Victoria and Pablo meet by chance when she has to interview him after the Nations League final 2023.
He's immediately infatuated by her, but due to a few years age difference, she only sees him as a younger friend.
Will he make it out of the friendz...
When I woke up on Wednesday morning, I turned around in my bed to check my phone. It was the first thing I always did every day, but today my phone stayed black instead of showing me my background picture, a selfie with Vicky, when I pressed the lock/unlock button on the side. Then, I noticed that I hadn't plugged it into its charger and groaned. I was about to do that now, when I heard voices downstairs. My parents were staying over during the nights now, I had refused that Aurora and Javi would, I didn't need to hear any of their nightly activities.
So I left my phone charging, put on my favourite Nike tracksuit as quickly as I could in my current state, and hobbled downstairs on my crutches. My operation was scheduled for next week and until then, I shouldn't load my leg. When I arrived, everyone turned around to look at me: Mum, Dad, Aurora and Javi, who apparently had already arrived, Fermín and two men in suits that I had never seen before. "Um... Did I miss something?" I chuckled. Fermín stood up and came over to hug me tightly. "This is all so awful, I came over as soon as I saw it" he sobbed into my shoulder and I didn't understand a thing.
"What are you guys talking about? Is there a hidden camera somewhere? Is this for some sort of annoying documentary about my recovery journey?" I groaned, but everyone stayed silent and looked at me with worried expressions. "Wait, do you even know what's going on?" Javi asked and I raised my eyebrows, signalling I had no idea what they were all on about.
"Mr Páez?" one of the guy in suits spoke up. "Yes?" I asked even more confused now. Fuck, maybe my tax consultant hadn't submitted my tax declaration and now they were putting me behind bars for fraud. They looked like those kind of people. "I need you to come with us. Maybe your father can accompany you for... some support" he said and looked at my dad who quickly nodded.
We all walked outside to a black car, me still understanding nothing, as the man turned to us again to say: "Miss Hernandez' family will be waiting for us at my office, they agreed to meet us here." My head started spinning and I stopped in my tracks. Vicky. This had something to do with her. I grabbed Dad's arm. "What happened?" I whispered, not finding the strength to speak loud. "Haven't you seen your phone today?" he asked. "No. I forgot to charge it last night and it was dead this morning" I replied. He pulled me in for a hug and whispered: "Everything will be alright" before opening the door of the car for me. The whole ride, nobody said anything, I tried to ask my father, but he dismissed me, saying that he shouldn't be the one telling me. He was looking very concerned and I got more and more anxious.
We arrived at a building which apparently was of the Catalan government or some sort of other stuff, I didn't quite catch the plate outside. The men showed us to an office and when the door opened, I saw Vicky's parents and brother already waiting there. Her mother looked awful, she was bawling her eyes out, Kike had tears streaming down his face and her father's usual composed expression had shifted to a worried look.
"Oh Pablo!" her mother sobbed and stood up to throw herself around my neck, crying into my sweater. "What is happening?" I asked everyone in the room, pushing away Maria softly, I needed answers now. But the men in suits seemed to ignore my question and the usual guy spoke: "Thanks everyone for coming, especially you Mr and Mrs Hernandez. It's easier that you stay in Barcelona as long as the investigations go on. You will all get police protection for the time being. We-" He was cut off by me shouting now: "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
"Have you seen the video, Mr Paez?" the other of the men in suits asked me. "WHAT VIDEO? WHO ARE YOU GUYS?" I shouted again. "My name is Lopez, I work for the Ministry of Interior and this is Mr Moreno, he works for our national intelligence agency. The video-" he started replying, but Vicky's father cut him off. "No! Don't show it to him!" he said sternly. "WHAT VIDEO, SHOW ME NOW!" I shouted, completely ignoring her father, why was he acting like this? "I'm just trying to protect you, Pablo" her father said with a sad voice and looked at me. The guy sighed and turned around an iPad on his desk and when I saw the frozen picture on it, I grabbed Maria's arm to steady myself. A very frightened looking Vicky, wearing my Spain jersey from the game back in Norway, was looking at me. The guy pressed play. What followed were the most painful 15 seconds of my life. My heart stood still. When the video stopped, everyone stayed silent and I was the first one to speak up.
"Well, you're obviously fulfilling their requests, right? When will she be home?" I asked with a shaky voice. "We don't negotiate with terrorists, Mr Paez" Mr Lopez said and I slammed my hands on the desk. "You sure as hell will! I can bring up the 5 million euros if that's the issue!" I shouted angrily. "Money is not the issue. And you will do no such thing. We will do everything in our power to get Miss Hernandez safely back on Spanish soil." he replied calmly. "Which power? You won't even fulfill a simple request!" I shouted, but Vicky's father put his hand on my shoulder, signalling me to calm down. "Pablo... There's nothing we can do right now except waiting for intelligence and diplomats to do their work" he said and that was the moment I broke down in tears.
"And what the hell am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait, not knowing what horrible things are happening to my girlfriend? It can't be, it can't be, how much more do I have to take?" I managed to stammer in between sobs. "No. You'll focus on your recovery now and work on yourself to get back in shape. Everyone here is with you Pablo, you are not alone. You have to give everything to get back on your feet - for her. She will come back, she promised you she would and these people will do their job" her father said and hugged me from the side.
The men went on to blabber about some stuff, we were getting police protection for the time being, apparently that was standard procedure. Their aim was to launch a targeted operation in the next few days, as they had been surveilling the compound Vicky was being held in for months now. They promised to let us know more in due time. I was in a trance, I don't know how, but after the meeting, I ended up at home again. My body was on automatic mode, I didn't talk, I just laid on the couch in the living room, staring into nothing the whole day. People around me tried to talk or wanted me to say something, but I couldn't even acknowledge them.
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📍 Barcelona, Catalunya, España lavanguardia A 15-second video of which we learned this morning shows our Middle East correspondent Victoria Hernandez saying she was kidnapped by the Islamic State. She states their conditions for her freedom: an immediate release of Afia Saddam or 5 million euros. We ask the Spanish authorities to do everything possible to obtain her release and send all our support to her family and loved ones.
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Fermín came back straight after his recovery training to keep me company, but I don't know what use he thought that would be. I was empty and my thoughts were only circling around Vicky. This was the worst week of my life, it had gone from perfect straight to the pits of hell. I did nothing else than cry, these were the worst two things that could happen to me, my girlfriend imprisoned by terrorists and me not able to play football. The tears kept flowing and flowing, and even Fermín didn't know what to do or say anymore, I had never been in such a state.
That evening, everyone came over, all of Vicky's and my friends, as well as our siblings. We all looked awful. Ana was in the worst state of all, she couldn't seem to stop crying - I didn't even have the power to cry. "I knew something bad was going to happen" Ana sobbed into my shoulder as she sought a hug while we were standing in the kitchen, fetching some water, while the others were talking in the living room, listening to the evening news. "Ana, I... I'm so lost, I don't know what to say or what to do" I said with a shaky voice. "She's gone, Pablo. She decided to go and now she's gone! You know, this is not the movies, she won't make it out of there. She's going through and suffering God knows what. She left and she won't come back! It was her choice, she left us behind!" she shouted and left the kitchen, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.
And then, rage took over. She left. She chose this. She ran after a story and was paying the price now. And I was paying a heavy one too, thanks to her.
********************************** Next chapter will be out tomorrow, prepare your tissues!
