hard feelings - an erling haaland story

twenty-six

The wait for the elevator was excruciating, he needed to be in front of her. He needed to feel her in his arms. To tell her that he loved her within close proximity. Despite the fact that they had briefly seen each other, it wasn't enough. He wanted the air to be filled with her warming and welcoming scent. A sweet scent that smelt like the sun rise on a cold, frosty winter morning. It had been weeks since he was able to just be in her presence, alone; he couldn't wait any longer. His fingers pushed at the buttons as though the repeated action would speed the elevator up and she would be there in front of him, in his arms. Since receiving the message from her, making him aware that she had arrived at his building and was on her way up, Erling found himself restless, fidgeting with anything and everything, reflecting his younger self, sat in the back of his father's car, fidgeting and tapping as they inched closer to the airport to pick up the Tiattos. He missed her, a lot more than he would let himself admit to her, but nonetheless he missed his Mia. He missed the woman he was utterly in love with.

A small ding grabbed his attention, as the silver doors that once showed his reflection, now presented the woman he had been anxious to see. She looked beautiful, her hair cascading down her shoulders in her natural curls that she often hid. His breath hitched in his throat, unsure what to say or do, as she stepped out, engulfing him into a hug. A sign that she had missed being in his presence as much as he had her. He buried his face in her hair, taking in the familiar scent he had been craving for. They stayed in each other's arms, as Erling mumbled apologies into her hair.

He felt her pull away, causing his heart to skip a beat. He craved her touch for weeks and he feared he would crave it for many years to come. There simply wasn't enough time in the world for him to ever fulfil his craving. It wasn't in an obsessive way, though he questioned whether he had overstepped the fine line between love and obsession. It was something he found himself fearing at the thought of. He didn't want to scare her away with his intensity. He needed her, like the air needed trees. If he were to speak to himself from when he first stepped off the plane, he would be appalled to hear that Erling would fail to function if she wasn't around, if he couldn't see her sweet dimpled smile or hear her laugh.

She looked up at him, her eyes soft. Her pupils began to expand, as though the brightest light was presented in front of her. Oh, how he had missed the sight of her showing her love for him. "I love you." Amelia's voice spoke, quavering slightly as the words fell out of her mouth, as she fought the tears that threatened to spill. The words rang like a new melody in his ears, like the first drop of rain after a drought. Hearing her say those words were more than enough to make him feel overwhelmed. It felt like a dream, even after all the hurtful words, she still loved him.

The words drove him to plant small kisses all over her face, red and flushed from her confession to the him. She let out small laughs at his actions, throwing her head back as an attempt to stop the kisses from landing on her. He pulled her closer to him, a grin plastered on his face. No matter what he would go on to achieve, he knew there was no greater achievement than hearing his best friend tell him she loved him. He often found himself in disbelief, feeling like he was a completely different person to who he was when he first landed in the city. How could he ever have felt that she would be a mere burden to him, when he couldn't imagine being apart from her?

A bystander would've suspected that they had taken a hallucinogenic or two with the looks that remained stuck on their faces. A look of pure ecstasy. He never knew it was possible to feel this way over another person. Although, he knew it wasn't difficult to feel this way, when it came to Amelia. She was an easy to love person, a person whose company was so easy to be in, it was almost relaxing. At least Erling had thought so. "I love you, Mia."

Holding her in his arms was something he had always taken for granted, he thought about how they often found themselves entangled in each other's arms. A younger version of himself would find himself unwrapping her arms from around his long torso, embarrassed and ashamed to be caught in such an intimate position with his best friend. However, now, he would proudly show her off to the world. Tell everyone she was his and he was hers, a smile played at his lips, as he glanced down at the sleeping figure on his lap. He took note of everything he saw. Every freckle, every eyelash. She was so beautiful to him. He always felt as though he was so lucky she even looked his way. Sure, he was talented at what he did but he deemed it as simply not being enough for her. Not his Mia. Not the girl who his father's generation of talent teased as being the Rose to his Jack.

Erling had always felt insecure next to Amelia, he remembered how he huffed as he watched his sister and the Australian play together, in their garden. They couldn't have been older than seven, with his older sister, no more than ten years old. Amelia had told him that the game was girls only so he would have to sit out. He kept his eyes closely on them as they laughed and whispered to each other. He felt insecure at their actions and upset that his best friend had excluded him from their game. Unbeknownst to him, the two girls had been whispering about the younger one's growing crush on Gabrielle's younger brother. The sun was blaring in the sky, disturbing the blue it projected. He noted that when she thought he wasn't looking that she would steal small glances at him, the smile on her face growing. Though he was unsure as to what was going on.

As he spent the evening with her, he could feel a lump forming in his throat at the idea that she would soon have to leave to go back to her own home. He didn't want the evening to end, he had spent so much time of his time in isolation, away from her. He needed more. It's a funny thing, love, so much of his life was spent loving her, yet here he was after twenty two years of knowing her, loving her in more ways than he could've fathomed. He knew the world worked in curious ways but he never expected to be a victim of said ways. He wanted her to stay so desperately. Yet he found himself worried that if he were to ask, she'd freeze and get frightened. It would've been a miracle for him to get the smallest hint of what she was truly thinking. Then, maybe, just maybe, dating his childhood best friend would be easier. Maybe, they would finally be able to communicate with each other in an efficient way.

There had always been funny little consequences when it came to the two of them, much like his move to the city she had settled in four years prior to his move. A coincidence he would forever be thankful for. Almost as a sign that they were destined to be together, the pair spoke in sync, every beat matching the other's.

"I should get going, E."

"Mia, will you be my girlfriend?"