𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

The final whistle blows and Switzerland are the winners. Granit releases a huge sigh and celebrates with his teammates. The noise in the stadium is deafening. If Granit started off as the underdog, he now has the crowd completely under his command.

Emotion brims over as the momentousness of this moment slams into Aurora. "He won... he actually won..." Granit is ushered out of the pitch to a crowd of reporters close to the audience. Mics crowd his face, cameras flash everywhere to capture the triumphant moment.

"Tell us, Granit. You started off this match on defense. That player had you." Reporter 1 said. "How did you manage to turn things around?" Reporter 2 asked. "Honestly... it wasn't me. There's someone else who deserves full credit." Granit said. "Who?" Reporter 1 asked. "My wife, Aurora." Granit said.

"What did she say to you during the break?" Reporter 2 asked. Granit's eyes find Aurora's in the audience. Happy tears spring to her eyes. She thinks there might be a glimmer of tears in his, too. "She told me she loved me." Granit said. Suddenly, ushers find Aurora in the audience and guides her down to where Granit's standing.

She squints as the eyes of dozens of cameras turn to her, blinding her with lights. "Hey, baby." Granit said. Aurora's heart races as the gap between her and Granit closes. His big, strong hands cradle her face. Despite sweat dripping down his forehead, he's never looked more beautiful to her. "Granit, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it, baby." Aurora said.

"You were the only person who always believed in me. Now come here, Ro. I've been waiting to do this all day." Granit said. Aurora's face is magnified larger than she's ever seen it before on the jumbotron. She can hear the collective inhale of thousands of watching fans as Granit closes the gap between her lips.

Aurora takes Granit by the jaw and captures his mouth in a deep, bone-melting kiss. She feels herself ripped from gravity as Granit lifts her off the ground to return the kiss. Exhilaration tingles through her entire body as Granit swings her around, laughing into the kiss. The crowd's cheers are more thunderous than ever, wolf-whistling and whooping with delight.

Granit grins into the kiss, swinging her around again. She's never seen him look this truly happy before. "I think this might be the happiest moment of my life." Granit said. "This? Not the moment you were announced as the winner?" Aurora asked. "No. This right here, Ro. With you." Granit said.

Tears of joy spring to Aurora's eyes as she cradles Granit's cheeks and returns the kiss, much softer this time. The audience fades away into the background as she loses herself in the kiss. "I've never felt like this before." She said. "Neither have I, Ro." Granit said. A pair of burly men emerge hoisting a giant, glittering trophy.

"Woah! Can I touch it?" Aurora asked. "Of course you can. What's mine is yours." Granit said. Albert takes the trophy delicately and puts it into a special case. The minute the cameras finally turn away to interview the losing team, Granit takes Aurora's hand and drags her to the hallway. "Where are we going?" Aurora asked.

"Anywhere we can be alone." Aurora giggles as Granit throws open the door to the nearest dressing room and haults her inside. Granit locks the door behind Aurora and pins her against it. There's a raw, breathless intensity to him, sweaty and scarred. He's looking at her like he wants to eat her right up.

"You are wearing far too many clothes right now." He said. "Go on, then. Undress me." Aurora said. "Fucking hell, Ro." Granit said. "Uh-oh. Did I break you?" Aurora asked. "It's going to take more than that." Granit said. "Is that a challenge?" Aurora asked. "The things you fucking do to me." Granit said. "I've never wanted you so badly..."

A few moments later

Once Aurora and Granit are both dressed, they dart back into the hallway together, their arms wrapped around one another. They fix each other's hair, giggling. "How do we look?" Granit asked. "Um, we look like teenagers after Seven Minutes in Heaven." Aurora said. "What's that?" Granit asked.