Game On || C.L.16

1.0

"Good morning." I chirp, as Esteban walks down the stairs of the house. I was awake far before he came down, and I have yet to see Pierre and Charles too. We stayed at the restaurant for much longer than we had anticipated. But the staff were so nice, and seemed totally cool with the idea that they had four professional athletes dining there. Never once had I had the idea that I was being treated that way because we are famous. All in all, it was the reason we decided to not set our alarms and just see at what time we'd wake up.

"Morning." Esteban says walking over to the coffee machine to get his morning coffee in.

"You're the first one up after me." I tell him once he's sat down on the couch opposite to the one I'm lounging on.

"I figured. It's only ten though."

"Come on, all of you usually get up earlier. I'm disappointed." I say sarcastically, but with a hint of truth. They do wake up earlier per usual, but they've been out of season for a while so their rhythms could be messed up.

"Like you wake up at six when it's the off season." Esteban counters, but I'm a quick thinker.

"But it's preseason now. Time to get to work." I say smiling and Esteban just nods.

"You're eager to get a workout in, aren't you?"

"I am, but I'd fancy a workout buddy." I admit. I could've done a workout on my own already, maybe even say that I hadn't done it yet. However I didn't feel like doing anything on my own. The company of the boys is growing on me, and I can't help but crave just one of them around me when I'm tiring myself in the gym.

Esteban and I lapse into a comfortable silence as he eats his breakfast. I am scrolling through Instagram as I try to kill some time, when Esteban suddenly puts a bottle with an unknown drink on my stomach. "What's this?"

"Pre workout. I'm done being lazy too. Let's get going." He says and I smile up at him.

"Thank god. I thought you wanted to wait for Pierre and Charles." I say chugging the liquid away, before heading to my bedroom. I swap my hoodie for a tanktop and my sports leggings for shorts before hurrying back out to the living room area. "Let's go Este." I say almost dragging him down to the gym.

"I'm gonna go cardio based today too." Esteban says looking around the gym in front of us. I still wonder how they found someone that would rent out a vacation home with a fully functioning gym.

"Sure. Maybe do some swimming afterwards?" I suggest remembering how good the swimming felt the day we arrived. Which is two days ago already.

"Sounds great." Esteban says shooting me a smile.

Esteban starts out on the bike, while I start on the treadmill. How could I not, I play a sport that involves a crazy amount of running. Running on the treadmill felt fine for the first thirty minutes, but somewhere after that half an hour mark, I start feeling a small ache in my knee. The knee I had surgery on. So I slow the speed down to walking speed, and continue to do that. Just to see if it hurts if I do so.

I used to have to do that many times during my recovery. Two steps forward, one step back. And it really is like that sometimes. Maybe the running in the snow yesterday just asked a bit too much from my knee.

I sigh as I can feel the ache not subsiding on walking speed and turn of the treadmill. I sit down on the bike next to the one Esteban is on. My legs making the necessary circles to make the bike spin. I have grown to detest cycling during my recovery, but when I've got an ache like this one, I know it's one of the best options I've got.

After swimming that is.

But I am not ready to go swimming yet. I want to make sure I've tried all dry cardio options first. I keep pushing on, until the pain gets to an unbearable amount. Tears pricking in my eyes as I do my best to muffle away a cry.

"You okay?" Esteban asks standing in front of the bike I'm on. He must've gotten off of his when I wasn't paying any attention. I nod, stubbornly moving my legs hoping the pain will leave my body somehow. Tears still pricking in my eyes. "Lie, words please. Are you okay?" I just nod again, but Esteban is not letting go. "Lie, please stop cycling." I do as he says, stopping with moving my legs in circles. "Okay, now please tell me what's wrong."

Esteban holds my head in his hands, forcing me to make eye contact. Knowing very well that it might be the only way to get through to me right now.

I take a deep and shaky breath because of my crying. "MY FUCKING KNEE WON'T WORK." I yell in between the small sobs, before breaking down completely. "It never works. It just fools me. Working fine for a few weeks or sometimes even days, and then it's like boom I'm gonna hurt you like hell. I hate it."

I can feel the tears streaming down my face, the hurt and pain I feel moving its way through my body.

"It's completely normal to feel like this." Esteban says, still looking at me, still holding my head in his hands. He's using his thumbs to move the tears away. "We all have the lows. What do you usually do when you hit one?"

I look down at the bike I'm still sat on. "I work out." I manage to bring out.

"Then we're gonna do just that." Esteban says, taking me from the bike. "You're allowed to swim when you have pain right?"

"It's the recommended form of cardio when it hurts." I admit and Esteban smiles, happy that he knows a bit about my training schedule.

"Alright we're going to do just that." Esteban says, removing his shirt and revealing a very sculpted torso. I remove my tanktop too, leaving me in just my football shorts and sports bra. It's not like it's something he hasn't seen before. And I don't mean that in a sexual way, he's seen me swimming earlier this week.

I hesitate at the side of the pool. Doubting whether I'd use the steps or just jump in. But before I even made a choice, I feel two arms wrap around me and jump into the pool with me in them.

"Este!" I yell while gasping a little for air, although I can't help but laugh at the same time too.