Sure Thing • Gavi

Chapter 35: A Night in Andalusia

🎶 Radio — Lana Del Rey 🎶

Gavi POV

Fuck, she was rich. And not just rich, old money rich. And not that old money Pinterest Instagram social media aesthetic stuff that was currently trending, but the real thing. That's the missing puzzle piece I had, especially also since I met her parents that evening. They definitely didn't show the outside what they had, but they couldn't hide their aura and charisma, which just inevitably came with it.

We got inside and I was overwhelmed. There were old paintings of men in uniform and women in huge puffy dresses everywhere, I felt like I was in a museum.
"Just leave the suitcase by the stairs, we can carry it upstairs later" she said and guided me towards the living room, which was as big as a single person's whole apartment. Her parents were sitting on a couch and the Mum stood up when she saw me.
"Hello Pablo, it's so great to see you again! I followed the match a bit on TV, sorry that there wasn't more today..." she said and hugged me. She was so nice to me and I really felt that she wanted me to feel like another son to her.
"Thanks, Mrs Hernandez. And thank you for letting me stay with you" I replied and smiled at her.
"Ah nonsense, you're always welcome here. And I'm Maria. Make yourself at home. Are you hungry? I've got some paella left from lunch!" she offered.
"That would be greatly appreciated, I'm starving" I answered truthfully.
"Great, I'll warm it up real quick, we can all move to the dining room" she said, gesturing to her husband and daughter to move. Dining room. I think I've never been to a house where the dining and living room were separated.

Vicky disappeared in the kitchen to help her mother and her father showed me into the room.
"It was a bit much for me too the first time I visited Maria's family" he chuckled, visibly having noted my... state.
"It's like... a whole other world" I replied and laughed nervously.
"It seems like it. But in the end, we're a family like every other, with its own problems and disputes" he said, and I noticed a sad tone. It must be because of his brother.
"Are you also a nationalist?" I asked straight out, maybe a bit too straight out.
"I love Catalonia. I'm Catalan, so is my family and my children speak the language. It was important for me to teach them about their heritage. But I'm very happy that we're unified with the rest of Spain and see no need to change that" he said and I nodded. He seemed like a reasonable man the more I got to know him. I hoped that he would like me one day.

In the meantime, Vicky had come in and was now bustling around our seats, setting the table and pulling out fancy plates and silver cutlery. Her Mum brought out the Paella and we all sat down and ate together. Her Dad was right, in the end, they were just a family like every other and we talked about the game and the traffic on the roads.
"By the way, we're coming to the game in Seville!" Vicky's Mum said ecstatically and my eyes lit up when I looked at my girlfriend.
"Not her. She thinks a work trip to Brussels is more important than supporting her boyfriend" her Dad teased her and she slapped his shoulder.
"Dad! Before I even got told that you guys were going I was already invited by Pablo's sister, but I have to pass... I'm going to Brussels that day for work and my flight lands at midnight. I already tried to look for a flight to Seville for the return, but there's no nonstop one and I'd never make it in time. Plus, sitting with his family would make rumours fly in a matter of seconds" Vicky said. She had told me about the trip to Belgium and that she was interviewing a member of the European Parliament, but I secretly always hoped that she could make it to all of my games, even though I knew that was impossible and I totally understood that. But I just loved the feeling of knowing she was there with her eyes on me.

"Don't you think it's time to make it public?" her Dad asked.
"I'm leaving it up to her. It's not me who will be affected by the news, but Vicky, so she sets the pace" I said and took my girlfriend's hand.
"However... Irene and I are doing a trip to Oslo next weekend where we found out, purely by chance, that Spain is playing on Sunday" she said and shot me a million-dollar smile, which I immediately returned.
We chit-chatted a bit more and at some point, we all stood up and Vicky and I said goodbye to her parents and made our way upstairs to her room.

"I've never actually lived here, so it's pretty plain and boring" she chuckled when she showed me in. She was right. Her apartment in Barcelona was full of photos with friends and family and various decorations, but here she just had one picture with her family on her nightstand. And I counted at least 8 portraits of what probably were ancestors, but I doubt that she had put them up herself there.

We got ready to go to sleep and I debated asking her about the watch now, I was just way too curious to let that slide. But being the perfect one for me, she had read my mind and when we were laying in bed, she said: "You want to know about the Rolex, right?"
"I'm sorry, it's just a gorgeous watch and I want to know the story behind it!" I said and laughed, pulling her close to me to kiss her temple.
"My grandfather, as in Mum's dad, gave it to me on my 18th birthday. He was hospitalised the same day and died a week later. That's why I'm not wearing it. And because it's way too bling-bling for an everyday use. I'm not a footballer" she said and laughed at her little joke.
"I'm sorry, Vicky. What happened?" I asked.
"He had been sick for a while, but us grandkids didn't know. It was all too much for him that day and I still somehow feel guilty about that even though I knew I shouldn't..." she said with a sad voice. I pulled her even closer and kissed her temple again.