𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎... // 𝙵𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗 𝚃𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚜

15

BEGINNING

Jadrien's Perspective

After the picking up of Ferran, I didn't see him again until only a couple weeks later, when Eric asked me on December 20, over dinner, when we usually discuss anything of importance, "So, I was wondering, Jade, would you mind if I had some people over for a small Christmas party on the 22?"

"In two days?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed. "By 'party', how many people are we talking here? Like, the whole team, or just a few guys that are your friends...?" I didn't want a bunch of random people I didn't know in my house.

"Oh, not the whole team. It'd probably just be my friends. You know, Nico, Pedri, Ansu, Gavi... Ferran," on this last one, he looked up at me with a grin and raised eyebrows.

And right away I said, "Totally! I'd love to have those guys over!"

Eric grinned, saying, "I knew that last one would get you. Also, if you want, Isabella is welcome to come over, too. Probably a lot of my teammates would be impressed to see a pop star in my living room while we have a hang-out," he grinned. "And not to mention that they never mind seeing you, Miss Model."

I rolled my eyes at my brother and his silly comment, muttering, "Yeah, whatever," with a big grin. I was just excited to have Ferran in my own home in two days.

When the day finally came, I was all ready, wearing this when I left my room:

"Sheesh, Jade," I remember Eric chuckling. He was wearing something a little less elegant, like this:

"You've got quite the fancy dress on," he raised a teasing eyebrow. "Now why is that? Surely there's no one you're trying to impress...?

I rolled my eyes, getting warm again, muttering, "Shut up, Eric."

"I wonder if Ferran will notice you," he said in a mocking tone that he sometimes uses on me. It's only a tone that a brother can pull off.

"Well," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. "That's the hope!"

Eric has been cooking nearly all day, getting together a good-sized dinner for all of our guests. "Jade, do me a favor and put the leaf in the table? Can you line up, let's see... ten chairs around the table, too, and set it for me?"

"Sure," I responded, getting to work doing so.

On my way through the kitchen, he told me to put a candle in the middle of the table, too, for, what he called it, 'mood lighting'. I told him quickly not to call it that, knowing that we were inviting some teenage boys over who might giggle about that, assuming that the mood would be being set for something else. Eric told me his friends weren't like that, but I wasn't so sure about that.

Then everything was ready, and I counted the chairs, then finally said to Eric thoughtfully, "You said ten chairs? Don't we only need nine? For you, me, Isabella, Ferran, Nico, Ansu, Pedri, Alejandro, and Gavi?"

"Ten is good," he said, glancing back to me with a grin.

I looked at him in confused concern, but by then I had learned that most of the time it was smart to just trust my brother and his strange ways, because usually he had a good reason for doing strange things.

Then he finished the food, saying, "Man, I guess we probably won't be able to take out the alcohol, huh?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?" I asked, kind of whiny to my responsible brother.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head at me. "Gavi is still seventeen."

"Oh, come on. It's fine, Eric. No one will know-"

"No, Jade."

"How about we just make sure he doesn't drink, then?"

"I don't know! I don't want to get in trouble with our manager, Jade, because you couldn't go an evening without alcohol!"

"Alright, then how about I make sure Gavi doesn't drink? I'll just give him grape juice if he asks."

Eric rolled his eyes once more, muttering, "Whatever. You better make sure he doesn't, or else I'll never do something like this again."

"Eric, you're not my father," I commented in annoyance.

"Yeah, but I'm your brother!"

"M-hm, and my younger brother, too!"

"I wouldn't treat you like you were younger if you didn't act younger," he said. Before I could get annoyed at him back, the doorbell rang, and he said, "Do me a favor and get the door."

"Sure, whatever, Eric," I said, going to get it.

All annoyance, though, disappeared when I saw through the window on the door that Ferran Torres was standing there, wearing this:

I threw open the door, grinning broadly at the sight of him. "Hey, Ferran!" I smiled.

"Oh, hi, Señorita," he smiled back. "Am I early...?"

"No, you're right on time," I winked. "It is everyone else that is late. Come on in. I'll bring you to the living room. Thank so much for coming-" I had to stop being from rambling on more. I'm pretty sure guys like girls better when they're quiet.

"Oh, right, of course," he took off his shoes at the door and followed me to the living room. "Where is Eric?" he asked.

"In the kitchen. I think he'd rather have his guests in the living room until everyone is here and the food is ready."

"Oh, okay," he nodded. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, shifting slightly uncomfortably.

"So," I smiled at him, trying to keep my eyes from looking so dreamy as I felt. "It's great to be able to play with Eric, huh? I knew you guys are close. I knew Eric was a bit upset to leave City, but mostly just because of his teammates there. It's great that now you guys can play at Barça together, huh?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

And that was beginning of a good evening that would end badly.