see you later // Pablo Gavi

Chapter 45

~ Author's Note ~

Y'all watch Atletico v. Sevilla? Gosh, was that a good match!

Sorry, any Sevilla fans.

I'm happy about it, though, of course, as a Atletico supporter. 

𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒍, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰'𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒌𝒓𝒚𝒑𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌. 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉, 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒛𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆.

"𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐘. In fact, I'm embarrassed to say it..." Gavi says as he looks back into my eyes. I love this eye contact.

"Gavi, if we're going to date, if we're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend, we might as well be honest. We may as well tell each other everything, no?"

"I guess it's not really that bad. Maybe I'm just blowing it out of proportion..."

"Yeah, exactly! You probably are! So just freaking tell me!" I say, gently tapping his cheek, before taking both my hands away.

This makes him close his eyes, smiling and laughing a bit. "Okay, okay. It's actually about this house." I have no idea what he's about to say, but I have a feeling I'm about to get an explanation to the strange feeling I felt here before. "And it's about money. I love money, Ember. It attracts me, and I might be a little addicted. It's hard for me to give it away." This surprises me, considering how generous he's been to me. Does he really just love me that much...? "I buy, buy, buy, and buy some more with money. Clothes, this house, furniture, vacations, fitness items, landscaping, people to do taxes and maintenance, going to games... So many freaking things I pay for with all this money I throw away, and at least half of it doesn't even make me happy, Ember. When I became a pro, and therefore, richer and richer, I threw money away for more and more junk to make myself happy. I thought have money and things meant the world, because it was all just thrown at me. I still kind of think that. I wish I could enjoy what I'm blessed with, but I feel like I'm trapped in this huge space of just money, alone, with nothing for company but my millions and millions and millions and more millions. It stresses... It stresses me out to be surrounded. In a way, it feels like it traps me, and it stresses me out. I can't make sense of it. I don't always go out because I just love going out, Ember. I do it to get out of my own home sometimes. Because it's not home. It doesn't feel like home, at least. Home is my childhood room... Not this place. This is like some chunk of money that I live in, where I don't have to do anything but sit back and be happy. So I don't know why I can't just accept that and be happy with it. But this stuff doesn't make me happy. Most of the time I'm home, I'm either working out, sleeping, or playing outside. What else do I do?" He sighs, looking at his hands, which lay in his laugh. "All I want, all that makes me happy, is football, and now, more recently, you, too. Not this. Never this. This place and all it's good stuff that no one else has the privilege to have. Sometimes I don't get why randomly I get all this stuff, and not other people. I don't help anyone. I just freaking play good football! How come I get all this, but not an actually good person, like some doctor who's saved dozens of lives or a social worker or something? I don't get why me. I mean, I don't play football for the money, obviously. I play football for football." He clenches his hands into fists, and I realise they're shaking. He ends with, "I realise how stuck-up I sound... I'm sorry. That's why I didn't want to talk about this. But it's a weird thing about me, so now you know. It's quite emotional. So, sorry, Ember." He looks up at me once again from his lap, which he was staring at, and our eyes meet.

His eyes look a little too sad for my liking, and I understand now. I understand why this house had a feeling of something wasn't right. It has nothing to do with the house itself. It has to do with the beautiful man who lives in it, all alone, drowning in the huge space of nothingness, despite all the nice furniture. This home doesn't feel quite right because it isn't a home. It may be a house, but it certainly isn't a home.

I hug him with all I have, then whisper in his ear, "It certainly is the most first-world problem I've never heard of, but I understand that it's hard. You are addicted to having something that you don't even want?"

"Yeah," he sighs, leaning into me. "I guess you could say that's kind of it. Thanks for understanding, Ember. But of course you do."

I smile at him. "I'm not as perfect as you make me out to be."

"It's okay," he says with a laugh. "You're not perfect. You're just all I need."

I like the way he says this. After a while of just sitting there, I say, "Ever considered giving your money to good causes? It could break your addiction of it when you see all the good it does, no?"

"I suppose..." he says, sounding unsure.

"When you feel stressed and alone, do you ever invite someone over for company?"

"Pedri, once in a while. His vibrant personality fills a lot of space. Not all if it, but a lot of it."

I nod thoughtfully. "Pedri, or me. If you ever need me, I'll be there for you. Just to be with you. I'll be there. At your call."

He gently kisses my cheek with his warm lips, saying softly, "Thank you so much, Ember Escarro."

~ Author's Note ~

Yes, two Author's Notes in one chapter, get over it.

I just figured I wouldn't make Gavi completely perfect. Everyone needs to have their flaws, right? Ember has hers, and he has his, which I think make a good amount of sense for him, personality.

I guess the cliffhanger question is: How will the navigate through each other's flaws to hold on to true love!?!?!

KEEP READING TO FIND OUT, MAN!!!