deep blue eyes // Antoine Griezmann

Chapter 38 - I Love You

The date goes really well, and we decide by the end of it that Neymar will bring Elizabeth home and Antoine will bring me home. Me and Antoine leave the restaurant after Neymar and Elizabeth, and before he leads me to his car, right outside the restaurant, he says, "Do you have to be home at a certain time or anything?"

"No, why?"

"Can I bring you somewhere? Or would you rather just go home and rest? Because that's fine, too. I can just drop you off at your house, too, if that's what you w-"

"Stop rambling and just bring me to where you want to, Antoine," I grin. "I'm just fine. I crave you, Antoine."

Antoine stops walking, in the middle of the parking lot, his head looking at me quickly, his body tightening. There's a pink, embarrassed look on his face. "Y- You what?"

"Sheesh, Antoine, do you have a dirty mind?" I tease. "You know what I said, but you just took it like that. What if I just meant I crave time with you, or I crave... being with you, or something? Dirty minded boy. You're so naughty."

"Mmmm, shut up, Sage, will you?" he grins, opening the passenger seat car door for me. Once I'm in and buckled, he shuts it behind me, and goes around to the driver's seat, where he buckles and starts the car. Once we've started driving, he says, "So, anyway, I never got to tell you that my birthday is coming up on March 21. So I'd like to spend that with you, and maybe some of the guys. But mostly you."

I nod, grinning in excitement at this thought. "Which of the guys would you invite?"

"Oh, you know. Mbappe, Giroud... Lloris, too, probably. I have these two friends, too, who you probably don't know, because they don't go to our school. Do you know Ousmane Dembele or Lucas Hernandez?"

"No," I shake my head, after thinking for a few seconds. "I don't think I've ever even heard those names. You don't really talk about yourself very much, Antoine."

"Really?" I watch as he smiles. "I've always thought I can, like, never stop talking."

I grin and say teasingly, "It's true that you have a big mouth. You just don't talk about your personal life very much with that big mouth."

He shrugs. "I guess it's just not an important enough topic to talk about. I mean, Ousmane and Lucas are important to me, a lot. And you're important to me a lot too, but I don't talk to them about you, just like I don't talk to you about them. It's nothing against any of you, because I lo- like all of you, like, a whole bunch."

For some reason, I don't like to hear that I'm not more important than that to him, but I should expect it. Oh well.

"Anyway..." he says softly, swallowing loudly, kind of nervously. He scratches his ear as he says, "I was thinking I might also invite Foden. You know, Phil Foden."

I stare at him, not knowing what to think. Should I mention that I heard them talking...? No, I don't think I should. At least not now... But why would he want to invite him? Wouldn't that just open things up for awkwardness and potential drama? I don't know... To me, it doesn't sound right, but I can't mention that, because he'd want to know why. And I can't tell him I overheard their conversation the other day. So instead I just say, as casually as I can, "Oh, I didn't know you and Foden were closer friends. I thought him and Henderson were kind of friends, right?"

"Yeah, they are, but Foden is a good guy. And he's fun. And he's kind of... well, he's a sweet guy. I don't see why we shouldn't invite him, yeah?"

"No Neymar or Henderson or anything?" I ask.

"No, I don't think so. Nothing against them, though. I just don't think I'll invite them."

"So, where is it that you're planning to take all of us?"

He grins, glancing at me, his eyes glinting, just for a second, before he looks back to the road. "I've been saving up to do this. We're renting a beach home for a week."

"A whole week?! Antoine!" I exclaim. "How'd you save up for that?!"

He grins. "A lot of hard work."

We share at bright smile, and I watch as Antoine pulls into an empty parking lot. "Where is this?" I ask confused, and slightly worried for some reason. No one is around at all.

"Just an empty parking lot. Kind of abandoned." He rolls down all four windows in the car, and we both breath in the fresh night air. It already smells like spring, despite the cooler temperature.

We sit in peaceful silence for a few minutes, before Antoine says softly, "I'm so glad I'm with you, Sage. You brighten my life, whenever I merely look at you."

I grin, gently leaning into him. "God, Antoine. I love it when you do that stupid sappy thing of yours."

"Hmm... Yeah," he says softly, leaning back into me. "I love it when you do that stupid thing of yours... it's like you put me under a spell."

"A love potion?"

He chuckles a bit, a dreamy tone in his voice as he says, "Yeah, maybe..."

"I think stupid Cupid shot our hearts, huh?"

"Yeah," he says again. "Maybe..."

There's more peaceful silence, before Antoine leans down to make our eyes meet. It's just bright enough in the car by a lonely streetlight down the road for me to see the glint of deep navy blue in his eyes in this darkness. "You're so hot..." I mutter, without thinking.

"Coming from you, baby," he says, softly stroking my cheek. I feel my heart pumping throughout my whole body, but it's okay.

"Beloved," I grin.

"Angel..."

"Gorgeous..."

"My beautiful girl..."

"Heartthrob..."

"Yeah, well, you're the best thing that ever happened to me..."

"Yeah, and you're super good lookin'..."

"Firecracker. You're steaming hot, girl..."

I giggle, muttering, "Yeah, and you're super cheesy, boy."

"Yeah, sure, I might be. But for some strange reason, you don't mind that, do you?"

"No," I sigh dreamily. "I love it when you call me those sorts of things. My heart skips a beat..."

"I'm sure, babe. I'm sure. You're just head over heels for me, huh?"

"I am," I nearly whisper, unable to keep my voice from being so high at this moment.

"You're also cute," he says, his eyelids half-lidded at me. Finally, he kisses me.

No, he doesn't kiss me. He makes out with me. And it's wonderful. My whole body gets weak, and I lean into him, glad I'm not standing. Otherwise I might just fall into his arms.

It's the best kiss I've ever experienced. It has got to be better than Neymar's best kiss. It has to be. I would take Antoine's worst kiss over Neymar's best, any day.

At the end, when we pull away, he whispers to me, holding me so close, "Sage, I love you."

My eyes slightly water at those strong words, and I smile up at him, responding with, "Antoine, I love you, too."