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𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐀 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐏 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑, curled up on the edge of the hotel bed, her wet hair wrapped in a towel, a blanket around her shoulders like a shield. the room was still damp from the steam of her cold shower, but the real storm was inside her.
"milly... i fucked up," she whispered, voice cracking. "i really fucked up."
"breathe, lu," james said gently through the receiver. "start from the beginning, yeah? what happened?"
she closed her eyes, inhaling shakily. "it started with the vip ticket... i thought it was from luis enrique, but i know césar pulled strings. he even sent me his number two jersey, milly. with a little note. said he didn't want me wearing anyone else's shirt."
"yeah, and i wore it," she admitted, biting her lip. "it felt harmless at the time, like, like it'd just be a nice gesture. i didn't think about what it might mean."
"it always means something, lu," he said softly. "and you knew that."
luna swallowed thickly. "i guess i did. i mean, it was kind of sweet... in a weird, possessive way? but when i arrived, he was just... so charming. the way he introduced me to his teammates, like i belonged there."
"let me guess," james said knowingly. "you felt seen again."
she blinked hard, a tear slipping down her cheek. "yeah. yeah, i did. the wags were all friendly, daphne and pilar were teasing me about him. they said we looked more than just friends."
"and what did you say?"
"i lied. said we were just friends. but... milly, when he scored, and he looked up, i swear, he was looking at me."
there was a long pause before james answered. "and you liked that?"
"i think so?" she admitted. "but then after the match, he came up to me, asked if i saw the goal, and i said yes, and he offered to drive me back to the hotel. and on the way..."
"what happened, luna?"
her heart thudded in her chest. "we laughed, talked about madrid, music, food, just easy stuff. and then when we got to the hotel, he pulled up and said, 'thanks for coming tonight, i'm glad you were there.' i turned to thank him and he leaned in, milly... like he was going to kiss me. and for a second i almost, almost let him."
james let out a breath. "but you didn't."
"no," she said quickly, sitting upright. "i panicked. pulled away, mumbled something about being tired, practically bolted out the car."
