo De Paul. Yes, you heard that right, the famous Argentine player. They met a year ago at a cafe. She used to work there because her parents forced her to make money so she could live on her own. And then one day, purely by chance, Rodrigo went to buy a coffee and asked for her number after falling for her beauty. That's how she recounts it to me. Word for word.

"Astrid, I'm going to kill you for pushing me to do this" she declares thought gritted teeth. I just laughed at her and observe how pitiful the scene was. She was actually scared of her boyfriend and the funny thing is she's the only one yelling at him for no reasons.

She finally dropped a very embarrassing "hi" to get his attention. He turned around from what he was looking at and smiled at us. I hugged him and noticed that he actually was with another guy that was too caught up on the match that just started to even notice our presence.

"So, why are you doing here?" I said to lighten the mood. I have known Rodrigo for almost a year now ; Gabriela presented him to me first when I first came to Madrid because she wanted my opinion before presenting him to her parents. He was such a nice guy with her and I instantly agreed her choice. Plus, he was nice enough to bring one of his friends so I didn't feel left out during the little dinner she prepared especially for the meeting.

"We're watching the match, we want to know against who is our next encounter. The coach told us to analyze their technic so we can beat whoever we will be opposed to." Rodrigo answered in a relaxed tone, not disturbed by Gabriela's presence. "I came with João" he adds after the little blank which had begun to settle.

His friends finally turned his head after hearing his name and also said hi to us without any other reaction.

"I think we need to talk. Quieres ir afuera?" Rodrigo asked and got up from his seat. He didn't wait for Gabriela's response to take her hand and lead her outside. I took a seat next to João and ordered a drink to the server.

"So, where are you from ? Never saw you around town before." Joao finally said after minutes of silence, not even bothering to turn his head from the match playing on TV.

"How can you know I'm not from Madrid, the city's big you know." I replied to him, trying to act as nonchalant as a could. In reality, he was a bit good-looking with his messy brown hair and his shiny golden-brown eyes. When I was telling I need a man, that was exactly what I was talking about. I didn't notice he was looking at me, flashing me his signature smile.

"A face like yours, no way I would have forgot it. Plus I supposed you are Gabriela's best friend so I would have seen you at our training session with how much she hangs out there. She would have at least bring you twice" I laughed and rolled my eyes

" Your very perceptive for a footballer"

"Shut up" he laughed and looked back at me "So, when are you answering my question,"

"I'm from Rome, you ?"

"I'm Portuguese, I came to Madrid more than a year ago now" he said

"that's nice."

"what's bringing you here?"

"Just my studies, not much" he nodded at my answer

I continued siping on my drink and looking at the TV while avoiding every eye contact with the man sitting beside me on purpose. I'm just trying to played hard to get. Like my grandma used to said, "Be a bit of a challenge; not because you're playing games but because you realize you're worth the extra effort". ( ladies keep in mind 😝) So that's exactly what I'm trying to do right now. Act cool and calm while being sat next to the man that might be the future dad of my child.

After some minutes of kind of an awkward silence, Joao finally revive the conversation "looks like they're having fun over there" I followed his gaze and smiled. Seeing them both  together makes me want to have babies, they're so cute it should be illegal. We continued talking for a while before Rodrigo came back while Gabriela waited for me outside.

" So, you guys all good now ?" I asked getting my wallet out, ready to pay for my drink.

"We're all good and back to normal, thank you" he replied, having a smile plastered on his face

"You two are lucky to have each other, you make the perfect couple. I hope I can be an aunt soon thought" Rodrigo laugh and amicably tap my shoulder.

When I was about to pay, Joao stopped me  " It's on me" I smiled at him and put my sunglasses on. " I suppose we will see you both soon at our training session, no?" Joao asked, while Rodrigo agreed with his head.

"Sure, if you insist" I waved them goodbye and I saw Rodrigo winking at me. I guess he saw that I left my lip oil on the table next to my glass just so Joao can pick it up.

When I got out, Gabriela also had a big smile on her face. She knew instantly what I was thinking about.

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so first chapter ! don't forget to vote and tell what you think of the story !

I apologize for any spelling mistakes, english's not my first language.