In the spotlight

51

Sofia Christensen

Dim sunlight filtered through the closed blinds as I slowly came to my senses. I opened my eyes slowly, surveying my surroundings cautiously. The whole apartment was quiet; the only sound audible was the consistent breathing of Matteo, still fast asleep right next to me.

He wrapped his arms around my side, pressing his chest against my naked back. With each breath he took, I could feel him against my body, his even breathing indicating that he was still fast asleep.

The thought of him still holding onto me even in his sleep drew a smile on my face. Warmth rushed through my veins and flooded my heart; somehow he managed to bring these heavy feelings out of me unconsciously.

Suddenly all I wanted to do was to hold him and be as close as possible. Very cautiously I wiggled between his arms, trying my very best not to wake him up. I snuggled as close to him as possible, laying my head against his chest.

No matter how fresh this relationship still felt, in these past few days I grew very fond of these small moments like this one. Waking up and lying in bedy, spending every little moment together, it all felt like home.

The comfort and solace I found in Matteo and his company was the sweetest emotion I have experienced in a long time. I do not know if it was just an illusion caused by the pink fog, but I was hoping that I would never forget about it.

And he certainly did his best not to let me forget about it. During the entire week I spent here, Matteo made sure to fill our schedule with different kinds of programs and dates. Explored the most famous sights of Madrid together, had date nights in the inner city, and even went boating on the lake of Parque del Retiro.

An even bigger smile formed on my face upon these memories. He sacrificed all his rest days to make plans for us, showing me around in the capital with the most genuine enthusiasm. But we made sure not to waste time during training sessions either.

My whole body heated up instantly once I remembered everything we did during training days, when we did not have the time to go out, but honestly we did not really want to either. I felt redness creeping up on my face as I bit on my lower lip. When we did not feel like exploring a city, we explored each other instead.

Matteo wiggled next to me, the sheets around him crumpling in the process. He pulled me a little closer, planting a small kiss on my forehead, signaling that he was awake. He turned to his back, adjusting me with him so now I was lying on his shoulder.

"Good morning, Sofi." He said in a raspy voice as he stretched his limbs under me. I threw my hand over him, drawing small circles on his bare chest with my fingers.

"Good morning." I returned the favor with a smile on my face. I felt his hand snaking up on my back, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. I could not possibly fathom how he reaches these feelings whenever he touches me.

"God, I love waking up next to you." He murmured against my forehead. I don't think I will ever hear these words enough.

"The best kind of mornings." I sighed longingly as I rested my head on him. At that moment I wished that we could spend every morning like this, together.

The rapidly approaching date of my very needed departure crept between my thoughts at last, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I was battling my emotions already, swinging between pursuing my career further and giving it up altogether, but deep down I always knew I would never actually quit on my peak.

I also thought about canceling my next trip, earning approximately two more weeks in Madrid, but I never actually had the balls to call Jamie about it, let alone try and tell the sudden change of my mind to Xavier or Adriana.