Four long years have passed since Julia Soler Gavira and Pedri González parted ways in a messy breakup. Julia has since been travelling the world and pursuing her graduate studies in the United States. But now, she's returning to Barcelona for a spe...
Julia looked out of her car while driving through the town she had once called home a few years ago. It had been four long years since she left her family, friends, and everything familiar to pursue her dream of becoming a successful singer and completing her studies in a foreign country. Over the years, she had worked hard and finally achieved her goal. But success had come at a cost, and she had missed out on a lot of things in her personal life. Now, she was back for a specific reason, one that she couldn't quite put into words. It was a secret that she had kept to herself for a little while, and she knew it would change everything.
As Julia pulled up to the familiar house, she saw a fleet of cars parked outside, all belonging to the Barca team. The sight made her nervous - what if Pedri was already there? She was unsure if she was ready to face him yet. The thought of confronting him after so many years apart made her feel uneasy. What if he had moved on and had a new girlfriend? What if things were awkward between them? As she stepped out of the car, she felt a sense of unreality envelop her, wondering if she was ready to face the past she had left behind.
"Well, well, well. Look who's back in Barcelona! The famous Julia Soler," Ferran Torres, greeted Julia, breaking her reverie. Julia smiled and shook her head, feeling relieved that it was only him.
"Hi, Torres. How are you?" Julia asked, removing her backpack and suitcase from the car's trunk.
"I'm good, thanks. Wedding planning is stressing me out a bit, but otherwise, I'm fine. Excited to see you after so long. Everyone's been talking about your success. Are you back for good?" Ferran inquired happily.
"Yeah, Sira told me, and I'm not sure yet. I just needed a break from everything and wanted to see my family. But who knows, maybe I'll stay for a while." Julia sighed and headed into the house, leaving Ferran to look at her suspiciously. But before he could say anything, Pablo, her brother, emerged from the kitchen and greeted her with a wide grin.
"Julia, what are you doing here?" Pablo asked, smiling ear to ear, surprised as he hugged her.
"Suprise, I'm back!" Julia chuckled, feeling a rush of happiness and returning the hug. His face lit up with excitement.
"What? You're moving back? That's amazing! I can't believe it! Mom and Dad should be back from work soon. Let me take your suitcase." Pablo grabbed it and hurried up the stairs, following Julia closely behind. In a flash, he quickly went to the backyard to bid farewell to the guests.
Julia was busy unpacking when Pablo sat down beside her and nudged her, noticing her distracted state. He had a feeling that something was bothering her but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"What's the matter?" Pablo asked, and Julia let out a deep sigh in response.
"I don't know. I guess I'm a little scared to go back to how things once were. When I left, I left everything behind. You, mom, dad, our family, and... Pedri. I restarted my life in a new country, with a new career path and no contact with anyone," Julia confided.
"Julia, don't worry. Mamá and Papa were initially scared, but we knew you needed space after everything. It was the best decision for you, both career-wise and mentally. We couldn't bear to see you suffer repeatedly," Pablo comforted her. He was right - she didn't want to burden her family with her problems and had to figure things out independently.
As they continued to chat,Pablo stumbled upon Julia's songwriting notebook and opened it curiously. "You wrote a song and didn't tell me? What is it about?" he exclaimed proudly, happy to see that she was returning to writing after a year of not sharing her music with anyone.
"It's called 'Vampire' and articulates the feeling of being used, and all of the anger and regret and heartbreak that comes with it. I actually wrote it after I left and was thinking of performing it at Friday's concert. Do you want to hear it?" She said, smiling to herself. He nodded, and she went to the piano in her room.
"Wow it's amazing. I don't need to guess who it is about," he said, smirking.
"Thanks? Haha. What else happened when I was gone?"
"I-have-a-girlfriend-now," Pablo said quickly, almost making what he said incomprehensible.
"Pablo, you have a girlfriend? My little brother is in love! When can I meet her?" She exclaimed, pushing him off the bed.
"Ow, and yeah. Soon hopefully," Pablo replied with a laugh, rubbing his shoulder.
"I missed you." he added, his smile softening.
"I missed you too, Pablito," she said, pulling her brother into a warm embrace.
"I can't believe my little brother has a girlfriend now. You are growing up so fast." she continued, teasing him.
"Yeah, well, I guess it just happened," he said, trying to play it cool.
Julia smiled knowingly. "Well, I can't wait to meet her and see for myself what she's like. You'll have to bring her over for dinner soon."
"Sure thing, hermana," Pablo said, grateful for Julia's acceptance and support. As they caught up on each other's lives, Pablo couldn't help but feel relieved to have his sister back home. He had missed her presence and how she always knew how to make him feel better, even when he didn't want to admit he needed it.
Just then, the front door opened, and Julia's parents walked in. They looked stunned to see her there, and her mother's eyes filled with tears as she rushed forward to embrace her.
"Julia, mi vida! You're back!" she cried, holding her tight.
Julia hugged her mother back, feeling the weight of years of absence lifted from her shoulders. She turned to her father, who was beaming with pride.
"We've missed you so much, mija," he said, kissing her forehead.
While they all sat down to reconnect, Julia felt a sense of belonging that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was good to be back home, and seeing the joy on her family's faces only made her more excited.
